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12
Universal Weekly
February 4, 1928
"LOVE ME AND THE WORLD IS MINE"
LIVES AGAIN AS MELODY AND MOVIE
Carl Laemmle's Dream Of Making A Picture Based On Ernest Ball's Beautiful Old Ballad Has Become A Reality In Universal's Film
Mary Philbin as a shy young thing, makes an appealing feminine lead in this romance of war time Vienna.
TWENTY-TWO years ago when Carl Laemmle quit the clothing business in Oshkcsh, Wisconsin, to open a motion picture "nickelodeon" in Chicago, people were just beginning to sing "Love Me and the World is Mine." ^ , , *
Ernest Ball, the composer, had lately left the employ ot a Cleveland music publisher whose offices he used to sweep up. "Love Me" was his first hit. Again he swept up, mopped up and cleaned up, for the song spread like wiWfire and reached a larger gross sale than any other ballad up to that time.
Ernie was a rich man. Laemmle was rich in hope, for business was good. Nickels were pouring into the box-offiffice while the automatic piano inside thumped "Love Me and the World is Mine."
A few years later Laemmle was an outstanding figure in the motion picture industry. Every day was his busy day. He had a lot of things to think about, and he was noted for concentration. He was able to forget everything except the matter which required immediate attention.
The one thing he could never get off his mind was the hypnotic refrain of "Love Me-e-e-e! and the W-o-r-l-d is Mine!"
He was convinced that the moving sentiment of this great ballad could be turned into the greatest motion picture ever made and he decided to make it.
Fo7 a rich if elderly admirer, Mary Philbin has none other than Henry B. Walthal in Universal's screen version of the old ballad.
As the dashing Lieutenant in "Love Me and the World Is Mine," no one could be better cast than Norman Kerry.
Forthwith he visited the offices of the publisher and bought the movie rights for a song, a thing unheard of before or since, because they are not covered by copyright.
For nearly twenty years Carl Laemmle. president of Universal, has dreamed of the screen production of "Love Me." Each year he postponed it because the theme was so great that the plan that grew up in his mind kept leaping beyond his purse.
At last he said, "Go ahead! Make it big!" So Dupont, the great director from Berlin, went ahead and made it big, with Mary Philbin and Norman Kerry in the leading roles and with a stellar cast including Bettv Compson, Henry B. Walthal, Martha Mattox, George Siegmann, Robert Anderson, Albert Conti and Emily Fitzroy. Paul Kohner supervised and contracted for the director of "Variety" in his first American production.
Now it is finished. The film and the song have been made one on the screen and in the orchestra pit, for the strains of the famous ballad dominate in the music score to heighten the emotion of the scenes.
Ernie Ball died last year in California in his dressing-room a few minutes after he had obliged his vaudeville audience by rendering his greatest song. He is not here to witness his (Continued on page 40)