The Film Daily (1918)

Friday, November 8, 1918 ]££ DAILY Published Daily at 71-73 West 44th St. New York, N. T. By WID'S FILMS & FILM FOLK, Inc. F. C. ("WID") GUNNING President and Treasurer LYNDE DENIG, Editor Entered as second class matter May 21 1918, at the post office at New York, N. Y. under the Act of March 3, 1879. Terms (Postage free) United States, Outside of Greater New York, $10.00 one year; 0 months, $5.00; 3 months, $3.00. Foreign, $20.00 Subscribers should remit with order. Address all communications to WID'S DAILY, 71-73 West 44th St., New York, N. Y. Telephone: Vanderbilt 4^1 — 2 Cuts and Flashes Alice Joyce, Vitagraph star, is having a brief rest at a Virginia health resort. She will return to the studio soon. Miss Joyce has been steadily engaged in making pictures for more than a year. E. H. Kaufman, of the Inter-Ocean Film Co., has made the first sales in Scandinavia of Speer carbons. German-made carbons have always had the preference there. Milton Caplon, of the Variety Pictures Corp., of Baltimore, has bought "Carmen of the Klondike" from S. A. Lynch Enterprises for Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia. F. W. Fieghery, of the Wharton Releasing Corp., arrived in New York yesterday morning after a trip through Canada in the interest of "The Eagle's Eye," handled by the Exhibitors Distributing Corp. of Toronto. When Bessie Love's first Vitagraph Blue Ribbon feature, "The Dawn of Understanding," is released, J. Frank Glendon will be seen playing opposite her. Mr. Glendon was one of the featured players in the successful Vitagraph serial, "The Women in the Web." Mary Pickford's next appearance on the screen will be in "Captain Kidd, Jr.", to be released as an Artcraft picture. This film is already finished. Rida Johnson Young is the author of the original play which was a big success and Frances Marion, now doing war work in France, wrote the scenario. Back with Scenics Bruce Returns After Trying Experiences in Cascade Mountains Robert C. Bruce breezed into the offices of Vice-President Hammons of the Educational Films Corp. a few days ago, on his annual visit from the Pacific Coast to the distributing headquarters of his Northwestern scenics. Mr. Bruce carried with him baggage checks for twenty new one-reelers and a tale of a recent trying experience in the Cascade Mountains which had delayed his coming about a fortnight. "An October snowstorm," said the explorer, "pretty nearly put us all out of business at the finish of our most successfid season. It caught us on the slope of Glacier Peak about 6,000 feet elevation, twenty-five miles north of the Great Northern tunnel, and marooned us there for a week by heavy drifts that it was impossible to cross. We ran very short of rations, both men and horses, and but for a lucky thaw we would have been up there yet. Fortunately we succeeded in saving most of our equipment together with the pictures that we had been making of the Cascade Mountains." Mr. Bruce will devote the next month in the east to titling and editing the new material. A taste of its quality has already been seen in "Tales of the Tall Timber" and "A Wee Bit Odd." S>me of the most interesting "takes" were in the Yellowstone and Jackson's Hole regions of the Rockies, the remainder being principally in California, Oregon and Washington. Anyway, it was a merry half holiday. Helen Keller's Life Picture Made by Famous Woman Nearing Completion LOS ANGELES.— Helen Keller, the famous deaf-and-blind woman, is going to France, according to a statement made a few days ago. It is not certain when she will go, but the work she desires to do is in connection with the soldiers blinded in battle, and she feels she can be of practical value as well as delivering a message of hope and cheer. Miss Keller's feature picture, which she is making at the Brunton studios in Hollywood, is nearing completion. The story is by Dr. Francis Trevelyan Miller and is a narrative of Miss Keller's own life, with its theme the subject of achievement under handicap, jt will be in nine or ten reels. S. Foster Piatt is directing. The manner in which Miss Keller works in the picture is interesting. Through her teacher, Mrs. Macy, her director transmits his directions as to what the scene is to be. She memorizes and rehearses the scene, the rehearsals never being repeated more than once, as she has a marvelous memory, also a great sense of drama. Then the scene is photographed. She doesn't like the lights — says they "glare at her," making the air uncomfortably warm while she works. She has a code of signals with her director. She is so sensitive to vibration that a number of these signals consist of taps on the floor by her director's foot — one tap to start work, two to stop. And though a score of people may be moving about, she instantly recognizes his step through vibration, He also gives her a pat on the shoulder for a commendation, and a slight shake to criticize her work as not being up to standard. Almost no retakes have had to be made of scenes. Veteran Actor Dies William J. Shea, 56 years old, a lifelong actor, one of the oldest moving picture players in the country in years of service, and the first comedian of the Vitagraph company, died recently of heart disease, at his Brooklyn residence. "Bill" Shea, as he was known to hundreds in the profession and thousands of his admirers on the moving picture screen, was born in Dumfries, Scotland. Mr. Shea has interpreted many thousands of roles and always with the skill of an able actor. Greenwich Theatres, Inc., New York City has been chartered to operate picture theatres. Capital, $10,000. Directors: Nathan Frankel, Charles W. Ames, and Anna H. Wagner, 1485 Fifth Ave., New York City. Anthony Paul Kelly, playwright, now in the 'navy, is in New York awaiting orders to report at the Great Lakes Training station.