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

CAMERA! Weekly Wake-' EmUp — CA M ERA'S News Section Page Fifteen McREA TO RETURN SOON FROM CAMERA EXPLORATION OF ORIENTAL COUNTRIES TEARLE TO GET A BIG WAGE IN CONNIE FILM Conway Tearle, one of the highest priced leading men in the films, has again affixed his signature to a Joseph M. Schenck contract. He will be featured in the big cast supporting Constance Talmadge in "A Dangerous Maid," a comedydrama of revolutionary England of the 17th century, which Victor Heerman will direct. Production will start June 18th. The consideration involved is said to exceed anything Tearle has ever received before. -In securing him for Constance's first big historic serio-comedy, Producer Joseph M. Schenck had to outbid several other producers who were angling for his services. Through his superlative portrayals in Norma Talmadge costume plays Tearle has won himself a place unrivalled among players of roles of this type. His work in "Purple Pride," the Norma Talmadge spectale of old France, which is now being completed under Frank Lloyd's direction, is conceded to mark the highest point in his distinguished career. ' Tearle established himself firmly at the head of that small company of film artists capable of playing aristocratic roles by his deft handling of his leading part in "The Eternal Flame," in which Norma Talmadge starred. It is said that casting indexes contain only 300 out of Hollywood's 30,000 performers capable of carrying aristocratic roles, and of these Tearle is the arch-exponent. IRENE RICH RETURNS READY FOR NEW FILM Ruddy of cheek and bright of eye, Irene Rich, accompanied by her mother, who is more like a big sister than a parent, returned from a short vacation trip to San Francisco where she attended the opening of "Brass," in which she plays one of the main roles. "I had to go through another ordeal," says Irene, who altogether is too modest for so popular a star, "you see, the whole object of having me in San Francisco at the opening was for a personal appearance. I just hate 'em, and from now on I'm going to stick to my trade — no more stage for me unless I go on with lines and everything. We had a dandy time, however." She starts her first Warner starring story in the near future. It is "Lucretia Lombard," by Kathleen Norris. Katharine Lewis has been engaged by Victor Seastrom to play one of the leading roles in "Masters of Men," his first production for Goldwyn. Henry McRae, American Camera Explorer, who left Hollywood for the Orient several months ago, will sail with the members of his expedition for this country within a few weeks, according to advices which reached his representatives here this week. In the course of his quest of the unusual in scenes of the Far East, Mr. McRae reports a success even beyond the hopes he entertained at the start. His pictures for the most part have been taken in the remotest districts of Oriental countries, where natives at times not only have never heard of a railroad or an automobile, but refuse, to believe of their existence. Their very ignorance was in many cases, writes the cinematographic explorer, an advan tage to his party and its aims for, never having seen or heard of a camera, much less a motion picture camera, there was met in many instances none of the superstitious fear of being photographed. The itinerary of the McRae expedition included Japan, China, Siam, and some parts of southern India; and in the gathering of the pictorial data, more than 100,000 feet of film WOMAN BOOKING AGENT OF N. Y. VISITS HERE Ada Humbert, one of New York's best known theatrical booking agents and one of the pioneer casting directors in the film field, is a visitor in the city this week. Scores of former legitimate actors now employed in the films in Los Angeles will remember Ada Humbert as one of the most reliable and kindly agents on Broadway and many owe their initial engagements on both the speaking stage and in the movies to this popular woman. While in the city, Miss Humbert is being entertained by Eulalie Jensen, well-known character leading woman, and James Woods Morrison, one of screenland's most handsome juvenile leads, both of whom date their friendship with the booking agent from the days of their respective debuts in the dramatic realm. Gets Goat For "Sub" Now that Harry Myers is cast as a newspaper publisher, in "The Printer's Devil," Wesley Barry's latest Warner Brothers production, he is tasting the woes and daily events that make a publisher's life a vale of tears. Harry's first bit is to receive a goat in payment for five years' subscription to his newly purchased paper. He is wondering if someone is going to give him an elephant for life subscription. was expended, not including the retakes made necessary by the spoiling of much footage by the oppressive tropical heat. The idea directing the selection of the film material by the McRae party was not panoramic but human. As the leader himself said: "Because a range of mountains or a lake lie in a country no white man has .ever seen does not make them distinctive. They look about the same as any other mountains or lake; and the subtitle descriptive of their remoteness will add little interest. "But the people in such places will be different. Their customs, their habits of life, their forms of worship, their creeds of marriage, their dances in demonstration of joy or grief — these vary enormously. "And what I have seen and caught with the camera is but a fragment, for all that it a hitherto unknown fragment. The Orient has not really been touched as yet. To have seen what we have seen is the only way to realize how much still there is to picture. It would take twenty years to cover thoroughly the material we have come upon, from which we have taken only the highlights.' MURIEL DANA'S SCREEN WORK WINS FAVOR Some child stars always seem very proud of the fact that he or she has appeared in so many productions, one starlet even going so far as to say she has appeared in sixty pictures, but Muriel Frances Dana is very proud of the fact that she has appeared in only eight pictures in her entire life. Upon arriving in Los Angeles some time ago, Baby Muriel was seen by Thomas H. Ince and engaged for an important role in "Hail the Woman!" Then followed roles in "Mother O' "Mine," "A Fool There Was,' "White Hands," with'Hobart Bosworth, "The Forgotten Law," "Can A Woman Love Twice?' "Desire" and "The Sunshine Trail." The two latter productions are as yet unreleased. To have acquired the popularity of this tiny star proves her work in these productions has been of the highest calibre. Falls Into Harbor Sandy Roth, the assistant director of "Little Johnny Jones," the Warner Brothers production of the George M. Cohan stage success starring Johnny Hines, has no faith in the proverb that "pride comes before a fall." Detailed to find a deep water spot on the San Pedro harbor, he was doing his best reconnoitering when he looked too far over the bank and slipped, tasting some rather muddy water. SETS WRECKED BY DESERT SAND STORM Making desert scenes for a production is not an easy task. Further evidence of this fact was carried home in the case of Principal Pictures Corporation's company filming of Harold Bell Wright's "When A Man's A Man" in the desert region of Arizona this week. The company which includes many well-known artists, left Prescott, Arizona, their headquarters while on location, and drove twenty miles into the desert. Here tents were pitched and sets erected for "shooting." During the evening of the second day, a strong wind arose which seemed to grow stronger as night fell. Several natives of Arizona warned the film players to return to Prescott for the night, but early morning filming was on their schedule and director Edward F. Cline, after a quick consultation with the members of -the company, de cided to remain where they were. A few hours later a huge sand mountain was seen forming in the distance and as it moved toward the movie camp, it enlarged itself into mountain size. A property man gave warning and the company was awakened. Quick exit was the only thing that saved them from the onrushing sand-storm which demolished their sets and ripped the canvass from their tents as a clown dog would do with a paper hoop in a circus ring. The residents of Arizona state these sand mountains form very quickly and move rapidly with the wind, tearing away the brush and all obstacles in their path. They subside almost as quickly as they form. Among those who were endangered in the sand storm were Marguerite de la Motte, John Bowers, Robert Frazer, June Marlowe, and a host of others equally popular in filmdom. The company returned at once to Prescott, and hereafter will travel to "location" every morning, returning to safety in town at the conclusion of each day's work. Louise's Birthday ■ Louise Fazenda is on the June birthday calendar. It's the seventeenth and on the same day, but not year, when, according to the learned comedy queen, the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought. In t he role of "Mabel," chief of "The Gold Diggers," Louise showed the battling spirit, scoring twice with the office boy, in recent shots. It might not look well in print to say the office boy seemed to be knocked down. But maybe the shades of '76 were jogging the Fazenda elbow!