Motion Picture News (Jul-Aug 1919)

570 Motion P i c I It )■ c N CIVS atrc in New York, and during the performance he decided it would provide an excellent vehicle for Miss Dana. The story is by James Cullcn ami Lewis Allen Browne. Finis Fox is preparing the scenario. Production will begin at an early date. May Allison has just completed a vacation at Arrowhead Springs, and she will immediately enter upon the production of Fair and Warmer," the screen adaption of Avery Hopgood's famous play that had a run of one year on Broadway. The screen rights to the play were recently purchased by Maxwell Karger during a scouting trip to New York. Henry Otto will be her director, and the supporting cast is now being selected. " Fair and Warmer " will mark Miss Allison's debut in the " fewer and better pictures " Metro is planning to launch next Septemlier. Production was scheduled to begin the first week in July. In order to beautify the grounds at Metro studios to the highest degree of artistic development, Manager David Thompson has planted some extensive lawns, much shrubbery and many palm trees. Hundreds of geranium plants have been placed along the back of the administration building. May .-Mlison's picture produced under the title of " His Father's Wife," has been changed to " Almost Married," according to announcement this week at the Metro plant. ^^2r J iudicy^orngs^ PRO DUCT lux u..rU on ilic William Fo.x super-i)roduciion "Wings of the -Morning," in which William ]'"arnum will lie starred, has begun at the Fox studios. The phutodrama will be made under the direction of J. Gordon Edwards, making his fourth picture with William Farnum since he came lo Los Angeles last I'ebruary. The other Farnum pictures made in Los Angeles within the last few months, and which have already been shipped east, arc " The Wolves of the Night," " The Lone Star Ranger " and the " Last of the Duanes." Li 'his latest picture Mr. Farnum will be seen in one of his best roles. He will start out as a British officer who has been falsely accused and cashiered out of the army. He becomes a sailor and figures in a romance that develops aboard ship, which later is wrecked off a lonely island in the Pacific. Most of the water scenes will be made at Gataliiia Island and at Balboa. Supporting Mr. Farnum are Louise Lovely, Genevieve Blinn, G. Raymond Xyc, Hershall Mayall, Clarence Burton and Harry DeVere, John W. Bo>le is the cameramen. Carl Downing, well known New York newspaper man who has been with the New York offices of the WHlliam Fox Film corporation, will arrive in Los Angeles at an early date to take charge of the W^est Coast publicity department, it is announced. Tom Mix has begun production on a stor} of which he is the author, entitled "A llard Boiled Tenderfoot." He is not only directing the picture, but he is going to play the part of a Romeo in the production. Mix will also play another role in the picture that will cause him to he seen in tighls. MAJ. ROBERT WARWICK has completed his latest photoplay, " Told in the Hills," under the direction of George H. Melford, and is now at work on a production called " In Mizzoura," which is being directed by Hugh Ford. The lightning change from one picture to the other caused Major Warwick to remark that making pictures " is almost as strenuous as fighting in France." Cecil B. DeMille and company are this week at Catalina filming scenes in Jeanie MacPherson's play, founded on J. M. Barrie's " The Admirable Crichton." Among those in the company are Thomas Meighan, Gloria Swanson, Lila Lee, Mildred Reardon, Theodore Roberts, Raymond Hatton and others. Ethel Clayton, who has for some time been sojourning in Japan, is somewhere on the Pacific Ocean en route to Los Angeles, it was announced this week at the Lasky studios. Vivian Martin has started work on a new production, called " His Official Fiancee," which will be directed by Robert C. Vignola. The picture will be made at the Morosco and Lasky studios, the picture starting at the Morosco plant and ending at the Lasky studio. This will be made necessary by the fact that when William D. Taylor brings his " Huckleberry Finn " company back to the Morosco there will not be room for everybody. Fred Kley, general studio manager at Lasky's, is expected lo return to the coast early in July. Violet Heming, the distinguished actress, who will play the name part in " Everywonian," t« be made into a picture by the Famous Players-Lasky company, is expected to arrive in Los Angeles soon from New Y^ork. She will be under the direction of George Melford. It is to be a spectacular production and besides Miss Heming there will be a score of beautiful girls in the cast. 'ere am d Vkere^ 1boll^woo6 Dokum JULY 12, 1919 NEWS MORE NEWS Sid Cohn is back from Xew York. Gafe Henry has just finished '' Her First flame." Marguerite Snow is back in our village. Ruth Roland reports Broadway all atglitter. Jack Conway is now a member of the Metro family. Myer and Selznick is here to engage directors. Viola Dana insists " Please get married " is not a request. Violet Homing is coming to town for ■' Every Woman Our town is not to have the pleasure lor many months of seeing Griffith's " Broken Blossons." Wally Van is on his way West to join our set and supervise Ben Wilson serial at the National Lot. May Allison insists the prohibition measure will not affect our Iset for the movies will continue to reel. The truth leaked out this week that Dave Thompson Metro studio manager is a former heavy of the films back in '13. Bill Parsons has found it necessary to broadei out — meaning Bessie Love fell in the ocean :more studio space is necessary, and rumed a $75.00 bauing|h(.'s heavy enough. Major I3ob Warwick yawns for Ul tJ »1 Star, and Mickev Neilan sprinkle the star dust. .joshing before the lens. Montgomery and Rock have the I ai i, = c,f^ hr^ fever — they are gomg to make a girl burlesque. Marjorie Daw comes forth as a life in the army thinking it '°|more restful and less hazardous an dashing before the lens. Al Ray is to be a safe breakei in " Love is Love " which may I, li I 1 . ! Imcan they have discovered a new Pegg> Hy and w_ants to play prWting the heart. Ju'.et-ta da ! t a da ! ta da ! Tom Ejji^' cune introduced a y Mix wants to be Romeo. . rv..,.. .v,.. Bryant Washburn, Anita Stew art and Wanda Hawlcy lead a band the other night for $800.00. Mitch Lewis can't appreciate making Canadian pictures in the hot summer's day. Ethel Claytrin missed her boat in Jai)an and nobody knows when she will be back. Bill Stowcll is going to wildest Africa to play with the pigmies for L'nivcrsal. Pauline Frederick has added to her stable of high {lowered cars a Mercer speedster. Vea, it has been warm. Metro claims it's fair and warmer. And now wc hear Blanche Sweet is to be a Jesse D. Hampton star. young lady as Mrs. Cline the other day and friends have been sending him telegrams of congratulations collect. Mabel Normand had to awaken " Her Little Brother " for a scene and when she tried it she found she did have to and they pay them for that. Josephine Warren Kerrigan has a bull dog named Jerry and some say he looks like Jack, Jack is such a handsome fellow. John Ince although only a director stepped lorth this week as a hero, he rescued one being from a barn fire in Eagle Rock, California. I^u Tellegan is letting his whiskers grow too, all of which caused the bottom to drop out of quotations on Consolidated crepe Carl Downing, W. K. N. Y.'hair but Jerry doesn't care newspaper man is to take charge of the Fox publicity department in July. Clarence Badger loaned a man $5.00 in San Francisco nine years ago ; this week the fellow gent him a money order for $9.00 — money order not a check. Bill Farnum is to step forth in " The Wings of the Morning " all of which raises the question, "who said the morning had wings." And Bill is letting his whiskers grow. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the sage has said and we thank Mark Larkin, Mary Pickford's own publicity director for naming his publicity copy after Hollywood Hokum. But Mark you mis-spelled it. A certain wife was complaining to her husband it was just impossible to find a maid whereupon the husband replied " well what can you e.xpect to do, they are all in the movies." Girls, here's the deep secret, his name is Charley Murray. As a musician Ma.xwell Karger is said to be a hum dinger playing the violin, baseball and kelly pool ; he also jilays on the emotions, and on the piano, which is '•mother of Ted Taylor's jokes. Roller and other kind ol skates are being used by June Davis. When he started the Century comedy he did not know whether he would finish by July 1st or not, therefore the rollers. Several out here are jealous of Pearl White, who is to make the first feature in Bill Fox's new eastern studio; the original price of the studio was a million but now we are told it is two and one half million. Here's Bill Farnum's record; he caught 118 [lounds of tuna and got a blue liutton from the Tuna Club, then he caught one weighing 72 pounds and they gave him a red button, in fifteen days he caught a ton of tuna. The Pacific ocean is still here. Having discovered the theatre orchestra likes to play the Anvil Chorus with variations Harry Woolsey wrote a Blacksmith comedy which is now going over at the Century lot ; some real fire will be used in this picture. When the Brunton studio was established a 49's cabin on the lot was made the publicity and scenario office. The place reeked with romance and melodrama, now — and this is sad — the inspection of so many brain storms is passing. Yes they are destroying the old home place. This has been a week of fights at Goldwyn ; Frank Lloyd had one batter on his set refereed from the side lines by Miss Farrar; Hal Colley and Young Landis did it for two rounds; Tom Moore battled with the villians of his picture; and Will Rogers caught the bug and fought a little just for luck. Toledo has nothing on our town. Bert Lytell is back from Catalina but insists on telling of the fish the others caught. Bert did not do much fishing but found a way to get rid of an inquisitive child who asked many questions. Catalina, you know belongs to Bill Wrigley the chewing gum magnet and Bert sent the child after a package of Becman's gum. They don't sell anything but Wriglcy's on the Island, wasn't that a mean trick. From the Goldwyn studio Hokum has received a chatty publication which is No. 1 of Vulunie One of " The Studio .Skeleton." This two i)ly 'colUclion of studio news briefs and remarks has the names of Norbert Lusk and Clarke Irvine on the mast head and contains so many pert and interesting remarks that the office boy insisted ujion taking it home so he could laugh himself to sleep, all ot which is a compliment of the highest order. Mugsey never did that with any other Press agent copy. MARGARITA FISHER has completed her work in " The Hellion," her newest photoplay at the American Film studios at Santa Barbara, and she and her mother were visitors for a few days in Los Angeles. She will start work in a new production within the next two weeks. William Russell has completed his contract in Santa Barbara for the making of American-Pathe features under the name of the William Russell Productions, and he will leave for New York soon where it is understood he will sign a contract to make pictures in the eastern metropolis. Fred Myton, well known scenario writer, has joined the scenario department of the Jesse D. Hampton Productions in Hollywood. He has completed the continuity of the " The Prince and Betty," the P. G. Wodehouse story for which it is said Hampton paid $10,000. A great battle scene was filmed this week in the Santa Monica mountains by Allan Dwan, who is producing for the Allan Dwan Feature Productions Richard Harding Davis' celebrated story, " Soldiers of Fortune." More than 400 horsemen and 1800 men on foot took part in the scene, while 200 sailors from the submarine base at San Pedro under the coinmand of Ensign K. A. Drager participated in the event. Battleships in action are to be cut into the scene. Harry M'ann, six years with Universal, and recently with Metro where he played an important part in the Nazimova production " The Red Lantern " has been engaged by the BullsEye Film corporation to play parts originally taken by Billy West. Arrangements have been completed with Robert Brunton for the production of a scries of ten photoplays starring J. Warren Kerrigan, which are to be released through the W. W. Hodkinson Corporation. The first of these will be "A White Man's Chance," a .screen adaptation of Johnston McCulIcy's of the same name. The second picture, which has just been started and which is still unnamed, will be directed by Ernest C. Warde. Lillian Walker will be Mr. Kerrigan's leading woman, " The Other Half " is being produced at the Brentwood studios under the direction of King W. Vidor. • Hugh Saxon, former newspaper man, has just been cast for the secretary's part.