Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-19

A BOUT two years ago group
~ of Indiana fox - labeled
~ "cranks" by many-organized
n a society known as the Ma
tional Indorsers of Photoplays. The
idea of the organization was to draw
together the motion picture loving
people of the country who believed
in constructive criticism and to aio
the industry in its efforts to produCe
bigger and better screen photopiayS'
And, starting with only few tor
ward-looking members. the society
has grown TO large proportions duI
ing the last "a months. ne IN
dorsers" publish tiny tour-page
monthly magazine or newspaper
which is mailed free to the groups
over the country interested III the
work. The motion picture commit
tee of the District of Columbia Fed-
Grafton OF Womens Cubs IS the
local establishment OF "indorSerS
of motion pictures approved by the
national group.
Here is A note from the society
December publication;
"A higher grade OF pictures IS be-
ing made. and organized groups over
the country indorsing and promoting
these pictures are encouraging pro-
ducers to continue raising the stand
ard of the screen. Exhibitors should
be encouraged at this, the Christmas
season. to show special Christmas
pictures for children. There. are
splendid selected pictures suitable
for the holiday time.
Among the pictures listed by the
publication as worth remembering
are Take 1t From Me, The Quar-.
terback," The Four Horsemen,.
"Ben- Hur," Private Icy Murphy,
"The Nervous Wreck Sunny Side
Up" The Clinging Vine and me
Speeding Venus" Pictures listed as
suitable for churches. schools and
community entertainments include
THE Ancient Mariner" Cricket on
the Hearth" "A Kiss for Cinder-
ella" Twenty Dollars a Week and
"The Man Nobody Knows.
The organization does not con-
denim certain photoplays-it merely
Endorses pictures that it considers
especially suitable for exhibition.
4 s has been stated IN these col
"A umns many times, the general
run of motion pictures is on much
higher scale than ever before. One
has but to glance through the list
of local attractions to see that TINS
holds true. Photoplays like Stella
Dallas" and Tin Hats" are not few
and far between; they are exhibited
h Washington theaters each week.
The Ufa production of Faust was
not billed as "superpicture, yet 1t
would have been in that class few
years back. The real "fop" in the
picture. line. rarely reaches the ex-
h;bitor. these days. He is no more
interested In screening bad pictures
than the audience is in grazing upon
them. It would be safe to say that
he is less interested.
DURING the next week ]. Stuart
II Blackton will begin production,
at the Vitgraph studio in Hollywood,
of the first photoplay to be made
by the Spoor stereocopic process.
The title of the natural vision" pic
ture viii be THE American, and 1t
will probably be completed in Feb
ruary. The new process, which is
an invention of George K. Spoor,
head of the old Essanay firm OF
Chicago, has involved an expendi-
ture of $3.O00,000. Exhibitors and
producers are watching the expert
rnent with considerable interest, for
it may mean big things to the in
dustry.
ONE play reviewer in New York
~ goes into print with statement
that "the best show in New York
is a motion picture-the film version
of "What Price Glory?" Then the
reviewer goes on to tell his reasons
why the picture far outclasses any
other paid attraction in the metrop-
oils. Special mention is made of the
pantomime work of Victor McLag-
len, who plays the part OF Capt.
Flagg.
Another New York reviewer does
not go far enough TO claim the
photoplay is the city's best show,
but he does say that the picture
ranks alongside The Big Parade, ,"
and that the war scenes of What
Price Glory?" are even better than
those of the first battle story.
X X X 4
CINCE her work in Stella Dallas"
- Lois Moran has joined the ranks
II the photoplay stars. and her sal
airy is now said to be 100000 year.
Naturally. her ambition is to play
Camille" She was born in Pitts
burgh, and had appeared in several