Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1916)

242 MOTIONPICTURENEWS Vol. XIV. No. 16. Section 2 ^iiiiiiiuiiuiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiuuuiiiiii|iiniiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiNiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ |iuiuiiiuiuuiuiuiiiuiumiuuwuuiuiuumuuuiiuiiiuiuiiiuuiuiiiuuuiuuiiiiuiiiwmiii WILLIAM V. MONG Writing Acting Directing UNIVERSAL CITY, GAL. Current Releases: ' HUSKS OF LOVE," " THE CASE OF DR. HAWLEY," "THE GATES OF ETERNITY" MALCOLM BLEVINS Heavy Leads UNIVERSAL ^uiuiniiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii: :: : iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinniininiiiiimminmiimiiimiiiii!^ aiiiiiMiiiuiiiniiiniMiiiiiiimniniiimiiniiiiniiiiiiuiiiiinMiniiiniiniinwiiiiiimronnin llilililiillliiillllllllillllllllllil illllH ffliiuuiiiuiiiuiiimiiuiiimuimiiiiiiiiiiuiuiuiiiiiiuiiiiuiiuiuiiiiiiuuuuuuimiiiiiuiiiiiiuiiiiimiu^ giiuniuumuuiuiuiuuiunuiMuuiuiiiuiiiuimuiimiimiiiniimiwu^ LENA BASKETTE, CHILD DANCER AND ACTRESS LITTLE nine year old Lena Baskette is perhaps the youngest professional to ever be honored by a big producing company, such as the Universal, which engaged her services for five years. Little Lena is a native daughter of California, born at San Mateo, April 19, 1907, and since she was three or four years old, she has shown a desire and inherent ability as a dancer. She was a student of Veronine Vestoff , a former dancing partner of Pavlowa, and is accomplished in ballet, toe dancing and oriental dances. Her only professional engagement was at the Techan Tavern at San Francisco. For a time little Lena attended Notre Dame Academy at Redwood City, California, and has since been under a private tutor. Her school day begins at five A. M. with a dancing lesson, and she recites her French before reporting at the studio at 8:30. Lena is four feet tall, weighs seventy-two pounds, has a dark complexion, black hair and brown eyes. Her first work before the camera was in two educational split ree' subjects entitled "The Dance of Love." Since she has danced in many pictures and played important parts in "Brother Jim," "Shoes," "The Grip of Crime," and was featured in "The Caravan." She also played an emotional role in "Sunny Ann." She has displayed very unusual talents for screen work, and managers of the Universal believe she will become one of their greatest stars. EUGENE B. LEWIS, SCENARIO EDITOR, UNIVERSAL EUGENE B. LEWIS, editor of the scenario departmentiUniversal City, is a former newspaper man who entered the screentwriting field and made good from the first. After graduating from college, Mr. Lewis took up newspaper work. He owned and edited papers in Idaho, and then went to thelPacific Coast where he worked on the San Francisco Chronicle. Later he was affiliated with the Hearst papers in New York. fpe While engaged there he wTote four scenarios which he submitted to the Biograph Company, and as a result was offered a position as staff writer. At the end of the first year his salary as writer had been trebled. Mr. Lewis remained with the Biograph Company, and during the last six months of its producing life served as editor. WTiUe with that organization h e adapted novels and pla\-s. His greatest stor>' for them was an adaptation from the Browning poem, "The Ring and The Book." For the Universal he has written "The Saintly Sinner" in five reels, and a number of shorter subjects. Mr. Lewis married Maude Grange, who served as assistant editor of Young's Magazine for two years. It is due to Mr. Lewis's understanding of the needs of the screen, and his ability to judge scenarios that he has selected a corps of the best writers to serve as his lieutenants, and he now considers his staff the ablest in the world. Siuiiniinmiiiiimninimiiminniiniiiinnpiiniiinnniinmiininniiiniiimmiinn] miniiiiiinnninniiminmninininin^ Be sure to mention " MOTION PICTURE NEWS " when writing to advertisers