Variety (April 1920)

MOVING PICTURES ■»*-\-—~r< MAYFLOWER AND ZUKOR SPUT WOLPER SIGNS WITH FIRST NAT! Under Original Arrangement Releases Were to Be Made Through Realart Dififerences with Tucher Smoothed . Out Chas. Miller No Longer with Prodacer4 'Deep Purple*' May Be Initial First I National Release. The Ma^ower'Film Corporation and the Adolph Zukor interests have parted company. In the futare ■ Isaac Wolper, who startled the insiders when he pot over The Miracle Man" a» his first production, will be playing: on the First National side of the fence. Wolper stated on Tuesday night that he had signeQ a contract with the First Na» tional ,and that in .the future they wquld handle all of the Mayflower output. In his arrangement' with Zukor a number of productions of tlie May- ' flower were to be marketed through Realart. These were to be\he reguUr run of program pictures, the specials we're to be issued by Paramount-Art* craft along the lines of "The Miracle Man." , Wolper now has a contract with Alan Dwan for a certain number of productions to be finished before that . director can start on his "Big Six" pro- ductions and the producer also intimat- ed this week that the misunderstand- ing with George' Loane Tucker bad been finally cleaned up. At present R. A. Walsh is finishing up "The Deep Purple" for Mayflower. This is to be a special production and it Aiayt be the first release that Wolper wjll make via the First National chan- nels. Charles Miller has also been di- recting for the company and has fin- ished at least one of the Robert Service . seifies of stories that were to be filmed by the company. It is understood that Miller has severed liis connection with |h£'company. Jhe Mayflower is banking a great d^l on a Dwan production which they have on hand at present. It was writ- ten ■ by Val Cleveland, a^ New York newspaperman and was the last pro- duction that Dwan made prior to his recent visit to New York. percentage at the Rivoli, in which they are interested,'the results will prob- ably prove satisfactory. The early part of the week the pfctare wag run- nihg along to enormous takings at the PEARL WHITE FOR LEGIT. Pearl White is going to invade the field of the "speakies." This informa- tion came to light just before the Fox star started for France last week. She is going abroad to complete a ntmiber of scenes in a new Fox screen pro- duction. On h^r return in May she will under- take to obtain production of a play which she has secured and which she believes is particularly suited tt> her. The report that Miss White was look- . ing for a chance on the speaking stage' reached Broadway on the day that she . sailed, but this did not prevent a rep- resentative of. the Shuberts trying to* get in touch with her just before the steamer pulled out, but he was unsuc- cessfuL OPPOSE PERCENTAGE Wichita, Kan., March 31. The Kansas State Exhibitors League went on record Tuesday as tinanimous- ly opposed to percentage as a distribu- tion basisi The action ot the New York State Motion Picture Exhibitors' League, at its Utica convention, with reference to a national organization for exhibitors was concurred in and an affiliation effected. . .' C R. Seeley, general manager of the National Picture Theatres, Inc., of New York, addressed the 200 exhibitors. R. G. Liggett, of Kansas City, was .chosen as president for the enstyng' year. AUTHORS BUYING BACK. There is at present a widespread tendencpr on the part of authors to re- ' buy scripts that were once legit offer- ings and which have been used in the past ten years in the picture industry as features. A specific instance of rebuying is instanced in the deal between Chan-, ning Pollock and the Famous Players-^ Lasky Co. Pollock had sold to the F.;P.-L. 'The Red Widow," "Such a Little Queen," "Sacred Orchard," "Clothes,'^ "The Little Gray Lady," and another play of his. The F. P.-L. are retaining "Sacred Orchard" and another play, but have sold the other plays back to him for a figure in excess of that ^which he was paid op the sale.. These two the Famous are to remake. The "Clothes" piece Pollock in turn resold t6 Metro, and the other three are being marketed as well. 110,000 FOR JEKYLL-HYDL The playing of the John Barrynore picture at the Rivoli this week ("Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde") is said to have fcllowed a refusal by Famous Players- Lasky of an offer of $7,500 from the Capitol management, the Famous peo- ple quoting $10,000, This is probably a record price for a .straight rental anywhere in the v/orld, and if they are playing it on a PRIZE DRAW^ MANY. Los Angeles, March 31. The $2,000 prize offered by Thomas H. Ince for the best scenario sub- mitted by the members of the class in photoplay of Columbia University, New York, has brought forth an abun- dance of material to John H. Black- wood, scenario editor in Culver City. The winning story will be produced by Ince in the near future. Hunt Stromberg is director of pub- licity and advertising at the Thomas R Ince studio. He is launching a na- tional campaign of enlightment to the exhibitors and picture fans consist- ing-mainly of inside dope in the art of production and atudio activity. The series are copyrighted and will be syndicated to on« paper in each town. ANNUAL METRO STATEMENT. Richard A. Roland, president of Me- tro, this week denied that this com- pany, despite that Marcus Loew re- cently acquired a controlling interest in it, would affiliate with an^ Other large producing and distributing cor- poration. Metro, he ^aid, will make about fifty special productions next year. He also said Metro, would be forced to produce plays on Broadway as prices for scripts and screen rights were up out. of sight., , MASTBAUM-MEMORIAL. "Philadelphia, March 31. At the Eaglesville Sanitarium near Morristown March 28 over two thou- sand people attended the annual ex- ercises in memorv of the late Stanley V. Mastbaum, who did so much for this Institution where tuberculosis is treated. Among those ' present were the mother of the deceased, his brother, Jules E. Mastbaum, B. S. Moss, Lewis J. Selznick, former senator Qarence Wolf, Ellis Gimbel, Louis Sablosky, John McGuirk and others. Richard J, Beamish, maiiaging editor of the Phil- adelphia Press, spoke. DECISION AGAINST WARNER. In tl]e suit of the U. S. Printing & Lithograph Co. against the Warned Pictures Corporation, Justice Ford' handed down a verdict, for $50,43722 in favor of the plaintiff. He reserved decision on a motion to set aside the verdict. < The suit is to recover $40,915 and in-< \terest from 1913, based on a big con- tract for litho work. INCE OPTIMISTIC. Los Angeles, March 31. Thomas A. Ince and J; Parker Read, Jr., on their fetum from New York last week, report that the trade is booming and prospects bright for an era of great prosperity. They thank- ed the press for their cordial reception in the east. C Gardner Sullivan, scenarist with Thomas H. Ince. left here March 16 for New York. Today he is scheduled to sail for Liverpool. He will be accompanied by his wife. He will write a drama for Herbert Bos- worth, " / ArbaeUe-Seheneit FIt«. ' Los Angeles, March 31. Fatty Arbuckle by arrangement with Joseph M. Schenck will begin on April 12 the production of .a series of five- reel comedies. Buster KeatOn on May First will be featured in two reelers released through Metro. BMky in Fokc . Los Angeles, March 31. Wallace Beery, who played the part of the German submarine captain in "Behind the Door," has been cast to Sortray the role of an ex-heavyweight ghter in the -Douglas McLean and Doris May farce, "Lucid Intervals." NEILAN-KAUFMAN STUDIO. Albert Kaufman and Marshall Neilan have formed a coalition for picture pro- ducing at Hollywood. While neither producer will be financially interested in the other's company and their meth- ods of distribution \vill have no con- nection the combined studio force of both organizations will be available to either producer. Signs Tarkington and Williams. Tarkington Baker, who recently re- signed as the general manager of Uni- versal City^ has started his own produc- ing activities by placing Bert Williams under contract for a series of two reel comedies, and also obtaining the screen rights to all of Booth Tarkington's writings for the next two years. Booth Tarkington is a cousin of Baker's, For the Bert Williams comedies Ba- ker proposes to secure the rights to the "Saturday Evening Post" stories that have recently appeared with a crap' shooting colored boy who was the hero of the A. E. F. as the principal char- acter. The stories should be ideally suited to the colored comedian. Neiw House in Fresno. San Francisco, March 31. M. L. Markowitz operating the Strand and a string of picture theatres on the Coast, has announced a new house for Fresno to s^t 2,700. CHADWICK BAILED. Isaac E Chadwick was released from custody under a $6,000 bond last week as a result of the suit for'fraud pre- ferred against him by Guy Qroswell Smith. V Mr. Smith charges a written agree-, tnent with the defendant dated May 9. 1919, whereby he came into all the rights excepting U. S., Canada, Nor- way, Denmark and Sweden, to "The "Unchastened Woman," for a period of five years. The Rialto de Luxe Pro- 'ductions was represented as owner of these rights, Mr. Chadwick aflixid]g his signature to the agreement as vice- president of the corporation. The sani of $6,000 changed hands in addition to further outlays the plaintiff states he expanded. ^ Charging the Rialto de Luxe Pro- ductions ts a non-existent corpora- tion and that in no wise it controls any rights to the (>roduction in ques- tion, Mr. Smith estimates he has been damaged to the extent of $10,000. Mr. Chadwick, who is himseU an at- torney, is represented by Kugel & Saxe, He denies all charges, i^dnntting, l\owever, the signing of the contract and the recepit of the $6,000. He also allows the Rialto de Luxe Productions is a non-existent corporation. For • defense, he states the plaintiff, in ex- ecuting the contract, was acting as agent for another "person, firm or cor- poration unknown to the defendant" knd theVefore "plaintiff is not int^est- ed in the subject matter of this action" and has no/right to Iring suit in hii oVrn name. ;.w^ ... :■.■ ;■ .:.iSv:£ .... '.'A.- X- TOUR SEGREGATED AUDIENCES. Samuel Cummins concluded an ar- rangement with the Shuberts on Wed- nesday of this week whereby "Some Wild Oats" is to be routed by them aS a road attraction. This is the feature which was designated by the Com<- missioner of Public Safety in Syracuse last week as "simply commercialization' of sex propaganda." The picture was shown there at a Shubert house, the Weitmg, and the business done on the' week justified the placing of the at-. traction for a road tour. .The'Syracuse police authorities or* dered that the picture be shown only to segregated audiences, either all women or all men only being permitted to view the production at one time. . SUES DENTIST FOR ITSjOOOl Mount Vernon, March 31. Mrs. Ether M. Williams, of New 5?«|J®""' ^''f. ?^ *''* '**« Emmet A, Williams, until his death a cameraman, employed by the Famous Players- Lasky Corporation, has begun suit in the county court against Dr. Arthur M. Bauman, of New Rochelle for fffSr 000. She alleges that the dentist's negli- gence when he fixed her late husband's teeth was responsible for his death as a result of blood posioning. The case is being tried before Judge Young in the Supreme court. SO CHILDREN CAN CO.! Senator Salvatore Cotillo of >few York City has introduced a Bill in the Senate at Albany to permit children between the ages of 10 and 16 to at- tend picture perfoimances during af- ternoons or days other than school days or after school hours and before eight o'clock although not accompanied by a parent or guardian, provided space is set aside for such children in charge of a matron whose fitness and char- acter shall be approved by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Child- ren. ■ (:-. •'•■;■" ■* ■■'.'■ -si m \: im Torr«a Buys for West Inditfa. Ramicrcz Torres,- of the Selection Film Service, has closed contracts for the rights to all Pathe productions of 1920 and 1921 in Cuba, Porto Rico, and San Domingo. ''•;•' i