Motion Picture Classic (Jan-Aug 1919)

tk Predicting for 1919 Hfrk are our predictions for the screen drama of 1919: Ingenues with curls w'ill be ]iopular. The sun will continue to revolve in its orbit directly back of the blonde stellar cutie’s left ear, thereby casting a glow u[)on the aforementioned blondeism. Animals will be popular. There will be a strong partiality on the part of directors for canaries and doves. Close-ups of beaded eye-lashes will be made in large quantities, thus contributing an intimate, human note to the film drama. Doug Fairbanks will jump over a chair in May, 1919. Bill Hart will play a bad man who reforms about June 9, 1919. One hundred and nineteen scenario writers will get new' positions, Hun spies having lost their vogue with the end of the war. In December, 1919, Mary Pickford wall be undecided between an ofifer of $5,000,000 and one of $6,000,000. i What is a travel scenic, Rollo? A travel scenic is a serie>j of tremendous significant glimpses of the inside of tunnels. ; ' And you ask what is a film masterpiece. Rollo. A masterpiece is any photoplay with a full-page advertisement. It becomes a work of sheer genius when it has a two-page adver-' tisement. lij We think Harold Lloyd is a good comedian — and w'e’ll keep right on thinking so while Bebe Daniels plays opposite him. ■ The old Answer Man started something when he launched* , his first department of replies to fan inquiries. The EnglisKf] screen weeklies are taking it up now. Pictures has a query “j page, from which we glean this information : t “Alma, Hackney. — We have not heard that Mary Pick-'.; ford has gone in for goat-keeping at her California home — !I tho it is quite likely. She loves animals.” 1' Double Exposures Conducted by F. J. S. After looking the contestants over carefully, we respectfully offer the Modesty Prize of 1918 to Edgar Lewis. It w’as Mr. Lewis who announced his activities after this non-personal fashion : “lidgar Lewis ‘The Bret Harte of Motion Pictures’ announces .Six Ivdgar Lewis Super Productions, with the usual excellent Ifdgar Lew'is cast of players. EDGAR LEWIS.” A little portrait of a director named Ifdgar Lewis gave the final note of impersonal interest to the announcement. The exhibitors are the backbone of the screen industry, we are told. Realizing this, we examine with interest the electric sign of a Boston movie house, which a few days ago read : “Mae Terlincks in ‘The Blue Bird.’ ” When Doug Fairbanks conducted his remarkable one-man; | parade up Fifth Avenue on behalf of the E'ourth Liberty Loan! : drive, thereby picking up several paltry millions en route, he'! gave the best insight into the psychology of America that we'*i can think of. When Doug called up from the street to J. Pier-Tij pont Morgan to drop a check out his window, when he leaped ij over subway kiosks for the benefit of the crowds and i| climbed into the windows of the Union League Club toy;| solicit contributions he was the dream of every Americant^^ boy come true. ' f : . ; ii;! Will Charlie Chaplin be as funnyj now that he’s married? j ! Five million married men scattered around the globe await the outcome ; with anxious interest. i ■ j ; Maurice Tourneur had hardly given : out the announcement that dancing is the best possible training for the screen when Earle Williams married Elorine , Walz. 1 ■ “P .s “Motion Picture Classic : “Having accepted challenges all my young life, noted your challenge in your ‘Double Exposures’ paragraph, I promise you that in ‘The Master Mystery’ I shall escape from the Sunset Fade-out. In fact, I have -^Iready done so. Thanks for the suggestion. “Sincerely yours, “Houdini.” (Sixty-two)