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

Page 6 'The Digest of the Motion Picture Industry' Ca men San Francisco, Cal., Nov. 26th, 1923. Annette Kellerman, and her husband James R. Sullivan, arrived in San Francisco a few days ago on the steamer Tahiti from New Zealand. During their stay of more than two years in Australia and New Zealand they have been engaged in the making of some unique under-water films, starring Miss Kellerman, and arranged and directed b her husband. Much of the work was done under the surface of the ocean, with the camera encased in a diving bell, and the fair star gambolling among the fishes. the program going. The picture met with a most enthusiastic reception from great crowds, and bids fair to carry on its unusual record in New York and Los Angeles. It is reported that Charlie Chaplin himself came quietly to town as the guest of Don Lee, to be present at the first showing here. William Russell, of Western fame, returned to San Francisco the last of last week to be present at the big football game on Saturday, and have another look at the races at Tanforan. Walter W. Bell, as director, will begin work almost at once on a series of six five-reel westerns, to be made at the studio in Niles where Bronco Billy used to work, with exteriors on a nearby ranch stocked with twenty-five hundred head of cattle. Merrick and Cohen are back of the project. The cast has not yet been announced. Andre Ferrier and his company of players at La Gaitie Francaise, last week gave two charming performances of Moliere's famous play "L'Avara." Ferrier and his associated company are specially worthy of mention, because in a simple and unpretentious way at their little theatre on Washington Street, they are giving a season of French plays, and giving them so artistically, with so much real dramatic abiliyt, such quaint settings, and such beautiful ■diction, that they stand out in contrast to many of the rather poor offerings of the larger theatres. Charles Fallon, well known to the picture world, is a member of the company. damere, and directed by him, has been relet* : under a special arrangement to the Anient Legion, to be shown at their "osts all over country. The story is one of the readju ment of a returned veteran of the World's W, to the ways of peace, and is reported to be « interesting and human story well played by cast headed by Raymond McKee. fa i Bowditch Turner, best known to the fil : world as "Smoke" is not only appearing ^B~^ Capitol theatre in "Scaramouche," but is in ot midst in person playing with Francis Bushm; and Beverly Bayne in a headline sketch tt tl Ciolden Gate Theatre this week. "Smoke" enjoying this engagement, which lasts only tv weeks, for it is a change from pictures an,d he says, a chance to "show them he can c something besides act before a camera." lad ' sketch, which is called "Poor Rich Men," gives an excellent performance as the Be shevist. For the first time in San Francisco's moving picture history two of the big down town theatres are giving duplicate programs, for last Saturday Charlie Chaplin's notable film, "The Woman of Paris," opened at both the California and the Granada Theatres. The duplication is being carried out in every detail, even to the musical numbers and the joint appearance at both theatres of Paul Ash, and Max Uolin, who motor from one theatre to the other to keep Max Miller, head of the Stereoscopic Production Corporation of this city, has sold outright for a good price, the film of "The Pair of Hellions" filmed by the company last spring, costarring Ranger Bill Miller and Patricia Palmer. Mr. Miller is now making plans for the filming of some further pictures, to be shot largely in Sacramento. I. L L L r. Priscilla Dean came to San Francisco the latter part of last week for a little holiday, and to be '-'•sent at the big Stanford-University of California game on Saturday. . t L L L L "Eight Bucks," the picture made recently by the Rellimeo Films from a story by Fred Win One of the most modern plants on the coa for the designing and erection of stage see ery, is to be erected at once on Tenth Stre beyond Bryant, by the Rothschild Entertai ments, Inc. It will be a fine reinforced concre building, two stories and a basement, with tower eighteen feet wide by sixty feet hig building contracts have already been let. Joseph M. Schenck with Sol Lesser, H. C. A thur, Jr., and Abe Gore were all in San Fra cisco last Thursday on business connected wi the West Coast Theatres, a combination form' only eighteen months ago but which alreai owns and controls over a hundred theatres. "Fore!" and Vic Talks By fanchon royer We have interviewed several of the well known "difficult" celebrities and many of the "accommodating" ones, confronting them across dinner, dressing and card tables, in hotel lobbies, limousines and other highly recommended locations for the semi-official tete-a-tete. But we never walked a golf course with one until we sought and surprised Victor Potel, one of filmdom's best known comedians, at precisely the moment when he was himself pursuing exervice and relaxation on the Griffith Park Links. It soon became apparent that his quest was as grimly important as ours and — so we elected to trail along. The tall, thin comedian teed off determinedly and — let it be stated — in a most promising manner which brought a very slight degree of satisfaction into his bland, unruffled countenance. Then, as we followed up the play, he turned his attention easily and it was to be perceived that here was a man who could concentrate — in seconds. We questioned him about his chosen field, screen comedy and, remarkable as it may seem, this self-professed actor whom we have quicklydiscovered to be in no sense the clown, suggested by memories of his earlv slapstick roles, played an excellent game with no material pauses in the discourse which followed. We already knew that Victor Potel had abandoned slapstick after creating one of the most famous of the first comedy characters. (This was Slippery Slim, the delight of early juvenile fans, who appeared for several years in Essanay's Snakeville series). He now told us why. "I began to realize some eight years ago that the most justified and welcome comedy in the catalogue was comedy relief in feature plays. I It was the cleanest cut and most human, and even then we were breaking away equally from nonsense and old time melodrama toward the realism which is now the keynote of popular literature and drama." So a foresighted fun maker changed his course somewhat and landed first in Mary Pickford's "Captain Kidd, Jr." and then in dozens of full length serious photoplays through which he rollicked with that same abandon that had already rendered him a universal favorite. Prominent parts with Nazimova and in all-star productions increased his scope and established a niche of his own in the scheme of picture things. We had arrived at the eighth hole before Victor Potel registered a kick. It's Just possible that an extra "put" for the seventh was some what responsible for the brief rebellion of th genial spirit, but the expression was significtl nevertheless. "The greatest flaw in the turnout of standard directors today is their small know edge of this comedy we have been discussin They feel that they need it in their plays, many of them are afraid of it. Breaking up dramatic situation with nonsense is a tickli job, 1 admit, but the man who undertakes direction of a photoplay without absolute sure of such technique is a bit premature in his pirations, it seems to me. A laugh after a te: is the more valuable of the two moments, nine cases out of ten it is the laugh that deco ates the cutting room door when they must 'g down to footage.' "Another instance of inexcusable comedy nei lect is illustrated in the favorite remark of half dozen directors, 'Vic, (or Bob or Bill Jerry) come on in here and do your stuff — let' see how funny you can be,' and this with l previous plans fur situation, characterization contrast. Pointless clowning is rarely valuab in any production and I'd like to go on recoi as protesting the lazy carelessness of the sever; directors who indulge in it. When the he roil weeps a reason is provided, out of justice to tl story, her performance and the audience's il telligence. The same should hold good wit the comedian, who needs perhaps more sul tlety and a far greater psychology than the s< artist." We pondered this last for a moment as w contemplated the ninth hole neatly accomplish* Slippery Slim had deliberately repossessed hin self of the little white object which had occ: sioned my recent travels, and now with glance at the descending dusk, remarked chee ily, "Guess that'll be about all."