Photoplay (Jan - Jun 1925)

It Can't Done Be Done [continued from pace Sii an old, smooth-running organization. That's in his favor, of course. Everything considered, the odds are about even. The result is going to depend largely on hard work. " Now here's one thing that has got to be arranged right away — a theater, for our New York showing. That's a job for you. I'll give you a letter to my friend McGrath — he's a big stockholder in the Imperial — they release for Successful Players, and the Goldstein group. I've talked with him about our picture, but of course he couldn't guarantee anything. Most rivals. The newspapers will eat it up. People will be betting on it. As for seats, for the private showing, you'll be deluged with requests. Don't give out any tickets until the last moment. We'll go over the lists together. Don't even say what theater we're opening at. Just give the date, October fourteenth. Say we hope to be ready then, but it may be the week following. Keep everything else dark." "But when Davidson hears our opening date, won't he try to beat it?" ' Sure he will. people on the stage, and want the theater a week ahead in order to rehearse them— work out our tableaux, lighting effects, etc. They'll think you are a boob, of course, paying out good money for a thing like that, but it is good money, and they won't hesitate to take it. They should worry. To get a theater at all, you'll have to make a big cash deposit. You understand?" "LJELL'S-BELLS. I don't care. I'm in this •*■ fight to win. If we can't get a theater of the big distributors, controlled by old line can. I don't believe he can, no matter how companies with their own programmes to take much steam he puts on. But of course he care of , are not keen about releasing for inde might. He'll try to meet our date. Then we'll pendent producers. But if we've got the goods quietly sneak in a week earlier and fool him. — if the critics, the public, like our picture — With a big burst of publicity in the papers on want it — the distributing end will take care of Saturday morning, saying we're opening Sun I'm counting on that. If he any other way, I'll buy one. Tony laughed. itself. We won't have to run after them they'll be coming to us. "The important thing is a first-class New York showing. We'll have trouble getting a house, in October, with hundreds of new pictures, shows, eager to book in for a Broadway opening. Davidson has his own theater, of course. It's a cinch for him. We've got to get one. And I don't mind telling you that Davidson, as soon as he gets wise to what we're doing, will use all the influence at his command to block us. He's interested in a lot of other houses besides the Plaza. Both legitimate and picture theaters. His game will be to shut us out until after his own production has been shown. What we've got to do is arrange for our theater now, and we haven't a moment to lose. Don't think I've neglected that end," Tony went on. "Only I hadn't any idea, until today, that we were going to be in such a hurry." "TJUT," Hardy objected, "how can we ••^engage a theater until we knowwhen we want it?" "We know now — or at any rate we'll take a chance. October seventh. That will give me a week, after we finish shooting, to put the picture together. Quick work, for cutting, titling, assembling, but I expect to do a lot as we go along. If we can't open the seventh, we'll postpone it, paying for the theater, of course. But that will 1 e over my dead body. I'll work all night, if necessary, to get the film ready on time. A lot of things, tinting, retakes, you can't tell much about until you see the picture as a whole. Now I've been figuring this thing out. The first of October comes on a Monday. I want to give this picture its private showing on Sunday night, October seventh. That's when we want the theater. From then on." "But," said Hardy, "if we set our opening for the seventh, won't Davidson get on to it?" "Of course. So we'll set it for a week later— the fourteenth. Advertise it — let everybody understand it that way. It will cost something, but it will be worth it. Not now, of course — we won't say a word about our plans for the present. But when the fight comes out in the open. My prediction is that inside of two weeks everybody in town will know about it. And it will be more than just a fight between two rival producers — a battle royal between two women stars. Everybody knows, or will know, the circumstances which led up to Jane's retirement, and mine, from Davidson's company. The efforts Irene Shirley has made to vamp herself to stardom. "It's a big? human story in itself, Ben. and one of the greatest publicity breeders New York has had in years. A race like that between two beautiful day night — a week earlier than we expected. Mail our invitations Friday night. But it's vitally important that the theater people shouldn't let it out that we've taken the house from the seventh. That would give the whole show away. Tell them we are boxing in the You won't have enough money left for that, Ben, I'm sorry to say. Well, that's all I can tell you now. You run along back to town and see about that lumber from the Hudson people. It's two days late already. And get after Robinson about those costumes for the extras. We'll need them next week. Offer a bonus if you have to, but get them. I'll mail you that letter to McGrath tonight, and a list of houses for you to go after. It won't be a long one, unfortunately. There might be a with a specially built set, using a lot of chance at the Victoria, [continued ox page 112] Alice Carroll fairly hugged Jane. "Superb, my dear," she gurgled. "A friend of mine said Irene put on a new dfess every lime she turned around. She would — the cheap fraud1' 81