Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

2640 MOTION PICTURE NEWS Vol. 14. No. 16 Charlotte Walker Has Historic Parts in " Sloth " Appears as Margaret Brent, Sally Wells, and Molly Pitcher, Three Famous Women of Early Colonial Days — Picture Has Modem Setting, but Uses Past to Drive Home Lesson A NEW VITAGRAPH STAR IS BORN Katharine Lewis has been selected by President Albert E. Smith of the Greater Vitagraph to play an important role in a forthcoming James Oliver Curwood story directed by Marguerite Bertsch. Miss Lewis is young, petite and talented and has great hopes of becoming a favorite overnight through her association with the distinguished Earle Williams. For the past year, Miss Lewis has taken numerous small parts, each one a trifle more important than the preceding one and has rapidly acquired the technique of the screen. In keeping with its policy of encouraging young women, who are called upon for minor parts in its productions, the Greater Vitagraph organization feels that Katharine Lewis has won her spurs and this new part with Mr. Williams is a recognition of her services and budding talent. This announcement will serve to correct one made recently to the effect that Naomi Childers would play opposite Earle Williams in this production. Billie Billings also will portray one of the principal roles in Mr. Curwood's story. CHARLOTTE WALKER has just completed " Sloth " for McClure Pictures. Miss Walker does not appear in either the first reel or the fifth reel of this five-reel film, but when she does appear, she portrays three historic characters. The second reel shows her depicting Margaret Brent, the beautiful, passionate, high-bred girl, who became Lord Baltimore's official representative in the early settlement davs of Maryland, and whose advocacy of the vote won for her the title " First Feminist of America." In the third reel Miss Walker assumes the role of Sally Wells, a little sixteenyear-old maid of an Old Dutch settlement on Staten Island, who braved the perils of the wilderness practically alone, to build a home on her father's grant of land far up on the Hudson River. The fourth reel shows the star in the part of Molly Pitcher, the dearest hoyden in American history, who followed her husband into the thick of Revolutionary warfare, and turned the tide of victory toward the Continental Army in the battle of Monmouth. Notwithstanding these historic scenes, " Sloth " has a modern setting. A young girl is asked by her soldier-lover to choose between her life of luxurious indolence, and a life in which pioneer courage is required. Miss Walker steps from the past in her quaint characters to influence the girl to choose the heroic way by showing her the heritage of bravery and devotion to country that has come down to inspire American women of today. " Sloth " emphasizes the dangers of indolence in our national life ; the peril of permitting luxury to usurp the place of the simplicity of our forefathers. The introduction of this theme connects the series Seven Deadly Sins, with the national side of life in a vivid and stirring way that will charm the beholder. ACTORS GIVE ORPHANS TWO BALES Harold Lockwood and May Allison, the Metro-Yorke stars, at the present time absorbed in their respective screen characterizations in " Big Tremaine " by Marie Van Vorst, proved to be of a charitable disposition, when they presented a Los Angeles Orphan Asylum with two large bales of cotton. It was while Mr. Lockwood and Miss Allison were working in the Imperial Valley, California, for scenes in " Big Tremaine " that the inspiration for this charitable act came to them. The two bales of cotton were picked by members of the " Big Tremaine " cast, and brought to Los Angeles in Mr. Lockwood's new automobile. All the cotton for California is raised in the Imperial Valley, and some beautiful shots of the fields in bloom were secured by Cameraman Tony Gaudio, under the direction of Henry Otto. " Big Tremaine " is laid in Virginia, which explains why Director Henry Otto and his company journeyed in quest of cotton fields. First Showing of " A Daughter of the Gods " Initial View of Mammoth Fox Production Scheduled for October 17, at the Lyric Theatre — Picture Fourteen Months in the Making AFTER three months' labor expended in titling and assembling the picture and arranging and timing the elaborate musical score, " A Daughter of the Gods," the million-dollar production of William Fox in which Annette Kellermann is featured, will be presented for the first time on Tuesday, October 17, at the Lyric theatre. Mr. Fox has decided definitely on this date. By the time of the first performance the picture will have been fourteen months in the making. It employed greater numbers of people than had ever before been assembled for picture-taking. The scale of expenditure was staggering, and the results were so remarkable that the mere rumor of them has caused extraordinary public curiosity. Although twenty times as much film was taken as is usable in an evening's entertainment, nevertheless the scenes showing each of the sensational feats of Miss Kellermann have been retained. " A Daughter of the Gods," it is said, will offer the quadruple themes of Greek myth. Oriental romance, marine adventure and land battle, but developed in a strongly unified story instead of in parallel streams of action. It will thus add a further contribution to the bewilderingly new technique of the motion picture. SHERRILL PHOTOGRAPHED WITH PRESIDENT WILSON William L. Sherrill, president of The Frohman Amusement Corporation, was the other half of a protracted conversation, which occurred before the camera when President Wilson was visited by the film magnates at Shadow Lawn, last w-eek. The picture will be featured in several news weeklies next week. Three Scenes Irom Pathe's Newest Serial, "Pearl of the Army. Left, Theo. Fnebus anJ Mane Wayne; Centre. Pearl White; Right, W. T. Carleton and Pearl White