The Billboard 1917-06-16: Vol 29 Iss 24 (1917-06-16)

JUNE 16, 1917 The Billboard ane MI Om a ees FAIRBANKS’ COMPANY Starting Sixth Month of Production Los Angeles, June 9.--With two Artcraft plays already completed, and about to start on bis third release, Douglas Fairbanks is celebrating his sixth month as producer. It was imme diately after the first of the year that he completed negotiations with Walter E. Green, presjdent of Artcraft Pictures Corporation, to distribute his personally supervised five-reel pictures made under the direction of John Emerson from scenarios by Anita Loos, Mr, Fairbanks’ business organization is headed by his brother, Jobn Fairbanks. The bookkeeping department is in the hands of Florence E. Gribbon, who until recently was prominently identified with the Triangle Film Corporation, Director Emerson has Joseph Henaberry and James Hogan for assistants, while Anita Loos is assisted by Ruth Allen. Mathilda Kanes is Fairbanks’ secretary, with Bennie Zeidman as publicity representative. QUO VADIS WANTED Chicago, June 9.—George Kleine recently announced his intention to republish the superfeature, Quo Vadis, after it has been re-edited, new titles supplied and additions made that practically assured a new production. Since this announcement Mr. Kleine has been approached by progressive State-right promoters and asked to list Quo Vadis as a State-right release. ‘Chis production is, undoubtedly. a leader in its class, and, should Mr. Kleine look favorably upon tbe propositions made to him, there is little doubt but that Quo Vadis would soon again attain its popularity. FEATURES BOUGHT Not Leased by Manager Patch Pittsburg, Pa., June 9%.—William Moore Patch, manager of the Pitt Theater here, and for many years theatrical editor of The Pittsbure Dispatch, has pulled off another stunt that shows his keen business eye. Hereafter all big feature films which will be shown at the Pitt Theater will be bought outright by Mr. Patch and his business associates, and, after the first run at the Pitt, will be sent over a circuit in Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D. C. In order to take care of this business plan, at a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Pitt Theater Company, the capital stock was increased from $20,000 to $100,000. Mr. Patch will continue as president and managing director of the Pitt Company, while Christian Hemmick, of Washington, D. C., will be vice-president and assistant managing director. Joseph Dilworth is secretary-treasurer, and Grant Curry assistant treasurer. The Pitt has established a record of over $10,000 per week in receipts from pictures, and it is the only house here running the big features. The Garden of Allah, now starting its secoml week at the Pitt, is the first feature to be bought and controlled by the new Pitt plan. TEN-YEAR-OLD SCRIPT Being Produced by Wharton, Inc. Ithaca, N. Y., June 9.—The Wharton studios have suddenly assumed junglelike proportions. Thruout the woods which surround the studio buildings there are waving palms and leaping animals. Screams, shouts, roars and squawks echo most of the day, combined with the noise of excited directors and the muffled grunts of actors. And the reason for it all is that Theodore Wharton is fulfilling a ten-yearold manuscript. That many years ago he wrote a comedy. He never had written a comedy before and he was somewhat afraid of the venture. The result was that he tucked the launghmaker away and forgot it. After that he wrote other comedies and put them on, but the first comedy remained tucked in his trunk—forgotten. A short time ago, however, he was rummaging thru some papers and found the worn sheets of the comic he had written years before. He read it over. The first page sounded good, the second better and the third still better. And the result of it all was that there wae a conference, a hiring of a cast and a sudden beginning on a new comedy. The picture will be two reels in length and will feature Eddie Vogt. It concerns the exciting adventures of a professional Jonah, and will be ready for release shortly. TOTO WITH ROLIN New York, June 9.—Toto, the clown who was for two years featured at the New York Hippedrome, has arrived in Los Angeles ready to begin work immediately at the Rolin Studio on comedies for Pathe. Toto is looked upon as one of the best comedy propositions as yet discovered, and Hal CLEAR, CLEAN and BRILLIANT IIT LES acc Wording Perfectly Balanced With or Without Borders ROTHACKER FILM MFG. CO., 1339-51 Diversey Parkway, = = CHICAGO, U.S.A. BIEBER) PHOTOPLAYS (iNC) PRESENT Ruth Clifford Rupert Julian “A KENTUCKY CINDERELLA”’ An Absorbing Drama of the Old South— From the Novel by F. Hopkinson Smith. Directed by Rupert Julian. Book through your local BLUEBIRD Exchange, or BLUEBIRD PHOTOPLAYS nc.) 1600 Broadway, NEW YORK. SPECIAL PRINTED ROLL TICKETS . | Five Thousand $ 1.25 Ten Thousand -« 2.50 Fifteen Thousand -3.75 Twenty-five Thousand 5.50 Fifty Thousand 7.50 One Hundred Thousand 10.00 THE BIG TICKET AT THE SMALL PRICE Your own Special Ticket, any printing, any colors, accurately n every roll guaranteed. Coupon Tickets for or Prize Drawings, 3,000, $2.50. Prompt shipments. Cash with order. Get the samples. Send diagram for Reserved Seat Coupon Tickets. State bow many sets desired, serial or dated. Stock Tickets, 5,000 to 25,000, 15c per 1,000; 50,000, 10c; 100,000, 9c. NATIONAL TICKET CO., Shamokin, Pa. Open Invitation to All Motion Picture Exhibitors COME TO PHILADELPHIA JUNE 25-26-27 TO THE CONVENTION AND EXPOSITION OF The Motion Picture Exhibitors’ League OF PENNSYLVANIA We will welcome you. Beautiful decorative effects; prominent exhibits. Space open for acceptable demonstrators and exhibits at one dollar per square foot. Address B. AMSTERDAM, Chairman, 1225 Vine St., Philadelphia, Pa. Roach of Rolin expects to make pictures featuring the famous clown that will make film history. It is stated in this connection that ‘Pathe has enough confidence in his ability to do so to offer more than twice as much money for the Toto Comedies as they have ever paid for this class of picture in the past. The Rolin Company is the producer of the successful, Speedy action and an alert mental attitude on the part of al! characters are the features in the Rolin comedies, which, it is beHeved, have made them euch hits. The same policy will be followed with Toto, but, of course, because of the great difference between the comedy methods and personalities of thjs star and Lonesome Luke the pictures will be different Lonesome Luke comedies, which have been so] in nature, EXHIBITORS ENTHUSIASTIC Over Private Showing of Parentage New York, June 9.—A film privately exhibited at the Rialto, New York, is Parentage. Its en thusiastic reception by a critical audience of prospective State-right buyers and exhibitors is indeed a happy augury of the nation-wide sue eess attending this production. As a study in characterization of parts and grouping of types, Parentage is vastly interesting from the technical angle of the producers’ point of view, Great credit is due for its skillful handling, Parentage is, in its treatment of the engrossing subject its title signifies, a welcome departure from the usual. It will de much to enhance the standing and prestige of the moving remarkable feature last Wednesday picture industry. While pvinting oat in a pleasing and wholesome manner a lesson from which all may learn, it never at any time be comes mawkish or “‘preachy."" The ‘fan In the street’’ never loses sleep worrying about perfection in technicalities or the troubles of the producer, to be overcome by artistry and genius in production; he wants only to be interested and entertained, and where it is done without ‘“‘preaching’’ he is not reluctant to absorb a wholesome moral. In these respects Parentage completely fills the bill and the boxoffices of the country will surely that the bill is receipted. A clear course to success already is marked out for Parentage upon the chart of public opinion. The voices of leading men in literature and art, as well as producers, State-right buyers and exhibitors are unanimous in predicting a great future for Parentage. A distinct success is scored by the child actors in Parentage, under the tuition of Hobart Henley, who wrote the picture and directed it. Lois Alexander and Matty Roubert, the juvenile actors, play opposit each other. Praise in unstinted measure is due Hobart Henley for the infinite patience he must have exercised in arranging with telling realism the schoolroom scene in which are grouped no less than fifty ehildren. A series of delightful effects were achieved, the key to which is nothing more nor less than the particular genius of Mr. Henley. The advertising service which goes with the picture greatly adds to its money-making qualities for the exhibitor, Frank J. Seng, the wellknown exhibitor, has learned from long experierce the value of effective advertising, and in this service he has given practical expression to his views upon the subject. The obvious fault in much advertising which appears in trade papers has been corrected in the service behind Parentage. State-right buyers and exhibitors do not have to take anything on trust. Investing in Parentage they are given every opportunity to know just exactly what they are buying and have every assurance beforehand that their money is well spent. DALLAS TO HAVE NEW THEATER see Dallas, Tex., June 9.—It was announced recently that a new moving picture theater, to cost $300,000 and to seat 3,000, will be erected in this city in the near future. J. A. Cressey, head of the Cr interests, and several New York theatrical men are interested ir the house, essey which, it is said, will be one of tre finest in the entire South. Work on the new theater will be started within a month, a lot having alreacy) been purchased. The plans for the inierior, which will be of unusually attractive design, have practically been completed. UNIVERSAL SCREEN MAGAZINE ———_ A Big Educational Factor New York, Jcene 9.—‘‘I have been closely following developments in the motion picture world fon a number of years, and | have run across no single medium which is doing more and which gives greater promise of doing more in the way of educating and quickening the int lligence and arousing the spirit of patriotism among the public generally than your Screen Magazine,"’ wrote Dr. John Forbes, noted educator and former vice-president of the American Educational Association, the other day to Jack Cohn, editor of the Uni versal Sereen Magazine. Mr, Cohn’s ivea from the first has been to make it a superfine educational and informative reel, auc he has spared no pains in his efforts to He has recently made addi tions to his already large force of cameraman, who are seouring the country for subjects which will measure up te the high standard which the magazine has maintained to date. In the current issue a picture taken at the New York State College of Agriculture, Cornell University, shows a germination test, which, if adopted gardeners and farmers, would the saving of millions of bushels of corn every year. The work be. ing conducted at the Institute for the Im. proved Instruction of Deaf Mutes constitutes an unusually vivid and interesting feature of this issue. Other features which add to the value of the issue are the manufacture of ice cream, the making of armor plate and another epic in clay by Willis Hopkins, en do so, corn generally by mean I titled The Spirit of ‘76.