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

camera; Weekly TV ake-'Em-Up— CAMERA'S News Section Page Eleven BARKER STARTS ON HIS 3rd. MAYER SPECIAL FORMER DISH-WASHER TURNS PLAYWRIGHT Reginald Barker has started the filming of "Pleasure Mad" as a Louis B. Mayer special for Metro release. This will be the director's third independent unit production at the Mayer studio following "Hearts Aflame," a current success, and "The Master of Woman," which will make its debut in the early fall. "Pleasure Mad" was adapted from Blanche Upright's novel, "The Valley of Content." Dealing with the fortunes — and misfortunes— of a happy family of modern means which is split up by the affections and indulgences which follow sudden acquisitions of wealth, this book has proven to be one of the most popular novels of the past year. Mary Alden, a favorite since the old Griffith days, and Huntly Gordon, who scored such a big hit in Fred Niblo's "The Famous Mrs. Fair," and who has just finished work in John M. Stahl's "The Wanters," will be seen in the two leading roles. Working with Mr. Barker, Irving G. Thalberg, vice-president of the Mayer organization, is now selecting the balance of the cast and will have the complete list ready within a short time. With Alvin C. Wyckoff in charge of the photography, Mr. Barker is shooting scenes in the meantime, confining his activities to certain nignly dramatic sequences in which only Miss Alden and Mr. Gordon appear. The company is now working on the covered stage at the Mayer studio. While no definite announcement has been yet made as to the director's next picture following "Pleasure Mad," it is possible that he may make "The Train of Ninety-Eight," the Robert W. Service story which was purchased by Mr. Mayer some time ago for production by Barker. George Ade Due George Ade will arrive at Paramount's West Coast Studio next week to confer on his story, "All Must Marry," in which Thomas Meighan will be starred, according to an announcement made by Jesse L. Lasky, first vice-president in charge of production. "All Must Marry" will be an Alfred E. Green production. Meighan will follow Ade in three or four days and production work will start immediately after the star's arrival. Thomas Geraghty will adapt the story to the screen. Mary Carr is once again portraying the part of a mother. This time in C. C. Burr's production "Clipped Wings," which stars Constance Binney. The picture is being made in Glendale, L. I. Leopold Granitz, a Chicago restaurant man, has turned playwright. While figuring out the prices of meats, vegetables and fruits and planning menus, Mr. Granitz, for the past year, has been thinking out the plot of a romantic novel, and at night, after leaving the rattle of the dishes and his market figures, he started to write it. The novel is now complete. It is called "The Knights of the Dragon," a story filled with mystery, intrigue and romance, which Mr. Granitz has dramatized, and which will be seen on the screen in Chicago soon. The story of the play goes back to 1850, and many of the scenes are laid in the turbulent Balkans, Russia, Monte Carlo and America. The hero is an American boy, whose mother left a good husband, a famous Russian surgeon, and became engaged to an exotic ruler of the Balkans, who promised to wed her as soon as she secured a divorce, but spurned her when she fled from her American home to the Balkan kingdom, disowned by her father. She is given into the power of a bandit chief-head of the Knights of the Dragon, and after his death she becomes the daring, fearless leader of the Knights, in the hope that she will be able to re venge herself on the king, who cast her aside. Failing, she committed suicide, and left a letter for her son by the king, to be opened on his twenty-fifth birthday, and requested him to avenge her honor. This he does, by capturing the kingdom with an army of his own, winning over the people, who put the king to death and made the American their ruler. A diamond necklace, once the Crown jewels of Russia, of which two clever imitations were made, causes many exciting incidents, blunders, suffering and misery. It is around these royal gems that much of the mystery and romance of the play is woven. Mr. Granitz started life as a six-dollar-a-week dishwasher, and worked his way up to a high executive position of one of Chicago's best known restaurants, reading and studying at night after his work was over. He came into prominence a year ago, when his paper on "Food Control" won first prize at the National Hotel and Restaurant exposition and convention in Chicago. Mr. Granitz has proven as much of an expert picturing romantic situations and mysterious episodes as he did in the more prosaic work of food control. JEAN HERSHOLT EXHIBITS PAINTING IN FRISCO The artistic ability of Jean Hersholt, who plays the role of Marcus Schouler in the Goldwyn picture, "Greed," which Erich von Stroheim is transposing from Frank Norris' "McTeague," is not confined to acting. He is a painter of note as well, having had exhibitions in Copenhagen, Denmark, his native city, and in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. The latest showing of his brush and pen work was held in the galleries of O'Connor, Moffat & Co., San Francisco. The exhibition included oil paintings and pen and ink drawings. The former consisted of portraits, still life and landscapes; the latter were black and white studies, in the manner of etchings, of ZaSu Pitts, as the Trina of "Greed," Erich von Stroheim, the director, and himself as Marcus Schouler. The exhibition was well attended and received excellent notices in the San Francisco newspapers. McConnville Re-engaged Bernard McConnville, who recently prepared a screen version of "Cape Cod Folks" for Louis B. Mayer, has been re-engaged by the producer to write the scenario of "The Volunteer Organist" which will be filmed in the near future with an all-star cast. The background of this famous old play is being revised to coincide with the conditions and environments of the present day. ACTOR HAS BEEN NOTED AS POET FOR 20 YEARS Frederick Truesdell, who plays the millionaire husband in "The Age of Desire," which Frank Borzage is directing for First National, is one of America's few actor-poets. Mr. Truesdell has made a study and a hobby of verse writing, and there is hardly a day passing but what he is writing something of this sort. His poems have appeared for the past twenty years in various magazines. He is contemplating publishing a book of verse, poems that he has written during this period. While working for Director Borzage, he has been writing quite a bit and has added several compositions to his lengthy literary record. He plays the millionaire husband of Myrtle Stedman in the story, and appears with a really all-star cast comprising such notables as Mary Philbin, William Collier, Jr., Josef Swickard, Frankie Lee, Edith Yorke, J. Farrell MacDonald. Miss Ulric Starts Lenore Ulric has started work on the picturization of David Belasco's play, "Tiger Rose," which is being produced at the Warner Brothers studios in Los Angeles under the direction of Sidney Franklin. The supporting cast includes Claude Gillingwater, Joseph Dowling, Anders Randolf, Andre de Beranger, Jane Ferrell, Sam de Grasse and Theodore Von Eltz. PSYCHIC CRYSTAL GAZER LAUDS TRILBY Mile. Inez Cover, youthful psychic crystal gazer and palmist of Los Angeles, who has gained fame through her many fulfilled predictions regarding the destinies of professional people who are famous in America and abroad, has launched a new art on which she has spent the past two years in deep study — an art which she terms "solestry," the science of foretelling one's fate by the soles of the feet. Mile. Andree Lafayette, the beautiful film actress who played the title role in Richard Walton Tully's screen version of the famous du Maurier's novel, "Trilby," soon to be released by Associated First National Pictures, Inc., and who is credited with the most beautiful feet in the entire world, has intrigued the interest of Mile. Inez who gives herewith a few of her impressions and prophesies concerning the Parisian beauty. "Mile. Andree Lafayette has gracefully molded feet, creamy white, and tipped with shell pink nails. The soles are satin smooth, and bespeak sincerity of purpose, a thoughtful, unselfish character — emotional, impulsive and ambitious. "I find from the lines of her foot," continued Mile. Inez, "that she is a lover of music, art and all that is beautiful. "First of all, Mile. Lafayette is a born actress; but besides the enjoyment of this gift, she could easily develop into a musician of undreamed brilliance and intensity. Fortune will smile on her later in that direction. "There is a great similarity between her feet and those of Mile. Ida Rubenstein, famous dancer and the inspiration of D'Annunzio, Italy's fiery warrior-poet. "The future of this gay little French Trilby, she of the golden hair, eyes of blue and incomparable feet, is destined to be one of bliss and contentment with attainment of the highest pinnacle of fame. She is truly fortune's favorite." A wire from New York informs us that Laura La Plante has been cast in the new serial at the Universal and will be seen at her best in the characterization of Blackie's Mary, the daughter of crooked alley, in "The Heart of Boston Blackie," of the Red Book fame by Jack Boyle and under the direction of Bob Hill. Owen Gorine is the juvenile and more than usual interest lies in the fact of the possibility of William Desmond, Jack Mower or Herb. Rawlinson being featured in the stellar role of Boston Blackie.