Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

16 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XIX, No. 1. Bids for Public Favor with Clean Plays Theodore Deitrich Launches New Company to Make Wholesome Pictures Abounding with Human Interest HEODORE C. DEITRICH, who re 1 ently formed De Luxe Pictures, Inc., a $200,000 concern, which will make high-class features with Doris Kenyon as the star, has spent his entire life in the newspaper, magazine and motion picture fields. He believes that making motion pictures is much the same as publishing a newspaper or a magazine — that the requirements of the public are practically similar in each case. He reasons this way: Years ago, the public was satisfied with a plain presentation of facts in their newspapers. Then came the day with the facts presented in beautiful word pictures and actual photographs with which to illustrate them. The public turned aside from the drear and desolate accounts of current events and welcomed the beautifully-garnished, human interest, heart-throbbing stories that today are the crowning feature of every newspaper. It is the same in motion pictures. The public is satiated, Mr. Deitrich believes, with the blood and thunder, the so-called "thrills" and the impossible characters which dominate so many of the present day pictures. He believes it has had enough of nasty sex subjects and that the time is ripe for clean, wholesome, human interest stories enacted by characters whom we see in everyday life and not in the impossible situations in which the screen frequently places them. Mr. Deitrich declares that Miss Kenyon under the banner of De Luxe Pictures, Inc., will appear only in productions of this kind, and is satisfied that the motion picture going public will appreciate the human interest story just as the newspaper reader appreciates it. Mr. Deitrich was born in Beaver, Pa., home of the late Senator Matthew Stanley Quay. Upon the advice of that astute man of affairs, he entered a country newspaper office at the age of eleven years as printer's "devil." Before his sixteenth birthday he was a journeyman printer, but he dreamed of better things. Immediately casting aside a journeyman's salary, he secured a position as a cub reporter at one-fourth the salary. Before he was twenty-five years old, he was managing editor of the Pittsburgh Dispatch, one of the greatest papers between New York and Chicago. For a number of years, he was dramatic, feature and editorial writer, and editorial executive in New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and other cities. He joined the Hearst organization fourteen years ago, remaining on the newspapers and magazines owned by William Ran Theodore Deitrich, president and general manager, De Luxe Pictures, Inc. dolph Hearst until the latter transferred him to the International Film Service when the great publisher entered the motion picture field. Mr. Deitrich continued with the International until the formation of De Luxe Pictures, Inc. He believes that Miss Kenyon will eventually become the greatest emotional screen star the public has ever known. But Jack Is Still a Young Fellow Jack Brawn, manager of the property department for the Vitagraph studio in Brooklyn, is rounding out his thirtieth year in the theatrical business. He started out in 1888 with Denman Thompson and has been continuously connected with the stage, either as an actor, manager or departmental executive ever since. During his long career he has been associated with such famous players as William H. Crane in "Father and the Boys," Frances Starr in "The Easiest Way," "The Case of Becky" and "The Secret." He was with Belasco for three years and during that time was an actor and stage manager for Miss Starr. Early in his career he was a whistler with Hoyt & McKee in "A Trip to Chinatown" and. four years later was again engaged by Denman Thompson for a part in "Our New Minister." For two years prior to going with Mr. Crane, Mr. Brawn was a member of Henry W. Savage's "College Widow" company and made the trip to London with it. Mr. Brawn has been with the Vitagraph company for five years, the first two. of which he played in pictures as a member of the Vitagraph stock company Helps Exhibitor Get Publicity Benefits To the vast amount of publicity secured by Goldwyn Pictures for Mary Garden's first photoplay, "Thais," prior to its release for exhibition throughout the world, the Goldwyn Corporation is adding the force of a continued national campaign of intensive advertising. While this stupendous effort will acquaint persons of all classes and .conditions with the fact that an artist of international reputation is to be seen on the screen for the first time in her career, some of it will be lost unless each exhibitor of "Thais" diverts the awakened attention to his theater. Goldwyn has issued a complete set of suggestions of advertising and showmanship to local exhibitors as a means of getting full benefit from national publicity converted into sales. Black Paint Covers Studio Roof The Goldwyn Pictures Corporation is trying an experiment in its studio at Fort Lee, N. J., which may bring an important change in methods of motion picture photography where the weather does not permit of sunlight work the year round. The glass roof of the Goldwyn studio has been painted black and all daylight excluded, making it unnecessary to cover the sets in which companies are working. Natural light, the cameramen say, only interferes with proper artificial lighting, and since they cannot have proper natural lighting at all times they prefer to have it wholly shut out. Praise for Beach Film "The Auction Block" continues to thrill hundreds of thousands throughout the country. Of it the Cleveland Leader says: "We have yet to see a Rex Beach novel done over in the films that failed to please. We have yet to see one that failed to stir the emotions, rouse the enthusiasm or impress the spectator with its bigness and pulsating vitality. With a Rex Beach picture the play is distinctly the thing. That is the case in 'The Auction Block.' 'The Auction Block' and the conventional cream puff film play have nothing in common.