Moving Picture World (Jan-Mar 1915)

January 23, 1915 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 52; "The Dancing Girl" Florence Reed Charms in Her Screen Debut in Famous Players Adaptation of Jones Drama. Reviewed by George Blaisdell. IT IS a pretty story and a good one the Famous Players Film Company gives us in "The Dancing Girl," from the drama of Henry Arthur Jones. The production marks the screen debut of Florence Reed, who is _ known to theatergoers through her work in "Seven Days," "The Typhoon," and more recently in "The Yellow Ticket." Miss Reed charms by her personality and moves by her portrayal. Her role is that of a girl boin and raised a Quaker on an English island, going on a visit to London as a young woman and finding there life so attractive that home and all its ties are forgotten. The story brings out striking contrasts of the austerity ot the gray-garbed islanders with the worldliness of the Londoners with whom Drusilla Ives is thrown. "The Dancing Scene from "The Dancing Girl" (Famous Players). Girl" is a tale of one who aims to be "the topmost rose on the topmost bough and live in the sunshine," but who discovers that in spite of her many suitors and her gay surroundings she fails to find real happiness. In the telling of the story we feel the breezes of the ocean and hear the surf poundinp on the cliffs as we also feel the atmosphere of the ballroom and the luxurious urban homes. William Russell has the role of the young Quaker who loses a sweetheart when Drusilla goes to London — and later finds a wife in Faith, the sister who returned. Fuller Mellish is David, the father of Drusilla, who follows her to the city, discovers her mode of life and denounces her. Eugene Ormonde is the Duke of Guiseberry, the patron of Drusilla. As the duke refuses to make Drusilla his duchess when_ she implores him, so later she declines his proffer of marriage. That the two eventually decide to begin together a new life furnishes^ satisfying ending of the drama. One of the strongest scenes is the denunciation of the butterfly by the father and the subsequent fall_ by Drusilla down the great staircase. The staging of this particular set is one of a number worthy of praise. Florence Crawford PERHAPS no film favorite has made greater strides with motion picture audiences during the past year than Florence Crawford, the attractive Griffith-Mutual star. Miss Crawford is strictly an out-door girl. She is a horsewoman, a crack shot, a swimmer, a tennis player, and from Franklin, Crawford County, Pa. Her ancestors settled there more than 200 years ago, and the county took its name from" her family's. She is also a descendant of a grandfather who went through the Civil War, a great grandfather who was a veteran of the Mexican war, and a great, great grandfather, who fought in the Revolution, a n .1 this may account for her fearlessness. Miss Crawford r e ceived her education in Pittsburg and New York. Three years ago she called on one of hei girl friends at the Mutual New York studios. This visit decided her future for she received an offer that day to go into pictures and the offer she accepted. For several months she played small parts and then went to the Hollywood studios in Los .Angeles. Here she played dramatic leads, appearing in "The Thief and the Book." "The Heart of a Fool," "Playmates" and other features. When D. W. Griffith became director-in-chief for the Mutual, Miss Crawford was one of the few retained by this able director and has since appeared in "Bad Man Mason," "The Tardy Cannon," "A Lucky Disappointment" and other productions. Owing to her athletic training and fondness for out-door life she is especially suited for strong, western dramas. Miss Crawford measures S feet 5 inches in height, weighs 130 pounds, possesses a perfect figure, and has large, dark, gray eyes, wavy light-brown hair and a fair complexion, and has shown to great advantage in productions made by "Sheriff" Arthur Mackley. She usually plays opposite him. In depicting the character of a western girl. Miss Crawford probably has few peers. She has the faculty of displaying intense emotional feelings in such a natural manner that it appears to be real and not acting. CHESTER BEECROFT, GENERAL MANAGER. Chester Beecroft, who has been doing the publicity for Centaur pictures for some time past, has been appointed general manager of the Centaur Company by David Horsley. Mr. Beecroft has been in close touch with the making of motion pictures long enough to be of valuable assistance to Mr. Horsley and his ability has been given due recognition. A ZUDORA CATASTROPHE. A reward of $5,000 has been offered by the Thanhouser Film Corp. for the return of an imported Persian cat used in "Zudora." The cat. with another, was recently purchased from Commodore E, C. Benedict of Greenwich. Last week all was in readiness to take a scene in the famous Grecian salon which will appear prominently from now on as the rendezvous of Mme. Du Val (Mary Elizabeth Forbes) and her conspirators. Miss Snow, Mr. Cruze. Mr. Benham and Miss Forbes were waiting the direction of Director Howell Hansel, when the head property man reported the loss of the cat, and the search began, but to no avail. Then the reward was offered. Now everyone in New Rochelle is hunting the cat. Director Hansel fails to see anything funny about it. Florence Crawford. MONSTER CHRISTMAS TREE AT BURLAND THEATER IN BRONX. Picture playhouse patrons in the Bronx (New York City) are still talking about the monster Christmas tree which was exhibited throughout the holidays at Picker & Bennett's Burland theater. The Burland is the largest theater in the Bronx playing a straight picture program and has, in addition to the theater proper, an open air auditorium capable of seating 2,500 people. It was in the middle of this open space that Messrs. Picker and Bennett reared their Christmas tree, which measured thirty-five feet in height and which was decorated with many different colored electric lights and with strings of lights reaching from the top of the tree to all corners of the enclosure. The Christmas tree remained in full bloom throughout the holiday season, and was a great special attraction for the children of the district, who came to see it with their parents by the thousands. On January second the decorations of the free were distributed to all the children present, but the tree still stands and is still illuminated every evening. HAROLD LOCKWOOD JOINS FAMOUS PLAYERS FORCES AT COAST STUDIOS. Harold Lockwood, the versatile and popular juvenile lead of the Famous Players Film Co., who appeared in support of Miss Pickford in the successes produced at the Coast last year, left last week for their Pacific Coast studios, where he will join Mary Pickford, who preceded him to the Western organization, where she will remain indefinitely. He will support Mary Pickford in the series of subjects selected for Western production, the first of which will be the celebrated play, "Audrey," by Mary Johnston.