Motion Picture News (Jul-Oct 1915)

September 18, 1915. MOTION PICTURE NEWS 83 Hidden Psychic Art Talent Is Found in Blanche Sweet DeMille and Reieher, Directing Actress in Dual Personality Roles, Find a Latent Faculty of a High Order for Interpreting Female Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Types BLANCHE SWEET AND FRANK REICHER IN A DOUBLE EXPOSURE SCENE DURING "THE CASE OF BECKY" SINCE her appearance as the star in the photoplay production, "The Secret Orchard," Blanche Sweet, of the Lasky Feature Play Company, and one of the Paramount stars, has passed through a peculiar transition in her work as a screen artist. Miss Sweet, with only a few others, relatively, occupies a unique place among popular motion picture stars, as she is essentially of the screen and never appeared on the legitimate stage except in small roles and for only a short time. With "The Secret Orchard" Miss Sweet started a series of dual characterizations in her work for the Lasky company. In this play she appears as a young woman of refinement and sweet nature underneath whose calm poise lies a personality which is the result of pre-natal influence. In the screen version of "The Secret Orchard" this phase of the girl is only suggested, but nevertheless it is important. In her next Paramount picture the LaskyBelasco production, "The Case of Becky," Miss Sweet actually plays two different persons— Becky, who is mean and mischievous, and Dorothy, who is sweet and good. Here, again, pre-natalism figures as the cause of this strange feminine phenomenon as Dorothy's mother when a girl ran away with a hypnotist and for years was the subject of his wierd power. "The Case of Becky," which is by Edward Locke and which in dramatic form ran for a whole season in the Belasco theatre, New York, is considered by David Belasco to be among his best productions. Frank Reieher, who is one of the best known players on the American stage and who was stage manager for several years for the late Henry B. Harris, is the Lasky director under whom Miss Sweet has acted her past several roles, including "The Secret Orchard" and "The Case of Becky." Mr. Reieher, with the utmost co-operation from Cecil B. DeMille, director general of the Lasky Company, has been developing Miss Sweet's powers in the direction of dual characterizations even further than revealed in the two plays above mentioned. In her next Paramount picture after "The Case of Becky," Miss Sweet, it is learned, will act throughout a long feature play as "sisters." The accompanying photograph is one of the most interesting ever made in a motion picture studio. It shows a double exposure with two views of Blanche Sweet and in between is Mr. Reieher. The question is, where was Mr. Reieher when the two exposures were made? HAMILTON AND PARSONS IN NEW YORK CITY G. P. Hamilton, who resigned from the presidency of the Albuquerque Film Manufacturing Company, and William Parsons, president of the National Film Corporation, who left the Pacific Coast a few days ago, are now in New York City. RICHARD BUHLER, WHO HAS JUST JOINED THE RANKS OF LUBIN STARS SECOND RIALTO FEATURE ABOUNDS IN THRILLING SITUATIONS Thrilling situations crowd one upon another throughout the three reels of "The House With Nobody in It," second of the Rialto Star Features produced by the Gaumont Company for release in the regular Mutual program September 22. In this stirring drama, Ivy Troutman, popular young Broadway favorite, recently engaged by the Gaumont Company, makes her initial appearance as a Mutual star. She is supported by a cast which includes Bradley Parker and Frank Whitson. "The House With Nobody in It" was prepared for the screen by the Rev. Dr. Clarence J. Harris, Gaumont editor, and was produced under the direction of Richard Garrick, Gaumont director. The story of the photodrama centers about an exclusive home maintained by an aged woman, of whom her beautiful young daughter is her sole companion. At the death of her mother, the girl, now penniless, goes into the world to seek a living. A bachelor artist who scorns women meets the young girl by accident and finds himself facing the girl of whom he has so frequently dreamed but whom, he told himself, never existed outside of imagination. Later the now deserted mansion becomes the center of unexplained and continued flashes of lights, which appear every evening after dark. These mysterious flashes lead to reports that the house is haunted and the populace shun it as they would the plague. Many and varied are the experiences that meanwhile befall the young girl. TRIANGLE AUDITOR BEGINS NEW DUTIES P. M. Brinch, former chief auditor with the Mutual Film Corporation, who recently returned from his honeymoon, has taken up his duties as auditor of the Triangle Film Corporation. Mr. Brinch entered the film business in 1907 with Pathe Freres, remaining with that company until 1910. He visited the Pathe plants in France, and while on the continent made trips to Russia, Belgium and Germany for the study of film conditions in those countries. He returned after a six months' absence, and later became connected with the General Film Company as assistant auditor. He was made traveling auditor and visited every city in the United States and Canada where a film exchange was operated. After four years with the General Film he joined the forces of the Mutual. KLEINE ESTABLISHES OFFICE IN NEW ORLEANS Increasing business throughout the Middle South and in particular in the immediate neighborhood of New Orleans has made necessary the establishment of a George Kleine office in that city. This territory, which up to the present has been handled by the Atlantic branch, will be in charge of Howard Gail, with offices at 103 Nola building.