Motion Picture News (Aug-Oct 1920)

September 1 1 , 1920 2097 Payson Terhune which will be a comedy drama adapted for the screen from the Cosmopolitan story by Daniel Frederick Whitcomb. President Rockett has selected a very strong cast headed by Mahlon Hamilton, Betty Blythe and Francelia Billington and the direction is in charge of Thomas N. Heffron. The company has leased space at Universal City and plan to haye their first subject completed early in September. Edwin Willat, cameraman for the Hermann Film Company, has returned from a trip in the east where he made scenes for a coming Hermann production, taking some scenes in Florida, the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky and the Greenwich Village, New York City. Screen Writers Guild Hold Barbacue The first social meeting of the Screen-Writers Guild of the Authors League was a barbacue, held on the " Hacienda " set at the Robert Brunton studios on the evening of Saturday, August 28th. The guest of honor was Rupert Hughes, president of the Authors League of America. More than one hundred writers for the screen of the West Coast film colony are now enrolled as members of the Guild, and plans are being made for a chapter to be organized shortly in New York. The barbacue was arranged by a committee, of which Doris Schroeder was chairman. human Harry Carey say s Our Motto: All the News, If it's News, When it's News Rod La Rocque Cast by Famous Players Rod La Rocque, featured player in " The Common Sin " and " The Discarded Woman," two recent Hallmark releases, has been engaged for the leading male-role in George Fitzmaurice's next special for Famous Players. Mr. _ La Rocque has just completed "Life" for William A. Brady and is now rehearsing a fiew stage play for the same producer. ■ei No shakes. Where is Charlie Chaplin? Louie B. Mayer is in New York. Jesse Lasky is on vacation. Bob Kane has come to town. Rupert Hughes has come to film town. Mabel Normand is buying clothes in New York. Bessie Love is back from New York without going to Europe for a visit. Carter de Haven left our town_ to personally deliver " Twin Beds." According to P. A. copy Rosemary Theby is going to head her own company. Jack McKenzie, who photographs Earle Williams, is the father of a boy. In making "Man. Woman, Marriage," Allan Dwan has found it convenient to work day and night. Izzy Bernstein took a ride over Universal City the other day in a pony blimp. Now he is off of automobiles for life. Ben Deely was seen on the Selig lot clothed in buckskin, but though the day was warm there was no dew on his brow. Bill Wing insists that the only thing for falling hair is a whisk or full size broom. Lyons and Moran claim they have something on any other producers. It is " One Bright Idea." They also admit that they bought the story. Prissy Dean rode on a street car the other day and put on the brakes for the motorman. Yes, it was automatic with her feet. Vester Pegg is president of an oil company that has only B IF every man in the nation S 1 would go home at night = with a grin on his face, the B divorce courts would have B to go out of business. = — Watch for = " SUNDOWN SLIM " fifty feet to go before it strikes a gusher. Bert Bracken is looking for a dog that will breathe steam for an Alaskan storm scene for " Kazan." Buster Keaton used a safety device in the making of a scene and he hasn't recovered yet. Joe McLaine has just celebrated the 12th anniversary of accepting a job with Vitagraph. Twelve years in a long time. Henry Woodward is a graduate M. D. and aside from that won an eight-mile swimming race across Hampton Roads. A Norwegian, banker writes Fritzie Brunette he would like to " Take Her to wife," but Fritzie writeth back " I have a perfectly good husband." Some low life sent the editor a picture of a goat eating the Hokum press and we don't know whether to be insulted or complimented. Mickey Neilan is said to have every known type of human being in his coming release, " Dinty," with but one exception — the Kaiser. Jack Conway has laid down the megaphone and picked ur> the grease paint and powder. He _ is going to be an actor again. Bob McKim received so many fan letters in foreign languages that he needs five interpreters so he has decided that fan letters are an expensive luxury. Bill S. Campbell, who tells Snookie what to do in Chester comedies, went on a threeday vacation and wrote a scenario. Among the names of those playing Indian parts in Maurice Tourneur's " The Last of the Mohicans," are the following: Murphy, Dugan, Cohen, Peterson, Phillipi and O'Brien. Now that Governor Cantu has given up his position as governor of Lower California he took time this week to visit some of his friends and called on Tony Moreno at the Vita graph. _ Wellington Wales thought his well water had turned into oil and he saw visions of fabulous wealth, then he discovered his three-year-old son pouring in another gallon of cylinder oil. Rosemary Theby and Harry Myers, who previously played together in many a film are now working opposite in Fox " Yankee in King Arthur's Court," which is just another way of saying this is a small world. The orchestra for the Von Stroheim company played " meow, meow " the other day when certain action was wanted from a torn cat in the scene and the cat did just what they wanted it to. Sol Lesser gave Santa Barbara the once over for the week-end and we'll expect to hear of Gore Bros, and Lesser taking over several more theatres in that neck of the woods. Jerry Storm went east and gave New York the double o o. He came right back and got acquainted with Los Angeles and the next day he got a telegram to come back to New York and direct Lillian Gish for Frohman. Co. Don Hix who writes pieces and draws pictures for the papers of Irving Williat is the dad of a twelve pound girl which is to bear the name of Vivian Lenore. Hix being a poor, striving artist expects the cigars to come his way. Frank Powell is of the opinion that the Baltimore youth who was fined $11.45 for peeking at YMCA girls in swimming could have saved himself a lot of trouble by seeing Sennett's " Married Life." He further alleges the 45c was for war tax. Glen Cavender has disposed of his birthright for a mess of mush we are told, for under some kind of an agreement he has agreed to serve as strong man and pull Hampton del Ruth's car out of the ditch every time it gets stuck. As Mr. del Ruth's car is very good looking the reason for such an agreement is beyond our imagination. JUST TALK Said Russell Simpson, the stern Scotch father in "Bunty Pulls the Strings," to a waitress : "Awake wid ye now ! I'm in a bit hurry." Tom Moore (the Irish street cleaner in " Canavan ")■ and Leatrice Joy (Bunty) conversed thusly: Miss Joy — " How bonnie ye look Tarn Moore in you white wingbreeks." Mr. Moore — " Sure now, ye're been kissin' theblarney stone Miss Buntv, Begorra ti's meself is the fascinatin' lad in me Sunday clothes, howiver!" " I tank I bane go back toMinnesota 1 I tank it bane hot as hall in California,"' boomed the voice of Will' Rogers (the Swede sea captain in " Guile of Women ") and " Just fawncy now,'*" drily remarked Ramsey Wallace (the English attorney iru " Out of the Dark.") Film Notes From the French Field By Francis J. Tuckfield, Paris Correspondent IT has been reserved for a Frenchman to make the novel claim that a hundred ton compound locomtive is something more than a mere mass of iron and steel and complicated machinery — in other words it possesses a " soul " and can be converted into an animated and highly sensitive organism responsive to the variations of the mood of man. In his latest-play " Rose of the Rail " on which he is at present angaged, Abel Gance, the eminently successful producer of " J'accuse " has taken hold of a somewhat hackneyed _ and stereotyped form of scenario in an, entirely novel and original way. The result, when it is achieved, will, I am convinced, prove a personal success for its author and producer as well as a notable addition to the none too extensive and varied repertoire of strictly French Films. "Rose of the Rail" as its name would imply, is a romance of the Iron Road, but as its name does not imply, and as Monsieur Gance himself imparted to me, it is a romance not merely of the characters therein but of all that pertains to a highly organized modern Railroad System, from the ponderous locomotives and the swiftly passing trains down to the impassive and silent signals which stay them in their course. Monsieur Gance, who is an artist besides being a Frenchman, has woven the thread of romance into this scenario with the mind and imagination of a poet. For him there is unheard-of fascination in the Iron Road. Needless to say that there is a strong love element in which the display of passion is remarkable. The scenario calls for four principal roles. The heroine is the well known English actress, Ivy Close, who will be remembered as the winner of the beauty contest in England some years ago. Severin Mars, the noted French actor who proved such a powerful figure as the aggrieved husband in the same producer's " J'accuse," plays a prominent part as the engine driver whois struck blind. One of the scenesshows a collision at night as a result of which a signalman loses hisreason and rushes out of his cabin, to rave on the line. " Rose of the; Rail " is now being completed om the glaciers of Mont Blanc. Its first two parts were enacted on a stretch: of line of the P.L.M. Railroad in the vicinity of Nice. While thetotal length of the photoplay itself when completed will not run into' more than ten thousand feet of film,. M. Gance assured me that he fully expects to have used up more than(Continued on next page) The Buff urn Process OF ART TITLE MAKING Available soon for the trade at large J. H. BUFFUM 514 Union League Bldg., Los Angeles VICTIM j's coming