Reel Life (Sep 1913 - Mar 1914)

8 Reel Life The Filly Dec. 4, 1913 This is another one of the Irish successes which are making the DOMINO plays famous — and it is something of a departure from the usual run in portraying Irish of the middle and upper class rather than the "evicted emigrants" to America. Squire Verner breeds the fastest horses in Kincraig County. His daughter, Dolly, is in love with Dan Riley, upon whose mother's cottage the Squire holds a mortgage — which naturally makes Verner discourage the young man's attentions. He has entered his two best horses in the Donnybrook Steeplechase, with excellent prospects of winning the Five Hundred Guinea Prize — and has threatened to foreclose the Widow Riley's mortgage in order to force Dan into emigrating. His best horse, Satan, is a pet of Dolly's — who teaches him to walk lame, in carrying out a plan which she and Dan have worked out between them. Thinking Satan out of the running, the Squire withdraws him. Then Dan paints him a different color and enters him for the race as the "dark horse," Masquerader. He wins, and the Squire offers him two thousand pounds for Masquerader on condition that Dan's Jockey agrees to ride for him. Dan takes him up and sends the Jockey over to see the Squire, who is amazed to see his own daughter in the Jockey's suit. An Irishman sees a joke on himself about as quickly as the next man. The Squire feels like breaking Danny's head with his blackthorn— ^but laughingly gives him the girl, eventually. The racing scenes are taken from life. In fact, the whole play is beautifully mounted and well acted. Training Lions and Tigers for the Moving Picture Plays Announcement — Bears, lions, tigers, leopards, elephants and other wild animals desiring to fit themselves for a professional career on the moving picture stage, apply to Paul Bourgeois, director, Dramatic School for Wild Animal Actors, Fort Lee, New Jersey. Complete courses guaranteed to make a star of any wild animal in a few months. I held Up the sheet containing this notice and viewed it critically. True, it was not a printed page, only a stray leaf on which I had amused myself by scribbling while crossing the Hudson river from New York to the Jersey shore. But it seemed to fit the situation, even though there was no possibility of its ever appearing in the advertising columns of any publication. It had been suggested by consideration of the journey then under way, which had for its purpose a visit to what is undoubtedly the most unique sphool of dramatic art in the world — a place where all manner of wild creatures are trained to pase along with human actors for the moving picture manufacturers. I found the school of animal actors a long one-story structure, located in the middle of a wood, near Fort Lee, where one is transferred from prosaic Jersey to the very heart of things primordial. Monsieur Bourgeois himself answered my ring. Slight, almost frail in appearance, with a boyish face and manner, he looked anything but a tamer of ferocious wild beasts. Would he be good enough to show me his wonderful animal actors? Most assuredly. It would be a pleasure — a delight. "First," said Monsieur Bourgeois, as he ushered me into the building. "I will show you our studio — 'the place where our rehearsals are held and where the pictures are made." He led the way to a large room fitted up with a stage, scenery, 'A 'The Filly' Domino