The San Francisco Dramatic Review (1908)

January 17, 1914. THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW II Photoplay News $ (Richard Willis) ?Ienry A\ . Otto, who was for so long- associated with the old Nes- tor successes and who has been with Selig's for many months, excellent actor and secretary and treasurer of the Los Angeles ]'lu)toplayers" Club, has joined the I'alboa forces as direc- tor. Mr. Otto will put on a series of two-reel dramas and some com- edies, and is at present producing- one of his own stories, A Gypsy Romance. He has a fine company, which includes Ray Gallagher, Jack- ie Saunders, Robt. Grey and Henry Stanley. * * * Burton King-, one of the best known directors in the business, has Iniilt up a fine studio with an excel- lent location at Glendale, Los An- geles, and will release under the Usona brand, Mutual program. Mr. King- is getting together a strong comi)any and has engaged Robert Adair, late of Lubin and Kay Bee, as leading- man, Virginia Kirtley to l)lay opposite, Ed. Brady, and that fine actress, Eugenie Ford, for sec- onds. His first play will be a two- reel modern sacrifice drama, entitled The Power of the Cross, and this will be followed by one, two and three reel psychological and society dramas. IJurton King- will be an- other factor in the building up of the strong- Mutual programs. * * * Louise Lester is tf) be seen in an- other of her famous Calamity Anne ])ictures, which will show the lady in "Sassiety" and be released at the end of F"ebruary. * * 1 lerbert Rawlin.son and Roberta Arnold took their first trip in an aero))lane last week, in connection with the picture being produced by Otis Turner, entitled A Flight for Life. Herbert says they both en- joyed the unique experience, and the aviator even let Herbert steer the flying machine, just telling him what to do. * * * Wilfred Lucas, that virile and romantic actor and producer, is di- recting a i)icture for the Interna- tional features at Hollywood. He is at present lost in the snow regions with his company, and the business manager is getting worried and, un- less they are heard from in a day 01 so, a search ])arty will be sent to lo- cate them. * * * Marshall Ncilan, of the Kalcm company, will share studios with Carly.le Blackwell at East Holly- wood. He will ])roduce one and two reel comedies with a com])any of his own, and will act his own leads. ^- ^ Cleo Madison, who is giving such a fine perf(jrmance in Samson at the L'niversal, and who lifted her part into prcMuinence by virtue of her beauty and art, is still laughing at a remark made l)y a bystander who watched one of the big scenes taken recently. Said the lady with the education to the lady without: "That's Cleopatra, my dear, and she's wearing the earrings that she put in the goblet to poison Caesar with." Cleo Madison is nervously anxious for Samson to be completed for the bad weather has held her in for some time now and this young actress is just bursting with ambi- tion and the fire of work and youth. ^ ^ ^ Genial "Billy" Abbott, lidwin •Vugust's able assistant, gathered all the Christmas cards which August received on Christmas day and hung them up above and around Edwin's de.sk. There were 163 of them from difi^erent parts of the States, and over 100 more were delivered at his apartments. The majority of the greetings bore no name and were signed "bVom an admirer," or words to that effect. August smiled when he saw the display and ordered the cards removed instanter. "This is an office, young man, and not a six- leaf scrap-book," is what he re- marked. Carlyle Blackwell is making .some alterations in his studio and is add- ing more dressing-rooms and ex- tending the stage quite considerably. When completed it will measure 84 by 50 feet. Black well's studios ancl offices are as comfortable and as well appointed as any in America. * * * Harry Edwards, late assistant di- rector to h'red Mace, is now direct- ing Ike Carney, who received the warmest of welcomes on his arrival in the West. He started in imme- diately and made his plaint a few^ days later. "I haven't got my land legs yet, and yet that Harry Ed- wards person won't even give me time for meals. I had a cup of coffee for breakfast and I've been wallow- ing in cold water and mud for five hours. Such a life!" All this was in Alkali Ike's Wooing. * * * Allan Dwan has nearly completed his fine production of Richelieu at the L'niver.sal, and two parts stand out very prominently — Murdock Mac(|uarie as the Cardinal and Paul- ine ikish. Miss Bush never gave a finer ])crformance; in fact, her Ju-lie de Mortimer will long be remem- bered. Pauline lUish is not content just to act a part, she studies it out long in advance and tries to think- as the woman portrayed would think; also she is never satisfied with herself, which is a sure sign of the artist. Quiet and reserved and wholly wrapped up in her art. Miss I'.ush is one cjf the most bril- liant of yoinig actresses on the screen. Edwin August is in recei])t of a fine Indestructo truck, sent him as one of the winners of the New York Telegraph's recent competition. As he did not even know he was in the running he was both surprised and delighted. * * t- As evervonc knows now, lulwin yXugust writes his own jjliotoijlavs as well as directing them and acting the leads. W hen he has a i)lay com- j)lete<l he gets his company com- fortably seated in some quiet spot and reads the play to them. He then invites suggestions for im])rove- ments or opinions as to incongrui- ties, and says that he often gets a valuable suggestion from one or the other. It also gets the ct)nipany really interested and each member gets a good idea of his or her char- acter, and it lightens the rehearsals very considerably. * * * It would seem that every motion picture actor or actress meets with some narrow escape sooner or later. Elsie Albert has been singularly free from vivid adventures, but she has now experienced one she is not likely to forget. In the feature pho- toplays put on by Harry C. Matthews at Bliss, Oklahoma, a herd of buffalo has been used, and one old l>uffalo, "Nip," had taken a violent dislike for the camera. It proved Nip's undoing, for after rout- ing several members of the com- pany, including Ray Myers, who had a narrow -escape, the buffalo charged directly at Elsie Albert. I'ortunately, Jack Miller was on hand and he shot Nip in the nick of time. Since then all the company have tasted buffalo meat in its differ- ent forms. Miss Albert undoul)ted- ly owes her life to the promptness of Jack Miller. * * * Samson is at last completed at the L'niversal, and it is generally ac- knowledged that the director, J. Far- rell Macdonald, has produced a masterpiece. The crowning scene, where Samson pulls the pillars apart so that the temple falls and crushes the people within, was left to the last, and after many hours rehearsal was taken with remarkable results. The building of the temple was in itself an achievement and reflects much credit upon the technical di- rector, I'>ank Ormston. Samson must have taxed J. Farrell Macdon- ald's powers to the utmost, and he has again proven a really great pro- ducer. Fine work in the acting was done l)y J. Warren Kerrigan, Kath- erine Kerrigan, Wm. Worthington, Geo. Periolat, Cleo Madison and stately Edith Bostwick. Samson is a great photoplay. * * * Carlyle Blackwell has completed The Award of Justice, a fine melo- dr;ima in which stirring fights, sea and auto chases and an aeroplane figure. Owing to the bad weather and the far off" locations, the picture has the record for length of time taken as far as Mr. Blackwell's pho- toplays are concerned. The work of Adele Lane grows more delightful all the time. She has now been with the Selig company for a year, and whether the ])art be comedy or dramatic she gets the same unfailing good notices from the critics—those hardened indi- viduals who love to jump on one. She has been a busy little lady of late, having i)layed the leading part in Director Martin's two-reel politi- cal story. The Eleventh Hour, and an emotional role in Director Mc- (iregor's two-reel. The I'etter Way. * * * Lulc Warrcnton of the I'^niversal recently received a flattering offer to join another companv, but she has her bungalow, her friends and a rising salary at the big "U," and decided she would remain where she was. She is a valual)le actress, who can impersonate any kind of charac- ter. She was asked the other day what she was going to do on the morrow, and answered, "I'm not sure whether I'm to be a grand dame with the Smalleys or the squaw in McRae's i)icture." Assuredly "a woman in her time plays many l^arts!" * * * The scene in the Temple of Dam- on in J. Farrell Macdonald's remark- able six-reeler, Samson, when Sam- son ])ulls the i)illars down and causes the tem]>le to crush its in- mates, was terrific, really stui)endous —c|uite the most wonderful scene ever taken in America. Isidore Bernstein slept all night with the film under his pillow in case any- thing happened to it. The film will be shown in the Shubert circuit. * * * Whilst Francis Fovd has been put- ting on his big production, At Val- ley Forge, Grace Cunard has direc- ted a bright little comedy, entitled The Lightweight Champion, writ- ten by herself, with Louise Gran- ville, Ernest Shields and Lionel B.radshaw in the cast. The de- ])arture was so successful that Miss Cunard will in future produce com- edies "in between whiles." * * * Adele Lane (|uite enjoyed herself in the Selig comedy. Teaching Father a Lesson, in which she gives Ed. Wallach, who takes the father, a hot time. In one scene she smashed all the ornaments and about wrecked the set, and Wallach remarked, "Gee—she does it natural- ly ; if she's half as natural at home I'm sorry for her husband." * * * There are .some remarkable battle scenes in Francis Ford's At Valley Forge, i)roduced at the Universal. Produced with a scrupulous eye to detail, they look for all the world like the old prints published many years ago. In fact, the film is a vivid story of the happenings at Val- ley Forge, with a stirring presenta- tion of the ride of Paul Revere. Mr. b'ord gives a fine performance as a spy. The story is by himself and (irace Cunard. ■•f * * Milton II. I'^ahrney has been pre- paring for a week for a special three- reel semi-Western production for the Albu(|uerque company. The story is by Augusta Phillips Fahrney, which means that it will be inter- esting throughout. Mrs. I^'ahrney has just moved into a beautiful new residence in the Hollywood foothills, in which there is a model library, where she not only writes her strik- ing i)hotoplays, but acts each scene out in a miniature stage. There are never any discrepancies in this lady's scrii^ts, and Mr. Fahrney pro- duces as carefully as she writes—an excellent combination. * * * Wilfred Lucas is now producing feature films for the International Feature I'^ilm Company at Holly- wood, and will turn out two three- reel features a month. He has just completed a stirring story by Janie MacPher.son, entitled The Trap, in which Mr. Lucas gives a fine imper- sonation of a young trapper, other parts being taken by Janie MacPher- son, Chas. Inslee and Bess Mer- edith. Mr. Lucas was for years with the Biograph and is one of the best romantic actors on the screen. He is also a very handsome man. Continued on Page 14.