Camera - April 14, 1923 to February 16, 1924 (April 1923-February 1924)

CAMERA! Weekly Wake-'Em-Up— CAMERA'S News Section Page Eleven PALMER TO FILM STORY OF SMALL-TOWN DOCTOR OLD-TIME CAST OF "BEN HUR" IN REUNION A unique reunion, fraught with sentiment, was held at the Goldwyn studio last week. It consisted of members of the original cast of "Ben Hur," best beloved of any stage production. Of the six living members now in Los Angeles, four were in attendance — William Farnum, whose famous characterization of Ben Hur is well remembered; Emmett Corrigan, who first created the title role, and then played Simonides; Mabel Burt, who played Ben Hur's mother, and W. J. Kelley, who played Drusue and then Messala. William S. Hart, who for several years portrayed the villain, Messala, and Frederick Truesdale, who was the messenger Malluc, were unable to attend. The reunion had its heart interest as well as its dramatic value. No camera has ever caught the expression in Bill Farnum's big blue-gray eyes as he greeted, for the first time in many years, the little whitehaired woman, Mabel Burt, who played his mother. Not many words were exchanged at first in the little group— just everybody bravely smiling and trying to overcome the tears. "How many years has it been since we played together, Mabel?" asked Mr. Farnum, "I'm afraid to say, Will" (she always calls him Will) "for fear it will seem too long ago." June Mathis, who is personally adapting "Ben Hur" to the screen, presided at the luncheon table, with Messala on her right and Ben Hur on her left. "Success for Ben Hur is already written on the heights," said Miss Mathis in addressing the diners, "for you who created it on the stage to the living, beautiful play that it was, have carried it far above common things, and it now rests with the screen to give that immense scope of which it is capable, to make 'Ben Hur' immorlal." WING IS ADDED TO U'S SCENARIO STAFF William E. Wing, well-known writer of motion picture plays, has been added to the scenario staff of the Universal Pictures corporation. Wing has just completed the screen adaptations of "Overland Red" and "Ridgeway of Montana.' 'and is now engaged in writing the continuity for William Desmond's next starl ing vehicle, an original story by Raymond L. Schrock and Harvey Gates. He has written 438 original stories for the screen, all of which have been produced, many of which have served as starring vehicles for some of the biggest stars of the screen. The Palmer Photoplay Corporation, which inaugurated a unique and revolutionary film producing policy with the filming of its first screen drama, "Judgment of the Storm," evidently is not content with proving its point about the superiority of "original stories" ovei "adaptations" with a single photoplay. It is announced that the story for the second of their proposed series of big special features has been purchased, and that camera work upon it will start shortly at Thomas H. Ince Studios. "Trusie" is the temporary title of the screen play about to be produced. As with "Judgment of the Storm," by Ethel Styles Middleton of Pittsburgh, the new story was written by a hitherto unrecognized author trained in screen play technique in the Palmer Corporation's big story laboratory and clearing house. The author is Dr. Walter G. Hallstead, a practitioner in the little town of Penn Yan, New York. Casting will soon begin. It is said that the story is so perfect technically that little adaptation or continuity work will be needed to get it ready for filming; a fact that in itself constitutes a big point in the Palmer Corporation's struggle to establish a separate and distinct literature for the screen, of stories written by trained screen playwrights directly and expressly for that medium. "Our practice of paying un DOROTHY MANNERS GETS BIG PART IN "VICTOR" "The Victor," Herbert Rawlinson's newest Universal starring vehicle, includes in its cast Dorothy Manners, a leading woman who has come up in the professional rank within a year, Esther Ralston, leading woman of Hoot Gibson's "Blinky," and several other Universal pictures, Otis Harlan and Frank Currier, character man of long established repute, and Eddie Gribbon, the comedian who has furnished "comedy relief" in a dozen dramatic features at Universal City. "The Victor" is an adaptation of Gerald Beaumont's story, "Two Bells for Pegasus," and the director is Edward Laemmle, maker of historical serials and dramatic features. The hero is an Englishman of rank, who turns prizefighter in America and thereby turns his family's social world upside down. Goodwin Re-engaged Harold Goodwin, who took a big step upward in his career with the portrayal of the juvenile leading role in "The Flirt," and who has appeared in a dozen other Universal pictures, has been signed by Universal for the next Hoot Gibson vehicle, "The Ramblin' Kid," known screen authors royalties — a uniform rate of one thousand dollars in advance of a five per cent basis for five years — has attracted a high class of creative talent," declares Roy L. Manker, President of the Palmer Corporation. "Its effect is already being felt, not only by ourselves, but by other pro ducers to whom we supply original screen plays. "However, the writers who seem to be producing the best material are those hitherto unknown. Dr. Hallstead has never sold fiction or scenarios before, although he has written many of the latter during his training course. Mrs. Middleton was also an unrecognized genius before we filmed 'Judgment of the Storm.' "Another unique feature about our undertaking to film better and more consistently good pictures, is the fact that our organization works as a self-contained unit, which trains its own writers, selects its screen plays from their work, and produces them. The whole experiment, if one may call it that, is fraught with wonderful possibilities. We hope and believe that our efforts will form the nucleus of a new epoch in cinematic art; an era of independence from the older medium of expression. 'Judgment of the Storm,' our first production, has far excelled our highest expectations, and we believe that we can go even farther with our second production." BRILLIANT TRIO CAST FOR "THE ACQUITAL" A trio of players whose work has been highly approved by the public for some time will head the cast of the all-star Universal-Jewel production, "The Acquital," adapted by Jules Furthman from the Rita Weiman play and to be directed by Clarence L. Brown. Norman Kerry, -established through several excellent screen performances and about to be raised to a high plane of fame through "Merry-Go-Round," the Viennese film spectacle, will impart a dashing, romantic flavor to the leading masculine role. Claire Windsor, heroine of ten big pictures of the past, will play the leading feminine role, which gives her more of an emotional opportunity than any previous portrayal. Richard Travers, known for consistently successful work with five or six leading producers, will play the "heavy" role. Entertains Miss Ulric Lenore Ulric was the guest of honor at an informal courtesy luncheon tendered her by Warner Brothers, motion picture producers, on the eve of her transcontinental trip to Hollywood to star in "Tiger Rose." McGRAIL GETS BIG ROLE IN "THE BAD MAN" Walter M c G r a i 1, popular screen "heavy" and leading man, has been chosen by Edwin Carewe to play the part of Morgan Pell in the screen version of "The Bad Man," which Carewe is to produce and direct for First National. With the engagement of McGrail the four principal roles for this brilliant satirical comedy play have now been filled. The remaining parts will be assigned during the next few days and production has been started. Holbrook Blinn, who has starred for more than three years in the original stage production of "The Bad Man," is to have the same role in the First National picturization. Other parts have so far been assigned to Enid Bennett and to Jack Mulhall. In the villainous role of Morgan Pell, a wealthy oil company agent and brutal husband, McGrail will have a part in which he will be right at home, for such parts have been his lot in many of the screen's most recent big productions. His histrionic career covers, not only the screen, but also the legitimate stage, vaudeville and comic opera. His original motion picture engagement was with Vitagraph for whom he played in leads for five years. He played the leading male role in "Suzanna" opposite Mabel Normand and also played either lead or principal 'heavy" role in these recent successes: "Light's Out," "The Top of New York," "The Cradle" and "Wolf Fang." GELDERT RETURNS TO DENY HE'S INJURED On returning from location with the De Mille Company, where scenes for "The Ten Commandments" were shot, Clarence H. Geldert, a member of the cast, was surprised to hear that he had been reported seriously injured in the chariot race in which a score of actors were hurt. Mr. Geldert, who portrays the role of the High Priest in "The Ten Commandments," is very much alive and uninjured for the simple reason that he wasn't a participant in the thrilling race. Having only recently recovered from an injury received during the filming of "Richard The Lion Hearted," Geldert was fortunate in not being cast as a charioteer. Barbara Bedford, who played a principal role in "The Spoilers," and in the past two years has given some very charming portrayals to the screen, has been engaged by Universal to play the "heavy" feminine role of "The Acquittal."