Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1939)

38 MOTION PICTURE HERALD December 16, 1939 DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS DIES IN HIS SLEEP Star, Producer, and United Artists Co-founder Began Career with Triangle Films in 1914 Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., actor, producer, and world traveler, a founder-partner of United Artists, died in his sleep at one a.m. Tuesday in his Santa Monica Beach home in California. Death followed a heart attack. Had Stage Career Mr. Fairbanks, born May 23, 1884, in Denver, Col., educated at Denver City schools and the Colorado School of Mines, forsook engineering to become an actor on the vaudeville and legitimate stage. At the age of 30, in 1914, after several years on the stage he started on a motion picture career in a film entitled "The Lamb." His entrance into the infant picture business was not an auspicious one. The Triangle Film Corporation, with David Wark Griffith, Thomas H. fnce and Mack Sennett as the leading lights, had just been formed. While Mr. Griffith was busy in California the Triangle chiefs scouted for talent in New York. Adams and Charles Kessel and C. O. Bauman signed the actor for Triangle. Mr. Fairbanks had been sought for pictures before when Daniel Frohman decoyed him into the Famous Players studio but that had come to naught. Now he was signed by Triangle for 10 weeks at $2,000 per week and Mr. Griffith wasn't any too pleased. Mr. Fairbanks was relatively unknown and Mr. Griffith had plenty to do. Terry Ramsaye, in "A Million and One Nights" says of that relationship : "Griffith was not pleased with the new star's athletic tendencies. Fairbanks seemed to have a notion that in a motion picture one had to keep eternally in motion, and he frequently jumped the fence or climbed a church at unexpected moments not prescribed by the script. Griffith advised him to go into Keystone comedies." Years later, in 1925, in an article that appeared in Vanity Fair Mr. Fairbanks said : "The art of the screen is almost purely emotional— as a painting, an opera, or a church service is emotional. Without sacrificing this most important value, it can not teach, philosophize, too much, or, in short attempt to address itself, as words do, to the thought processes." From 1914 to 1917 Fairbanks appeared in Triangle productions, including "Double Trouble," "Reggie Mixes In," "His Pictures in the Papers," "The Americano," "The Habit of Happiness," "The Matrimaniac," "Flirting with Fate," "The Good Bad Man," "The Half Breed" and "American Aristocracy." Joins Zukor In 1917 Adolph Zukor's star was in the ascendency and Triangle's was dimming. Zukor gathered into Artcraft all the major stars of Triangle and among these was Mr. Fairbanks. Douglas Fairbanks meanwhile had been driving himself upward into the top rank of stardom by dint of ability and crafty management. It was around that time that Charles Chaplin had signed that $670,000 contract and Mary Pickford had topped that with a million dollar contract signed by Mr. Zukor. Mr. Fairbanks was much in the company of these stars and publicity copy inspired by Benny Zeidman went forth containing the phrase "Doug will soon be in the same class with Charlie and Mary." He soon was. In the World War the Treasury Department down in Washington had sought the help of motion picture stars to sell the Liberty Loans. DOUG THE FIRST The stars included Fairbanks, Chaplin and Miss Pickford. They made personal appearances at meetings and little trailer pictures of them were added to theatre programs. This activity established acquaintance between the stars and William G. McAdoo, Secretary of the Treasury, and his publicity engineer, Oscar Price. It was Price who had suggested in those days : "Why don't you folks get together and distribute your own pictures? Incorporated in 1919 The idea bore fruit early in 1919. In McAdoo's Santa Barbara bungalow the old friends of the Liberty Loan campaigns talked it over. The friends included Mr. Fairbanks, Miss Pickford, Mr. Chaplin and Mr. Griffith. From this and subsequent meetings the United Artists Corporation of Delaware was incorporated in April of 1919 with Mr. Price as president and Mr. McAdoo its general counsel. These two withdrew from the company shortly and were followed by Mr. Griffith but Mr. Fairbanks, Mr. Chaplin and Miss Pickford continued on, the star's death on Tuesday marking the end of the triumvirate of partner-founders of United Artists that existed through many changes in the company's corporate and talent personnel. As his own producer and star, Mr. Fairbanks made such popular films as "His Majesty the American," "The Mollycoddle," "The Mark of Zorro," "The Three Musketeers," "Robin Hood," "The Nut," "The Thief of Bagdad," "Don Q, Son of Zorro," "The Black Pirate," "The Gaucho" and "The Iron Mask." "The Black Pirate" was made in 1925 and was the culmination of several years of tentative experimentation by Mr. Fairbanks with color. The film attempted to subdue hues and tones to escape the bold garishness which had characterized most color film products. Mr. Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, nee Gladys Mary Smith, were married on March 27th, 1920. He was 36, she 26 and for both it was a second marriage. Fairbanks first wife was Beth Sully, who bore him a son, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., on December 9, 1907, in New York, and the son followed his father to stardom in motion pictures. Miss Pickford had previously been married to Owen Moore, the actor. Their marriage and Pickfair, the picturesque estate outside Hollywood, which they had built, was much in the public print. Fifteen years later they were divorced. In 1936 Mr. Fairbanks married Lady Sylvia Ashley, former English actress, who was at their Santa Monica Beach home when death came to the actor-producer. Mary Pickford has since become the wife of Buddy Rogers, former screen actor and now a band leader. With the advent of sound Mr. Fairbanks costarred with Miss Pickford, then his wife, in "The Taming of the Shrew," all-talking film. Following the completion of "Reaching for the Moon," Mr. Fairbanks made a trip around the world and decided to combine business with pleasure. He made a film record of his travels and released this film December 12, 1931, under the title "Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks." This went so well that he decided to go into this sort of thing seriously. His next was "Mr. Robinson Crusoe." He joined Alexander Korda's London Films in 1933 and was instrumental in the Korda alliance as a partner with United Artists. He appeared in "The Private Life of Don Juan" for London Films in that year. In 1938 he formed a new company, Albion Films, and planned to make two or three films in Hollywood for United Artists release. Catholics Renew* Decency Pledge The congregations of Roman Catholic churches all over the country on Sunday repeated the pledge of the Legion of Decency, which was inaugurated six years ago by the bishops of the United States and which is renewed each year. The pledge follows : "I condemn indecent and immoral motion pictures, and those which glorify crime or criminals. "I promise to do all I can to strengthen public opinion against the production of indecent and immoral films, and to unite with all those who protest against them. "I acknowledge my obligation to form a right conscience about pictures that are dangerous to my moral life. As a member of. the Legion of Decency, I pledge myself to remain away from them. I promise, further, to stay away altogether from places of amusement which show them as a matter of policy." The Legion of Decency is supervised by an Episcopal committee composed of Archbishop John T. McNicholas of Cincinnati, chairman ; Archbishop John J. Cantwell of Los Angeles, Bishop Hugh C. Boyle of Pittsburg, Bishop John F. Noll of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Bishop Stephen J. Donahue, Auxiliary Bishop of New York. Of 11 pictures reviewed and classified by the National Legion of Decency in its listing for the current week four were approved for general patronage and seven were approved for adults. The films and their classification follow. Class A-l, Unobjectionable for General Patronage: "The Great Victor Herbert," "Henry Goes to Arizona," "Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday," "Two Thoroughbreds." Class A-2, Unobjectionable for Adults: "The Cisco Kid and the Lady," "Destry Rides Again," "The Devil Is an Empress" (Le Joueur D'Eches) (French), "Fugitive at Large,""Goose-Step" (Beasts of Berlin ). "The Return of Dr. X," "Tear Gas Squad."