Moving Picture World (Jul - Aug 1918)

August 3, 1918 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 687 employing women ushers, giving preference to wives and relatives of men in service. The Superba theater arid the Mason opera house have also asked the S & S. Welfare Commission for an assignment of women ushers. Triangle Cowboys Indorse Sheriff. In a letter to Sheriff John C. Cline of Los Angeles^the Pete Morrison, Bill Patton, Abe Farra, Curly Baldwin and Claude Walts, and says in part: . "The Triangle Western company has noted with real oleasure that you are a candidate to succeed yourself as sheriff and the members are taking this occasion to tell you of the high esteem in which you are held by us. Southern California is the real west. You are a westerner, a pioneer in Los Angeles, and we feel that a true westerner should be retained in office." Siegmann Receives Lieutenant's Commission. George Siegmann, casting director of the Griffith studio and assistant to D. W. Griffith, has received his commission as second lieutenant in the Signal Corps of the United States Army, and leaves Los Angeles in a few days for San Francisco, to be sent from there to the fields of Flanders. Mr. Siegmann was perhaps the youngest enlisted man who fought in the Spanish-American war, and he is the first motion picture director to enlist and obtain his commission. Picture Review. All Jennings gave a private showing of his first finished production, "The Lady of the Dugout," at Quirrn's Rialto on July 11. Ten Comedies a Year for Fatty. The Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle comedies have proved so successful in the past months as box office attractions that the number of productions have been increased from eight to ten a year, according to plans announced by the Comique Film Corporation, of which Joseph M. Schenck is president and Roscoe Arbuckle vice-president. Arbuckle will hereafter dispense with his usual week's vacation between pictures, and upon completing a comedy, will immediately begin on a new production. Fatty would also like to "discover" an author who can write suitable comedies for him. British War Benefit. Captain Leslie T. Peacocke, well-known dramatist and photoplaywright, gave a performance of a playlet written by himself called "Sacrilege," for the British Ambulance Society at a downtown hotel in Los Angeles last week. Captain Peacocke was assisted by Miss Bessie Oliver. Bebe Daniels of the Rolin-Pathe studio also appeared at the entertainment. Del Ruth Leaves Sennett Studio. Hampton Del Ruth, for a number of years head of the scenario department at the Mack Sennett Comedy studios, resigned his position on July 12. Mr. Del Ruth is well known to the industry for his knowledge of comedy construction and direction, and is an avowed believer and exponent in "The play's the thing" movement in pictures. Mr. Del Ruth states that while he is considering several propositions he has not as yet made any definite or final connections. Motion Picture Houses Follow Kinema's Lead. The Kinema theater of Los Angeles was the first theater in the United States to install a Red Cross tea room. Since the example has been set by the Kinema, many motion picture houses in the West have adopted the idea. Close to $7,000 has been turned in by the Kinema to the Red Cross since the tea room was opened. Miller's Theater Beautified. Miller's theater, which is now being managed by the Carl Ray Amusement Enterprises, presents an attractive appearance since the beautiful lobby and foyer has been newly decorated and painted and everything brightened up both inside and out. Lee Lazelle, the house manager, has booked a number of features, including the new William Russell productions, for early showing. Bankruptcy Papers Filed by Isadore Bernstein. Isadore Bernstein, owner of 97 per cent, of the capital stock of the Bernstein Film Producing Company, filed a petition in voluntary bankruptcy on July 5 before Murray C. White, bankruptcy clerk of the United States District Court in Los Angeles. In the schedule of liabilities listed in the petition, which totals $44,505.80, all claims are listed as unsecured. Assets are given as $54,000, claimed to be exempt. Film Stars to Entertain Jackies. At a benefit being arranged to take place soon for the Athletic Fund of the Submarine Base near Los Angeles by the Motion Picture War Service Association a number of film stars will assist in the entertainment by appearing in vaudeville numbers, patriotic tableaus, skits and dances. Among the hundred stars and players expected to lend their aid are Mary Pickford, George Beban and Bryant Washburn. Ince Boys Theatrical Producers. The three young sons of Thomas H. Ince staged a Red Cross benefit in the Ince gardens in Hollywood recently with nearly a hundred children of the neighborhood as performers. Young Bill Ince, ten years old, rehearsed and directed the children, and displayed much of the genius of his father along dramatic lines. The Ince youngsters prevailed upon their father to lend them costumes and properties for the occasion, and after the dramatic performance was given, a motion picture was made of the play. Advance Agents of World Democracy. Lieutenant Tom Forman dropped in on Los Angeles and Hollywood friends recently. Lieut. Forman enlisted as a private more than a year ago, and received his commission last month. Forman will be remembered as the popular Lasky leading man. Gus Peterson; of the Triangle camera squad, leaves soon to attend the United States School of Cinematography at Columbia University, having been accepted by Uncle Sam as an ultimate war photographer. Four men from the electrical department at Universal City have gone to war; Joseph Giltech, James Tait, Charles Monroe and C. Bartwell. Douglas Gerrard, Universal director, is a recruit at the Hollywood Officers' Training School. John Hays and Haig Prieste, Mack Sennett comedians, have enlisted in the submarine service. Larry Peyton, of Universal, has left for France. Tom Kennedy, Mack Sennett comedian, formerly a heavyweight boxer, has been asked by the War Department to set aside his motion picture career for a time and engage in the work of instructing the boys at one of the Army camps the art of pugilism. Tom has signed up to go anywhere Uncle Sam sees fit. Rubbernecking in Filmland Personally Conducted by Glebler. LADIES and Gentlemen, our Itinerary today will include slapstick comedy studios, and you will be allowed to inspect the inside workings of the fun factories we visit, a privilege, I assure you, that is accorded to few — but with the understanding that whatever you see will be kept a profound secret and never be divulged to a living soul! There was a time when visitors were admitted to the comedy studios without restraint. But some of those visitors, Ladies and Gentlemen, were wolves in sheeps' clothing. They violated the childlike confidence reposed in them by the comedy producers. They carried the news of what they saw in one studio to other studios. Tou can imagine the result. A producer who was filming a comedy that he planned to be a veritable master piece because of the fact that two dozen pies were used in the action was shocked and staggered to learn that a rival was going him one dozen pies better in a sidesplitter he was turning out. A consultation was hurriedly called, and six dozen pies were written in the play by the scenario writer. But it was all in vain. A miserable miscreant carried the news to the competitor, and when the two comedies were released the rival production had a full gross — twelve dozen pies of mixed materials, including gooseberry, cocoanut cream, and custard! A bitter rivalry ensued. Other producers took up the fight. The pastry cooks began demanding that their names be put on the screen in equal prominence with the star's. If the food conservation laws had not come along and put a stop to it the future could only have been contemplated with a shudder. This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is the place where Mack Sennett makes his comedies. On this spot it was that the brave little band of pioneers composed of Mack Sennett, Mabel Normand, and Ford Sterling, the "forty-niners of the films," after their hard and arduous journey over the plains and deserts, set up their camera and began making Keystone comedies. The first building of this plant did not contain as much lumber as was used in the erection of the present animal house and zoo of the studio. Now look at it. The immense building in which we now stand, the large and commodious structure across the street, the edifices on yonder hill are all necessary for the work of the four companies grinding out comedies. The large tank on this stage is to be the scene of a water stuff comedy. The ladies grouped on the other side of the pool ready to plunge into its pellucid