Exhibitors Herald (Jan-Mar 1920)

March 13, 1920 EXHIBITORS HERALD 61 ■■■■■HimnnanaBnnnni With the Procession in Los Angeles ,., „,.,... ... By Harry Hammond Beall nmnimBiaanaaBanHaaDBBaninBL Charles Ray is sparing no expense in equipping his new studio with down-to-theminute appliances. He has just installed a photographic system for taking "still" pictures that is described as very complete. This department has been placed in charge of Arthur P. Marion. "The Man From Blankley's," one of Charles Hawtrey's successful stage media, has been secured by Jesse L. Lasky for Robert Warwick. Clarence Badger, the director who "put over" the cowboy star. Will Rogers, for Goldwyn, now has Raymond Hatton under his artistic care. t Sam W. B. Cohn, formerly Realart exploitation agent, has been engaged by C E. Shurtleff, Inc., as company publicist for "Burning Daylight," and the other Jack London stories Metro is producing with Mitchell Lewis, as star. Most any little girl would love to live in the nursery' that Viola Dana occupies in ''Eliza Comes to Stay." The walls of the room are a shell pink, with tall hollyhocks rising from the baseboards, and the side lights have soft, frilly pink shades. The woodwork is white, and the white enameled furniture has tiny wreaths of pink roses. Bessie Love has plunged with zeal into the work of filming her first independent production under her contract with the A. J. Callaghan company. The picture is being made at the Hollywood studios and directed jointly by Joseph de Grasse and Ida May Park : Jack Pickford has started on his newest Goldwyn picture, "The Double-Dyed Deceiver," under direction of Al Green. ■ Jack Sherwood, a former Canadian soldier, is National's new title artist. H. Thompson Rich has completed his first scrip for Metro, a picturization of Eugene Walter's "Fine Feathers," which will be May Allison's next feature. A section of Los Angeles Chinatown was practically remodeled for the exigencies of The Heart of a Child," Frank Danby's novel, in which Xazimova enacts a slum waif of the Limehouse district, London. Betty Compson, who sprang into prominence as a result of her work in "The Miracle Man," has organized a company and will make several star productions. Eddie Polo is going to change the spelling of his name. In the future it will be Eddy Polo. Eddy, it seems, is the Latin way of spelling the name, and since Polo is a Latin and was christened Eddy he sees no reason for spelling his name in the ordinary way. adhering to text and general atmosphere of the famous book itself, "Peck's Bad Boy" will be screened by the National Film Corp. Gordon Griffith, noted juvenile screen star, will be the "bad" boy, while William A. Seiter will direct. Doug. Fairbanks' new leading lady for his picture "The Makings" will be Ruth Renick, who has made most of her reputation on the stage as an ingenue. Charles Dickens' "Old Curiosity Shop" may be put on the screen with Bessie Love in the role of Little Nell. Reginald Barker has commenced directing Katherine Xewlin Bert's story, "The Branding Iron," in which beautiful Barbara Castleton has the part of Joan. She is supported by an all-star cast of Goldwyn players, headed by James Kirkwood. Marion H. Kohn of San Francisco is in Los Angeles to oversee production of his three new motion picture units, now engaged in turning out a series of short subjects. Mr. Kohn, who will make his headquarters at the National studios, has engaged Grace Cunard, Polly Moran and "Smiling Bill" Jones as stars. The Kohn productions will be state righted. The first showing of the National's first 1920 feature production. "The Kentucky Colonel," will be held in New York sooner than anticipated. According to Joe Brandt, the National's eastern representative, this feature will arrive there the last of February'It wiH be shown to buyers immediately. The cast includes Joseph J. Dowling. Francis McDonald. Elinor Field. Lloyd Bacon, Ora Drew, Frederick Vroom, Fred Kohler, Ed Brady. Thelma Salter and Gordon Griffith. According to studio advices the cost of the picture was over $150,000. According to advices from the Thomas H. Ince studios, the new I nee special. "Wheelbarrow Webster," featuring Lloyd Hughes, is a picture redolent of humor and human interest. Not the least of the comedy roles is played by "Teddy," the dog who made such a, hit in the Thomas H. Al" Meets a Lieut. Dressed in modern clothes, but otherwise Al Christie and Lieiit. M. J. Hagenian who had charge of the cinema shows aboard the S. S. George Washington while President Wilson passed to and fro between the V. S. and Europe. Ince production "Twenty-three and OneHalf Hours' Leave." . The first "shooting" of the new picture, "The U. P. Trail," started this week at the B. B. Hampton studio. Roy Stewart, who has been ill for more than a week with flu, is able to be out again and was in the cast of the Zane Grey story when the first scenes were taken. George Beban is making rapid progress on cutting "One Man in a Million," the super-film which Sol Lesser will nationally exploit and distribute. Beban, who wrote, directed, produced and played the lead, is reducing the film from a total footage of 121,000 to 6,500 feet. Maurice Tourneur has been working under difficulties for about a week, owing to the fact that several members of his company were ill. They have all returned to the studio, however, and he is now driving ahead in an endeavor to make up for the time which was lost. It seems that bad luck has been following Tourneur during the filming of his present picture, which is being adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Pavillion on the Links." About two weeks ago he took his entire company to Balboa to make some of the seashore scenes, but from the time they arrived until they left the dense fog made it impossible to take a single scene. C. E. Shurtleff, president and general manager of the producing company bearing his name, recently returned from San Francisco, where he made a trip in the interest of his initial release, '"Burning Daylight." The National now has a studio council which passes on all important matters connected with production. Reeves Eason, supervising western productions at Universal City, is now filming "Nose-in-the-Book," a comedy starring Hoot Gibson, supported by Mildred Moore, and featuring Breezy Eason, the cleverest youngster recently introduced on the screen. Victory Nulty has been made assistant general manager at the National. Nulty fought through the entire war with a division of shock troops. He was three times wounded and gassed. Claire Anderson, immediately upon the completion of "The Girl in Twenty-nine," in which she is playing the feminine lead opposite Frank Mayo, will assume the role of a girl of the underworld in "Virginia," an early Universal production. Jack Hoxie will resume his work with the National about the middle of March. He has been resting since the "Lightning Bryce" serial, in which he was starred. "Smiling" Bill Jones has started on the first of' his series' of one-reel comedies made by -National for the Marion H. Kohn productions. Bernie Burton has been placed in charge of all comedy continuity and cutting at the National studios. Neal Burns of Capitol comedy fame has a new leading woman. Her name is Lucille Rubev.