Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

2028 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 14. No. 13 Scenes Showing Specially Built House Erected on Location and Afterward Burnt Down for an Episode of Kalem's " Girl from 'Frisco " Series A number of very large sets are being prepared under the direction of Technical Director George Grenier at the Fox studios. One of these represents Chinatown and is being built for a Walter Reed comedy. Another represents a Mexican village, and there are between thirty and forty adobe houses which Director Richard Stanton will " shoot up " upon his return from El Paso. Stanton's production also requires . a mammoth ballroom set of sufficient size to accommodate seven hundred people. Morris to Leave for East M. Morris, who since the coming of the Fox producing organization to the west coast has served as studio auditor and accountant for the west coast exchanges, has been recalled to the New York office where he will do similar work. Mr. Morris will leave as soon as a substitute arrives in Los Angeles. On the way east he will make a tour through the coast and middle west states visiting Fox exchanges. In the east Mr. Morris will do special work for Fox. Roy McCray and Rube Miller of the Vogue organization have been sitting up nights figuring out additional thrills for an ammunition factory two-reel comedy. Ben Turpin in this will be seen riding all kinds of projectiles, and it is feared his earthly career will end in the explosion of the big ammunition factory. Teddy, a very well trained dog who came to Los Angeles on big time vaudeville, has been engaged for one picture to be made by Director Henry Kernan and company. The dog foils a big robbery by dashing away to the ocean with a stick of dynamite in his mouth, and chases the criminals so close that they go over a cliff in a barrel. Paddy McQuire, who claims the distinction of never working behind a ribbon counter, is destined to pull some of the comedj^ for this two-reeler. Arthur Moon will be the lover and Gypsy Abbott takes the part of the sweetheart. Ninety days were needed for the filming of a two-reel Keystone titled " She Loved a Sailor," which was completed last week. Hugh Fay takes the part of an inventor who perfects shoes that will enable a person to walk on water, and the most trying scene for the company was the one which showed people from a wrecked ship walking on the water to land. This is said to be the most difficult story ever filmed by a Keystone company. Twenty-five thousand feet of negative film was exposed in the making, and it required sixteen days for Director Victor Herrman to complete the cutting. Members of the producing staff who witnessed the film at the studio prior to its shipment claim it will be the greatest released from the Mack Sennett comedy foundry. The remarkable photographic effects secured for this picture are credited to Fred Jackman. Director Clarence Badger has completed the filming of the Keystone titled The Danger Girl," which features Gloria Swanson as the girl who disguises as a boy to prove to her brother and sweetheart that the vampire is only vamping with them. Reggie Morris takes the part of the brother and Bobbie Vernon is the sweetheart. One of the big thrills in this is the wild ride of Bobbie Vernon in a hotel bus which ends with a dash through a ten-foot plate glass. Felix Joins Keystone Stock George Felix, late of the vaudeville team of Felix and Barry, has been added to the Keystone Stock Company. Harry Edwards has finished the subject which stars Fred Mase as the fire chief in " A Lover's Might." Harry Gribbon is the police chief, the heavy, who sets fire to the mayor's home that he may rescue the mayor's daughter, but the fire chief, Fred Mace in his original role, a rival for the hand of the girl, wins by rescuing her. One of the big scenes is that of the firemen's ball, which, bj the way, was a regular night for all members of the Keystone producing staff. Exposed negative stock received at the Los Angeles laboratory of the Signal Film Corporation from Director J. P. McGowan and the Helen Holmes Company now working at Areata and Eureka, Cal., which has been developed, shows some very unusual sea pictures made possible by a recent wreck of the ill-fated passenger steamer Bear at Cape Mendocino. On the day these scenes were made for the second episode of the " Lass of the Lumberlands " serial, according to letters from players, a high sea was running, and it was dangerous for everyone who participated in the scenes. Everj feature of life-saving was demonstrated by members of the crew, who remained on board even though the boat has been aground for several weeks. The ship will be known as the Marathon in the serial. Director McGowan and company were given permission to make scenes in all parts of the boat, including the chart room and the wheel house, ordinarily sacred aboard any vessel. Another coast passenger steamer in the harbor was used to secure scenes of the boat underway, and these were shot as the City of Eureka crossed the Humbolt bar of the Eureka harbor, which is acknowledged the roughest harbor entrance on the west coast. Signal Players Now Are " Lumberjacks " Practicallj' every male member of the Signal Company has been initiated and is now a full-fledged lumberjack. They have all taken part in a log jam on Mad River and one by one have received the ducking which comes to the tenderfoot. The oldtimers at the lumber camp daily have great sport with the players when they arrive back at the little hotel bedraggled and water oozing from every seam of their clothing and boots. Everjone who has at Lucille Younge as the Vampire in " Old Folks at Home " (Fine Arts-Triangle)