Indiana daily times. [volume], August 05, 1920, Home Edition, Page 5, Image 5

About Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922

Image provided by: Indiana State Library

                
The Cortlandt Pictures Corporation
of Indianapolis
***. .1
\* x * % * \
Capital $500,000 all common, fully paid and non-assessable
Offers $250,000 common stock, par value SIO.OO
OFFICERS and DIRECTORS:
President— CORTLANDT J. VAN DEUSEN, Indianapolis. Vice-President and Genera / Counsel— ALVAH J. RUCKER, Indianapolis.
Secretary— C. R. HAMILTON, Indianapolis. Treasurer —OTTO L. KLAUSS, Indianapolis.
The Cortlandt Pictures Corporation plans the production of
motion pictures primarily for children and child grown-ups,
clean sweet stories in pictures, fairy tales so dear to the im
aginative mind of the child, educational topics, children games,
comedies, and Acted by Children.
Artistic and Financial
Opportunity
The, Cortlandt Pictures Corporation is or
ganized by men of broad business professional
training and directed by men who know the
motion picture business thoroughly—the mak
ing and distribution of pictures. The super
vising director of productions, Mr. Cortlandt
J. VanDeusen, is of wide experience as actor,
director and producer, who has directed many
stars in many feature pictures.
The Cortlandt Pictures Corporation is inter
ested primarily in the financial opportunities
which come of artistic opportunities—financial
opportunities which appeal to the good judg
ment of the careful, shrewd investor.
The public wants children’s pictures—a pub
lic tired of suggestive plays, lacking in whole
someness.
Thousands of schools, churches, community
houses, installing projecting machines, are con
fined to too limited a choice of motion picture
subjects.
It is the purpose of the Cortlandt Pictures
Corporation to provide pictures suitable for the
various occasions mentioned herewith.
Until the Cortlandt Pictures Corporation,
there was no company making a concerted ef
fort to produce photoplays for children.
Children pictures have been shown in few
instances—in each and every case with huge
financial success.
This great field of motion picture has been
overlooked by producers striving for stupend
ous results—mechanically and pictorially.
Simple stories have been overlooked —child
stories which play upon the heartstrings of
all—child and parent alike.
The Cortlandt Pictures Corporation will get
that same simple, human, universal appeal in
its pictures for children —appealing not to one
class of theatergoers, but to a universal
clientele.
The public wants more pictures of a better,
cleaner type—pictures like the great successes,
such as “Treasure Island,” “Peter Pan,”
"Pollyanna,” “Jack and the Bean Stalk,”
“Huckleberry Finn,” etc.
Sign and Mail Today
Cortlandt Pictures Corporation,
822 Hume-Mansur Bldg., Indianapolis.
Gentlemen:—Enclosed find my check for
$ for subscription to
shares of the common capital stock of
the Cortlandt Pictures Corporation at
SIO.OO per share.
Name
Street or R. R
City State
As an absolute protection to yon, make your
check payable to the Bankers Trust Company,
Indianapolis, Indiana, who are acting as Regis
trar and transfer agent.
Board of Directors- —
ALYAH J. RUCKER—Attorney, former Prosecutor Marion County, Indiana, Indianapolis. GEORGE V. COFFlN—Automobiles; former sheriff Marion County; former police chief, Indianapolis.
C. J. VAN DEUSEN—Motion Picture Producer. * C. R. HAMlLTON—lnsurance, Indianapolis. J. F. WILD JR. —Broker, Indianapolis.
JAMES A. COLLINS—Judge Marion County (Indiana) Criminal Court, Indianapolis. OTTO L. KLAUSS—Auditor of State of Indiana; Capitalist; former treasurer, Vauderburg County, Indiana.
1 - j .
Executive Offices of The Cortlandt Pictures Corporation, 822 Hume-Mansur Building, Indianapolis
Phone Circle 1614
Motion Picture Business
Data
There are more than 18,000 Motion Picture
Theaters in the United States.
These theaters last year took into their box
offices the paid admissions of more than
.6 Billion 300 Million persons! (6,300,000,000).
These admissions totaled the huge sum of
900 Million Dollars! ($900,000,000).
Daily admissions totaled more than $2,500,-
000.
Profits go to the PRODUCER—THE DIS
TRIBUTOR—THE THEATER.
The Producer bases his rental charge to the
exhibitor on the popularity of his STAR, the
DIRECTOR, the SUPPORTING CAST and the
AUTHOR of the scenario. In many cases this
charge is so excessive, due to the enormous
cost of PRODUCTION, that only the large
theaters or chain of theaters can afford to book
such attractions. At least they can not book
them until they have become technically "com
mercial" or “old run stuff.”
We say advisedly that FIVE THOUSAND of
the 18,000 theaters will set aside one or two
days each week for pictures appealing to chil
dren and child grown-ups.
On such days, the admission charge would
be lowered, because the Producer would log
ically charge less for his pictures for the fol
lowing good reasons:
1. No tremendous Stars' salaries.
2. No fabulous prices for stories.
3. Small overhead expense in Studio.
4. No salaries to supporting company (ex
cept in rare cases).
What Wall Street Thinks
The big fundamental interests of America —
those developers of business—have seen the
advantage of investment in motion picture
securities. Wall street has been attracted by
the motion picture Industry.
The Wall Street Journal, authority of the
financial interests of America said:
“Wall street is going into amuse
ments in a financial way. The newly
incorporated Loew’s Theater numbers
among its directors: W. C. Durant,
head of the General Motors Corpora
tion; Harvey Gibson, president of the
Liberty National Bank, and D. E. Pom
eroy, vice president of the Bankers
Trust Company. The Famous Players
Lasky Corporation is being provided
with $10,000,000 of the new capital with
Kuhn, Loeb & Company backing, w'hile
the DuPonts and the Chase Bank in
terests have entered the Goldwyn Pic
tures Corporation.
“In view of these developments some
statistics on the motion picture in
dustry should prove interesting to In
vestors. *
“Gross revenues of picture theaters
in the country are estimated at $900,-
000 000 this year. They were $675,-
000,000 in 1918—comparing favorably
with $700,000,000 gross of thirteen
leading rubber companies—against
but $65,000,000 in 1907.
“In this country there are 18,000 pic
ture theaters with 8,000,000 seats, near
ly every town of 1.000 population hav
ing at least one theater.
“Twelve hundred new houses are
being built at a cost of $72,000,000.
“Good theaters cost S3OO a seat to
build at present prices, so that, at a
conservative calculation of SIOO a seat,
the investment in motion picture the
aters totals about $800,000,000.
INDIANA DAILY TIMES, THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 1920.
Cost of Production
and Revenue
Each unit program, consisting of one (1)
four-reel Fairy Tale or similar production, (1)
one-reel Comedy and (1) one-reel Educational
Subject, a total of six reels, will cost, includ
ing all expenses, advertising, etc., approxi
mately $8,500
With 25 unit programs per year will
be $212,500. Six (6) special productions of
well-known Fairy Tales will be produced dur
ing the year (one every other month) at a
cost of SIO,OOO each, or SOO,OOO for the
series.
Revenue based on rentals to 5,000 theaters
only show that even with the rental price per
unit program of S2O per diem, which is very
low Indeed, the income from the 25-unlt pro
grams during the year should gross over One
Million Dollars, and the Specials should re
turn $500,000 during the same period.
TOTAL INCOME (predicted on the
service to 5,000 theaters) $2,130,000
Expense (calculated) $632,500
NET PROFIT FOR YEAR $1,407,500
Foreign Rights
These figures represent only a very small
percentage of the annual business done in the
motion picture Industry. These figures do not
Include the Foreign Rights which are usually
sold at a figure to yield the cost of produc
tion.
All business transacted in the United State!
Is generally CLEAR PROFIT!
Distribution
The Distribution of our pictures will be
handled most advantageously to the corpora
tion, by one of the following methods:
(a) Distribution through regular release
channels to the highest bidder, usually on a
60-40 per cent basis, the corporation receiving
the 60 per cent.
(b) Maintenance of four branch offices —
New York, Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco.
Each office will have its own zone of theaters
in its respective territories, and will supply the
theaters included in these zones, with prints,
advertising matter, etc. Each branch office will
be in charge of a thoroughly capable executive
manager.
Demand for Good Pictures
Exceeds Supply
Should a favorable opportunity present itself
to this corporation whereby it may purchase
some well-known play or book, feature produc
tions with well-known screen stars will be
made. These will be clean, w'holesome pic
tures of the ideal of the Cortlandt Pictures
Corporation.
The plans show a producing studio at Los Angeles, the pro
ducing center of the motion picture industry. The child is
potentially the great patron of the motion picture theater.
That in spite of the fact that the screen shows so much not
fit for innocent children, withal proper enough for the matured.
Cortlandt J. Van Deusen
President and Director General, will be re
membered for his fine work with such com
panies as the BIOGRAPH, when D. W. Griffith
was the director of that organization. Mr.
VanDeusen was associated with the FAMOUS
PLAYERS, KINEMACOLOR, THANHAUSER,
PHOTO-DRAMA CORPORATION, etc.
He was for almost four years with the
VITAGRAPH COMPANY OF AMERICA, first
as feature player, later a director.
He was co-director with Mr. Sidney Drew,
a partial list of productions with Mr. Drew be
ing as follows:
“The Professional Scapegoat," “Aunties’
Portrair," “Booblys’ Baby,” “Horseshoe for
Luck," "Unlucky Loole,” “Story of the Glove,”
“Wanted—A Nurse,” “Too Many Husbands”
and two special pictures, "Playing Dead.” by
Richard Harding Davis (five reels) and “A
Florida Enchantment,” by Archibald Clavering
Gunther. A partial list of subjects personally
directed by Mr. VanDeusen is: “In Arcadia.”
"The Fire Escape,” "Between Two Fires,”
“The Mystery of the Empty Room," "Conquest
of Constantia,” “Her Bad Quarters of an Hour/''
“A Keyboard Strategy,” “Benj. Bunter.”
Mr. VanDeusen was one of the four directors
tt that time engaged in the staging o? Vita
graph’s highest grade pictures, known as the
BLUE RIBBON FEATURES, his last produc
tion being “The Man Behind the Curtain,” in
which Miss Lillian Walker was starred.
Some of the players in the above list qf pic
tures were Lillian Walker, Evart Overton,
William R. Dunn, Hughey Mack, Flora Finch,
Mary Maurice, Constance Talmadge, J. A.
Lewis, Alice Lake, Edward Alkas aud among
those with whom he has appeared are Anita
Stewart, Norma Talmadge, Ralph Ince, Clara
Kimball Young. John Bunny, Earle Williams,
Maurice Costello.
Mr. VanDeusen was also director for William
Randolph Hearst in the International Film
Company and was the first director of Olive
Thomas and Harry Fox.
For the Jester Comedy Company Mr. VanDeu
sen personally produced “His Golden Ro
mance."
He was co-director with Oscar Eagle, pro
ducing the mammotl. spectacle, "The Frozen
Warning,” featuring Charlotte, the world-fa
mous Ice Queen.
Earnings of Well-Known
Pictures
How fabulous are the earnings from motion
picture productions may be seen from the fol
lowing well knowrn productions and their earn
ings. taken from an article in “Variety,” March
5, 1920.
Thomas H. Ince’s "Civilization” for 3%
years, $768,000. Universal’s “Blind Hus
bands,” directed by Eric Stroheim, 5% months,
$341,000. Universal’s “Right to Happiness,”
eight months, $107,000. Mayflower’s “The
Miracle Man,” made by George Loane Tucker,
13 weeks, $128,000. “Tarzan of the Apes,” a
National Film production, 2 years, $902,700.
"The Romance of Tarzan,” same, 1% years,
$405,000. “Enlighten Thy Daughter,” three
years, $321,000. Mary Pickford’s “Daddy Long
Legs,” United Artists, 7% months, $542,000,
distributed on a quota basis so $2,000,000. Mack
Sennet’s "Mickey,” sold to “Hy” Winik for a
"snug” and state righted by Winik for a rel
atively small sum, did $468,000 in one year.
Universal’s “The Heart of Humanity,” an
Allan Holubar production, two years, $779,000.
Warner Bros.’ “My Four Years in Germany.”
sold to First National for something like a
quarter of a million, grossed in two years $833,*
300. Paramount’s “Male and Female, 10 weeks,
$226,100. Griffith’s “Broken Blossoms,” SBOO,OOO
to date, registering over $225,000 in bookings
one week. King Vidor’s “The Turn of the
Road” (Robertson-Cole) one year, $306,000, pro
duction costing something like $15,000. Clara
Kimball Young in “Eyes of Youth” (Equity
Pictures). 12 weeks, $426,000. Fairbanks in
“When the Clouds Roll By,” handicapped by
the “flu” epidemic, has bookings for over $700,-
000 and will gross $1,000,000. Roscoe Ar
buckle’s two-reelers, considered merely as fill
ers, gross over $200,000 a picture. His "Round-
Up” will not do less than $1,500,000.
These figures show that feature pictures are
financial winners. When the Cortlandt Pic
tures Corporation sees fit to produce feature
pictures, its income will be augmented.
An Investment Suggestion
In view of the proved opportunities in invest
ment in motion picture production, this com
mon stock is offered and advised —for the small
and large investor. The proceeds of this
$250,000 issue will be used in necessary de
velopment.
The Personnel of the
Company
The incorporators and officers of the com
pany are men whose reputation, in business
and professional life is high. These men will
direct the Cortlandt Pictures Corporation to
the success it warrants.
Tear Off and Mail Today
Your Opportunity!
Cortlandt Pictures Corporation,
522 Hume-Mansur Bldg., Indianapolis.
Gentlemen:—Without obligation on my
part, mail me booklet descriptive of the
Cortlandt Pictures Corporation.
Name
Street or R. R
City State
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