Camera - April 14, 1923 to February 16, 1924 (April 1923-February 1924)

Page Sixteen Weekly; W ake-'Em-Up— CAMERA'S News Section CAMERA i ANN'S CONSCIENCE ADDS TO HER DANGERS If there is any one thing that Ann Little wants to impress upon the minds of picture fans, it is the fact that she does not allow a double to perform the precarious stunts she is called upon to do in various photoplay thrillers. "To allow another girl to enact the dangerous stunts that I am given credit for would be gaining admirers under false pretenses," Miss Little says. "I have been nick-named 'the most daring girl on the screen,' and I want to prove, at least, that the thrills and dangerous scenes interpolated in my pictures are provided solely by myself." So Ann is setting about to prove it all — this week. The Universal company now filming the serial, "The Eagle's Talons," in which Miss Little is being starred, has left for Redlands, where the final scenes of the fourth episode will be "shot." The public at large will be invited to the scene of action when Miss Little will perform several of the most dangerous stunts of the entire serial, one of which will necessitate her jumping from a speeding train onto her horse. Duke Worne, director of the serial, has pleaded with Miss Little to allow an experienced stunt actress to perform these risky feats, but has met with no luck. Miss Little is adamant whenever she is asked to refrain from the practice of enacting hazardous scenes, sticking to her firm belief that a person should not accept glory resulting from another's efforts. Barry's Plans Changed "The Printer's Devil," an original story by Julien Josephson, will be the first picture for Wesley Barry at the Warner Brothers' Studio upon his return from his personal appearance tour. The Warner brothers had intended making "Little Johnny Jones" from the George M. Cohan, of which they own the screen rights, first, but because of the merit of Josephson's story and its particular adaptability to Wesley Barry, they have decided to make "The Printer's Devil" first. William Beaudine will direct. None of the cast has been selected. MARY PICKFORD'S LIBRARY Convalescing patients in hospitals and the dear old ladies at the Los Angeles County Poor Farm will no longer want for reading matter when Mary Pickford's new library plan gets going. All magazines and newspapers subscribed to by the Pickford-Fairbanks studios are now being read with the utmost dispatch and then collected by the little star and distributed to hospitals and the poor farm. Practically every publication of any consequence in this country as well as abroad is subscribed for by Miss Pickford, and since only a few days is required to read them each month when they arrive, they can then be sent to hospitals while their contents are still a matter of current news. V. F. Joins R.-C. Virginia Fox, screen comedienne and one of Hollywood's "baby stars," has been placed under a long term contract by the Kobertson-Cole organization. Her first work under her new contract is the leading woman in "Now You See It," which has just gone into production, with James Wesley Horbe directing. Her role in "Now You See It" represents Miss Fox's first serious characterization. Heretofore, comedy has been her forte. She has appeared for two years in Mack Sennett comedies, has played opposite Buster Keaton for two and one-half years and appeared in a Fox picture with Lupino Lane. Sidney Making Farce The Christie organization is working on a fast farce comedy featuring Bobby Vernon, under the direction of Scott Sidney. The new film will be called "Take Your Choice," and is by Frank It. Conklin. Five leading ladies are in the picture, including Charlotte Stevens, Duane Thompson, Natalie Johnson, Margaret Cloud and Gladys Baxter. Noted Dancer in Film Debut Della-Vanna, nationally-known torpsichorean artist, who recently scored a sensational hit in the Greenwich Follies in New York, has been signed by Finis Fox to present an eccentric dance number in the cabaret scenes of his latest picture, "The Man Between," according to announcement made by Robert R. Beaty, general manager of the company. This will be the first time that Della-Vanna's dances have been recorded by the motion picture camera. GLANCES AT THE PAST King Vidor probably has the distinction of having started In pictures more celebrities than any other director. He gave first parts to Mildred Davis, Florence Vidor, Lloyd Hughes, Za Zu Pitts, Robert Gordon and David Butler. He also persuaded Corinne Griffith to leave a little town in Texas and seek fame before the camera. Erich von Stroheim's first theatrical experience was with a vaudeville sketch which he wrote, produced and acted. He says he was "whistled out" of the theatre. Von Stroheim now has a Goldwyn contract and is preparing to direct Frank Norrls' great novel, "McTeague." Frank M. Norcross Signs After an absence of two years in New York, Frank M. Norcross has just returned to Hollywood. Mr. Norcross immediately closed with James Horn, of the Robertson-Cole Studios, to play a role in the forthcoming feature, "Blow Your Own Horn." When last here Mr. Norcross appeared with Charles Ray in "19 and Phyllis" and in "Garments of Truth." Where Filming is Work Four and one-half miles to location each day. This is what the Trimble-Mnrfin Company is up against in the land of ice and snow, where the only means of travel is skiis or dog sleds. The company, under Director Laurence Trimble, is now working at Lake Louise, in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, where Strongheart's next starring vehicle, "The Phantom Pack," is being made. They are now "shooting" at Lake Louise glacier and have to travel a mile and a halt' across the ice of the lake and three miles up the mountain on skiis. "Our greatest winter sport," writes Walter Perry, "is carrying in our own water and coal. We have taken over some summer cabins and they haven't all 'tli* comforts of home.' " NOTICE Beginning on April 21, ■ 1923, the subscription price j of CAMERA! will be re I I vised to a normal standard, I tke current rates ha-fingbeen 1 an error of a former management. Hereafter the rates 1 1 will be $2 for six months or | $3.50 for a >)ear in Los An S I geles county", and for out" |r side zones the rates are $2.50 for six months and $4 for a 1 year. CLARA HAS WHOLE VILLA BUILT ON STAGE Something new in motion picture settings has been introduced lor the production of "In Old Madrid," Clara Kimball Young's newest starring picture which is being produced for Metro by Harry Garson under the direction of Thomas Heffron. The novelty is the construction of an entire ten-room Spanish villa on a studio stage. It is the usual custom to build each room separately and only in unusual cases to have two or three rooms adjoining. For instance, it is not unusual to see a living room at one end of a stage and the dining room supposed to adjoin it at the other end — or perhaps on another stage. It was decided to try the plan of building the entire house in one unit. The chief difficulty was in arranging it in order that it might be lighted properly, an engineering feat, the credit for which goes to Joseph Wright, the designer. The house — or villa — contains ten rooms and has a second story. Because of its completeness considerable more time was reo.uired in the building. One of its interesting features was a marble paved patio in the center containing a fountain, flowering plants, dwarf orange trees and scarlet hibiscus. Probably the chief advantage of this marked departure from the customary is the fact that scenes may be photographed from any angle. Those appearing in support of Miss Young in "In Old Madrid" include Lewis Dayton, Albert Roscoe, Wedge wood Nowell, Louise Bates, Arthur Hull, Lillian Adrian and others. Peggy Finishes "Orphan" Baby Peggy has just finished the final scenes in "The Orphan." at the Century Studios under the direction of Alf Goulding, with her fond papa, J. Travers Montgomery, directing the Jitney Juliet in her individual scenes. She will soon start work at Universal on her first seven-reel special. Prisoner Respects Lewis Ralph Lewis has just received a fan letter of which he is quite proud. It is from a life prisoner at San Quentin prison who said that he had just seen Lewis in "The Birth of a Nation," and added that he would hate to run up against Ralph in trying to make a getaway from the police, as he felt that Lewis certainly handled the southern mob in the Griffith classic in a very wicked manner. Dog Joins Free-lances Brownie, the former Century Comedy wonder dot:, is now a free-lance actor. He got his release from Century March 28, and two days later went to work with Fred Hippard, taking eleven of his pals along with him. Here Brownie interrupts: "Oh, Boy! Am sure having fun!" Finishes With Roach Sidney D'Albrook, who also claims the "Old Biograph Days" as his family tree of the pictures, recently played the character heavy in the Halperin production of "Tea— With a Kick." He has just completed the part of "Hal" in Jack London's "Call of the Wild," which Hal Roach is producing under the direction of Fred Jackraan.