The San Francisco Dramatic Review (1908)

May i6, 1914 THE SAN FRANCISCO DRAMATIC REVIEW II Los Angeles Notes of Interest in the Realm of Photoplay By RICHARD WILLIS Louise Glaum had a great reception at Santa Barbara when slie and her mother went there with the Universal Baseball Team to play the boys from the American studios. The newspa- pers had pictures of her in baseball costume throwing the ball; it is said that her smile lit up the field, and she rooted the Universal boys on to vic- tory, too. They say she is a real good sponsor and she kee])s them in order. * * * Edna Maison is being featured under the direction of Charles Giblin at the Universal. Murdock Macquar- rie and Lon Chaney, together with Edna, make a strong bill. Strong dramas, one and two reels, are the or- der, and drama is Edna's strong point. Her work in Otis Turner's Spy with Herbert Rawlinson, as well as her really powerful study of a wronged Dutch girl in The Dangers of the Velt, added to her reputation. * * * Myrtle Stedman, who is playing the leads in the Jack London plays for the Bosworth Inc. Company, was en- gaged on the spot—so to speak. When she applied for the position Jack Lon- don and Hobart Bosworth were to- gether. London said, "She is the ideal type for Saxon—if she can act." "I'll vouch for her ability in that di- rection," said Bosworth promptly, and Myrtle Stedman was a member of the company. * * * Grace Cunard has been the recipient of several very flattering offers since she has been acting the part of Lucille Love. One ]:>articularly tempting one came from a big vaudeville manager offering to feature her in an act written by the Master Pen, who wrote the Lucille Love series. Another ofYer came from an independent feature com- pany. * * * jj^ talking over film records one day, Burton King of the Usona mentioned a wonderful per- formance of his own whilst with the Kay Bee-Bronco companies at Santa Monica. For thirty weeks he pro- duced, at the rate of nearly sixteen hundred feet of film a week, and amongst the pictures produced were some of the most successful he has ever directed. Only those who know the business know what this means. Edwin August had a Missouri meer- schaum and an offer of marriage in one parcel this wek. Presents of pipes are not uncommon to this popu- lar actor and ofTers of marriage are frequent to all photoplay idols, but in this case the offer and the corncob came from a tiny miss with an almost illegible letter from Kentucky, and the child doesn't ofYcr marriage; she says, "I'm goin to mari you wen I gro up." August is having the letter framed and will hang the pipe over it. * * * William Garwood has been kept busy during his short stay at the American, for in five weeks his director has put on five single reel stories and three two reelers. Reads as though the di- rector was testing the extent of Wil- liam's wardrobe. He took enough trunks with him to .satisfy a newly- wed on a continental honeymoon. * * * As a result of the vaudeville sketch, 'J"he Mills of the Gods, being put on at the Majestic Theatre, Santa Mon- ica, William D. Taylcjr, who wrote it and acted the man's part, has re- ceived an olYer to take it on circuit, and it is quite on the cards he will do this. It is a powerful sketch, full of intensity, and he and Anne Schaefer gave a realistic perform- ance. * * * It is conceded that Allan Dwan's last picture with the Uni- versal before going to join the Fam- ous Players, a three-reeler, called The Small Town Girl, is one of the finest he ever put out, and surely Pauline Bush never gave a more beautiful performance than she did as the girl. She says that she felt she wanted to help make Dwan's picture a notable one, and she cer- tainly succeeded. Miss Bush is thoroughly enjoying her holiday. * * * Harold Lockwood writes from New York that he finds conditions at the Famous Players' studios in the East very pleasant, and that he will not go to Europe with the com- pany which goes there but will work in New York. He wants to know if the sun is still shining in California —it is. * * * Otis Turner evidently intends his production of Damon of Pythia to be his crowning effort, judging by the preparations being made. The armour and costumes, heaps and heaps of 'em, have all been made at the Universal studios from old prints published in 1809. Mr. Turner has had frequent chats with the principals, discussing their parts, and a whole city is being built on the new ranch. * * * In the absence of Universal Ike Carney, who has left the company, Harry Edwards will direct Louise Glaum and a young actor. Bob Fuerer, and the latter will be known as Univer- sal Ike Junior. The first production under the altered conditions is Too Much Mother-in-Law. Louise made such an impression with her quaint little country girl dress and ring- lets in Almost an Actor that she will make a study of similar characters opposite Ike Junior, which is quite pleasing news. * * * Helen Holmes of the Kalem Company has one of the best appointed dressing rooms possible. She says, "I live the best part of my time at the studio, so why not be comfy?" Her room is hung - with pictures and mementoes, and there are comfortable chairs and a little wicker table which does ser- vice at lunch time, for one or two members of the company invariably join her at that time. * * * In chat- ting to Milton H. Fahrney and his charming wife, Alexandra Phillips Fahrney, the other evening, Mr. Fahrney said : "The absolute ab- sorption of one's time whilst pro- ducing pictures has been made ap- ])arent to me during my holiday, and I was surprised to find how I needed this change. Mrs. l*"ahrney and my- self have been fully occupied at- tending to private affairs which should have been seen to long ago, for she has been working as many hours as I have. Believe me that the conscientious director gets no private time at all, and even forgets inisiness matters which mean a lot to him." Of truth, the director is a man without leisure, he scarcely ever sees his own jiictures run. * * * Lulc Warrenton, the talented all-round character woman with Henry Mc- Rae in Honolulu, writes some inter- esting letters, and states that the whole company is having a good time and are well received every- where. She says they are making some very unusual pictures for the Universal. She also states she has gained seven pounds and dreads to think what her waist line will be if she stays too long. * * *Hcnry Otto is producing a three-reeler, Through Night to Light, at the Balboa, with Henry King and Jackie Saunders in the leads. Otto is fast ranking amongst the leading producers, and his A Will o' the Wisp was pro- nounced a sensation when shown to exhibitors by H. M. Horkheimer whilst East arranging the company's releases. * * * Francis Ford has worked some great effects into his Chinese scenes in Lucille Love. Grace Cunard's suit was specially made for her under the direction of Manager Bernstein, and she looked as quaint as could be in it. Ford is getting plenty of opportunity for his genius in staging big scenes and also for showing what a wonderful- ly fine heavy he is. This week the whole company are off to San Fran- cisco and then go to San Diego for a number of shipping scenes, during which time poor Lucille will go through a number of trying adven- tures—as usual. * * * Playgoers with a memory for the things of the the- atre a brief generation ago are not likely to have forgotten the vogue of the toga-drama, and, of the various exam])les, the play called Spartacus was easily the most popular. There were at least two versions of the legend of the Thracian prince who turned gladiator when dragged a captive to the Rome of 73 B. C. One version had footlighting in a play of Italian make; it was in that play Salvini the elder acted, and, later, Robert Downing was a popular per- former in an English version of the work. The other form of the legend was embalmed in a play by Dr. Bird of Philadelphia, who wrote it in suc- cessful competition for a prize of $500 ofYered by the great Edwin For- rest for the "best original American play in verse." This later play was, after Forrest's death, acted by John McCullough. It is the more roman- tic Italian version of the tale of Spartacus that has been filmed by a - band of Italian players, given the title of Spartacus, or the Revolt of the Gladiators, and in film form im- ported by George Kleine. It is the Spartacus film that was chosen for the inauguration of Mr. Kleine's am- bitious venture in the Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, and which opened there May Ti. Managerial claim is made that this new film employed in the making not fewer than 7500 per- sons; that it cost just slightly less than $200,000 to perfect; that nearly one-eighth of this sum, or about $24,- 000 was silent in the arena scenes. It is an eight-reel film, which means that in Iciigth it is more than 9000 feet. 'Vhe Pan-y\.mcrican ImIui Co. has arranged for representation in Panama, Costa Rica and Buenos Ayres, and are securing control of moving picture features which will appeal to the Latin-American races of Central and South America. * * * Stanley H. Twist cables from Aus- tralia that he will soon arrive in the Land of the I'Tee with some very valual)le material and some very de- sirable contracts. 1 Ic will return via San Francisco and visit with his mother and friends on the Pacific Coast. * * * Edwin F. Cobb, former- ly with Lubin under the direction of Romaine Fielding, has joined the Colorado Motion Picture Company forces at Canon City, and plays op- posite to Josephine West. * * * On the 12th inst. a representative of the Pan-American Co. will sail for Lon- don and the continent. While abroad he will dispose of the foreign rights to a number of features for which Pan-American Co. controls all territory. * * * Cleo Madison played a strenuous part in the l-'eud picture put on by Director Lucas at the Universal. It was a Western part, full of strong acting possibilities and picturesque costumes. During the taking of this photoplay the com- pany went to the Azusa Valley for many of their scenes, and the south- ern atmosphere has been caught capitally. They went in a stage coach and enjoyed the trip although it was a hard one. * * * Bess Mer- edyth has not been able to use that new Regal Underslung for over a week now. She caught a chill through going into the water with her clothes on and staying in them too long, and has been in bed in- stead. She was really very sick and the day after the wetting she was unconscious for several hours. She is just up and says she is ready for work again. Carlyle Blackwell had a fine re- ception in his home city of Syracuse, on his way to New York. Some- one had let the news out of the bag and many people met him at the station, and Carlyle had a hard time to get alone with his people at all. Carlyle's personality is so striking that it is hard for him to go any- where without being recognized, and he is such a good dresser that he would command attention anyhow. In a letter to a friend there is a sigh for the sunshine of California. Gus Lans, a well known and ex- pert property man who came West with The Candy Shop, is now hold- ing down the job with the Keone- grai)h I-'ilm Company at Fairfax. Stanford McNider, a young scenic artist who has done much good work in the Northwest, is now paint- ing for the Keonegraph h'ilm Com- pany of Fairfax. Japanese Slaver is Ordered Deported FRESNO, May 8.—Official noti- fication of the deportation of II. Iwata, one of the wealthiest Japanese resi- dents in the San Joaciuin Valley, was received at the Immigration Bureau here today from Immigration Com- missioner Caminctti at Washington. Iwata is being deported for harbor- ing and living off the profits of Jap- anese women of ill-fame. A former attempt to dei)ort him failed. Immi- gration officers charge him with being the "kingpin of Ja])anese white slavers." No date is set for deporta- tion. Iwata is worth about $100,000. 1 fc owns the Majestic Theatre here, where nnisical comedy comixuiies have been playing the past two years. Re])orts from Victoria state that the newly organized stock company l)laying the Victoria Theatre is not meeting with much success.