Motion Picture News (Sept-Oct 1918)

September 21, 1 g 1 6 1925 Montgomery and Rock Big V. Special Vitagraph Company have been expected back from Catalina " any day now," according to Studio Manager W. S. Smith, who expects this comedy company to bring back with it one of the swiftest, thrilliest Big V two-reelers that has been made to date. In tact, Dirtctor R. H. McCray promised this result as his comedy company wared its last good-bye at everybody left on the Vitagraph lot. It's being rather a mystery to the other studios how the Vitagraph dance of September 7, for the benefit of the base hospital to be founded by the Motion Picture War Service Association, could promise free refreshments including a buffet supper. Yet 'tis so. The secret of the whole matter was that so vigilantly had the Vitagraph committee worked for the success of its dance that it secured the donation of ice-cream, food and soft drinks. And these were served gratis, just by way of making this party a little different from other benefit parties. Bessie and Brownie, Al Jennings' two brown bears, seem to have attached themselves permanently to Lawrence Semon's Big V Comedy. Semon himself seems to serve as a particular attraction to the bears. And Mr. Semon is in doubt as to whether it is his make-up or his personality which attracts them. Blanche Payson, the six-foot-three giantess, has an important part in the Semon Special Big V Comedy in which the bears are also featured. Miss MacPhcrson is in charge of the correspondence department which has to do with writing to soldiers and sailors formerly affiliated with the film industry in the west. She took a great interest in the parade recently staged by the War Association. Ethel Clayton has completed work in the " Mystery Girl," under the direction of C. B. deMille, and will next be directed by Chet Withey, who was recently transferred to the coast from the eastern studio, where he directed Billie Burke. Withey is working with the scenario department in the operation of the story for this play. Vivian Martin, with Niles Welsh as leading man, is playing under the direction of George Melford in an original story by Edith Kennedy. <o^?r<? and UJier& Virtually every member of the cast of Julian Eltinge's new picture, " Over the Rhine," has been selected, and work on the production is progressing satisfactorily, it is announced. Those named in the cast are Julian Eltinge with Alma Francis, his leading lady. In the supporting cast will be William Clifford, Mrs. S. Knott, Fred Heck and Virginia Rappe. The L-Ko lot is one of the busiest places of Los Angeles Filmdom. Anthony W. Caldeway has recently been placed in charge of the scenario department, after considerable experience at the Sennett and American studios, has been inaugurated which provides that all comedies shall have a story around which the gags and funny situations are worked in. At the present time there are four companies at work. Vin Moore with Alice Howell and Hughie Mack, has just filmed "A Liberty Cabbage Queen," and is now at work on " Behind the Front," with the same players. Harry Gribbon, Merta Sterling, Mae Emory, Billy Armstrong are appearing in " The Chef." Noel Smith has another organization composed of Jack Henderson, Charles Larkin and Eddie Barry, with Bobby Richards and Helen Lynch in a comedy to be known as " Starting Their Finish." Charles Parrot is directing " Oh, What a Nerve," with Babe Hardy and Peggy Prevost. Ibollywooft Ibookum SEPT. 14, 1918 NEWS MORE NEWS The C. B. deMille Company filming The Squaw Man," has been working at Taj one Ranch, about sixty miles north of Los Angeles, where a complete ranch and other settings have been built. On one day the entire company, including forty horsemen, were commandeered by a genuine sheriff in the vicinity, and took part in an actual man hunt to run down an Indian boy who had killed two women and a man. The 19-year-old lad was apprehended. Another thrill was given the company when C. B. deMille's automobile skidded on a wet clay mountain road and partially slipped over an embankment, where it hung suspended until another car towed it back to the road. It was a narrow escape for the Famous Player-Lasky director general, for the cliff overlooked a sheer drop of 150 feet, which had been upholstered with boulders and sagebrush. Jeanie MacPherson has returned to the studio for work after a prolonged vacation, necessitated by a nervous breakdown caused by the very zealous manner in which she worked on matters pertaining to the Motion Picture War Service Association. Not so warm. Earle Williams' going East. Mickey Neilan's coming West. Jesse Lasky is in town again. Charley Fuhr has gone fishing. Clara Kimball Young's coming West. Mary Pickford is still looking for work. Bob Brunton is home from the other Broadway. U. City is ultra quiet this week. Not a new. Bill Hart is coming forth in a dress suit — yes, right out on the screen. Before beginning a new serial, Bill Duncan found it convenient to have a regular hair cut. If Triangle doesn't change the title, Taylor Holmes will t« twenty-four sheeted internationally in " Success." Ford Sterling has rented space in a local safety deposit vault, that he may keep the moths out of his German beard of crepe hair. Another rumor was turned loose this week linking up H. O. Davis with the Triangle, but HOOKUM never even caught up with the rumor. Jack Mulhall has moved his boxes of powder and sticks of grease paint to the Lasky Studio, and will be about there for the next six months. Two cameramen at the Morosco Studio, Dell Andrews and James Van Trees, are growing mustaches, and Conny Talmadge presented each with a mustache cup. Dorothy Dalton is said to be taking lessons in aviation, and it would not be surprising to hear that she had even enlisted for " over there " service. A Los Angeles paper charges the California moon of Lake Tahoe being too much for Mae Murray and Robert Leonard, and intimates that an engagement is about to be announced. Walter MacNamara tried to enlist in the Tank service, but the physical examiner would not agree with him. Walter claims he went in like a limousine, but came out like a Ford. Now that Alma Reubens has admitted she was secretly married recently to Franklyn Farnum by filing suit for divorce, she is going to play in a subject for Triangle titled " Marriage." Bill Desmond put his spurs and six-shooter away in vaseline this week so he could cavort about before the camera in regular clothes for a short spell at least. Yes, it's going to be a modern drama. Vacation trips are still being made by many producing units, and it is interesting to note that a location is always picked near a very good hotel, camping out not being popular with our set. Bert Lennon in a contest of wits, was this week awarded the t'elt for being the most consistent and persistent purveyor of untruths of the colony's P. A. aggregation. Aside from that everybody voted him a perfect gentleman. Noah Beery, who is doing Tabywana, the aged Indian in " The Squaw Man," was thrown from a horse in a fast ride, and C. B. de Mille had the cameraman keep right on so he would have another freak piece of film to add to his collection. There has been a lot said in our town this week about unions and sich, many of the remarks being made with gestures. Yes, sir, fists were even waved, and slammed against the highly-polished furniture that muss up the offices of many of our film magnets. C. B. de Mille has the habit of instructing his cameraman to keep on shooting when a player pulls a bone-head, or the scene is not enacted as rehearsed. These pieces of film he adds to a private collection. One shows Fannie Ward falling off a bridge in Venice. Another has Dusty Farnum missing, the heroine who falls into the icy waters of Bear Lake Unfortunately C. B. did not have a camera trained on him when the automobile skidded and almost went off a cliff of a mountain road, therefore his collection of freak acts can never be referred to as complete. Bill Keefe, who is the personal representative of D. G., has a qualification heretofore undreamed of. He can tell all about you ty looking at your handwriting, and HOOKUM believing this is a wonderful attainment, has engaged Keefe to read all hand-written manuscripts that get bv the waste basket in the hope that some talented scenario writer may be discovered to relieve conditions at the various places of industry in our midst. (If you want Mr. Keefe to tell you all about yourself, send a specimen of handwriting to HOOKUM. If private answers are wanted, un-used paper and stamped self-addressed envelope must be enclosed.) We Can Pay Attractive Prices for Old Moving Picture Films in Reels or Scrap PETER LEONARDIS & SONS 132 Nassau St., New York City 55 to 59 River St., Newark, N. J. Complete Plan Book in this Section File it for Reference