Variety (December 1922)

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u PICTURES .■»•. Friday, December 8, 192t 'NO FOREIGN PICTURES," NEW FAMOUS PLAYERS SALES SLOGAN ■■.>*■■.* '-«!< Publication of ''Next 39" Discloses Only One With Wallace Reid—Bebe Daniels Merely Featured or Co-starred—Pushing Hiers as Fat Comedian EXHIBITORS HOWLING OVER "PALOMAR" Claims High Price for Box Office—No Adjustment of v Contract Given •The new 33 haven't got a single boy star, to replace Ai buckle, In- "De- foreign picture In the line-up." That is th» slogan that the Paramount sales force is using on the new series which was lined up at the sales convention In Los Angeles two weeks ago. Beemingly, the Paramount sales organization iMie been instructed to pound home this* fact and get the exlilbitor'a atten- tion away from the imported flops in the flrst series of the 22-23 season and have them concentrated on the fact that the foreign productions in the list were the only pictures which failed to pull at the box office. The new line-up does not appear to have any particular strengtii if taken by and large. The ansv/er to the entire series is that Para- mount is leading off with the Cos- mopolitan production "Knighthood." Under ordinary circumstances, they would pass up a Hearst-made pro- duction and put one of their own features as the lead. A resume of the attractions slated la the Z^, mad4 by a film man well up on exhibition values to the ex- hibitors, shows that there are but 12 that look like box office wallops. Of these, two are remakes. The 12 selected as fairly certain to be sure- fire are "Knighthood," "Java head," "The Covered Wagon," "The Ne'er Do Well" (because of Thomas Meighan's personal following), Pola NeglfTs first American-made pro- duction, "Bella Donna"; "The Rustle of Silk," the second Negri classe"; "Hollywood." with its stars; "White Heat," another Melgh- an: "The Beautiful Adventure," "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" and "The Exciters." The two remade produc- tions among these are "Bella Don- na" and "The Beautiful Adventure." The latter was or.'ginally made as a Frohman Empire All-Star picture and released by Mutual in 1917. David Powell, who is supporting Agnes Ayres In the new picture, was in the original production. The other remakes in the list are "The Trull of the Lonesome Pine," "Vendetta" (originally made by Fox, with Robert Mantell), 'A Gen- tleman of Leisure" (originally a Lasky, with AVallace Eddinger starred), and there is a question whether or not "You Can't Fool Tour Wife" wasn't made as an in- dependent about the time that "Don't Change Your Wife" was is- sued. The complete list of productions In the 39 in the order named for release is "Knighthood," Dorothy Dalton in "Dark Secrets." Gloria Swanson In "My American Wife," C. B. DeMille's "Adam's Rib," "Drums of Destiny" with Mary Miles Minter, Jack Holt In "Nobody's Money," Mclford's "Java Head," Betty Compson in "The White Flower," Marion Davletf in "Adam find Eva," Agnes Ayres In "Racing Hearts," James Cruze's "The Cov- ered WaRon," "The Nth Command- ment," Thomas Mcighan in "The Ne'er Do Well." Alice Brady in "The Leopardess," Pola Negri in "Bella Donna," William DeMille's "Grum- py," "The Go-Getter," Gloria Swan- Kon In "Prodigal Daughters," Mel- ford's "You Can't Fool Your Wife." Allan Dwan's "The Glimpses of the Moon," Mary Miles Minter In "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine," Doro- thy Dalton In "The Law of the Law- less," Jack Holt in "The Tiger's Claw.** Walter Heirs and Jacque- line Logan co-starred In "Mr. Bill- ings Spends His Dime," Fitzmau- rice's "The Rustle of Silk," Pola Negri In "Declasse," James Cruze's '; ••Hollywood," Lionel Barrymore and v'Alma Rubens In "Vendetta," Thos. . Melghan In "White Heat." Agnes • Ayres In "The Beautiful Adventure." Betty Compson In "The Woman With Four Faces." Gloria Swanson In "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife," Wm DeMille's "Only 38," Bebe Daniels and Bert Lytell In "The Exciters." —Wallace Reld in "A Gentleman of lielsure," Penrhyn Stanlaws* "Chil- dren of Jazz." Dorothy Dalton In ••Fog Bound." Alice Brady In "The Snow Bride." and Jack Holt and Agnes Ayres in "The Light to the Leeward," A study of the list reveals n number of things. There Is but one Wallace Reid production listed, also there Is indication that Walter Hcir.q la in line to be developed as a fat dicated by the fact he Is being co- starred with Jacqueline Logan, who Is also evidently to be "made" by Paramount. Other features are there Is a switching back and forth in the cases of some of the stars, for Mary Miles Minter is only featured In her flrst production in the list and starred in a later one; Bebe Daniels, even though She was the best card for money that the old Kealart had, is given only feature .honors in two productions and then co-starred witU Ben Lytell in an- other. As a matter of fact, there will be only 38 pictures of the 39 slated. The surprising thing is that Pola Negri, according to the present plan, will be finished, as far as this series of productions is concerned, when she has concluded her first picture, "Bella Donna." Her sec- ond vehicle, "The Song In the Shadow," will not be made so as to be included in this releasing pro- gram. The outlook is that there may not be a Wallace Reid picture, al- though Reid Is down for "A Gentle- man of Leisure." The production may or may not be included, ac- cording to whether or not Reid re- covers sufficlefitly to return to work. He was also scheduled to appear in the production of "Mr. Billings Spends His Dime," and the original advertising had that as one of his productions, but Walter Hiers and Jacqueline Logan are co- starred instead In the picture. In connection with the adver- tising for the second series of the 1922-23 season the Paramount is distributing a date book for the ex- hibitors which will cover all of 1923. In it Is classified their productions of the past to January, 1923, In such manner the exhibitor will have great ease in picking any one of the releases. The productions of .stars are listed as such, those of directors under the names of the same, and there is an added de- partment which classifies stories as to type. There are 13 classes, de- fined as follows: Big City Life Dramas; Comedy (with five sub- divisions), as Automobile Comedy Dramas, Co-Star Feature Come- dies, Femile Star, Male Star, Small Town Comedy Dramas; Crook Dramas; Domestic Dramas; Di- vorce Problems; p-ather Love Dramas; Gown Pictures; Great White Way Dramas: Mother Love Dramas; Historical Dramas; Out- door Dramas; Sea Dramas: Secret Service; Small Town Dramas; South Sea Settings, and Stage Lite Dramas. Seemingly, the absence of foreign productions is a verification of thi? story printed months ago and de- nied at the time that Famous Play- ers were through with the German company with which it was inter- ested. Some say that In all the German venture wound up with a loss of $2,000,000 registered against the company. With the announcement the Para- mount again is getting the Jump on the field of distributing organiza- tions as It did in the spiing of the year. The Theatre Owners' Chamber of Commerce is making a howl over the box office flop the Cosmopolitan production "The Pride of Palomar" is. At the meeting of the organisa- tion last week a committee was ap- pointed to take up the matter of adjustment of the rental prices under which the picture is con- tracted through Paramount, ^hls week the committee reported back no adjustment could be secured. It is said the committee of ex- hibitors, which included William Brandt, Leo Brecher and Hfirmon ^aflfa, were Informed If it were pos- sible for any one person to deter- mine the box office value of a pic- ture before it were shown that person could name his own price with any of the big distributing companies. As the exhibitors had signed contracts for the production at a certain figure they would be expected to stand by their agree- ment It is reported Harry Bux- baum of Paraknount's New York ex- change made the statement and he pointed out that when "The Face in the Fog." anothei* Cosmopolitan, unexpectedly developed into an ex- traordinary box office attraction, there was no increase in the rental price asked by the exchange. The exhibitors claim that on the strength of the advance propaganda for "The Pride of Palomar" they were Jockeyed into signing for the picture at prices that were an in- crease of from 100 to 200 per cent. over what they had paid for "The Face in the Fos* and "The Valley of Silent Men." As a result of "The Pride of Palomar" controversy there will be a new method employed by the T. O. C. C. in advising Its mem- bers generally as to the merits of pictures through their own review- ing committee. This reviewing committee incidentally when it tried to gret a screening of the "Palomar" picture was switched at the local Paramount exchange, according to their story, and another picture which the exchange felt was sure fire, was shown Instead. In the future the reviewing com- mittee in the Instances where an ex- change refuses to permit a screening of a picture will take it for granted that the distributors are afraid that the picture is not up to standard and will Inform the exhibitor body that screening was refused so that the members will be able t6 form their own opinion as to the reason for the refusal. "DADDY LONG LEGS" BAIT FOR A. B. C MEN NEW YOKE EXHIBITORS UNING UP, 1,000 DAYS A. B. C. Increases Strengdi—^Hiram Abrams* State* ment—J. D. Williams Declined to Organize Na« tional Exhibitor Combine > Reissue of 1st National's Pick- ford Release Appears Likely BOWLING SETTLES ^ Salary for an unplayed portion of his play or pay contract with the Eddie Dowling Shubert vaudeville unit, the first unit to close on that circuit, was demanded last week of Dowling by Saranoff, the violinist, who held the agreement. Dowling adjuRte<l the matter by paying Saranoff $300. His salnry with the unit was $300 weekly, alone, and he had been paid up to tRe date of the show's closing. WHpE STAYS WITH ^EERLESS A general denial is made ot the rumor that Arthur White Is to sever his connection with the PcorlesR Booking Corp., which Huni>lles the attractions In film form for t'.ie Keith. Proctor and Moss housef. The story caitied 6lrc'.ilHtiori dur- infi the last weciv that White, for- mrly one of the important execu- ti\eH in the Paramount home o'llice, would shortly leave Peerless. The Indications are that the A. B. C. exhibitor franchise holders are going, to get a battle from the two big circuits on their playing of "Tess of the Storm Country" with Mary Pickford as the star. According to the plan under discus- sion at present the circuits will play a reissue of Mary Pickford's "Daddy Long Legs," originally re- leased througlMp'irst National day and date with the new Pickford 'Storm Country" production. According to the advices on the matter new prints have been turned out for the local First National ex- change and a new line of parer for advertising purposes is available for "Long Legs." The circuits are believed to have made a bid for the First National reissue with a price , set thdt is less than 33^ per cent, of what the A. B. C, franchises call for on the new Pickford, with the underetandlng that they were" to get new prints and paper for the pic- ture. *" ., The A, C. C, however, has rot ar? yet set the playiiXg sche«hil:^ for "Tens." Originally It v.-as planned lo release. the i»lcture Christmas week, but the exhibitors hor/led that down by stating that during the holiday period their houses were certain to do bu.sinc.s with anything and that they would want to hold back on the .Mckford re- lease until after the flr.st of the year. Durlntr the middle of the week, Hiram Abrams (United Artists) came forth with the statement that he was for the A. B. C. proposition as a nation-wide movement as a t>rotection to both the independent producer and the exhibitor. This is looked upon as a shrewd trading deal on the part ot Abrams for the formation of independent booking organizations in the field against the circuits will make it possible for him to take bids from both sides on the product that he Is marketing through United and Allied Artists. A peculiar phase of the Abrams statement is that he had a deal on with the Loew circuit up to Wednesday for both "Robin Hood" and "One Exciting Night." The A. B. C. is also known as bidding on the Fairbanks picture, as well as on the Cosmopolitan production, "Knighthood," the organisation's of- fer on the latter picture being made direct to Cosmopolitan through the medium of Nathan Burkan. who is attorney for Hearst, as well as for the exhibitor association. The A. B. C. incidentally has added about 100 first run days to those that It already had. with the result that there are now approxi- mately 400 days in the circuit Their taking in of all opposing houses of the independents with flrst, second and third runs considered will line up around 1,000 days in the Greater New York territory for the combi- nation. In the exchanges, the Jbellef that the organization will not he able to cling together seems to be some- what shattered by the knowledge that the exhibitors Joining the or- ganisation. In addition to purchas- ing a $100 share of stock to become a franchise holder, are also de- positing a bond of $10,000 each that they will fulfill their franchise obli- gations to take the 12 pictures of the first year of the organization. The general release date of "Tess" In the A. B. C. houses has not yet been fully decided on, but it will occur some time shortly after the first of the year, although It was originally planned for Christmas week. The existent arrangement will call for a division of the product as the A.B.C. gets It by alternatlhg in the first run houses that are oppo- sition. The dates on "Tess" will be decided by a toss between opposing first runs after which they will al- ternate on the pictures released for the remainder of the year. Thus the exhibitor who first gets "Tess" will let his opposition get the sec- ond picture which might be either "Robin Hood" or "Knighthood" and then If the organization secures the Harold Lloyd "Dr. Jack" picture that will go to the one that flrsl had "Tess" providing that it is the third release of the A.B.C. In New York this week on straight discussion of combination possibilities It was stated that in- stead of the three organizations. Famous, First National and Metro combining, if the neccesslty aaose for producers and distributors to protect themselves against Inde- pendent exhibitor booking combina- tions, the situation as far as Fam- ous and Metro are concerned could be easily handled through those two organizations getting together and handing cut ten-year franchises to the bigger circuits of the country for their product and letting the Independents take whatever else there was left In the market. A movement of this sort with the real shortage of good screen pro- duction in the market it is believed would readily clear up the sitim- tlon as far as the Independents are concerned, becau.-^c they would be unable to net material sufflrlent to operate their houses with high grade prod uc tiers. to combine^: ?" he repeated tkt! question asked of him. "Only thing for us to do. It's our only salva- tion". He refused to say that tht M. P. T. O. A. was behind plan, However, he predicted that a ma«. jorlty of independent exhibitors would support, .and co-operate with movement. i A visit to the various neighbor* hood theatres revealed that these exhibitors had been adyised not f- talk. Nevertheless, several wer«^ very anxious to express their dls*" satisfaction with distributing con- ditions; particularly, the protection given Skouras Bros., also the price demanded for pictures that been "milked" dry, after showing thent in 18 or more theatres owned by the Bros. The few that did talk have pledged their support and co« operation, and added, they would fight to the finish—-If a fight is necessary. Thus, the movement among exhibitors forming a com* pact organisation to combat the monoply of feature pictures as well as to Improve booking conditions threatens to be a real battle. On the other side at the various ex« changes the managers were in ig- norance of such a' movement. Some maintained that a combine was Im- possible, that the exhibitors would not co-operate, that they could not work In harmony. FEDERAL COMPLAINTS ON "MUSIC TRUST" St. Louis. De •. 6. Thai the St. Louis txhl)>itor!; ^\.:i combiiie for collective bookinrf oT film may be attributed .n part io the teorgani-aiion of the Vixhibl'on? Film Exthange. nnd in a gieatir part to the Halement , i f Frc.l Wehrenberg. chairman of the M. 1*. T. O. A.. St. Louis league and new^ elected president of the re- organized exchange. "Are we gains Nat'l Body of Exhibitors Goes to Attorney-General—Ameri- .- can Musical Society Silent Reviving a matter' that has been threshed out irt the courts two years ago, Sydney S. Cohen, president ot the Motion Picture Theatre Own- ers of America, In company with other national officers of the ex- hibitors body, lodged formal com- plaints against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in Attorney General Daugherty's office and with the Fed- eral Trade Commission in Wash* Ington, p. C. The general allega* tion was made that the society is n combination in restraint of trad« and that its processes are pre- Judicial to the interests of the pub- lic and theatre owners. The so-called, by the exhibitors, "music trust" has long been a thorn In the existence of theatre owners who have objected to the payment of license fees. Litigation in sev- eral state courts, defended In turn by the Individual defendant or the state theatre owners' associations, have always been decided in favor of the publisher-owner of the copy- right. The Copyright Law of 1909 specifically vests full control of the public performance of his copy- righted composition with the copy- right owner and he *can do with it as he sees fit. Cohen met with National Direct- ors H. B. Varner of Lexington, N. C, and A. Julian Brylawski of Wash- ington, and M. J. OToole, chairman of the National Public Service Com- mittee of the M. P. T. O. A. In deter- mining the specific form of com- plant to be presented. Their con- tention is that* copyright law does not provide for the tax fees, and that it is nn emb.argo on the free expression of Apierican musical g-enlur. . =: Local ofllclalfl of the A. S. C. A P. make no comment other than the exhibitor has the altc:natlve of not playln.*; copyriRhted cumpnsi'tinns controlled by the Koriely. if Ihey rec!: to climlnr.to tho i>ayment ot thr t>r n f 1 0 trniH pg r B t? n t i kt yvnv lor what confitltutoM '0 y.cr r<»nt o* ih-^ avcraRc llim i.io';ram. they can r.f^complifh it ly not performing the ^(•cictys muaic. >.. -V Bc:rb3ra Caslleto.i in * The DA'* Fo::'f. ' n:>.t." v«!)lch etartcl . >i1 th'n: t\o?!:, direoteil by J. O.-rdon Btl- ward.-, ha J r.arba.'a Castlotou l.i the lead. J ii li iii