Canadian Moving Picture Digest (Apr 1923-Apr 1924)

Se ‘Page Four First National Schedule for Current Six Months Production Program Announced by John McCormick on Authority of Richard A. Rowland—Amazing Array of Subjects. First ‘National’s production program for the next six months is definitely set. The schedule as announced by John McCormick, Western representative, after a telegraphic conference with Richard A. Rowland, the company’s general manager, includes the picturization of the best efforts of the literary world and of the stage. The program is to follow the First National announced plan to produce only that class of pictures worthy of showing in the highest grade theatres. Enhancing the program of produc-: tion to be made by the various independent producers releasing through First National is a series of comedy and dramatic plays by the company’s own producing units, which are directly under the supervision of Earl J. Hudson, production manager of those units. First in this list is “The Swamp Angel,” a screen version of Richard Connell’s story of the same title, now in production, featuring Colleen Moore and directed by Clarence Badger. Also in production now at the East Coast studios is a Norma Talmadge feature, “Secrets,” a picturization of the sensational New York stage play. Joseph M. Schenck has entrusted the direction of this dramatic gem to Frank Borzage, who during the past two years has piloted several First National pictures to success. A screen version of “Romeo and Juiet” also is included in Miss Talmadge’s forthcoming schedule. Another stirring feature in production is a Maurice Tourneur special, being produced by M. C. Levee. This is William Dudley Pelley’s ‘“Torment,” with Owen Moore and Bessie Love in the leading roles. A Thomas H. Ince offering is a farcial comedy, “The Galloping Fish,” featuring Louise Fazenda. From that same unit also will come a historical epic, “The Last Frontier,” a drama of the West dealing with the building of the first transcontinental railroad. The Principal Pictures program to be released by First National comprises “The Meanest Man in_ the World” and “When a Man’s a Man,” a screen adaption of Harold Bell Wright’s famous story. A second production of the First National’s own units is to be a pic turization of Wiliam vey : ke~ Before Buaing Pirturoc Ron? Th. TM... 4 get tional stage drama, “Lilies of the Field,” featuring Corinne Griffith. John Francis Dillon, who handled the directorial reins of “Flaming Youth,” will direct it. Another dramatic type of picture to be made by the same organization is to be “The Woman on the Jury,” a version of the play which proved popular on Broadway. A fourth in the series will be the history-reflecting epic of the fast-fading cattle country, “Sundown,” written by Earl J. Hudson. To film this picture the company will go into Mexico, where most of the scenes will be taken on the largest fenced-in ranch in the world. Constance Talmadge, who just finished the star role in “The Dangerous Maid,” is to be seen in two brilliant screen comedy dramas. These are “Alias Nora O’Brien” and “The Mirage,” both adapted from outstanding stage successes. Frank Lloyd, whose first independent production, “Black Oxen,” cofeaturing Conway Tearle and Corinne Griffith, is being edited and titled, will produce “The Sea Hawk,” Raphael Sabatini’s glorious sea story, a book which for months has stood as one of the six best sellers of fiction. Rex Beach’s story of the oil fields, “Flowing Gold,” will go into immediate production by Richard Walton Tully. Joseph De Grasse will direct it and the two principal parts will be in the hands of Milton Sills and Anna Q. Nilsson. From the Edwin Carewe unit will come “A Son of the Sahara” and “Snake Bite.” The Los Angeles producing director is to make the former in Algiers. A company, including * Bert Lytell, Claire Windsor, Walter McGrail and Rosemary Theby, will leave for Africa within two weeks to begin on this virile story of the desert. Eastern studios also will make a conspicuous contribution to the program. George Fitzmaurice, just returned from Rome after filming Hall Cane’s masterpiece, “The Eternal City,” is to immediately begin “Cytherea,” a highly dramatic feature, at the Fort Lee Studios. _ The Richard Barthelmess offerings include “Twenty-one,” now being completed ; “The Enchanted Cottage” and a historical feature, “Nathan Hale.” CANADIAN MOVING PICTURE DIGEST Two Special Units Work Side by Side Within thirty feet of each other on one of the Universal City’s big stages, two of ,the most elaborate productions which will be offered by Universal Pictures Corporation in the coming year, are well into production. These are “My Mamie Rose” and “The Turmoil.” “My Mamie Rose” is the first starring vehicle of the “Merry-Go-Round” girl, Mary Philbin, whose sensational rise to fame has been the talk of papers and public alike. Irving Cummings is directing the filming of the Owen Kildare novel, with Katie Price, Pat O’Malley, William Collier, jr., Max Davidson, Edwin Brady, Charlie Murray and other notable players in support of the young star. “The Turmoil” is the Hobart Henley production which will follow “A Lady of Quality” on the screen. It is Booth Tarkington’s novel, which will be produced with the purpose of making it twice as big a success as “The Flirt,’ another Tarkington story which Henley made some time ago and which was an exceptional success. George Hackathorne of “Merry-Go-Round,” Emmett Cortigan, a New York stage star, Eleanor Boardman, Pauline Garon, EKilees Percy, Edward Hearn, Bert Roach, Buddy Messinger, Kenneth Gibson, Theodore Von Eltz and others of the screen’s best known players will be seen in the production. To Face Charge of Selling Fake Stock to Innocent Serbs Siberians all over Canada have been defrauded by a fellow-countrymat, Milan Gnjalovitch of Montreal, it's alleged, in the sale of fake stock certificates for Loew’s Ottawa theatre Limited, and Loew’s Metropolitan theatres, Limited, Montreal. The offender was traced to Calgary, Alberta where he was arrested at the reque of the Federal authorities. Whet taken by the Calgary detectives, he was found to have a considerable number of counterfeit share cert cates of the theatres. The Serbul Consul for Canada recently issued circulars to Serbians throughout country to warn them not to buy an} stocks offered by the alleged fait seller. Gnjalovitch is to be sale to Eastern Canada for court proceet ings. Y W. R. MacLaren of Maclaret’ theatre, Grand Falls, N.B., was 4 id itor in St. John recently, visiting '* exchanges and seeing about his wi" ter_program. AJ 7 rte ~ce