Pictures Press (Aug 21-28, 1920)

August 21, 1920 14 PICTURES PRESS Selznick Unfolds Plans Program for Year Outlined [Special Correspondence] NEW YORK, Aug. 16. — Myron Selznick. president of Selznick Pictures Corporation, made known just prior to his sailing for Europe today the producing plans of the organization for the year 1920-21. Thei'e will be produced and released by Selznick enterprises during the coming season six star series pictures, twelve super-specials directed by Ralph Ince and Hobart Henley ; six productions for National Picture Theaters, Inc., in which Conway Tearle will be starred, and ten other all-star productions for National. The short subjects will include Prizma natural color pictures, the Herbert Kaufman stories and the Selznick news reel. In the star series Olive Thomas will be seen in “Everybody’s Sweetheart,” by John Lynch; “Keep Him Guessing,” by Idyll Shepard Way; “The Girl With the Faun Ears,” by Phyllis Duganne; “The Magdalene of Mudville,” by John Lynch, and “The Fib,” by George D. Hodenpvl, Jr. William Faversham will be seen in the recently completed “The Sin That Was His,” the Hobart Henley production, written by Frank L. Packard, of “Miracle Man” fame, and other special productions. Elaine Hammerstein will be starred in “The Daughter Pays,” by Mrs. Baillie Reynolds; “Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby,” by Kathleen Norris; “The Proof of the Pudding,” by Meredith Nicholson; and “Idle Hands,” by John Lynch. Conway Tearle, the National Picture Theater star, will shortly be seen in “Marooned Hearts,” in which Zena Keefe plays the leading feminine role, written by Lewis Allen Browne ; and “The Road of Ambition.” by Elaine Sterne. Owen Moore, in addition to his latest Selznick picture, “The Poor Simp,” will appear in “Love Among the Chickens,” by P. G. Wodehouse; “Chivalrous Charlie,” by May Tully, and “Love Is An Awful Thing,” by J. Shakespeare Sap. The starring vehicles in which Eugene O’Brien will be seen are “The Wonderful Chance,” by H. H. Van Loan ; ‘ ‘ Mysterious Moments, ’ ’ by Izola Forrester and Mann Page; “A Man’s Word,” by Lewis Allen Browne, and “The Fighter,” by Albert Payson Terhune. Among the special productions scheduled for early autumn release are “Wilderness Fear,” written by Michael J. Phillips and directed by Burton George ; “The Alibi,” by Eugene Walter; “The Dangerous Paradise,” by Edmund Goulding ; ‘ ‘ Bucking the Tiger, ’ ’ by Miss May Tully and Achmed Abullah ; * ‘ The Law Bringers,” by C. B. Lancaster; “The Honor of the House,” a Hobart Henly production; “The Man Tamer,” by John Burton Oxford, and “The Man of Iron,” by John Lynch. Ralph Ince will apear in and direct a number of special features. Among the earlier Ince releases will be “Out of the Snows,” written by E. Lord Corbett, and “Red Foam,” adapted from the Saturday Evening Post story by William H. Hamby. Big Laboratories to Get Business for Hollywood OLANS for the buildings to be conA structed in Hollywood by the Standard Film Laboratories, a corporation recently organized, are now being prepared by Architect John J. Frauenf elder, and actual operations will be started within a short time. At a meeting this week of the directors of the Standard, the following officers were elected: C. E. Vermilyea, president; John M. Nickolaus, vice-president; S. M. Tompkins, treasurer; 0. H. Hewlett, secretary, and C. B. Stewart, counsel. The board of directors includes besides the officers, Dr. George F. Harding of Santa Monica, Ed J. Burns of San Diego, John Q. Critchlow, L. A. Whitmore, A. R. Groenke and C. F. Gilmore of Los Angeles. The company’s plant will be erected on a seven acre site just purchased and will cost $200,000. The latest inventions for the production of the finest photographic work will be installed. The building will be proof against fire, dust and all outside atmospheric conditions. The Standard Film Laboratories expect to land a majority of the 90 per cent of production business which is now being handled by Eastern laboratories. The present method of handling represents a loss to Los Angeles of approximately $150,000 a week, which the Standard expects soon to bring to the West Coast metropolis. John M. Nickolaus, superintendent of the Famous Players-Lasky laboratories at Los Angeles, and S. M. Tompkins, head of the photography department of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company at Universal City, will have direct charge of the Standard laboratories. The new organization expects to give employment to a large number of persons. Ford Sterling in Comic Ford Sterling has been signed by Louis W. Thompson, president of the Special Pictures Corporation, to appear in the comic classic release of that organization. The signing of Sterling is considered to be one of the year’s events in the screen comedy field. Recently Chester Conklin and Gale Henry were signed. Reggie Morris has been engaged as director general for the screen comedy offerings of the corporation. Audiences Best Censors of Films BY BEN HAMPTON TDICTURE theaters are instantly responsive to the story told by the box * office. If the family trade disapproves of doubtful pictures, the box office will see that no more doubtful pictures appear. And no other form of censorship will accomplish comparable results. The growing power of the small, well-conducted theater known as the neighborhood house, will aid in putting this power of the most effective censorship directly into the hands of the people. These managers study their audiences, and keep in close personal touch with them. If the patrons do not want doubtful pictures, one expression of this distaste on the parts of the heads of the families patronizing these houses is enough to exclude such pictures for all time. This will instantly affect production, for without the support of the neighborhood houses the motion picture industry cannot live. To place the power of arbitrary condemnation of film product in the hands of a small group of men is un-American and unjust. Censorship as it now exists does not represent the people who see the films, and it is superficial, inefficient, and predatory. Much is condemned without reason and much is passed that should be condemned.