Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

October 21, 1916 MOTION PICTURE NEWS 2521 w^j THE EASTERN STUDIOS The prisoners of Castle Williams, Governor's Island, saw in person last week Valentine Grant, the Famous Players star and vice-president of The Motion Picture Actors Welfare League for Prisoners, when her latest release, " The Daughter of MacGregor," was shown. Sidney 01cott, the director, gave an impromptu speech in which he told how motion pictures were manufactured and then gave the prisoners little snatches of experiences that he has had during the many years that he has directed the movies. Among the notables present were Major General Wood and his staff. Captain Stahl, Commandant of the Pfison, Chaplain Warring, Captain Ward and wife, Lieutenant Rucker, Margaret Fielding, the Fox Film star, Myles F. Lasker, chairman of the Arrangement Committee, and a number of newspaper reporters. The name of Marie Dressler"s picture for the World Film Corporation has been changed from " Tillie's Night Out" to " Tillie's Day Off." as most of the wild .scenes in which the star was " taken " at Coney Island occurred in the daytime. The motion picture version of " The Whip," in eight reels, will be acted by Irving Cummings, Dion Titheradge, Paul McAllister, Warren Cooke, Alfred Hemming, Alma Hanlon, June Elvidge and many miscellaneous persons divided between the Saratoga race track and the annual horse show at Long Branch. Doris Grey and Wayne Arey, co-stars in " Her Beloved Enemy," a Thanhouser feature by Lloyd Lonergan, have just found out who Mr. Arey is in the picture. In order that the acting might be more effective, Ernest Warde, the director, did not tell the entire plot of the story to his company until he arrived at almost the last scene. Here come events that are supposed to surprise the leading characters in the play and Mr. Warde took care that they should be actually as astonished as the spectators will be when they see the picture. Florence La Badie was almost lost to the Thanhouser Film Corporation a few nights ago when night scenes were being made for " Divorce and the Daughter," to be released through the Pathe exchanges. Miss La Badie was supposed to be fleeing half insane down a dark road, where she is found by Edwin Stanley, who is motoring along the road. Frederic Sullivan, the director, rehearsed the scene in which Miss La Badie was to stagger out in front of the car. When the take came Miss La Badie staggered too far and was knocked down by the car. Director, cameraman and actors rushed to her assistance. " Pshaw ! " Miss La Badie cried out as she was pulled out from under the car. ■' Why didn't you take it ! " Vincent Serrano in making Thanhouser's ■ Modern Alonte Cristo," under the direction of Eugene Moore, is having the time of his life. It's a regular vacation for Mr. Serrano, who is spending most of his time in front of the lens swimming and diving and sailing a ship. Every once in a while the film star seems to think it incumbent upon her to abandon the purely conventional and do something that will startle the natives. Despite lier demure appearance, Louise Huff fell a victim to this malady the other day, and drove a racing roadster right straight up on the porch of a rural parsonage, taking one of the porch pillars with her. She wrecked the car and nearly killed Robert ( J. Vignola, her director and Nat Deverich, his assistant, who were sitting on the porch watching the effect of Miss Huff's approach to the house at top speed. It was an elopement scene for the Famous Players adaptation of " Seventeen," in which Miss Huff and Jack Pickford are co-starring on the Paramount program. Marguerite Clark Getting Angry Marguerite Clark is suffering from a se\ ere nervous strain as a result of the staging of " Miss George Washington " at the Famous Players. In this production the little star plays the part of a girl who cannot tell the truth. Her incessant telling of falsehoods is the motive power of the play. As a result of this continuous fibbing in the studio. Miss Clark finds that her word is doubted on every occasion, and is becoming highly incensed at the manner in which everybody refuses to believe a word she sa\ s. " Gracious, is there anybody in the studio who has not kissed me?" demanded Marguerite Courtot the other day after she had spent an entire morning in rehearsing scenes for " The Kiss," in which she is costarring with Owen Moore at the Famous Players studio. As the title suggests, osculation forms an important part in the story, and, of course, there are always interested \ oung men who liave original ideas on the subject when pretty girls are concerned. When the title was suggested, and it was known that Miss Courtot would play the girl, competition was keen for the opposite role, but Director Del Henderson decreed tliat Moore was to be tiie lucky man. Jack Pickford is rapidly qualifying for the title of Famous Players grouch. He is playing William Sylvanus Baxter in the adaptation of' Booth Tarkington's "Seventeen," in which he is co-starring with Louise Huff. It is one of the chief points of William's character that he detests Clematis, the houn' dog, which is the property of Genesis, the family servant. Now, it so happened that the dog which was selected for that role took a violent fancy to Jack the moment he saw him. As a result. Jack has had to spend all his spare moments in being mean to the dog, in order to have it shun him before the camera. It is nearly breaking Jack's heart because he is fond of animals, and the situation is getting on his nerves. The popularity of the latest Gaumont single-reel " Reel-Life," has made it necessary to secure an editor who will devote his entire time to this release. For this position the Gaumont Company has secured Paul M. Bryan, already well known as a Grace Darling as " Good Night " and " Good Morning," in " Beatrice Fairfax " (International)