Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

44 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XIX, No. 1. Newslets For Use in Your Program FACTS ABOUT FILM FOLK— YOU MAY CLIP AND PRINT THEM An entire day was given over to the "bath room" scenes of "Sadie Goes to Heaven," Essanay's latest Mary McAlister picture, and the temperature of the studio was kept up to 90 degrees throughout the day, so that Mary would not catch cold, to say nothing of the dog who was thrown into the tub as well. Virginia Valli, supporting Taylor Holmes in "Ruggles of Red Gap," played good fairy to a number of little Chicago children during the Christmas holidays. Downtown Los Angeles got a thrill the other day when Rock and Montgomery, working in a Big V comedy release for Greater Vitagraph, made a sixteen-foot jump from the top of one office building to another. Traffic was suspended and crowds in the street and windows gave the daring comedians a cheer as they repeated the hazardous stunt. This scene will appear particularly thrilling because of the fact that the second building and the one on which they landed had a breakaway wall, so that from the camera it appears that the jump is made directly against a brick wall, which, however, gives away as the men reach it. The sixth story of the building was used so the height from the sidewalk could be registered. Wesley Ruggles, Vitagraph director, has donned the khaki and now is one of the Yaphank boys. Mr. Ruggles was called in the draft, but obtained a respite to finish a picture he was making for Vitagraph, entitled, "The Blind Adventure." Then he waited around a few weeks and, as he received no peremptory order to report at Camp Upton, went to the studio and directed a one-reel Vitagraph Comedy, entitled "He Had to Camouflage." Charles Bryant, leading man for Nazimova in her initial Metro photodrama, "Revelation," was also cast in the same capacity with the star in her first motion picture production, "War Brides." In "Revelation," Bryant is seen as an American artist who falls in love with the favorite model of the Parisian Latin quarter. A replica of a section of the cabin of the big steamship, "Mauretania," was built on rockers in the Metro studio for scenes in "Red, White and Blue Blood," starring Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne. Director Brabin staged his scenes while the "ship rode the waves" in realistic fashion. Would anyone think to look at the natty, well-groomed Carlyle Blackwell, as the hero of one of the World-Pictures Brady-Made, that once upon a time he made a living singing ballads in cafes or any old places where they would let him? Or that he went around the country for awhile riding on the bumpers, on the roof, or down on the wheel trucks? Well, he did, and they ran him out of one town in Texas because he did not look good to the sheriff. In that same town now, Blackwell is the biggest of all the movie star favorites. Mary Garden, soon to appear in "Thais," was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. Her father came to America with his family in 1881, settling first in Mont real and later in Chicago and Milwaukee. Mary Garden displayed unusual talent for music at an early age. She began taking violin lessons when she was eight years old. She began to study singing under Mme. Robinson-Duffe, a Chicago teacher, and in 1897 was sent to Paris. Through the influence of Sibyl Sanderson, the American singer, she became a member of the Opera Comique staff, in 1900, and was assigned to learn the title role, as understudy to Mile. Riotton, in Charpentier's "Louise." One day, Mile. Riotton was indisposed, and Miss Madge Evans is the star of the WorldBrady Made picture, "The Volunteer." Garden was given the part. It was the opportunity she had long waited for. She completely captivated her audience and made such a profound and instantaneous success that the composer, who was present, insisted that she sing the part regularly thereafter. She continued to sing "Louise" for two hundred nights, during which she firmly established herself in the favor of a large portion of the opera-loving public in Paris. Little Mary McAlister, six-year-old Essanay star, dons a pair of boxing gloves and hands a knockout to her boy opponent in her latest comedy-drama, "Sadie Goes to Heaven." Additional fame has come to "Teddy," the famous Great Dane of the Mack Sennett comedies. Mary Pickford recently borrowed him for some scenes in her newest Artcraft picture, "Stella Maris," and with the consent of Mr. Sennett, Teddy made a trip to Santa Barbara and went temporarily on the Pickford payroll. Someone asked Billie Burke, who is now at work on "Eve's Daughter" for Paramount, under James Kirkwood, how she liked the picture and things in general, as far as she had gone. "Fine," responded Miss Burke, demurely, "but you never can tell what will happen when two red-heads get together." Mr. Kirkwood has sandy hair and everyone knows the glory of Billie Burke's redgold tresses. In the production of the new Douglas Fairbanks picture, "A Modern Musketeer," the company of players traveled many miles into the uninhabited regions of the west in order to get scenes that have never before been presented in a photoplay. Upon conclusion of the scenes staged at the Grand Canyon of Arizona, the entire company journeyed to the Canyon Du Chelley, ninety miles from Gallup, N. M., making a long trip over the plains on pack mules. The principal motive for the trip to the Canyon Du Chelley was because of the cliff dwellings, inhabited three thousand years ago by the pigmy race of people. Permission to stage part of his photoplay here was given to Douglas Fairbanks by Indian Commissioner Sells at Washington, D. C. At the bottom of a cliff twelve hundred feet high, the Fairbanks' players pitched their tents and lived the life of the primitive for over a week, living on wild game shot after the day's screening was through. Two Chinese giants are being sought by the Triangle Culver City studio for five scenes at the opening of Director Thomas Heffron's new picture, "The Hopper," from Meredith Nicholson's story by the same name which appeared recently in Colliers' Weekly. These opening scenes are in China in the year A. D. 1457 and a Chinese pottery artist is also called for. Over two thousand Russian, German and United States uniforms and Russian student and peasant costumes were used in costuming the players in "The Legion of Death," a Metro production starring Edith Storey. June Mathis wrote and Tod Browning directed this timely feature. Three pedigreed Pomeranians and an "alley cur" help Little Mary McAlister make fun in her latest Essanay picture, "Sadie Goes to Heaven." Goldwyn Pictures is claiming a genuine theme novelty in its new Madge Kennedy starring vehicle, "Oh, Mary, Be Careful!" from the best-seller book of the same name by George Weston. This play has no less than six leading men, all having important parts of almost equal value, playing opposite the star, Madge Kennedy. The nature of the story demands that Miss Kennedy shall have a series of amazing adventures in search of a man worthy of her love. One of the largest studio scenes on record was constructed for Mabel Normand's newest Goldwyn Picture, "Dodging a Million," from the story by Edgar Selwyn and A. M. Kennedy. It represents the foyer and reception hall of a big New York hotel. Ninety-five feet long and fifty feet wide, it covered almost two-thirds the length of the great Goldwyn studio at Fort Lee, N. J. To make the "long shots," Director George Loane Tucker and Cameraman Ollie Marsh had to stand in the cold on a gallery built out from the studio door while the scores of extra people and the star worked in the cozy warmth within.