Motion Picture News (May-Jul 1916)

May 20, 1916. MOTION PICTURE NEWS 3041 Metro Plans Elaborate Summer Feature Production Irene Fenwick Will Begin Work in a Series of Plays with Ralph Herz — Her First Vehicle Will Be "The Purple Lady,' a Five Part Subject by Sydney Rosenfeld — Mabel Taliaferro Signed for Eleven Productions— Breese Soon Begins Another Robert W. Service Feature METRO'S early summer announcement includes plans for the production of many elaborate features and the engagement of new talent, including Irene Fenwick, the popular stage and screen star, who will begin immediately upon a series of Metro Wonderplays. Ralph Herz, one of the foremost comedians in the country, is also a new member of the Metro family and will appear with Miss Fenwick in all her productions. The first production in w hich Miss Fenwick will be starred on the Metro program is "The Purple Lady." This five-part feature was writte.i by Sydney Rosenfeld, the playwright. All the Fenwick screen plays will be produced under the supervision of Edwin Carewe, one of the foremost directors in the profession. Miss Fenwick was last seen on the screen in five feature productions in which she was starred and which were produced last year by George Kleine. Miss Fenwick will not give up the speaking stage altogether, but, like Ethel Barrymore, Emily Stevens and other Metro stars, will find time away from the studio to appear at the theatre. At present she is playing a starring engagement at the Fulton theatre in "The Co-respondent." Mabel Taliaferro, who has appeared on the Metro program in "The Snowbird" and "Her Great Price," two five-part productions that have been pronounced artistic triumphs, has signed a long time contract with Metro which insures her appearance in at least eleven productions on that program. She will begin work on the first one immediately, which will be called" The Good Little Bad Girl." This feature was written especially for Miss Taliaferro. Taliaferro Pictures Directed by Carewe Edwin Carewe will personally direct all of the Taliaferro productions. He produced both "Her Great Price" and "The Snowbird" for the Metro program. Every production Mr. Carewe has made for Metro has been unusually successful, and he has never made a failure. Among some of his best efforts are "Destiny; or, the Soul of a Woman," starring Emily Stevens; "The House of Tears," with the same star, and "The Final Judgment," with Ethel Barrymore in the stellar role. Another important addition to the long list of Metro stars, who will begin work on her first production, is Viola Dana, formerly of the Edison forces. She will make her debut on the Metro program in "The Flower of No Man's Land." This feature was written by John Collins, who will also direct its production. Mr. Collins is one of the ablest of the younger directors, and produced all of Miss Dana's features at the Edison studio. Among the notable Metro productions of the year will be the six-part feature, "Romeo and Juliet," with Francis X. Bushman and Beverlv Bavne in the stellar roles. This production will be made apropos of tli'3 Shakespearean tercentenary, which is be ng celebrated throughout the civilized vi rid. Within a short time Metro will 11 ake an additional important announcement icj^arding the program planned for the presentation of Mr. Bushman and Miss Bayne on the Metro program. The scenario department, under the direcfion of Arthur James, has been enlaig(;d considerably. The staff includes Har.-y O. Hoyt, Charles W. Taylor, Howard Irving Young, L. R. Stark, Leander de Cordova and others engaged in reading 'scripts and rewriting scenarios. On accoi nt of the high-class material demanded fo' ihe Metro-Drew one-reel weekly comedies, produced by Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew, difficulty has been experienced in obtaining the manuscript for them. They are always in the market for good, live, clever and wholesome comedies, and the lop price is being paid for them. Harold Lockwood and May Allison have begun work on their second Metro play. The previously announced name of the production, "The Night Rider," has been changed to "The Masked Rider." The exteiiors for this feature are being made in the hills of North Carolina under the direction of Fred J. Balshofer. The two stars have a strong supporting company, including Lester Cuneo, the well-known heavy leading man. "The Quitter" Next Barrymore Lionel Barrymore, whose next production, "Dorian's Divorce," is scheduled for release on the Metro program June 5, is also engaged on a new production, "The Quitter," which is novel in both theme and production. This five-part feature is being produced under the direction of Charles Horan. Mme. Petrova, who has just completed "The Scarlet Woman," is at work on a new five-part production which will likely be called "Dress." Marguerite Snow and Director William Nigh are the stars of "Notorious Gallagher," a unique story of the slums and the upper crusts of society, written and directed by Mr. Nigh. It will be an early release on the Metro program. Edmund Breese, who has just completed "The Spell of the Yukon," will begin work shortly on another big five-part feature, based upon another poem by Robert W. Sergice, the "Kipling of the North." Some time during the early summer Metro will put into production picturizations of Ella Wheeler Wilcox's greatest poems. Metro has exclusive rights to all her writings and they will be adapted for the screen by Charles A. Taylor. Triangle Will Produce Two Reel Subjects Pictures of This Length Will Be Made at Intervals by Regular Directors and With the Same Fine Art Stars Appearing in the Five Reelers players of the producing staff. This actor realized the advantage of appearing in short T^HAT two-reel subjects for the Triangle subjects, and willingly accepted 1 nro^ram are to be made at the Grif the role in this picture. He is to play the Special to Motion Picture News. Los Angeles, May 6. 'HAT two-reel subjects for the Triangle program are to be made at the Griffith studio in Hollywood, became known this week when announcement was made by Frank E. Woods, manager of production. According to the plans at present laid out, subjects of this size will be made at inter\als by the regular directors of the staff, with the same Fine Art stars that appear in five-reel subjects. The reason for this, it is stated, is the insistent demand from exhibitors for shorter subjects to run in connection with five-reel productions. The two-reel photoplays will consist of light comedy dramas, with the same quality of story as used in other Fine Art productions. This plan has so far progressed that two directors were assigned filming of such photoplays this week. The first to begin work was John Emerson, who has just completed the production of "Macbeth," with Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. Douglas Fairbanks is to be the star of this subject, and when it is recalled that Emerson directed the filming of "His Picture in the Papers," with Fairbanks, there is cause for expectation of a very good picture. This is a radical departure, as Fairbanks is one of the highest-salaried part of a secret service man of a different type than usually seen in pictures. The play deals with a class of wealthy persons who are under suspicion by government officials, as there is no visible source of their income. Fairbanks will have the support of A. D. Sears, Alma Ruben, W. E. Lowery, Eagle Eye, George Hall, with Bessie Love in the opposite lead. The second two-reel subject is that which will star Fay Tincher. She will be remembered as having characterized the stenographer in the one-reel Komic brand made at this studio, and will have the support of Max Davison, Jack Cosgrove, and Edward Dillon, who will also direct the production. Miss Tincher plays the part of an unusually fresh sales girl. HOADLEY COMPLETES fflS FIRST SCENARIO FOR "BEAUTY" Harold Hoadley, who recently became a member of the Beauty-Mutual scenario department, has completed his first scenario. It will be released under the title of "Perkin's Mystic Manor," and will feature Orral Humphrey.