Variety (October 1921)

PICTURES Friday, October 28. 1921 THREE SCORE COMPANIES MAKE LOS ANGELES LOOK ACTIVE Coast Producing Center Again Assumes Appear- ance of Return to Normalcy—^Volume on In- crease, Average by January 1 Los Angolc", Oct. 26. Los Angeloa Is getting on its toes again and u general note of op- timism pervades the studios where liard work is the watchword to bring the industry baclc to pros- pcrity. The feeling is tliat General Property at 1664 tO BC RB- DepreHsion has been routed and . "^ that the slump which has hoen in i evidence since Jan arj' of this year Is on the wane. In the majority of the studios thinra arc almot at normal again Tlie properly at 1664 Broadway and attendance at theatres locally , jKisrod last week, thront^h Kriger & B'WAH NEW.HOUSE WITH 1,000 SEATS placed with Office Building and Theatre has increased with the coming of cool weather. A canvas of the big studios shows that there is gen- eral activity In the production field and by the first of the year it is expected that everything wi'' be shipshape again. At the big Ooldwyn studios in Aaron, as broilers, and with Augustus J>reyrr, attorney. The present buildiiigH. covering the site of 60 feet on liroadway, running back 169 feet to 7th avenue, will be lorn down wlien the present lease expires in about two years. It is the intention to erect a 10- Culver City there are sli companies, story offlco building with a tiMairc, In production at present. K. Mason « the latter to seat 1,000. A bid for Hopper is busy directing "Hungcy Hearts" with Bryant Washburn and Helen Ferguson in the leads; two stories by Gouverneur Morris are being filmed; they are "Yellow Men and Gold.** featuring Helene Chad- wick and Richard Dix, directed by Irvln Willat. and "What Ho! The Cook*' which Ro!and V. Lee is di- recting. Rupert Hughes' "Sent For Out** Is being made with Colleen Moore in the lead, being directed by Alfred E. Green. Cullen Landls is putting the finishing touches to "The City Feller,* under the dlrec- the theatre is already in from a film distributor that wants to show its own make of features. The plot is on the cist side of Broadway, in the centre of the block, between Gist and 52d streets. BETTER PICTURES One Out of Ten R^eive Approval for "Family Nishts'* Kansas City, Oct. 26. A meeting of the Committee for - «,.... « ...^ wn T Better Motion Pictures, which may tion of William Beaadjne. while Lon . ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ,^^, exhibitors and Chaney fs Anf-hhig 'The Octave of ^^^i^^^^ producers, is scheduled to Cnaudlne.- with Wallace Worsley at ^ j,^,^ ^^^^ ^^^ 25 ^^^^ commit- the megaphone. ^^^ consists of rcpresentatlve.i of Seventeen units ere turning out ^j^j^ ^^^ ^^^^^ organizations here, productions for First National re- ^^ ^^^ meeting a sub-committee lease. This includes the regular ^^ appointed to commend or Fiivt National producing unlU as well as the newly associated units of the Associated Producers. All of these are either in production, pre- p .ing to shoot or cutting. At the Ince lot there is unusual activity at the present time with at least four productions under way there. At the Famous Players-Lasky lot there are nine companies answer- ing the roll call each morning, while over at Realart there are five com- panies working on releases ^iv that organization. Universal scores the high mark with eighteen companies In action. Of these there are ten that are working on product'ons of feature length. The unit wystem which now pre- vails at Mero now has five directors that are either shooting or ready to shoot. "Prisoner of Zenda,* the new Rex Ingram production, it is said, is to rival In magnitude the produc- tion of "The Four Horsemen," which he directed. At the Robertson-Cole lot the quiet which has prevailed there .lince early In the spring has finally been broken and there arc four crmpanio* now working. Aroufid the smaller studios there are a number of companies active but as yet there Is no general re- sumption of independeat production which v.arked th's same perio 1 of last J car. CHILDREN'S BOOK WEEK Los Angj'oH, Oc . 3. Motion picture theatres I'lrough- ou^ the country have been asked to to-opcrato in putting over Chil- dren's Hook Week. Nov. 13-19. by 8. wing films based on children's l^ooks. The idea is sponsored by the American Library Association, Gen- eral Federation of Women's Clubs, Coy Scoi;ta and others. This is the fir t year that the picture theatres have 1 eon asked to assist. Special children' matinees are to be a fea- ture of the week. The National Board of Review has coinpiU'd list of productions for use diiriiicr the week and Maurice Tournour's 'The Last of the Mohicans' is r«iuo- sentatlve of the type of i.i( ture.'^ recommended. condemn films for use in churches and schools. It will also hear a report from Its committee, for which two women have been watching each day films viewed by the city censor. Out of an average of twenty-five films reviewed weekly, not more than ten ever receive the mark of complete approval. The Pertnsylvanla law which pro- vides for censoriAiip of motion pic- ture advertising and publicity, as well as the pictures, will also be taken up with a view of recom- mendation. That the activities of the general committee have not been allowed to decrease Is shown by the fact that each d.^.y some member has sat with the city cen- sor for the purpose of passing upon films suitable for children for the purpose of compiling a list to be used Friday nights, "Family Night," at all residence district shows The films, permissible for show- ing on "Family Night" must con- tain nothing of crime or Immorality. SELZNICK RENTS STUDIO Lewis J. Selznlck has taktn over for an Indefinite period the Norma Talmadge studio on Kast 48th .street for the making of his future productions, abandoning the old L'nivcrsTil studio on Fort Lee. The Talmadf^es, as announced, will make their productions on the west coast, occupying a portion of the large Urunton establishment in Ilollywotul. Constance Talmad^'c has already left for the coast ;ind Norma is scheduled to leave within the next few days. Kohn Going Abroad Ralph Kohn, of the leu'al an.l executive .staff of l''amr>us riay<rs. will go to Cermany before the llrsl ot the J ear to look afl< r some Im- portant tieals in»w peiidin^r iM-tween his com|»an\ aiu; i;u;'iti»« an lilin pro- ilucers. LAEMMLE*S FLANS Los Anpcles, (>et. 26. Carl Larmmle on his arri\al here ann rinced that Priscilla Dean, the U. star, is to be sent abroad to make a couple of production.". One of the features is to be made in Italy md the other in France The bIgKcst costume production In the history of Universal is .short- ly to be started on the lot. It .» to top even the "more than • millinn" l»roduolion )f "Foolish \Vi\es." TYNAN SUES nianddii Tynati lias l>ronjJi; .-nil In the Supreme i'onrl aKiinst Charl.s Crowi.y lor $l.'Mi(t, ei.lim- ing lie uas t imam (I last D.ienilur to apr»ear in a Jtielure foi- ni»t less than four \\e« ks at $1.U(M> a \vr » U and dial dtleni'aiii l.i! i.j la (a,r\ oil lliL agrcLiiicnL. MANY STARS APPEAR AT FIRST NAT'L MEETING About 250 Present at Confer- ence in Chicago • Chicago, Oct. 21. About 2G0 franchise holders of First National Pictures, Inc., are holding their first get-togetber with film stars releasing through the or- ganization at the Drake hotel this week. These owners present ^re said to represent the 3,000 theatres iiiii>iiig First National products. Among the film stars who xiu at- tending the sessions are Charlie Chaplin, who stopped off here to be present at the opening of the New Chicago theatre; Norma a: d Con- stance Talmadge, Buster Keaton, Anita Stewart. Mabel Normand, Ben Turpln, Wesley ^arry, Richard Bar- thclmcss, Hope Hampton, Kather- ino McDonald and Dorothy Phirips. During tho conference' U. S. Sen- ator Pat Harrison made an address on "Government and Motion Pic- tures." Robert Lleber. of Indianapolis,* is, preyii. and Sam Katz. of Bala- ban & Katz. of Chicago, is secretary oC the organization. 60LDWYN BEATS FOX ''Nero" Cempany •Uyint Ahmmi U D# "Mvy'^—Print CoMinfl The biff scene la Foatm "NersT picture is said to be the tuminff loose oJ the lions on the Christians ia the arena, and as the Goldwyn production of "Theodora** has beaten Fox to Broadway with a biff lion punch it is believed that the scene win be somewhat chants oU la the final assembllnff and cuttinff of the production. *'Nero." made under the direction of J. Gordon EMwards in Italy, has been completed and an initial print Is on its way here. The dlreptor. toffether with Violet Mesereau and other members of the Fox staff who were abroad with the orcranizntion, are in London, maklnff ready to go to Scotland. Another Fox production Is to > • m^de abroad before the company returns. The subject is to be "Mary, Queen of Scots." and the greater part of the scenes will be shot in Scotland. ORMI HAWLEY NOW u FILH HOUSE MANAGER Film Star Engaged to Direct Three Syracuse Establish- ^ ments ^-: Watertown, N. T., Oct. 2e. Engagement of a motion picture star to assume full control of th« operation of their movie palaces is the novel experiment of Panayana* kos Brothers of this city, operating the Olympic, Palace and Antiqut* theatres here. I TQM MOORE WINS Washington, D. C, Oct. 24. T()m Moore won the recent suit brought ' against him by George Wedderburn, involving somo $40,- 000. Claiming that he was the leasee of the upper |>ortion of the Academy of Music building, Wed- derburn said Moore t^obstructcd It with advertising matter that it ruin- ed his business. KELLY OBIEt^TS Author Kicks at Toe Many Changes ' in His Scripts ROWLAND FRAMES DEAL Private advices from abroad arc that R. A. Rowland, who retires from the presidency of Metro on his return to America, has arranged for the investment of British capital in addition to the money already sub- scribed here for the new distribu- tion organization he proposes to start directly he returns to New York about the first of the coming year. PICTURES AS PROFESSORS Washington. D. C. Oct. 26. The Board of Education of the District Is seriously contemplating the Installation of motion pictures as a means of ''visual education" In the schools here. The board believes that such subjects as geography and history can be taught bettor with the use of the motion picture and 'an tern slides. Anthony Paul K^lly, one of the most successful of motion picture scenarists, says he is through with writing for the screen until such, time as his work is not so distorted as to become unrecognizable to the original author. He proposes to occupy himself with writing for the stage, a field in which he has also attained considerable success. His biggest Mtage hit was "Three Faces Kast." "I am not a highbro-* who ob- jects to having any changes in his manuscript.'* said Kelly the other day. "but when it comes to sr muti- lating a manuscript that the au- thor's meanlnff Is entlrel^ de- stroyed, I must protest, and the only way I know of at present Is to stop writing for the pictures or make Ironclad agreements that will ffuar- antee mc ag^nst such annoyance." LESSER OH WAT EAST Los Angeles, Oct 26. Sol Lessor, Mike Gore, Adolph Ramish. Harry Wilson and'a flock of others, are en route from here and will be in New York the latter part of the week. ''MUSKETEERS" IN D. C. Washington. D. C, Oct. 26. The Douglas Fairbanks picture "The Three Musketeers." showing here at Loew*s Columbia theatre Is being held over for a fourth week with big business at tho morning shows even. Ormi Hawley, who until her rtJ tirement a year ago was a familiar'^ flgure on the silversiicci, today i« In charge of the three local theatres, She Is the first woman to assume active directorship of a theatre la AoMhern New York, and, it la be* lleved, is the first star of the silent drama to desert the professional for the business field. Miss Haw>y, who has been living quietly at Whitesboro for the past year, came to this city last week to appear in connection with the pres- entation of one of her former star- ring vehicles at the Antique. The Watertown Amusement Company^ the corporate name of FapayanakoS^ Brothers, was so-favorably impress-*! (>d by her dissertation on picturea that the unique offer followed. 1 Tho actress consented and signer 1^ contract that puts her In complete charge of the programs to be pre- sented* in tho three local playhouses. For the immediate present. Miss Hawley will concentrates ui>on tht Olympic, which Is shortly to reopen as a vaudeville and picture house. Alterations are now under way. Miss Hawley will select the pic* tiire features, . handle the Keith bookings and supervise the musical programs. One of her first steps is to Increase the Olympic house or* cbestra. and to order niii)i>lennentar7 concert programs, with numben from the classics. The Olympic will boost its prlcei under the new policy. The box of* flee rates will be 2S, 36 and 50 ccnti for both matinees and nights. CHIC SALES FILM SOLD Taken Over for Distribution Alexander Beyfuss • by INSIDE STUFF ON PICTURES Si>mrl>ody has doped It out that the screen is in for a oycle of cos- tume plays, and in his argument furnishes this rather convincing list of recent productions which seems to make the point: 'Theodora." "Passion," "Deception," "Carnival," "Disraeli." "Peter Ibbetson," "The Two Orphans" (In prospect). Douglas Fairbanks' version of "The Three Musketeers." and Norma Talmadge's picture adaptation of * Smllln" Through," a costume play which harks back to the hoop-skit t period. This list might be continued indefinitely. Alexander Beyfuss, vIce-presU dent and general manager of Ex* coptional Pictures Corp., announce! that the righU for the United States to the Charles (Chic) Salci picture. "His Nibs." has been ac« quired by outright purchase by a syndicate of which L. L. Hiller is pitesident. It is to be i^.ta^ed through the staterlght market. Beyfuss is about to close a deal for the distribution of Martin John-| son's "Jungle Adventures," which' recently played a pre-release en* gngement at the Capitol. SCORES AT CRITEBION The film production of "Peter Ib« betson" has caught on at the '' "!• terlon and is in that house for ai indefinite run. It played last week to IIJ.OOO, wjilch is practically ca- pacity. .. A flurry of excitement was created in picture cir.Us la-; I'riJay When Charles Chaplin, at a luncheon tendered him by Fiist National, said ho had two more picturca to make under liis contract with that dis- tributing organization, after which, accoiding to his own wor!;-. he felt suro ho and the First National would do business more infonnally. AskoJ wliat Chaplin meant by such a remark, Hiram Abmni-^. general manager of United Artists, said he hadn't tho ylik'htcst idta, iirlcKa Chaplin intended to convoy tho idea lie hoped to do busirn sh with the exhibitors included in tlie membership of First National. According to his 'contract with United Artists. Chaplin, at the con- clusion of his First National agreement, deliver three pictures to United Artists before lie an release a special clsowherT^. sliould lie bo so dis- pr)sod. "Even then,' continued Abnuns. "tlie likelihood is he would per- mit us to handle his specials, as we arc now cfiulpped to liaiullo that class of pictures. At the i)re*^ent time we have several road compar)i(s [>?aylng <Way' Down i:asf in territory where wo have been 'inable to niako rental acrreemenls with exliiltitors, and it Is our intention to rui.nire that bran.h of our busine.-s aa.japidly as necessity demands." The fancy prices ol.taiiiin':: some months aL;o for picture y.ijlits to I'.road- way plays have taken a sail tiinibie ot late. In those frantic d;i.\s a Iday that had an offer of $L'00,OOU for its picture rights might )M)ssibly bring 175.000 now. That is not a surety though. The owners of the play hf>W( ver. are still holding out for tliclr li^ure, sooure meanwhile in ilie I-rulits of tho play on the road, * NEW BRONX HOUSE Coleman Bros, have leased for 21 years a plot of land on Burnsidi avenue between Jerome and Walton the Bronx, and will build a pictur* h(»use and roof garden to seat 1',<^0(J. Tiie rental aggregates |600.onn. i:u' gene do Rosa is tlie architect. At the outing' «i\(n l.y .\d..Ii,|i Zukor to the m.nii.crs of tlie I'ar- ..niount Club at his f:,,,,,. ai .New (Miy, a fortnight ago. the pn sidnit "f Famous-PIayerH slated to s.n, ,;ii of the visitors unoflh ially that he i'.id in niiii.l a pl.in to pur h ise :i block of the preferred stock which he wouM sell t«» the eint>loyees of ti.e corporation on the Installment plan at a prKe siiuhtly briow il.s marU.-t (iiiotailon. Tho Paramount Club is a social (.rK'«nizatlon ernl. racing the working staff of the home ofilce. When /iikor lieanl they contemplated l>(»Idlng an outing, he Invited them to hold it at his <'ou..»r.\ e?M,ite and. in a brief speech to those present, he said he thought it a';,'.(,d i*l.:i to lioM not less than throe snch affii a iiar, and thci would be vt !< onu io lia\o them at ids place. Gunning for Hoodlums Osiwego, N. Y., Oct. 26. I'iius will hereaflcr be de It out to young hoodlums who create 'li.S' turbances in local picture lumsos. So warns Recorder Ciill of this city. whoso patience has been exhausted by the police reports of Juvenile rowdyism at picture place.-. Ths Gem tiieatre, Jol.n Cordinpley pro- prietor, has boon the tartlet for the gan,. of ruinians, who operate l>t»tli inside and out of the house. I'S Metro Takes "Fiflhting Mad" ^ I^os Angelc.M, Oct. 26. Metro ha^* contracted to handle the disttibutlon of •Fighting Mad,' made by William Desmond I'roduc- Inc. e;isl includes J(»ser<h J. DoV- \Villi;.in l)esm(»nd, Virginia .lack Kichardson, li(»seir.a«r It w ill oo releasi'd l»e<'. T-. lions. TI-. ling, Kdre. Tliel.v Has Two Falls Houses Niagara Falls, (►ct. 2C>. Howard J. Carr(.ll. running: tj^ lnterr'ati(tiial theatre here. ''^ taken o\ er the ni.Mi o:<^;nct'' I'f ^ Cataract. :^jiis^ ..■ii^aC^ti .j'^