Universal Weekly (1917-1934)

1 «=» Tr-t e jHAnONALASMCIATlONf The Moving Picture Weekly A MAGAZINE FOR MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITORS Published Weekly by the MOVING PICTURETWEEKL^PUBTca 1600 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY Paul Gulick, Editor (Copyright 1918, Universal Film Mfg. Co. Joe Brandt, Biis. Mgr. All Rights Reserved) Vol. 6 MARCH 9, 1918 No. 4 Put all your Power Behind the Next Liberty Loan p|EARTILY endorsing the editorial request contained in last week's issue of the "Moving Picture World," to the effect that exhibitors give the forthcoming Liberty Loan drive their fullest co-operation, Carl Laemmle, President of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, has written The World of his intention to throw the entire weight of the Universal back of the "World" plea. Letters have already gone forward to all exchange managers from Universal's Home Office, directing them to exert every effort to get exhibitors to give a "Liberty Loan Night." Showmen who express their desire to be of special assistance will be put in touch with the "Four Minute Men" organization and so given an opportunity to help win the war. Orders have also been issued to the Advertising Department that the slogan "Are You Giving a Night for the Liberty Loan?" be inserted in the trade paper advertising placed by Universal. This will be varied by such slogans as "What Are YOU Doing to Help the Liberty Loan?" 'How Great a Part Is YOUR Theatre Playing In the Liberty Loan Drive?" etc. Universal's screen publications — the Animated Weekly, Current Events and the Screen Magazine — will contain Liberty Loan propaganda each week throughout the duration of the drive and for a period just previous to its commencement. These releases played important roles in the first and second Liberty Loan campaigns. "EDDIE, GET THE MOP." Nestor Comedy. CAST. Hercules Jones Henry Murdock Mattie Deadweight Mattie Comant \^HEN Hercules Jones & Co. was billed at the local Opera House the little town collected to see a fine show. Most of the show went on behind the scenes where Here, and Mattie, the strong woman, weight 350 on the hoof, gave a much more interesting side show in the dressing-room than on the stage. For instance, across the stage was the dressingroom of the dancer, and when Here started to jolly her Mattie got so excited that she always got stuck in the dressing-room door. It took three men to release her. Part of the act consisted in having the strong woman support Here aloft on her little finger, and, with the help of the invisible wires, this got over pretty well, but that night they decided to reverse positions. The wire broke and all that was left of poor Hercules Jones was a grease spot, and a wail from the janitor, "Eddie, get the mop!" BOY SCOUT SERIAL CAPTURES AKRON. OHIO. pULLY 2,000 Boy Scouts attended the first showing, to be made outside of New York City, of the Universal ten-reel photoplay "Boy Scouts To the Rescue; or, Aids of the Nation," in Akron, Ohio, where the Scout Executive postponed a meeting of the Scoutmaster's Reserve, and suggested that they all see the picture, advising them that they would receive more instruction and inspiration from the picture than through any meeting or lessons. One hundred clergymen were asked to mention from their pulpits the time and place of the showing of the picture, and the majority of them did so. "Boy Scouts To the Rescue" was produced in England under the supervision of Sir Robert S. S. BadenPowell and will be released about April 1st by the Universal as a fivepart, two reels to an episode, serial, with the co-operation of the Boy Scouts of America and all their local organizations for exhibitors showing the serial. CONTEST PROVES INTEREST. FDDIE POLO in the current Universal big Western serial, "The Bull's Eye," is proving a recruiting officer for a large army of juvenile and embryo title writers who may later invade the industry. "What Did Eddie Polo Say?" is the title of a contest conducted by the Universal Film Manufacturing Company to create interest in the serial among boys and girls sixteen years of age and under throughout the United States and Canada to supply missing words in given titles for certain specified scenes in each episode. The different conceptions, the diversified thoughts of different minds viewing the same scene is most interestingly shown in the answers that are being received by the Universal Company. For example, the scene in the first episode of "The Bull's Eye" for which the juvenile title writers are to provide the proper words that Eddie Polo should have said is described as follows: "Both Ed and Cora rushed to the observation car. Twenty masked riders surrounded the platform. "Hands up!" "Ed raised his hands with the others, and this is part of what he said: "Sweeney, you will never take The difference in the appeal to juvenile minds of this scene is shown in the fact that in 100 letters taken from random in the thousands that have already been received there are no two alike. "alive" is the concise contribution of a youngster from St. Johns, N. B. "away from here" is the contribution of a boy in Fort Worth, Texas. "from this train" is the idea from a fourteen-year-old miss of Chicago. "prisoner by square means, but by foul means" comes from a Chicago boy. "away from here unless Cora goes along, and you promise not to harm her" is the suggestion of a sixteenyear-old miss of Chicago. "back with you if I get a chance to protect myself" says a twelveyear-old boy in Lovejoy, 111. , "as long as I have strength to fight" comes from Denver. "if you have to get all the men in the country" says a thirteen-year-old boy in Edmundston, N. B. "and you will pay heavily for this" says a twelve-year-old miss in Leavenworth, Kan. , "without taking all the boys" offers a fourteen-year-old boy of Lowell, Mass. "a prisoner" is one trite finish.