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Tullars Weekly (October 24, 1923)

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Tullars Weekly (October 24, 1923) You couldn’t blame Harry Langdon for looking pleasant with such a cute little miss as Alberta Vaughn in her new advanced fall style. Both of these luminaries of the Mack Sennett firmament are appearing in a new comedy special, “Look Pleasant.’’ Sennett-Pathe — PADDING One or two of the comedy hoys who estab- Tullars Weekly lished themselves in short reel comedies, only October 24, 1923 Price 25c to try the bigger comedies of full feature length, are trying to make five or six reels out Editorial and Business Offices at 6411 Hollywood Blvd., of two reels of material, which is apt to hurt Hollywood, Calif. their standing. Buster Keaton, who has made Editor—Harry Tullar Associate Editor—Card Snyder some very funny pictures, has tried to stretch Subscription, $5.00 per year in United States. Foreign. $10.00. his material too much in “The Three Ages,” Subscriptions paid in advance with the result that the picture lags too much in spots. This idea of a star directing himself, MAKING A LONG SUBJECT SHORT or co-directing, is not so good, either. Direct- ing is a big enough task to require all of a Today is one of unusual opportunity for man’s energy. short subjects, if they have merit. This is true, because the so-called features of 5000 SHORT SUBJECT ADVERTISING feet or more, made today, are, with a few exceptions, very inferior entertainment. Who The Apollo Theater of Hollywood has just has not wearied himself through more long run Neal Burns in “Back to the Woods” with pictures, and walked out on more, and heard Constance Talmadge in “Duley.” The star and title of each picture were run on the big- of others doing so, in the last year than at any street sign in equal size letters. That’s the time in a decade? There was a time when the way to put over the short subject, and this Paramount volcano, for example, was a 100 house does real business. to 1 guarantee of a real picture. These same pictures today miss as much as they hit, and I PICTURES AND VAUDEVILLE think more. Lasky’s “Law of the Lawless,” featuring an imported Frenchman, with a Pictures in a vaudeville house have never title, is one of the worst pictures ever shown, amounted to very much, for the reason that in story, action and direction. It’s a sample. only cheap pictures are generally run. Like- Groldwvn has certainly put out some junk, too. wise, vaudeville in a picture house generally “The Stranger’s Banquet,” directed by Nei- amounts to nothing, for the reason that only lan, the “sure fire director,” is in point. This cheap vaudeville is shown. A poor act is far picture has a number of starts and no finish. worse than no act. It’s like frowy butter If there was any continuity, it was written dear at any price. An exhibitor should run the backwards. My head ached after seeing most best pictures and forget the vaudeville. Pic- of this, and I walked out. Others who did so ture audiences are not seeking vaudeville said they had never seen anything worse. The they want to see good pictures, and the more only “sure fire” angle to that picture is the good pictures they see, the more they want to comedy bit done by Max Davidson, than see. An exhibitor who shows poor pictures does whom there is no funnier man on the screen. not deserve success, and probably will not Some comedy company will make money by have it. making a series of pictures with him. The FELINE FELIX Goldwyn lion has not had anything very good Felix, the cat, is entertaining a lot of to roar about in a long time. These pictures people. When he paces the floor in deep mentioned are of non-entertain- samples the thought, you forget you have any troubles, ing long features of today. that’s all. Now, under such conditions, the exhibitor must bolster up his program with good short “WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE MOVIES?” subjects, and the producers of same face a “Very little,” is the answer. Tamar Utopian hour. Lane, in his book, makes claims which we are The other day I talked with a mid-west- going to comment on now and then. ern exhibitor. He is visiting in Los Angeles, As to his preface, we do not believe the and he told me how he liked to go to a certain average professional expects favors from a theater. I said: “Yes, it’s a fine theater, but critic on the basis of personal acquaintance. they run so many poor pictures there for the This is an improper light to put the critics in, main feature.” He replied: “That is so, but and is unfair to the splendid people who make they always have something else on the pro- up the players, and other creators of pictures, gram that is good.” There’s the short subject who only expect boosts when they are de- value. served. It is claimed there is little or no art in But I want to tip the news cameraman off pictures; that this is the fault of those in con- on one thing. When he “shoots” a speaker, trol; that pictures are made with an eye on the camera should be placed before the the box office, and that philanthropy and mar- speaker begins, and preferably before the tyrdom should bring out some real new lead- audience arives. It is very annoying to the ers to supplant the lost ones. But we have speaker and to the audience to have a cemera- seen great art manifested in pictures in the man and an assistant stalking around the last decade. To say otherwise is to close one’s speaker’s platform and moving through the eyes. Producers are engaged in business for audience with a camera and tripod and a suit- profit. They have a right to be. It is every case while the address is going on. This prac- man’s need and duty to earn some money. I tice will prejudice many people in the audi- wonder if Tamar Lane writes publicity for ence against such pictures. Cameramen picture people gratuitously, or for art’s sake, should also avoid including each other in their and does he think that some philanthropist pictures, if they can. should give everybody $10,000 worth of pub- licity. The producers, the artists, the direc- Too many exhibitors send to their ex- tors of pictures are selling their wares and change at the last moment for a comedy or services for the most they can get—that’s other short subject. These matters should he what any normal person does. arranged ahead of time, so the exhibitor can As to the advancement of the cinema, make an intelligent selection. Then he can there are plenty of big concerns who will pay announce what lie is going to have. No in- plenty of cash to anybody who can really ferior short subjects should ever he run, be- with the audi- advance it; they are anxious to find the cause it leaves a bad impression advancer, and they are constantly experiment- ence, who may then naturally look for some ing with new ideas for this purpose. I want other house. to say the moving picture has advanced mar- We are going to make it our business to velously. know what is good and bad in the short sub- This harping at people with means is not ject; we are going to give it to exhibitors, sound economically. This demand that some- straight from the shoulder, regardless; we are body give of their means for art’s sake is a not going to handle anything else, except inci- dangerous principle. It’s not being done this dentally; we will write full length, careful season. reviews of short subjects, and treat this field THE NEWS REEL with the care that its importance and size now warrants. By following our reviews, an exhib- By all means an exhibitor should run a itor can always run meritorious product, if news reel, and with appropriate music. For he wants to. Exhibitors are already showing years, when 1 was a layman member of the us their pictures before release, so we can give audience, 1 was always delighted when the you up-to-the-minute information. news reel came on, and sorry when it ended. It taught me important things to know, and Fair comedy, with long popular star had a certain thrill to it. Today, I always “A BUSY BODY” look at a theater’s advertising to see that it Burr Hodkinson has a news reel before I go to the show. STARS Charley Murray, Mary Anderson and Raymond McKee. But an exhibitor is foolish to run the CHARACTERIZATIONS Average identical reel that a competitor has run. I PHOTOGRAPHY Average have seen this done, and it always makes me sore at the theater that runs it last. Like- The star comedian, Charley Murray, has made as wise, the news reel should always change with many people laugh as anybody. In this one he hits pretty well, but lie has done much better. Mary Ander- the rest of the program. son is certainly pretty in this one and does her stuff Some exhibitors, as in Hollywood, are O. K. Raymond McKee is also featured, and the billing making their own “News.” This is not so tells us it’s an all-star cast. good. If you want to run a good house, you The titles are not as funny as they should be, and one or two do not have enough footage.
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