Variety (April 1920)

■:f'f MOVING PICTURES 47 PERICAN ncniRES NOW DRUG ON HOME FED BRITISH MARKET ^dolph Zukor to Go It Alone There Without English , Allies—Beaverbrook and Jury Said to Be Nego- i; tiating With Rival of Paramount—Demand for British Made Film. ' /.:■ 'ffust what was the result of Adolph | quest as stated. Your reviews ap- #iikor*s recent trip to Europe Is the I Peal to me because of their usually ^™, ™r, ...n»: .h, ..»„.. ,n tSJ-rmnrr'i'n'ct !n"SS? on advertlBlngf. Occasionally I find ieneral query going pi^-circles. April 13. when the I'Mauretanla" was due to leave Southampton for New York with Zukor alward. Lord Beaverbrook ilia Sir Wllllaim Jury went ashore alter an all night conference. While iV is said no deal was settled, there Is reason to believe that since that time the Englishmen have been in negotiations with another big Amer- ican, combination independent of Paramount. ' American film is becoming a drug on the English market, they say. ^ukor sensed this, and the real ob- ject of his trip was to boost along the completion of the new Para- mount studio in London. The com- pletion of the studiqwas in danger of being held up ow^ng to certain bnllding restrictions, but it is un- derstood Uiese difllcuUies were re- moved by Zukor. John H. Taylor, formerly in charge of the London oflflce of tlie Inter Ocean Films Ltd. and later in production with the American Cinema Conmany, returned to New York a few days ago after three months in England, and expressed astonishment at the determined ffont put up by the British pro- ducers to wrest the British- market from the Americans. Mr. Taylor had In mind the organization <)f an Exhibitors' League in England, but recent activitica of Lord Beaver-. brObk and his associates made it im- possible. Beaverbrook is buying up theatres wberever he can And them and to-day controls no less tlian 300. Uen w>io purchased theatres for S40.000 or $60,000 less than a year ago have turned'them over to the Bea- verbrook interest I for double their ipvestment, and in addition to cash get a stock interest "Willie the British may not be getting ^the American cfflclency in the production of Alms, nor as good photography, direction or tech- nique." said Mr. Taylor, "they are producing a good class of Alms and, what is more Important, they have • market for it; in fact, the demand iB greater than the supply. "I sold a man three crackerjack 'American productions in January, and at the present time he is hav- ing a difflcult tlm» getting his money out of them. The sltuatloii is a criti- cal one from the American point of view, and I expect to see the fur fly when Paramount begins production in their London studio. With the 30O theatres now controlled by the Beaverbrook interests and British public sentiment undoubtedly behind them, Paramount will find they h.ive * real Job on their hands." that la' clipping one. I lost another notice printed on the reverse side. I,w6uld suggest that where pos- sible In making up you arrange re- views so that if clipped they will not Interfere with another one. Say run reviews on evei'y other page. I am sure that other exhibitors •tvould desire the same thing. . Jacob kXbcxU CRITERION STARTS AS A MONEY MAKER Plays to Capacity on Opening ^Seil Out Monday. With less expenditure for pub- licity than was wwd tn exploiting John Barrymore in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr, Hyde" in New York City, Fa- mous Players-Lasky opened the Criterion Saturday evening with the Cecil De MiUe production, "Why Change Your Wife?" and has been playing to capacity. Thfe house was enthrely redeco- rated in one week^ and although an- nounced to reopen Saturday after- noon, did not get under way until 7:30 in the evening, when it played to $1,500. Sunday it did about $2,000 and on Monday afternoon it stopped selling by 2:16. The prices are €0 .cents for matinees and $1 at night, Including war tax. It is figured that if the house runs along to an $8,000 to $10,000 bu.sincss it will yield a handsome profit be; Jes starting oft its big I features. RADICAL LABOR PARHES PLAN USING PICTURES IN CAMPAIGN Production Costs Already Being'Estimated—Local Labor Organizations Urged to Build Own Thcjatres—Feature Part of Small Town Spellbinder's Equipment A tremendous scheme to intro- duce motion pictures as a big fac- tor in the political arena has shown indications of its preliminary^ op- erations in New York by the in- quiries being made by a political agent for production and operation costs. The preliminary scheme from indications to date is the pro- duction of two reeler.s of out and out political propaganda. ^ These win be used in conjunction with professional spellbinders who tour the country places year in and year EXHIBITOR LKES ''VARIEm" REVIEWS Manager Albert, of Putnam, Suggests "Making Up" Plan. Putnam, Conn., April 20. MitorVAIUUTY: As a steady reader of VARIETY Parllcularly interested in the Pic- ture Department, I lake the liberty « requesting a possible cliauge in ino maUo-up of it. Your nim reviews are of par- ticular interest's I find tliem of JfTeat value and more accurate in ™elr criticism than those of most « our trade Journals which siicclul- tto only In pictures. .. Peraonally. we don't care a hoot "out the relative merits of the oeauty of MacDonalU or Binney, out we do want to hnow whctlier «ey will draw at the box onice or sot^in a certain picture, and your jeview.-j pay motp attention to tliat jaoior than do most of the alleged 'eviowera. If your critics would '•"ticisnis would be almost fauUloss, uowever. I wandered from my re- out. These men will carry with them hand-bag projection machines and a two reel propaganda fllm, the film being used to draw audiencea The flim would take up 30 .or 40 minutes and then the speaker spellbinds the audience dtaling with the subject matter portrayed by the film. In towns where a public build- ing is not available it is planned to use auto wagons, using the auto- mobile engine to provide the power for the lu'ojection machine. Un- der favorable weather conditions the Alms will be run off in the open. That political parties are giving serious consideration to iho screen an 'a means ,ot exploiting their principles is borne out by the scheme one radical oi'-gnnizatloi^ baa. under consideruli3u to mter the fllm business on a gigantld scale. They have put out feelera among labor organizations thro vli« out the country to get an expres- sion of opinion of what co-opera- tion they might expect in building theatres in all the* large cities ot the country <ind going into the pro- duction end to supply the Dim* needed. It. baa been suggested that in each centre the labdr organizationa underwrite the cost to erect a theatre and own it tliemselves, us- ing it as a public forum and dis- playing whatever propaganda fllmfl they see fit. VARIOUS PICTURE BILLS FAIL TO PASS ANNE LUTHER The beautiful Titian-haired star of the screen now starrino In "NEIglECTED WIVES,"- •.•''*■'■"' feature with a cast of prominent players in her support, end soon to announce important personal plans. —^^—^^^—— I I II M-|,B,IM——. STRONG rOR PICKFORD. Los Angeles, April 28. The general opinion here regard- ing Mary Pickford's marriage is that both she and Fairbanks are being unjustly abused. A recent editorial in VARIETY supporting her attracted favorable attention. Tho fllm colony with minor oxcep- lions Is strong for her. GRIFFnU WILL DO CAMPBELL'S "SLAVE" Production of Famous ,Meller Next on List. D. \V. Grimth has secur-d the right to the melodrama by Bartley Campbell. "Tho White Slave," and will mal«e a screen production of It immediately after "Way Down East" Is completed. GrillUh .secured the screen rights to the niece about a fortnight ago. The mice, how- ever, wa.s not disclosed. "The White Slave" was one of ilie sma.shing .successes of the i"i"lo- dramatic stage for years ami at the lime of Its liiitlnl prfsciitatioii whh one of the gro-test iiiow-y nialtors ill the American tliciilrc. RESTRAIN USE OF ^TIDAl WAVE" TITLE Darcy & Wolford Entitled by Priority Right. Justice Glegerlch ln,st week hand, pd down a decision restraining M'ill- l.am .Siocrmer from using the title, "The Tidal Wave," on his picture proaucilon, on the flndlng.s that the plalntlif in the action. Darcy & Wolford, Inc., Is entitled to its u.sa by right of priority. The play- broking concern owns a play by that nimio. written and copyrighted in 191C by llutcheson Boyd, who ceded one-half Interest to all rights to the pliiliitirc corporation In .September of llie .vanie year, and one year and one inoiHh later also made over the rom.Tinirjg half interest to Darcy & Wolfnnl, Inc. With the announcement In the fall of 1U18 that .Stoermcr ooiit«-rn- pliind marketing a Ilbn production ot ilic samo name, the plaintiffs coiniii"in;ed suit on December 27 aft.-jr attempting to affect .an aniic- aljlo .settlement. Contending a film procUictlon would "irreparably and jnitii'fisurably damage" the value of stock and reperloir*. and that it contemplated later Aiming tlie play under its original name, Darcy & Wolford clahned It wai? entitled to the exclusive use of "Tho Tidal Wave" title, Tho court arrived at its decision on the proof tho words were not literal in meaning as applied to the theme of tho picture, but were used in a secondary sense, meaning a "tidal wave of human events"; and "since therefore the defendant's use of the expression is not literal but metaphorical, he must yield to the plaintiff's prior right and prior use." NEGOTIAXmO WITH 1ST KAT'L. Clssie Fitzgerald's famous wink w orked overtime when she heard the news that the Uiiited Picture Theatres, Inc., had filed a petition In bankruptcy. When she went into the production Held she made four two-reelers for U. P. to handle and received a sun» of, money tp bind the bargain. . On the Htr«ngt1i of this slie re- turned to the coa-st and made two two-reelers, "Cissy in Bohemia" and "See America Thirst.'' Finally she fiiopped production and came to N<'w York to see if she could not get some action bringing with her •-:•*« .■■-•.•.■. s the two lat»8t productions. She is the play, which Is still being done in now negotiating with first National. Repeal and Licensing Meas^ ures Killed at Albany..:^ —— . ^ . Albany, N. Y., April 28. The Sunday picture repeal \A\ the bills licensing the sale of tlok- ets and the measure designed to increase to 18 Instead of 1< year* • the minimum age of artists foiled of passage. No picture ccnsorshtp measure was Introduced this yfeor, thp reform element making their fight on tho repeal of the Sunday shows and the prohibited age for attendance at dance halls and i>ar« ticlpatlon in performance measures. Two important measures are be- fore Governor Sbiith for his slgna* turo:— Senate Print No. 2139, Introduced by Senator Joseph D. Kelly, repre- senting Charles F. Murphy's home district of New York, amends sub* division 1, section 484, penal law, by permitting admission of chil- dren under IC years of age to places of amusement If accompanied by an' adult person authorized by parent oir guardian. The Cotlllo measure, which would havo permitted gen- eral adniisfiton of children after school hours and before otgbt o'clock r. M., provided the children so admitted were segregated and placed under the superviHlon of a matron, paKsed the Benatc but died in the Assembly. Both of these measures had the backing of the picture managers, ..nu former bill having been accepted.as a compro- mise, it being evident the latter could not prevail. Assembly Print No. 22.'iO, intro- duced in the >enate by Senator James J. W^alker, the minority leader, was passod In the closing days of the. ficsslon. This measure creates a state boxing comrafsslon of three members to be .appointed by the governor. There la also to be a license committee of three members. Contests are limited, to IS rounds and no contestant is to. bo allowed to engage in more than 15 rounds of sparring In any twen-v ty-four consecutive hourir. Pro.: vision Is made for physical exam- ination of contCBtants and the ref- eree may render a decision at th« conclusion c the contest and has discrftlonary power to stop ft con- test for fraud, etc . .. i:iM ■::.3t. '.<, -A V I; si