Photoplay Magazine, January 1921 (anuary 1921)

It'.- getting so every motion picture company has to take its own little private orchestra along on every location jaunt. This South African village built for a Universal picture probably pricked up its ears at the echo of the tom-tom tune- of its palmier prototype—and the African extras shimmed between scenes. Note the reflectors which throw the proper lighting on the actors. Jacques Jaccard is the director. Jjfays and Jp/aryers Real news and interesting comment about motion pictures and motion-picture people. By CAL. YORK IN view, 1 suppose, of the rumored mone) shortage, we have been besieged the past month in Hollywood with "sets." Every body has been building, staging, locating sets bigger than "Intolerance" and more ex l>ensive than the burning of Rome. You can't speak to anybody on a picture lot without being told about a set. Fox is probably in the had. with two really staggering affair?—those for the "Queen of Sheba" including Solomon's Tem- ple, the Tower of David, and Solomon's Throne Room. They cover a couple of blocks and I can't remember how much they colt Then those for "A Connecticut Yan- kee in King Arthur's Court"—a whole val- ley being necessary in which to build King Arthur's castle. At Universal Von Strohcim has spent a couple of years' profits erecting a young Monte Carlo for "Foolish Wives." Metro staged the Battle of the Marne on a stupen- dous scale for the "Four Horsemen;" while Mr. Incc entered The Bronze Bell" and Cecil de Mille spent £05,000 on his plate- glass Cinderella set for "Forbidden Fruit." It's a great life while the money holds out. DON'T ever say "Reduce" to Emily Stevens. That lady thought last sum- mer that she was gaining entirely too much 8fi weight lo be in keeping with her portrayals of subtle stage heroines. So she began to starve herself thin. She did she lost fort> pounds in a remarkably short time. Her own private little hunger-strike worked even better than she expected. This fall she went on tour with "Footloose," the Zoe Akin- play which «cored such a success in New York. It—and Miss Stevens—got as far as Boston. As -he was about to make her entrance for an evening performance, F.mily collapsed and the curtain was rung down She was hustled to a hospital. "Nervous breakdown from overwork," nodded the doc- tors wisely. "Overwork nothing!" cried Miss Stevens weakly but effectually, 'under weight I I tried to reduce—and look at me. Never again !" LOWGIE CASTLE, in Bombay, India, has been purchased as a studio by Para- mount. Soon we should see the Winter Palace and the once-imperial Palace at Pots- dam converted into celluloid workshop-. The Alhambra, that you go to Spain to see. has already served as a location for the film people. EDNA PCRYIANCE. whose contract with Charles Chaplin still has a number of years to run, is spending her leisure mo- ments, which are many just now. actually breaking into society Edna's deare-t friend and constant companion is a charming young society divorcee whose family is So ciety in Eos Angeles, and the blonde film beauty is pre-ent at Santa Barbara, Corona do. Del Monte and Burlingame whenever anything special is going on. IncidentalK. -he i- a feature guest at all sorts of mil lionaire affairs in Pasadena and has more or less forsaken film circles. And -he's just as popular with the male section as she ever was. Oh well—with her assured in come—she still draws her weekly pay-check on her five-year Chaplin contract, you kno\, —and no work to do. Edna can afford to play the social game. THEY said for a while there that .Mary Hay Barthelmess was going to forge' she ever was in the Follies and settle down to domesticity. Evidently she changed her mind, for she's just signed with Ziegfeld for an important part in a new musical play starring Marilynn Miller and Leon Errol. RCDYARD KIPLING is to write for films. Pathe has cornered him and expects soon to put into work his first scenario. "The Light That Failed" and "The Naulahka." both Kipling tales, were filmed by Pathe. (Continued on page 8S)