Moving Picture World (Sep 1916)

1846 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD September 16. 1916 London Trade Topics JD. WALKER, the agent for Famous Players-Lasky, is to release the Burton Holmes travelogues here short• ly. The D'Orsey expedition pictures are also announced, these on somewhat novel lines, for they are to be released by the Birmingham firm responsible for their handling in serial form. The travel film is a doubtful factor in this country. At the better class shows they are invariably appreciated, but in the industrial areas they are often received icily. Said a showman the other day, "Never use a slide of the King to signify the termination of the program. A short travel gets them out as quick." * * * The demand for comedy is having its reflex in prosperity at one house at least catering for the open market center. D. W. Russell, David Horsley's hustling agent, reports encouraging sales on the George Ovey single-reel subjects. * * * Edgar' Wallace, the author, has under consideration a plan for filming the naval battle of Jutland. s)c :*: ^c A famous statistician, for the want of something better to do, once computed that if the wealth of the world was evenly divided the equal quota for every man, woman and child would be a trifle over £66. A diverting forecast of what would happen under such a distribution has provided George Robey with good material for a screen comedy. * * * Last week the Triangle organization started its trade campaign in earnest. Something like forty trade shows of subjects to be released under the three-cornered banner are being held each week in London and provinces. The old trade show system, they say, did not allow all exhibitors to attend. To give exhibitors no possible excuse for not viewing a picture the Triangle plan is to show five times each week at each of its eight depots. Three subjects will be shown at each show. "Fatty and Mabel Adrift," the first Triangle film to be released, made its appearance in public also last week. The dramatic subjects will not be seen until September, when "Peggy" will be the initial number. Roy Aitken has been over here for a few weeks inspecting premises and final arrangements for the distribution of Triangles and an extensive prefatory publicity campaign. * * * Sydney M. Baber, of the Famous Players-Laskey Company, has taken out a commission as lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps. * * * The imports of films (negative and positive) from the U. S. A. to this country during the month of June exceeded £141,000 in value, according to the Customs returns. This amount is about £6,000 in advance of the imports for June, 1915. * * * The release date of "Macbeth" (Triangle-Fine Arts), that is, the release date it will be available to exhibitors upon ordinary rental terms, is Nov. 16th. "The Birth of a Nation" is now being booked, contrary to the policy announced at its London presentation, to some of the less portentious moving picture theaters. * * * A Government notice issued late last month includes, amongst other things to be treated as contraband of war, sensitized photographic film, plates and papers. Messrs. Albert and Arthur Clozenburg who have been interested as directors in Ruffell's Exclusives, Ltd., the enterprising concern which handles the Metro output in this country, have withdrawn their interest therefrom and managerial matters are now under the control of Messrs. C. W. and A. C. Lovesy. With this change, Mr. Roscoe C. Spurin, the publicity manager, also seeks fresh fields and pastures new for his insatiable energy and resourceful ideas. It was ho wild evolved and adopted the most communicative member of the feathered species to symbolize a brand of films thai would eventually talk, and the popular parrot as an advertising device for Metro's soon spread to the land of their birth. His work on the Drew comedies has been even better, so much so, that he is regarded by not a few as the most original and able film-booster in London. * * * Mr. J. D. Walker, the Famous Players-Lasky agent, has been appointed British distributor of the Mutual-Chaplin pictures. The first release is "Easy Money." J. B. S. Kalem to Add to Forces New Producing Companies Will Be at Work Under Kalem Banner in Fall Months. ACCORDING to reports current last week Kalem is making arrangements to place several new producing companies at work under its banner with the coming of the fall months. When questioned Kalem officials admitted plans were under way for an expansion of activity. It is known that extensive alterations and additions have been taking place for some time at the different Kalem studios in California, New Jersey and Jacksonville. During the summer months the Kalem schedule of releases through the General Film has consisted of five reels, which include the "Girl from Frisco," a weekly two-reel release, and three one-reelers, the ,"Ham" comedy, Ivy Close comedy, and "Hazards of Helen." Both the "Girl from Frisco" company and the "Hazard!? of Helen" forces are now at work in the Glendale studio, while the latter organization also does a considerable part of its work at the Kalem studio station. The "Ham" company is working alone at the Hollywood studio. Both these plants have recently been greatly enlarged, and report has it that Kalem is preparing to engage additional directors and other members of the new companies. SELZNICK HELPS ILLUMINATE GREAT WHITE WAY By way of impressing upon all New York the importance of Miss Young's coming appearance in his seven-reel production of Robert W. Chambers' famous novel, "The Common Law," Mr. Selznick recently had installed on the corner of Broadway and Forty-sixth street one of the biggest electric signs in the heart of the theatrical district. This huge illumination is in two parts, one slanting so as to catch the eye of those coming downtown, the other placed so as to be conspicuous from many blocks down the big street. From across Broadway both sides of the sign blaze their double message. After the first picture is released the letters will be changed to advertise the second production and so on throughout the year. The installation of the big sign is but one of the phases of the advertising campaign now being conducted for the Selznick pictures. Four styles of twenty-four sheet stands are being distributed throughout the country for the first Clara Kimball Young, picture. Mr. Selznick has contracted for $100,000 worth of billboards for the first year, and to make this billboard campaign of still wider scope is supplying all contract exhibitors with as many stands of paper free of charge as they can use. Another Broadway location has been secured for a big electric sign now being constructed which will advertise the Herbert Brenon productions beginning with Nazimova in "War Brides." LEAVES SCREEN FOR STOCK FOR MOTHER'S SAKE. The important part of "Tommy Mainard." the juvenile in "The Wheel of Justice," in which Emily Stevens is starred on the Metro program, is in the hands of Raymond McKee. The young man has abandoned motion picture work for the winter, in order to take his mother to Florida, to gratify her life-long wish to spend a winter there. When he received an offer to play in a stock company in Jacksonville, he gave up flattering propositions to remain in motion picture work in New York. "I am young." he says. "I can wait better than mother can." NICHOLAS POWER RETURNS TO NEW YORK. Nicholas Power, inventor of Power's Cameragraph and president of the Nicholas Power Comnany. returned to New York on September 1 from Lake Bomoseen, Vermont, where he has been spending the summer at his country home. Mr. Tower is highly pleased and encouraged with the business done in his absence, and in spite of the unusual conditions caused by the paralysis epidemic, etc.. believes that the motion picture industry will enjoy a good fall and winter business. Mr. Power is again at his office at 90 Gold street.