Motion Picture News (Jul-Aug 1916)

July 22, 1916 MOTION PICTURE NEWS 405 of production; Colin Campbell, William Robert Daly, T. N. Heffron and Marshall Neilan are directors. At the present time much of the production of the Selig Company is being carried on at their Chicago studios, and at locations in the east. Expansion on the part of the L-KO Company caused the need of a much larger studio, and now they occupy the entire plant formerly used by all Universal Companies in Hollywood. Here five companies are used in the production of L-KO comedies, and the sixth producing organization is that headed by Francis Ford and Grace Cunard which is making the " Peg o' the Ring " serial for Universal release. During the year a three-story, artificially lighted studio and a mammoth tank and other improvements were added so that more thrilling comedies could be made. Four aeroplanes were recently added to the equipment of the studio. With the intention of producing a series of California historical subjects, the Monrovia Feature Film Company was organized about eight months ago by citizens of Monrovia, a foothill city twentj-five miles east of Los Angeles. The studio is located there, and the company has the exclusive use of a large tract of land with varied and beautiful scenery where exteriors for their films are made. The first of the series of pictures is " The Argonauts of California." which was recently completed, and is now playing its first engagement at San Francisco. The picture consists of ten reels. The producing organization is now working on the second, " The Daughter of the Don," likewise to be of ten reels, which will be ready for release in August. Both stories were written by Winfield Hogaboom, and produced under the direction of Henry Kabierske. Later " When the Gringoes Came." is to be filmed. Those appearing in the present subject are Marie McKeen, Hal. Cooley, V. O. Whitehead, Grant Churchill, Hubert Whitehead, \\"illiam' Ehfe, G. Hall Damon, William Rieffle. G. H. Hubert, Frances Burnham, Josephine Dillon, Madeline Matzen, Pearl Prince and others. The board of directors is composed of R. M. Francisco, president; C. D. Holmes, vice-president; L. E. Frey, vice-president; and George B. Holmes, secretary and treasurer. I Fox Makes Important Entry Into Film Colony | Perhaps the most important addition to the west coast producing colony is that of the Fox Film Corporation. In December, General Manager W. R. Sheehan, brought the first producing organization to the coast. This was in charge of Director Oscar Apfel. The Looking at One of the Fox Film Corporation's West Coast Stud.os Selig Edendale studio was leased, and a number of improvements made, including the erection of a 70 by 100 foot exterior stage. The plant is a very efficient one, having elegant offices, laboratories, carpenter shops, scene and property store rooms, a glass studio 50 by SO. an exterior stage 50 by 50, and an artificial lake 40 by 40 and SO deep. The latter part of February the second companj with R. A. Walsh as director was brought to the coast, and early in June, the third producing organization was added when Richard Stanton was employed as director. The Apfel Company is composed of William Farnum, H. J. Hebert, Willard Louis, William Burress, H. A. Barrows and Gladys Brockwell, with Lester Scott and John Meighn as assistants, and Alfredo Gondolfi and Harry Gerstad as cameramen. Director Walsh is assisted by J. A. Marcus, Gordon Cooper, and Len Powers. George Benoit is cameraman, and the players are Milton Sills, John Reese, Charles Clary, Arthur Mackley, and Miriam Cooper. Director Stanton has as his players, George Walsh, Anna Luther, Hershall Mayall, Edward Cecil, Harry Devere, and Scott Dunlap as assistant. _The stafif is composed of M. Morris, auditor; George Grenler, technical superintendent ; E. E. Rogers, employment agent ; Reed Heustis, publicity and scenario writer ; W. E. Meuselbach, superintendent of laboratories. The Fox Film Corporation through the general western manager, A. Carlos, this week made a long term lease on the studio built by the National Drama Corporation, and shortly will begin the production of short comedies. Selection for the producing stafiF for these is now in the hands of Mr. Carlos who announced that shortly several companies will begin work there. I Vitagraph Located On Eleven Acres of Rolling Country j After four very successful years at Santa Monica, the Western studios of the Vitagraph were adjudged too small, and after weeks of searching on the part of Producing Manager Rollin S. A Glimpse of the Vitagraph Western Studio, Hollywood Sturgeon and Business Manager William S. Smith, Hollywood property was selected and a new studio built. The grounds consist of eleven acres of rolling country. Building was started in October, and in December every department was moved to the new location. The studio has an open air stage, 75 by 150, with adequate dressing rooms, carpenter shops, laboratories and offices, which were completed while a greater number of the organization's stock company were absent with Producing Manager Rollin S. Sturgeon, who was then in the Bear Lake Valley district filming " God's Country — and the Woman." Recently additional dressing rooms and consultation offices for directors were added. The producing organization consists of three companies. Director Sturgeon, besides supervising the production of the other directors, devotes practically all of his time to the making of Vitagraph Blue Ribbon subjects. Other directors are William Wolbert and Dave Smith, both of whom make one, two and three-reel comedies and dramas. Business ^Manager W. S. Smith is responsible for the very efficient plant which has arisen under his supervision, and he promises additional improvements in the form of a great indoor stage, to be erected within a short time at the eastern end of the present large open air stages. Harry B. Harris is in charge of the photography ; Laura Belt is manager of the employment bureau, and Doris Schroeder is publicity writer. The Vitagraph stock company includes \\'illiam