Movie Pictorial (May 1915)

MOVIE PICTORIAL LOIS WEBER and PHILLIPS SMALLEY A Practical and Gifted Pair With Hi£h Ideals ^iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiyi In their workaday surroundings, | | acting under the open sky or by the § | flaming arcs of the studio, or amid | | the restful environment of the study I | at home, they visualize impressions i | or record them for others, so that their i | duality of £ifts and graces find charm- | | ing and sympathetic expression. | ^iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiittiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiftiii/innifHtiniMiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiuiiiiiimniiiiiiiiiHfg The artistic altruist is so really rare that a combination of such personalities makes it peculiarly impressive and interesting. The double dispensation of the genius to cre- ate character, and the gift to enact them is the unusual equip- ment of the Smal- leys. AS THIS is being written, the five- reel photoplay “Hypocrites” is being presented at the Long Acre Theater in New York City and the Gotham critics are unanimous in writing it up as one' of the most profound and brilliant of motion picture psy- chological dramas. The author and pro- ducer of “Hypocrites” and numerous other photoplays which are far above the average, is one of the most charming women I have ever met. I have known her for some time and have always found her the same, and feeling- sure of a welcome from Lois Weber and her fine looking actor husband, Phillips Smalley, I pressed the little button by the door of bungalow and was accorded the welcome. It is a charming home, one that the lady designed and furnished. “She did it all herself,” Phillips Smalley said. “I just paid my little fifty per cent and she did the rest.” The furnishings and the color scheme are in subdued tints and the delightful rooms furnish an excellent index to her character. There is no jarring note, for comfort By RICHARD WILLIS The deeper truths of their lives’ cycle, form basic motives that animate their picturesque portrayals in unending reelings of the new realistic art preservatives duly their fits in with delicacy so that even the flowers blend with the general atmosphere. Lois Weber, graceful and gracious with a wealth of> dark hair, her long lashes giving her eyes a somewhat dreamy look, a lady whose car- riage makes her almost stately, was just a living part of the general soothing effect, and her viva- cious, youthful sister (an adoring young person) who sat at Miss Weber’s feet, proved an excellent foil with her brighter coloring. Just as Lois Weber’s domicile re- flects her, so does the study of Phillips Smalley indicate his vigorous personal- ity. The walls of his room are covered with pictures of his friends, profession- al: photographs signed with some in- scription. Smalley is a well set-up man, with an actor’s face, strong and ruddy tinted. His eyes sparkle with wit and good humor and he forms a sharp con- trast to his wife. During the evening I discovered that Lois Weber is an accomplished musi- cian, and she admitted a penchant for the music of “Madame Butterfly,” which she interprets delightfully. “I used to play a great deal,” said she, “especially when I was interested in mission work which occupied much of my time; but, I am out of practice now although I play a little every eve- ning for relaxation.” “I know that you are honestly inter- ested in the uplift of the motion picture industry,” I said. “I want to get your views on any phase of it that you choose to discuss.” “Yes, we-are both very sincerely in- terested,” answered Miss Weber, “and we believe that the future is very bright. There is much yet to be done though. In the first place, I really believe that the day of the serial play is nearly over and I am glad of it. The public will al- ways want melodrama, and good melodrama is wholesome as long as it is decently presented, but the serial photo- plays of today are for the most part merely a mixture of sensational and entirely ridiculous or impossible incidents and are not by any means an index of truth or possibility. I am of- ten twitted with trying to produce and write plays which are above the heads of the public, but I resent this as an insult to the general public, who, I believe, are as well able to in-, terpret beautiful thoughts and to fully understand photoplays, which lead one’s desires for better things.” “We have a motto if you would call it that,” interrupted Phillips Smalley. “ ‘Nothing is over the heads of the general public,’ and I think it is a true one too. Besides both my wife and myself have pro- duced a large number of what are termed ‘uplift’ photoplays and the box- office receipts have disproven the fact that they puz- zle audiences. Do you think that a commercial man- agement would put up with motion pictures which did not appeal to the public? Not a bit of it.” Mrs. Smalley smiled and nodded her approval and continued: “I am very glad that estab- lished actors and actresses from the legitimate stage were called in by some of the leading manu- facturers for the reason that they attracted a class