Universal Weekly (1920, 1923-27)

Vol. 23, No. 2 Universal Weekly 13 “Poker Faces” “The Whole Town's Talking” Qreater Movie List h » the industry’s leading scenarists and the forthcoming pic ture is heralded as one of the most interesting and entertaining productions for next year. The next release, scheduled for September 26th, will be a Hoot Gibson production, entitled “The Texas Streak.” This is a screen adaptation of the well-known George Ogden story “Cow Jerry.” This will be the first of a series of Hoot Gibson Jewel . Productions of especial merit. Seven in all will be released during the 1926-1927 season. Following “The Texas Streak,” there will be “The Prairie King,” November 14th; “The Buckaroo Kid,” January 2nd; “Riding Like Fury,” February 13th; “A Hero on Horseback,” April 3rd; “The Silent Rider,” May 15th; “Ace High,” July 11th. High Type of Western for Gibson Universal studio executives state that great pains are being taken to produce a high type of Western picture with Gibson. No attempt is being made to put Hoot into roles foreign to his type — which is that of a fast-riding buckaroo of the West. The new Hoot Gibson pictures are building up a place in the screen world for this star which is the equal of any and his product is widely demanded by first-run houses in all sections, Universal reports. In October of this year, Universal will release two Jewel pictures, “The Star Maker” and “Perch of the Devil.” “The Star Maker” is a screen adaptation of Dana Burnett's Saturday Evening Post story “Technic” and will be made with Mary Philbin in the starring role, supported by Francis X. Bushman, Mildred Harris, Warner Oland and Grace Darmond. It will be a Lois Weber production, and will mark the return of this pioneer woman director to the Universal lot, where she rose to prominence. “Perch of the Devil” will be a King Baggot production adapted from Gertrude Atherton’s strikingly powei’ful novel by that name. It will be made with Mae Busch and Pat O’Malley in the featured roles, and with a cast including Jane Winton, Theodore Van Eltz, Anna May Wong, George Kawa, Mario Carillo, Lincoln Stedman, Gertrude Oakman and Martha Franklin. It will reach the screen October 24th. In November, 1926, two more Universal-Jewels will be released, “The Ice Flood,” and the previously mentioned Hoot Gibson picture “The Prairie King.” “The Ice Flood” is from the Johnstone McCulley novel “Crashing Timbers,” and will be directed by James 0. Spearing, noted scenarist and former movie critic of the New York Times. It will Dana and Kenneth Harlan, with Henry B. \V althall, Billy Kent Schaeffer, DeWitt Jennings, Fred Kohler and Frank Hagney in important roles. December will see three UniversalJewels released. They T1r Whole. Town's Talking,” “Prisoners of the Storm and The Big Night.” The first, to be released December 5th will be an Edward Laemmle Production, from the play by John Emerson and Anita Loos. It will feature Edward Everett Horton, and the strong cast will include Virginia Lee Corbin, Otis Harlan, Trixie Friganza, Dolores Del Rio, Margaret Quimby, Malcolm Waite, Hayden Stevenson and Robert Ober. It will be a screamingly funny comedy-drama with an elaborate society background. The play was adapted to the screen by Raymond Cannon. “Prisoners of the Storm” to be released December 19th, is a Lynn Reynolds production starring House Peters in a great romance of the snow country. It is being adapted from “The Quest of Joan” by James Oliver Curwood, and is said to be the greatest House Peters picture ever made. It is rugged in character, with Curwood’s inimitable dramatization of the wilds, and will be one of the most virile pictures offered next year. “The Big Night,” for release the day after Christmas, is based on the magazine story “Doubling for Lora” by Peggy Gaddis. It will be a Laura La Plante starring vehicle and will be directed by Melville Brown. Tully Marshall, Cissy Fitzgerald, Mack Swain of Sennett and Chaplin fame, Lee Moran, William Austin, Tom Ricketts and Einar Hanson will be in the cast. This is promised as an ideal La Plante picture filled with sparkling humor and high comedy situations of the most entertaining kind. Daugherty in Thrilling Railroad Drama In addition to the Gibson picture “The Buckaroo Kid,” Universal’s January (1927) releases will include the Universal-Jewel “The Runaway Express,” a thrilling railroad drama, adapted from Frank Spearman’s famous story, “The Nerve of Foley,” and made as an Edward Sedgwick production, with Jack Daugherty heading the cast. Others among the players in this special will be Blanche Mehaffey, Tom O’Brien, Charles French, Harry Todd, Madge Hunt and William Steele. In February, 1927, Universal will release three Jewels, the Hoot Gibson picture “Riding Like Fury,” and “The Mystery Club” and “Butterflies in the Rain.” “The Mystery Club” will be a Herbert Blache production based on the Arthur Somers Roche Saturday Evening Post story “The Crimes of the Armchair Club.” An exceptionally strong cast will mark this thriller. Heading the players will be Matt Moore, Edith Roberts, Warner Oland, Mildred Harris, Charles Puffy, Earl Metcalf, Nat Carr, Charles Lane, Jed Prouty, Henry Herbert, Alfred Allen, Alphonse Martell, Frank Finch Smiles, Sidney Bracey, Monty Montague and Adrienne Dore. “Butterflies in the Rain” will be a screen drama adapted from the internationally popular story of that name from the pen of Andrew Soutar, which has appeared serially in , ( Continued on page 34)