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

.amera! 'The Digest of the Motion Picture Industry' Paee5 Among the people who are coming to the ront of the picture world by leaps and bounds hese days, is Grace Sanderson Michie, head if the scenario department of the Rellimeo Mlms. For she holds the unique distinction of leing largely responsible for the making of hree big pictures in six months. The Rellimeo Films are a San Francisco organization, but all three of their pictures have been made in Hollywood, the first at the Universal Studio, and the other two at the Principal Pictures studio now under lease by the Rellimeo company. Grace Sanderson Michie is a real Californian, her grandfather having been Mayor of San Francisco for several terms, and her family long leading citizens of the state. Mrs. Michie has written all her life, in fact she says she can't remember when she didn't write, and she was just nine years old when she sold her first story to St. Nickolaus for the huge sum of five dollars. Her earliest adventure into the picture world was several years ago as the author of "The Finger Of Justice," with which film she also made personal appearances in all the larger cities of America for almost two years. It is only a little over six months since the Rellimeo Films were organized and Grace and her husband Gordon Michie, business manager of the company came to Hollywood to start production. Their first picture, "Defying Destiny," was made from an original story by Mrs. Michie, for which she also did the con tinuity, and on which she acted as co-director. The picture was given to the world in September under the Selznick banner. It was promptly followed by "Eight Bucks" made from a story by Fred Windamere, its director, but on which Mrs. Michie did the continuity, the casting and again co-directed. The latest picture just completed, and the most pretentious production of the company is "The Yellow Stigma". Again the whole story and continuity came from Grace Sanderson Michie's busy brain, and from all accounts it bids fair to be one of the big outstanding pictures of the year. So by hard work and real accomplishment Grace Michie is winning for herself a niche of her own in the hall of cinema fame. The Universal Megaphone By Arthur Q. Hagerman Under King Baggot's supervision Thomas Pratt is completing the final editing of "Blackmail," the all star Universal production which |Baggot directed recently. "Blackmail" was ; adapted from "The Co-Respondent," Rita Weiman's play, and will present a cast including ,'Ruth Clifford, Niles Welsh, John Merkyl, (Charles Clary, William E. Lawrence, Herbert jFortier, Arthur Howard, Hayden Stevenson, Mary Mersch, Joseph North, Emily Fitzroy, Jane Starr and Carl Stockdale. Besides Miss Hulette, who is playing the role of a mountaineer girl in the psychological backwoods drama, Howard Truesdell, Robert Gordon, Ed Kennedy, Margaret Seddon, Lon Poff, Charles Cruz and Norman Kankon have principal roles. "Hook and Ladder," Hoot Gibson's newest Universal starring vehicle, directed by Edward Sedgwick from his own story, has been edited I at Universal City and is receiving its final set I of titles. According to studio executives this is the best Gibson feature up to date. It is a story of the thrills, human interest experiences and general activities in a fireman's life. Mildred June played opposite Gibson. Several prominent members of the American Legion, enroute home from the fifth annual convention at San Francisco, visited Universal City, production center of the Universal Pictures corporation, a day or two ago. Included in the party were Russell G. Greviston, assistant national adjutant, Garland W. Powell, director of the national Americanism committee, Peyton Hogue, member of the same committee, and C. Willard Cooper, associate editor of the Legion Weekly. Ross Watson, Los Angeles real estate man and prominent in Legion activities, conducted them to Universal City where William Koenig, business manager, and Irving Cummings and King Baggot, directors, acted as their hosts. Jack Hoxie says that the wide open spaces are friendly, that he feels like a stranger in the white light of the Winfields. He declares he can emote better to the barking of coyotes than to the tune of studio organs. The Universal western star has been on location so much of late that he is having to get acquainted all over again at the studio where he is now doing interior scenes for his latest picture, "The Phantom Rider." Hoxie spent many weeks on the edge of Death Valley and in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Lone Pine during the making of "Wyoming" and recently returned to the studio from Keen's camp where exterior scenes of the present production were filmed. Robert North Bradbury is directing "The Phantom Rider," a story of a northwest lumber war, written by Isadore Bernstein of the scenario staff. Supporting the star are Lillian Rich, Neil McKinnon and Wade Boteler and Billy McCall. Among the week's prominent visitors at Universal City, center of production of the Universal corporation, was Chester Wright, aide to Samuel Gompers and head of the publicity department of the American Federation of Labor. He was formerly editor of the New York Call. He was shown the Universal studios by William Koenig, business manager. Special songs for special sets are the thing at Universal City. Edward Sedgwick has one, written by himself, for Hoot Gigson, "My Mamie Rose" is sung on the Irving Cummings set — and now the inspirational orchestra has launched one on the set where Perley Poore Sheehan, the famous novelist, is directing his own story "Innocent." Jack Sullivan, the man who handled the Condelaurier Ball scenes in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and the great crowd scenes in the Hugo picture and in "Merry-Go— Round" is Sheehan's first assistant. The two were consulting on the set when the orchestra started up a tilting air, and an actor's quartet warbled "Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Sheehan" — a filmized version of the Gallagher and Shean melody. There are a million or so verses — one for every trial and tribulation the company has been beset with. Here's a sample: "Oh Mr. Sullivan— Oh Mr. SullivanHere's another gag I want to pullon you; We've a scene upon this set — one I bet you'll ne'er forget; And it's bound to thrill Carl Laemmle through and through ! Oh Mr. Sheehan— Oh Mr. Sheehan— I believe I can recall the scene you mean; — The hero saves the girl from harm And then falls down and breaks an arm — Who? Ed Kennedy, Mr. Sullivan? No — His double, Mr. Sheehan!" Gladys Hulette, praised in preview comments for her work in the adult feminine lead with Baby Peggy in "The Burglar's Kid," is playing at Universal City again. This time she is in an all star production that will be remembered in the history of the Universal Pictures corporation — and of filmland for that matter — for it is the first directorial effort of Perley Poore Sheehan, novelist and screen writer. Sheehan, who adapted "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" to the screen, is directing his own original story, scenarized by Raymond L. Schrock. It is temporarily titled "Innocent." Many years ago Carl Laemmle, now. president of the Universal Pictures corporation, gave a watch and chain to a man who played a vaudeville act in one of Mr. Laemmle's earliest theaters. The Laemmle theater was showing the new moving pictures and was one step ahead of other theaters it hat it had a combined bill instead of the usual "nickelodeon" policy of straight pictures. Recently this man visited Universal City and talked with Mr. Laemmle about the changes that have taken place in the film industry and the theatrical business, since those early days. In the midst of the conversation the visitor, playing the Orpheum circuit as "Senator Murphy" drew something out of his pocket and said : "Mr. Laemmle, did you ever see this before," "Mr. Murphy, I'd recognize that watch if it was hanging among a hundred others on a pawnshop wall," said Mr. Laemmle. "It recalls a great many things that were happening in those days." Naturally enough the conversation hung closel" around the period of the gift and old days were discussed at great length. King Baggot, director of the recently completed all star feature for Universal, "Blackmail," a newspaper life story, and who has made some of the best known pictures in Universale history, will direct the next UniversalJewel starring vehicle of Mary Philbin's the "Merry-Go-Round" girl. The first Philbin starring vehicle to follow up her success in "Merry-Go--Round" is just being completed. It is "My Mamie Rose" a story of the New York Bowery of 1895, adapted from Owen Kildare's Novel. Irving cummings is shooting the final scenes with Pat O'Malley, William Collier, Jr., Max Davidson, Charlie Murray, Kate Price, Edwin Brady, Lincoln Plumer, and other noted players in support of the new star. The Baggot-directed feature will be based on "The Inheritors," a novel by I. A. R. Wylie. The story is laid in England of today, and will be the first effort of Mary Philbin in a role that is not in back-period "costume" atmosphere. Bernard McConville, supervising editor of Jewel productions, made the adaptation, and Frank Beresford, well known continuity writer, prepared the scenario.