Motion Picture News (Nov-Dec 1925)

Motion Picture News Frank Lloyd, First National producer-director, with Mrs. Lloyd and daughter Alma, photographed aboard the Empress of Australia sailing for a four months' vacation in the Orient follotving the completion of "The Splendid Road." TWHEN LAUDER TITLED A FILM ITLES for pictures, so vitally important at the box-office, come from a thousand and one sources. The origin of one, that of Chaplin's "A Dog s Life," has just come to light, in connection with Pathe's reissue of this subject. It seems that Harry Lauder was visiting the Chaplin studio at the time, and after seeing the quiet elegance and comfort of the place he turned to Chaplin with a twinkle in his eye and said: "It's a dog's life you're leading these days, Charlie, a dog's life!" And this chance remark inspired Charlie to make his famous comedy of that name. A CASTING BY SKETCH N interesting production innovation is being tried out by Cecil B. De Mille in connection with "The Volga Boatman," the second independent production to be personally directed by him. He has engaged Sayre Groesbeck to sketch for him his visualization of the various characters in the story. Groesbeck knows Russian types intimately, his sketches for the London Graphic made at Archangel having attracted widespread attention. He drew for Mr. De Mille the various characters as he saw them, and these sketches are being used to assist the casting director and the costume department in the selection of the proper actors and wardrobe. The idea has tremendous potential possibilities, and the sketches which we reproduce here this week speak more eloquently than words of the value they possess. SSAM RORK— FASHION CREATOR AM RORK, whose "Clothes Make the Pirate" opens next week at the Circle in Indianapolis, is known as a picture producer of outstanding merit rather than as a creator of feminine fashions but it looks as though he might win fame for the latter as well. Just two years ago "Ponjola" started its sensational run, with Anna Q. Nilsson wearing a close-cropped, mannish haircut. Now you see that particular coiffure (or lack of one) on every side. Exactly two years later, "Clothes Make the Pirate" will open at the Mark Strand theatre in New York. In this picture Leon Errol's costume is distinguished by an extremely short pair of pants — and Sam is wondering whether that fad, too, will sweep the nation. KPAUL TERRY— ZOO KEEPER ARL K. KITCHEN, columnist of the New York Evening World, tells an amusing anecdote about "Aesop's Film Fables," created by Paul Terry for Pathe release. It seems that while standing in the lobby of the Hillside theatre, in the New Jersey town of that name, Alexander Okin, manager, overheard this conversation between a man and woman leaving the theatre: The Man — "Did you like the pictures, Bess?" The Girl — "They were pretty good, especially the 'Aesop's Fables.' " The Man — "You're right. Ain't it wonderful how they train those animals?" J RIVALLING THE MASTERS OSEPH AUGUST, a veteran cameraman for Fox despite his years, has achieved another artistic success, according to reports of his work on "The Ancient Mariner," transformed into a motion picture play by Fox Films from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's immortal poem. He was responsible for the new and startling photographic innovations in "Dante's Inferno," which he is said to have excelled in "The Ancient Mariner." Gustave Dore, whose masterly engravings for the "Inferno" and the "Mariner" remain unapproached to this day in fanciful conception, could not have visioned more effective scenes than August has achieved with his motion picture camera, it is said. O STARS TO THE SHORTS NCE again the National Board of Review awards all of its asterisks, denoting merit, to short subjects, with none of the feature releases voted as warranting the distinction. The short subjects so honored are: "Buster's Nightmare," one of the Buster Brown comedies of Century-Universal; "The Amundsen Polar Flight," Pathe; and two issues of Pathe Review, Nos. 47 and 48. Four of the remarkable character sketches of Russian types by Don Sayre Groesbeck for the guidance of the casting director and costume department in planning Cecil B. De Mille's production for Producers Dist Corp., "The Volga Boatman." Left to right: The boatman turned revolutionist, to be played by William Boyd; Mariusha after the revolution, Jetta Goudal; Vera, the aristocratic Russian heroine, Elinor Fair; Prince Dmitri, to be played by Victor Varconi.