The Photo-Play Journal (Jul 1919-Feb 1921)

July, 19 19 PHOTO-PLAY JOURNAL 43 HERE'S SENSE ON CENTS "THE manager of our studios," said Hale Hamilton the other day, referring to the able Dave Thompson, who lingered near "gets a brilliant idea in his lucid moments." "I repeat," said Thompson, "California is the land of cafeterias and groceterias, the basic principle of which is, help thyself." "What more woulds't desire?" asked Hamilton poetically. "To which I reply," answered Dave, "that if only some enterprising financier would open a 'banketeria' my happiness would be complete." This is about the best suggestion we've heard in a long time and we're strongly anti-Bolshevik, too. Just imagine, if you can stand it, what a business a banketeria would do the next day after pay-day every week! Talk about runs on banks, this'd be nothing like a walkaway. "THIS is a Goldwyn year,' announces. Goldwyn As, yes, gold will win this year the same as any year. Mb OWEN MOORE really "comes back" in a leading role in Rex Beach's "Crimson Gardenia," which has been filmed by Goldwyn. But that's what Fate has been owin' Moore for some time. LOU TELLEGEN says motion pictures have conquered their medium and can now be classed as an art. Some few magnates who are persisting in making the screen solely a cold-blooded commercial proposition, please copy. LOUIS BENNISON, the cowboy Betzwood-Goldwyn star, says "Prohibition may come and liquor may go, but my cellarette goes on forever." Very good, but think of how many of us are financially incompetent to support a cellar! So, we'll look up Louis when the country goes dry. Mb CARTER DE HAVEN, the new Capitol Comedy star, is building a home for himself and his wifely co-star. The home is to be called "The De Haven of Rest." And Carter is De Haven! PERCY MARMONT has returned to the screen in support of Alice Joyce. Isn't there something of a paradox in this supporting business though? He supports her to support himself! LEWIS J. SELZNICK announces he has Eugene O'Brien insured for one million dollars. Just the same its's even money that this popular star wouldn't want to "cash in" for even this magnificent sum. Of course, that wasn't Selznick's idea anyway. He simply wanted to raise the "ante" and then let the whole world know he'd done it. Probably you can tell the complete story in one word, viz: Publicity. Mb "THE Belle of New York," the original stage production from which Marion Davies' Select Picture of the same name was adapted, has been revived in London with greater success than at any time during the last twenty years. Well, it's a poor belle that won't keep ringing after twenty years. 3EEE©(§E=] BB: SCREEN STOiliS With Blackface Comedy \.J~ ELAINE HAMMERSTEIN, Selznick star, who has been spending much of his time during the past few weeks in trying to find material for good screen plays, has come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a Southern movie story in which the heroine does not fall in love with a hero who belongs on the side of the enemy clan in the feud. It always did seem to us that when a writer sat down to dash off a Southern story he required too much feud for thought. "THERE is no economy in economy," says Kathleen Kirkham, who is working with Katherine MacDonald, for recently she "dropped a five" with a certain police judge. Her reason is that she drove down town to have her hair dressed instead of having the coiffeurist come to her home. Car stood over-time. Tag. Nine next day. Good morning, Judge. Fine please. Yes, ma'am, we agree — you can certainly waste your money trying to save less than you can shake a stick at. Why, if WE wanted to save a dollar until the next day, the next day wouldn't come nor would the dollar stay. Gee! 9 DIRECTOR William Desmond Taylor is in Los Angeles once more. He returned a Captain, although he started out as a "Tommy," which is typical of Taylor. He served overseas in the Royal Artillery Service Corps and was in England, France, Belgium and Germany. He was gone a year. Director Taylor is again with the Famous-Lasky-Artcraft combination. So, in plain words, he returns from shooting Germans to "shooting" scenes. REX BEACH and Samuel Goldwyn have organized a million-dollar corporation to exploit on the motion picture screen all the works of the most famous writers, including Mary Roberts Rinehart, Basil King, Gouverneur Morris, Rupert Hughes, Gertrude Atherton and Leroy Scott. Now, how did it ever happen that they overlooked the name of Jack Winn? ANOTHER DOG-GONE STORY BE it known that Olive Thomas has two dogs, named Upstairs and Down. That is, most of the time she has two dogs. A good deal of the time, however, Upstairs is lost. It is all because Upstairs has a most erratic walk which makes it impossible for him to manipulate in a straight line. He is a skyterrier — that's why they call him Upstairs — and zig-zags like a tin lizzie. Miss Thomas has spent a small fortune in rewards having him returned to her. The other canine is an obedient fellow. All you have to say to him is "Lay, Down," and he does so. There is one thing to which Upstairs can always walk — in fact, run — a piece of meat. All of which makes it occur to us that in dogs' days, with its hydrophobia and everything, we don't like the dog daze, likewise all of which has nothing to do with the above story or with our dogged determination to keep this department going through all the sizzling heat Old Sol can crowd into summer. IN keeping with woman suffrage and because so much explanation is necessary in introducing or speaking of screen stars' husbands, Claire Du Brey has started referring to the men as "Mr. So-and-So," like "Mr. Bessie Barriscale for Howard Hickman, Bessie's husband-director. There are many others, as Mr. Dorothy Phillips, Mr. Madge Kennedy, Mr. Mildred Harris (what will Charlie Chaplin say?), Mr. Beverly Bayne, and so on. We don't quite get the idea of all this, but we can just imagine what would happen if someone called Hughie Mack, Miss Mack, IF Hughie succeeded in landing squarely on the offending neck. HOW actors play in their gardens might be written into a great volume, but a few words tell what Forrest Stanley does. Now he has built a set of garden furniture from half a dozen barrels. He cut them in the shape of chairs, nailed bottoms in, and upholstered the seats in burlap, painted them brown, with white stencils, and you never saw a more picturesque nor comfortable set! Is this the way to get barrels of comfort? WILL M. RITCHEY, Paramount staff writer, says that ninety per cent, of the writers of rejected scenarios might sell if they would only take their time in submitting, rewriting first several times. In other words, if embryonic writers would only quit trying to rush matters they would make faster headway. Splendid sense to this. DAVID W. GRIFFITH'S remarkable photoplay. "Broken Blossoms," is being received with unprecedented acclaim everywhere. Yep, "Broken Blossoms" has broken records. MRS. SIDNEY DREW will continue to make two-reel Paramount-Drew comedies. She will perpetuate her character of Polly, but instead of the husband character so capably portrayed by the lamented Sidney Drew, there will be introduced a bachelor brother drawn by Donald McBride. It's a certainty the drawing power of Drew will live. Those who like to smile have long since come to know that a Drew comedy is an unfailing incentive to be thoroughly amused. More power to Mrs. Drew. May she continue her successes!