Motion Picture News (Jan-Feb 1916)

February S, 1916. MOTION PICTURE NEWS 699 TENSE MOMENTS IN CHAPTER SIX OF THE SIGNAL-MUTUAL SERIAL, "THE GIRL AND THE GAME," WITH HELEN HOLMES FOUR FAMOUS PLAYERS AT STRAND IN ONE MONTH A new Broadway mark was established by the Famous Players Film Company during the last month, when four of that concern's features were shown in succession at the Strand theatre in New York. These four productions were "Lydia Gilmore," "The Foundling," "Mice and Men," and "My Lady Incog.," in which Pauline Frederick, Mary Pickford, Marguerite Clark and Hazel Dawn were respectively starred. Though this company, as well as other producers, have had simultaneous exhibitions of two features on Broadway at different theatres, this is the first instance in which the foremost motion picture house in the country has been devoted to the productions of any one concern for an entire month. Lasky as Chairman Raises Money for Actors' Fund President of Feature Play Company While Serving on California Motion Picture Committee of Million Dollar Campaign Organization Makes Favorable Report to Goldfish SELIG-"TRIBUNE" BRINGS TELEGRAMS AND LETTERS TO THE COMPANY Telegrams and letters arriving at the Chicago offices of the Selig Polyscope Company, testify to the favor with which the Selig-Tribune is being received all over the country, says an announcement from the company. The posters, the methods of presenting the news features of the day, the film captions printed in three languages, English, German and Italian, and other innovations are the subjects of favorable comment. LOS ANGELES will practically declare an Actors' Fund holiday on Thursday, February 10, according to an announcement made this week by Jesse L. Lasky, president of the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company. Mr. Lasky arrived in New York last Saturday from the Pacific Coast where, as chairman of the California Motion Picture Committee of the Actors' Fund Million Dollar Campaign, he had just completed arrangements for the raising of a large sum among the persons interested in the motion picture industry. Samuel Goldfish, executive head of the Lasky company, is the chairman of the general committee appointed by Daniel Frohman. Mr. Lasky in making his report to Mr. Goldfish says that unquestionably other cities besides Los Angeles will join in a concerted movement toward the million dollar campaign on February 10. The two-month campaign will open Thursday, February 10, on which day stars from various studios will appear in person at the different Los Angeles motion picture theatres. Tickets will be sold on the streets by the leading artists, good for admission to any of the motion picture theatres. An extra charge will also be made by "Girl and the Game" Company Goes to Nevada Desert Helen Holmes Picks Wild, Rocky, Mountainous Country with Levels of Alkali Plains for Her Next Thrilling Stunts in Railroad Play HELEN HOLMES and Director J. P. McGowan have taken their "Girl and the Game" company to the arid desert regions at Las Vegas, Nev., where the work of producing Frank H. Spearman's thrilling railroad film play will be continued without interruption by unfavorable weather. This precaution has been taken to prevent delay. The locality chosen by Miss Holmes is a wild, rocky, mountainous country which gradually levels into alkali plains. There is a small railroad town which furnishes all the settings necessary for forthcoming exciting chapters of which fully three or four will be made among these surroundings. A lucky coincidence is that the next few chapters of "The Girl and the Game" call for Nevada scenes — the wild wastes, the regular yellow lands and the town that simply exists because of the railroad. Reports from the company tell of the great enthusiasm with which the production is being carried on in the new location. Miss Holmes has some new surprises in store, which are being carefully guarded until the film is ready. the managers of the vaudeville and "legitimate" theatres for their seats on that day, and it is expected that a large sum of money will be raised in that manner. Following this, on Saturday, February 12, a big ball will be given in one of the principal hotels and money received for the sale of tickets will be turned over to the fund. On Friday, March 3, Al Levy, the wellknown host, will give a special "Actors' Fund Night" at his celebrated gastronomical palace. Tables will be reserved and 60 per cenc. of the gross receipts of that evening will be presented to the committee. The campaign will be concluded Friday evening, March 31, with a monster benefit at the largest theatre obtainable in Los Angeles. This benefit will run from one to six o'clock and all the principal stars appearing at the legitimate theatres and the photographic stars from the various studios will do stunts. A number of other plans are well under way to fill in the intervening time. These will be announced later. The first day the notice asking for subscriptions to the Actors' Fund of America was placed in the Lasky studio over two hundred and fifty dollars was promised. The Ince, Keystone, Griffith and Universal studios have also posted these requests for funds and a great amount of money has been underwritten. FIRE AT FINE ARTS STUDIO FAILS TO CHECK PRODUCTION A slight fire in David W. Griffith's Triangle Fine Arts studios destroyed a small amount of negative. As many positive prints had already been made from this negative it can easily be replaced. The studio fire fighters responded immediately to a general alarm and work was resumed in the cutting department within fifteen minutes after the blaze was discovered. Production of Triangle plays will not be hindered by the fire and new features are being completed daily.