Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

February 23, 1918. MOTOGRAPHY 369 Two important scenes from the Vitagraph-Bluc Ribbon feature, "Cavanaugh of the Forest Rangers," starring Nell Shipman with Alfred Whitman. Miss Young to Appear in Prison Garb Select Star Takes Part of Girl Wrongly Accused and Convicted in "The House of Glass" — Picture Ready Soon c LARA KIMBALL YOUNG in prison garb is the novel sight which will greet this star's many admirers when the "House of Glass" is released by Select Pictures Corporation within the next few weeks. Miss Young has created many famous roles during her life on the screen, but it remained for "The House of Glass" to present her in stripes and the lockstep — or the modern equivalent which prison reform has substituted for these time-honored ear-marks of the jail bird. In "The House of Glass" Miss Young plays the part of a girl who, believing herself on the threshold of a happy marriage, finds herself landed in the Tombs so charged with complicity in a major robbery that proof of her innocence is impossible. It is while serving the resultant prison term that Miss Young — discarding for once the beautiful habiliments in which she has made so many notable screen pictures — appears in one reel in the drab garb of a Blackwell's Island inmate. It is a novel view of Clara Kimball Young, and a most interesting one. Admirers of Miss Young will not be surprised to hear that in this difficult characterization she has been able entirely to sink the brilliant personality which she brings to many of her more worldly roles, and to appear on the screen a living visualization of rejected and entrapped innocence. The cutting of "The House of Glass" is progressing rapidly under the close attention of Miss Young and Emile Chautard, who directed the piece. Mean-^ while, the busy star is greatly engrossed in the prepartaions for her next Select production, a screen version of Elinor Glyn's successful serial, "The Reason Why." "The Reason Why" will be directed by Robert G. Vignola. New Play for American Star William Parker, the American scenario writer, has just completed a new comedydrama for Margarita Fisher, the working title of which is "The Primitive Woman." The story is different from anything Miss Fisher has ever done, but it lends itself remarkably to her personality, being written especially for her. Wanted-A Million Dollar Photo Play J. Stuart Blackton Says He Would Be Happiest Man in World to Pay That Sum for Story Really Worth It a N O one realizes better than myself how much value can be placed in a story," said J. Stuart Blackton in an interview. "Right at the present minute, I am proving that no price is too great for a picture play plot. I was very unkindly criticized by my friends for purchasing the six Gilbert Parker stories at the price I paid; was called an extravagant fool and all sorts of harsh names, simply because I paid a fortune for the right to produce 'The Judgment House,' 'The World for Sale' and 'Wild Youth'; but I want to go on record right now that they are the best literary investments I ever made. I wish I could buy a thousand stories at the same rates." "I have dozens of good stories under consideration; some of them being held for quite a pretty price. But their price is of no consequence if the story is there. I would gladly pay half a million dollars in spot cash for a series of really great stories. It is a lot of money, but they would be worth it." . Without pretending to be a great author, but standing as a producer with a brilliant string of financial successes to his credit, Commodore Blackton proudly points to "The Battle Cry of Peace," written by him, as an example of what a picture can earn and what can be paid for a story. "That one picture has earned more than a million dollars, so why do people believe that any price is too great for a story?" he asked. "I would be the happiest man in the world to pay even a million dollars for a story worth that much. It would be the cheapest story I ever purchased." Commodore Blackton distributes his pictures through Paramount. Industrial Film Pleases An interesting industrial film, showing the manufacture of labor-saving devices for the printing industry by the Miller Saw-Trimmer Company of Pittsburgh and their uses in various plants, was presented before the Trade Press Association at the Chicago Advertising Association's club rooms a few days ago. The production has educational as well as advertising value, since it gives very complete views of the manufacturing of the machines, the casting of the iron and the assembling of the parts, and also shows technical details in the work of printing newspapers and books. Restrict Signs in Canada Saskatoon, Canada, has passed a bylaw requiring the deposit of a $1,000 bond for the erection of an electric sign on all buildings, including theaters.