Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

2030 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 14. No. 13 Scenes from Some of the Early Autumn American Releases on the Mutual Program. Left to Right, Lost Love " (Nos. 2, 3 and 5) and " Matchin' Jim " are the principals and others in the cast are Rex Roseli and Gertrude Messinger. Director Douglas Gerrard is playing the featured part in a one-reel subject, "The Keeper of the Gate," that of a monk who longs for a bit of the worldly joys and leaves his post to participate in a carnival of the villagers. There he falls madly in love with a dancer. The first rays of the morning sun cause him to realize what he has done and he returns, to find another in his garb at the gate, who proves to be the Christus, and who disappears upon the return of the monk. Ruth Clifford is the dancer and Albert McQuarrie the Christus. Donald Macdonald has just completed directing a one-reel gangster story, which gives Lee Hill the leading part, that of a detective, who makes it possible for a daughter of a ganster to lead a straight life, despite the efforts of the father's former associates to prevent it. The story provides a number of big fight scenes. Charles Mailes plays the role of the gang leader and Clyde Benson appears as one of the principal lieutenants. Brownie Vernon is the girl. Macdonald will ne.xt direct Leah Baird, supported by Lee Hill and Lois Wilson, in " The Better Woman." " Tony Plays Ragtime " is a one-reel character story of the violinist of a cheap cafe, which gives Bugner Larton the name role. Others appearing in this story, written and being filmed by Maxwell Ryder and Jack Cunningham, are John Connoly and Claire McDowell. Fred A. Kelsey has just filmed "The Spanish Woman," with Leah Baird in the leading part, that of a Mexican woman who weds an American, and is content to kill herself and child in order to induce the Mexican troops to imbibe food that has been poisoned that she may avenge the murder of her husband. Hector Sarno appears as the heavy, Franklyn Farnum as the husband and Charles Pearly in a character role. A comedy drama of one reel is in production under the direction of Harry Millarde, titled " Romantic Rosalice's Romance." In this a novel reading professor and a stenographer who indulges in the same pastime are brought into a romace not of the printed page. Flora Parker De Haven, Calvert Carter and Paul Byron play in this picture. John AIcDermott has been directing the dream of husband and his wife, in which each see the cause of their unhappiness. Both are placed on their right foot for a new start for connubial bliss. Ed Sedgwick is the hubby and Betty Shade the wife. Nine one-reel comedies were put in production during the past week. Three of these were filmed by P. C. Hartigan, in both of which Ernie Shields appeared in the featured part. " Hearts and Watches " was written by Charles J. Wilson and is a mix up of the manager who secures a watch and gives it to his stenographer when it was intended as a gift to his wife from one of the manager's assistants. The passing of the present is done by a pawnshop ticket. Hartigan produced this comedy of 83 scenes in five and a half hours. Another one is " A Prehistoric Discovery," with Lord Helpus delving about in an Indian graveyard for relics, which starts a chase with many of the braves taking part. A clever dog is used to help the lord escape, which is accomplished by the canine holding one end of a rope in his mouth while his master walks across a canon on it. The third consists of the attempts of this same character in discovering oil by the aid of an oil hound. The title is " Lord Helpus Discovers Oil." " Open Windows " William Beaudine had the task of his sweet young life in directing " Open Windows," a one-reeler by Charles Wilson, in which a husband employs a friend to disguise as a notorious second-story man and enter his home to steal his wife's jewelry, that she will be more careful to keep the house locked. The plans go astraj-, for the real burglar goes to the home first and the wife, having learned of her husband's plans, roj ally entertains the visitor by serving him lunch and placing all her valuables where he may get them without trouble. The usual Joker company cast appears in this. A series of " Sweedy " comedies is being made from stories by Harry Wulze, each of which give the featured part to Wallace Beery, who is in charge of direction. The first is " Sweedy's New Job." Another one-reel picture made by this company, which has Belle Bennett for leading woman, is titled " The Janitor's Jamboree." The city council passing an ordinance prohibiting the posting of bills on fences, liarns or other stationary objects, causes the village billposter to find new avenues for advertising when a one-night stand ad\ ance agent comes to town, and so he pastes the lithos on cows, horses, moving vans, The Man Who Would Not Die," " The Gambler's and even the back of the constable who is to force the law. All of this is a part of the one-reel Pat Rooney comedy " Pat Evades the Law," produced by Robert A. Dillon. It all ends in a chase, with the billposter in the lead, hotly pursued by the manager of the show, the manager's wife, the constable and his daughter, but the last seen of the brush is when it slides down the side of a fast moving freight. Carter de Haven, who has played under the direction of a dozen or more directors at U City, is now administering to himself the cares of a director, for he is filming a • two-reel picture in which he plays the lead. The title of this is " Chip o' the Old Block." At Universal City the director when taking up the filming of a subject is advised the amount of money that it must be produced for, and De Haven, finding he was running ahead of the appropriation, took the company to his home in Holly-wood last week, where he moved the furniture from the house and used it on the lawn for a set in order to keep down the expense. Henry McRae is now busy with the filming of a five-reel subject which will have Jack Kerrigan and Edith Johnson in its leading people. The title is " The Pirates of Panama," the scenario being an adaptation from the William McLeod Raine story of the same title prepared by William Parker of the U scenario staff. Jack Conway, who has directed Kerrigan in his past three pictures, will next film " The Mainspring," with Ben Wilson and Francelia Billington in the leading parts. Little Molly Alalone, recently discovered by Director George Cochran to be a pleasing leading woman, is playing a leading part opposite Jack Nelson in the two-reel drama " The Little Outsider." Fronzie Gunn, who has been an extra girl for the past six months at Universal City, is this week given her first big opportunity, she being cast for the leading role in the two-reel drama " The Forbidden Game," being filmed by Director Harry Millarde. Phillips Smalley has completed the taking of scenes for the five-reel picture " The Girl That's Down," and Roy Stewart, who played the featured male part in this, has been selected by the director to play in future productions. IMr. Smalley was very much pleased with ;Mr. Stewart's work, and the actor was so highly complimented after the finished picture was viewed that he was very much embarrassed— some test for an actor.