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

46 PHOTO-PLAY JOURNAL July, 1919 p 31 1 \S\^ m{=® <§^E 31 I 1 [0= D^n p -4 Composite Review of Who's Who and jT What's What in Current Photoplays By BERT D. ESSEX ^ ™^D ](=><=£] THERE are few celebrities of either the screen or stage to whom the producers could pay heed to a better advantage than Madame Olga Petrova, who, according to our version, has precisely the correct idea as to the developing of the cinema art as a durable institution for the common welfare of mankind. We know it to be a fact that Madame Petrova has consistently refused many offers to be starred in pictures because of her conscientious objections to succumbing to mere commercialism. Generally when she receives an offer of a fabulous salary, she discovers that the offer is all there is to the plan in the mind of the one making the offer. No worthy story is in sight and there is a willingness to "patch something together" on the part of the one who would invest the money. Verily, the most common tendency we know of among producers is to gamble on names and reputations without any thought of the story or the production. Madame Petrova is manifestly right in refusing to be a party to any such arrangements. She declares she must have literary material in which she believes and which she can live as a true part of life before she can re-enter the field in which she has so many hundreds of thousands of loyal admirers. The money consideration is to her of very secondary importance. "What is the use of making a lot of money if it does no one any good?" she asks pointedly. Here's hoping that this great friend of art for art's sake will soon be given her opportunity to put into practice her exalted idealism ! She can benefit the screen to an unlimited extent. She can show us the heart and the soul of the better womanhood as capably as any artist who ever essayed an important role and the public needs to see more of her incomparable characterizations. Let us have Petrova and the Petrova ideas with steady frequency. WILLIAM DESMOND is one of the actors who can be placed in the category of the seekers for something different. He has been actually devoting some time to searching for material which does not smack of the timehonored. In his latest Robertson-Cole release, "Bare-Fisted Gallagher," he has not so much originality to offer as he might think, but there is pleasing evidence of his having tried very faithfully to interpret a character seldom found in the so-called "Westerns." One of the outstanding features in his work in this picture is the success he has in enacting both comedy and drama in almost equal proportions and with something near equal skill. Desmond has an agreeable personality and as Gallagher he smiles his way through admirably. Of course he has to do some riding and some sundry heroics in order to live up to undying standards already established and seemingly cherished. An interesting thing about "Bare-Fisted Gallagher" is it really is a melodrama played from a comedy angle without any resorting to burlesque. It combines the big outdoors with a quite acceptable story replete with action and no small amount of common-sense. The plot concerns a big, wholesome Westerner who is rich in his own right, who has a ranch in Texas, and inherits some profitable mining property from his uncle in California. When he comes to look over his California property he finds that some ore that has been sent out from the mine has been stolen from the stage. The fact that not all the ore is taken, convinces him that the robber is working from some unique motive. His investigation leads him to find that his uncle had secured the property originally through rather unfair methods, really defrauding the girl's father of his interest. Desmond not desiring to own property secured in this manner returns the entire property to the girl's father. This type of character is real and there are actually men of this kind in the West. • •THE Way of ~ feature aHan Woman," a new Select feature adapted from Eugene Walter's stage play entitled "Nancy Lee," gives Norma Talmadge ample opportunity to be Norma Talmadge. Not that this popular star is herself anything like the character she portays, but somehow when Norma is acting you always think of Norma and she seems to experience the greatest of difficulty in losing herself in the character TENDENCIES TERSELY TOLD Metro will discontinue making program films after August 17th. This firm announces the policy of "fewer and better pictures with open booking." Meanwhile the fact remains that the program idea is not unwise and it is certain if too many producers eliminate it, there will eventually be a justified howl from many exhibitors who will just naturally have to relay the sentiments of a very big percentage of the fans. Although many producers are declaring themselves to be in favor of the "stories first" ideal, some of them continue to give us "stories worst." The main reason for this is, there is too much of a tendency to buy authors' reputations with little in the story line going with it. The moment enough manufacturers start a systematic search of the regions knoivn as oblivion for their material, an improvement will be noted in the quality of stories. We are convinced of this because we know some of the best writers in America are totally unknown and either do not know how or are too modest to step out in the limelight. Yes, Mr. Producer, there is food for thought in this paragraph. David W. Griffith is quite generally given credit for again setting a precedent in artistic photoplay making as a result of his remarkable feature, "Broken Blossoms." The strange part of Mr. Griffith's repeated triumphs is, no one seems prone to follow his example. This brings up the question: Are the directors learning as rapidly as they should? In answer we must candidly say zve fear not. Forsooth, too many directors are absolutely stupid and there seems to be no sound reason for it either, because there ARE high standards to profit by without much effort. New film producing companies are being launched by the dozens nowadays. If the competition continues to grow at the present rate, it is a certainty there will be a real over-production of pictures. A particularly interesting launching of recent times is that of the Democracy Film Company, which is novel in that all of its members are colored people. So now shall come at last film in real natural colors! All previous records are being broken in the exportation of American-made photoplays. British newspapers and trade journals are alarmed over the great influx of Uncle Sam's product into their land. They are asking why it is the English producers cannot supply all the screen features needed over there. One journal answers the assertion that they have no stars equal to the Americans by declaring there are a hundred Mary Pickfords in England. If this is true, they are surely wonders when it comes to eluding the fame bug ! The past winter season was the biggest in the history of the motion picture industry. It is estimated the cinema won at least fifteen million new devotees during that time. It seems inevitable that the day will come when a person immune to the delightful lure of seeing the movies will be as rare as the proverbial hen-teeth and all humanity will be better off for it. Indeed, it is the height of absurdity for anyone to deny himself or herself the pleasure, edification and mental relief to be derived from the photoplay art. she essays. Indeed, we will be frank enough to further state that in the race between her and Sister Constance, we think Constance is going to win by a big margin. At that we are not at all prejudiced against Norma. She has earned her way to the top of the ladder by most persistent effort and she has contributed much towards augmenting the general popularity of the screen. We do think though she could enhance her own value and derive much more satisfaction from her work by studying just a while longer — by not being too satisfied with herself. According to our way of looking at things, this same suggestion is eminently applicable to more than a score of other featured photoplayers. SPEAKING of commercialism, it has long been the bane of every business which has to do with art or the classics. Certain prominent magnates of the theatrical world have made a veritable eye-sore of the very word. The dollars-and-cents idea has become the supreme ideal of most of those upon whom the amusement-lovers depend for their stage fare. As a matter of course, this commercial spirit has percolated through to the screen, and we have had ample demonstrations of the unwholesome effect. Not so very long ago producers were madly racing with each other to produce photoplays with a "punch" sufficiently unsavory to be classified as sensational just because it was a cinch there would be a riot among people to get into the theatres and get a peep at something salacious. 'This notion has been driven out of their heads under the duress of censorship, and this is about the only useful thing censorship ever accomplished. More recently the fallacious idea among producers of film has been that the production upon which was lavished the most money would earn the most. The net result has been we have had a great many gorgeous pictures, which, when boiled down, proved to be silly fizzles so far as doing anyone any good either as a diversion or a pointer. The current fallacy-in-chief is to parade authors who have achieved reputations in other lines of literary endeavor, and nine of their products out of every ten prove to be most disappointing as screen material. Even all this would not be so reprehensible if it were not unmistakably obvious that shallow commercialism is at the bottom of it. Why not simply make first-class pictures truthfully portraying sides of our national and international life upon a plausible basis? Why not really undertake to develop art to its highest pitch of excellence? Can anyone doubt the public will not patronize the motion picture theatres simple because there is offered comprehensible art? We feel convinced it is high time that all film producers take an inventory of their ideas and ideals and that they revise them to the extent of totally obliterating commercialism as the thing of transcendant importance. They will gain and the public will gain. It's a promising prospect. t<OIS BRIDAL NIGHT," in which Alice ** Brady is starred, is a rather engrossing dual affair, with Miss Brady appearing as Tiny and Vi, twin sisters, who are, as usual, precisely alike in looks, but as different as day from night in natures. The story derives most of its plausibility from being constructed cleverly along straight farcical lines. It is at times even rollicking in its tendencies, and it is certainly highly amusing. The story begins with the night before Vi's wedding. Vi confides to Tiny that she is going out for one more "lark" before her marriage, but Tiny interferes in the arrangement by keeping the appointment in her stead. The result is a general mix-up in twins, which continues throughout the story. Until the very end the bridegroom is never certain which twin is actually his wife, but the inevitable unmasking finally takes place and finds two happy twins instead of one. THERE is a great deal deserving of commendation in "The Man Who Turned White." Perhaps of first importance is the decidedly meritorious histrionic work of H. B. Warner, the star, and who will long be remembered as the creator of the role of "Jimmy