Variety (Sep 1926)

10 VARIETY PICTURES Wedaeiday, September 1, 1926 INSIDE STUFF ON PICTURES The poodwlll harbored by St. Louis toward the Skouras brothora was forctrfully shown in the co-operation they received in publicizing their >^ AmbaMador. One of tthe greatest exploitational feats ever pulled in til* dty was th« yjUMlMt 9f 276 llag-biiiitl«# «icW«tlo])a on lamp-poits nlonpr \\\ishinpton avenue, Olive and Locust streets. A number of tests regarding such use of municipal property were received and pirifitad by the dailies, and the city administration looked foolieh with a weak denial that permlMlon luid ever been givaii for tliie pliMBl^ of the advertisements. Advertising cards were placed In each room of every hotel; special flaara lleW from all buses; ihor^ than i*0«009 ttleitara and labels were pasted on packages delivered by the department ttCKreti; 50 show-\vlndows carried displays: miniature motion pictures were shown in the windows of several banks and stores; a candy manufacturer made up and ad- T«rtlMd a bos of ''AmbaMhdor earamele,** and a hat manufacturer had Ha "Ambassador chapeau." Ads were printed on the menu-carda of the largest restaurant in the city. Additional publicity was a 16-page section in the "Star," containing congratulatory ads of a number of stores, ete^ and there w«r^ f60 24-eheeta In city and eounty. Supplementary to this. 250-lIne ads were placed in crary local by Loew s State last Vriday, opiwratulatinff tha BkoliM brotheri iiid the new theatre. -. . : ■. ■ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has been offered a guarantee of $1,000,000 for the exclusive exhibition rights of "Ben-Hur" in Germany. That Is really a sensational, story in itself, but not a story unUl M-G-M accepts. It's bM in teaMinC iMipa to bMni oirt tho trom^iidoiHr piiOilbiMtleo ei the foreign trade. M-G-M Is reporteid having done a gross business abroad last season of around 18.000.000 with its net foreign return, $5,500.0^0. That also means net ffMt oinao it la flgnred that an Amerleaii-iiMi(So pleturo will work Itself out at home. Variety printed a couple of weeks ago the foreign trade now means 135,000,000 yearly to the American distributors. That was an authentic estimate, but there is no telling^ where the foreign ffrosB:]nlfty go to.-'' ■ ■ ■ ' ^ The oddest ])ubllcity thing ever known to tho show business Is hap- pening with "Ben-Hur." It Is being billed as "The $4,000,000 picture." "Ben-Hur" represented nearly $7,500,000 in the malcing to M-G-M. yet tho-^dot !■ out down In the advertisinf UBiior tho producer's impres- sion the public would not believe tho trhth. Nor is M-G-M likely any too proud of having put that much money into one film. Yet "Ben-Hur" may roll up a total gross of $15,000,000 or over, taking in the fpreign Mil. IIfor years, long after sensational dmiit have l>ee«. IbirfOtten, and that takes in "The Big Parade," another M-G-M picture. At present "Ben-Hur" at the Embassy, New York, going along at $2 top and grossing around $10,000 weekly, t» making more net than the plotifo did lit tho mtwh larvor Cohan theatre where the grcpi was higher. ICorO profit at the Embassy is because of lessened overhead. Another oddity about "Ben-Hur" is that when Metro took it over with Goldwyn, Goldwyn then had about $300,000 Invested In the prellminjiry preparations. Metro (Marcus L»oew) thought it was getting something for nothing in that $30M0O. However, when Metro-Goldwya>lfayer had put $700,000 of their own money on top of that $300„000, a Conference was held in the office. One suggestion was that *Ven-Hur" be scrapped. It seemed as though it woald need tho mint Tho suggestion was out- voted, to >a rofrottod time and agalii iis the coot mounted up Into the millions. Now, with Loew's so solid in every way, the gratification is in the credit and also that **Ben-Hur^ will work Itself out; ' But ttiere is a suspicion to those knowing Marcus Locw that he charged off the cost of "Ben-Hur" long ago so that his financial statement should be thoroughly 100 percent. If that is so. which is most probable, all of the net on "Ben-Hur^ as far as M-Q-M reiouroeg aro concerned, win A young featured feminine, for a number of years employed by a comedy concern, was recently signed by one of the big companies which has built its own studio, said to be the finest appointed on the coast. Tho young lady getting into biff iOittlNmy Is said to have taken herself seriously. Especially because she was to be featured in productions. On this lot they have a building where featured players are given dressing rooms. The room assigned to this girl was finely equipped and equal to aay given other featured players. However, tho young lady did not think that these quarters were adequate, serving notice that she must have a two room suite and a maid. The company, however, had different views, the proposition being that if she did not care to work ttlidor tho ooBdftlono It in^ilHI bo- iFOty'iM#p9r to * have her rotum her contract. Thinking ovor (MMit worki^ conditions the plA^^r decided to accept matters. ' ' ^. -'t^ " - '''^ A producer on tho eoast recently loaned one of his directors a few thousand dollars, with the provision that the director would pay back the loan In regular weekly installments. But the director stalled, and finally left the studio when his contract was not renewed. The producer requested a rotuiii of tho loan with th« diroolor BoMteAlng Insulting over tho demahd. Finally the producer decided to have the sheriff's office go after the director. The only thing they could find in the director's name was his ear. Tho ohorlirs men started out aftoi^ that. Arriving at tho homo of the director, the searchers were informed that Jie had just left to trade in the car on a new one. Later, outside of the auto dealer's showrooms the officers slapped an attachment on the director's auto. The latter was Insldo completing thiT tpado and had sUnM all of tko nocdssary l^p^rs. He drove away in the new machine, while the old car was takoit Oil to the sheriff's office with the dealer protesting violently. Now the dealer is trying to get either car back, with the director riding around la Ml fVeiMiT« iod<|h fir tiw timiClitllig. ^ - Harry D. Doucett. naval aviation mechanic who invented the parachute device which dropped an aeroplane safely to the ground, is being financed by Famous Players-LAsky. That concern will use the invention in their coming picture^ ^'Wlngs.'* ; ^ ' , The 60-foot chute, when shown in the WMkUeip attached to an 1,100- pound torpedo^ M a test, had "Wings" twIOOi.^N^^od out In largo letters moo 1SEA GULL' IS GIVEN AIR' Chaplin Rejects Y o! Sternberg't Latetl L.OS Angeles, Aug. 51. Joseph Von Sternberg,'two years ago hailed as the greatest director yet and who kept on being hailed until his "Salvation Hunters" flop- ped, has now had bis "Sea QuU" rejected by CharUe Chaplin, who financed the production to provide for Edna Purviance's retuni to th* screen. It is learned the picture cost around |M,MO to make but that Chaplin felt it was not up to tho standard he would like to have associated with his name. There- fore tho film will romala as It la until Chaplin gets a ohanoo to ro* make it himself. As matters now stand, that will be about a year from now. "The Circus,** Chaplin's new one, wtti not be completed until Oct. 15 and not ready for release until Jan. 1. Inasmuch as the comedian is con- templating a BUropean tripr with hlo wife, Ltita Grey, some time in Feb- ruary, it Is plain that "The Sea Gull" cannot be touched until he re- turns. . IhSX. CONNOLLY DUE HOME Washington, Aug. 81. Jack Connoltfrt it tho Bays or* ganization, is expected back in town from a European sojourn the latter part of the coming week. Connolly and Senator Pai Har« rison of Mississippi were looking things abroad over with the aid ^Of "diplomatic" passport. WARNER BROf HITf ■(i>r BIGGER PROFITf NOYl/ AN ERNST LUBITSCH PRODUCTION with MONTE BLUE, PATSY RUTH MILLER TheUONEYMOON Mriih IRENE RICH, Helene Cogtello, Harold Goodwin^ ^Virginia Lee Corbin. — Directed by Jiuiie$ Fl< BROKEN wtak LOUISE DRISftlK, PAtSY RUTH MILLER, DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS, Jr. i^Uefd: HERO SNOWf OF THE BIG with RIN-TIN-TIN Alice Calhoun, Don Alvarado, Leo ■''i ■ .51 if PRODUCERS OF WARNER WINNERS FOR