Motion Picture News (Oct 1913 - Jan 1914)

i8 THE MOTION PICTURE NEWS Beecroft, his old fistic rival, who can go some with the mits. Last Saturday night, Adam Kessel, Jr., president of the New York Motion Picture Corporation, received the surprise of his life when he was invited into Healy's, at Sixty-sixth street, by one of his friends, to a quiet little meal as he supposed, and found himself surrounded by a host of his friends, who carried him bodily upstairs to the Jungle Room, where a spread was all set in his honor. Here he was presented with a loving cup by Harry Palmer, and a painting of the famous Kessel yacht, Orson, by Ernest Warner, of the Otis Lithograph Company, Last, but not least, he was presented by George Cooke, of the Metro Lithograph Company and the All Star Feature Corporation, with a painting of himself. Mr. Kessel declared he spent the most enjoyable evening of his life there, and threatens to have the same crowd out on the Orson every weekend for the coming summer. Mae Kenny was conspicuous by her presence. Over the Grape Fruit The stork has been busy going the rounds. Frank A. Tichenor is the father of a ninepound boy. He will be Frank, Jr. Harvey Harris Gates, assistant editor of the Universal Weekly, and E. F. Murphy, superintendent of the Universal laboratories, are re joicing over the advent of sons. The Gates heir will be named Hal, while Edwin John has been picked for the newest Murphy. Our own J. F. Fairman is on the list. His is a girl, who will be named Mae Hortense. Herbert Griffin, one of the country's best projection machine men, from a mechanical as well as a selling viewpoint, has associated* himself with the Nicholas Power Company. Seven years in the motion picture business is the record of Anna Goldman, secretary to Edward Roskam, president of the Commercial Motion Pictures Company. Miss Goldman knows the business from every angle. She's the real head of the Commercial. Eddie wi- tell you so. Chester Rothwell Beecroft and his accomplices, who constitute the publicity and advertising department of the General Film Company, will soon move from 200 Fifth avenue to larger quarters at 71 West Twenty-third street. There is nothing to print this week about Joseph White Farnham, John Jazbo Noble, or Louis Seal Noto. Stamford, Manila, and1 Chicago papers please copy. Consuelo Bai.ey, who has been leading woman with Charles Frohman, Harrison Grey Fiske, William A. Brady and the Shuberts, lias signed up to play leads with Reliance. This will be her first appearance in pictures. The All Star Feature Corporation is producing "Paid in Full." Silent Bill Haddock is the director. The cast includes Tully Marshall and Riley Hatch, of the original company; Winnifred Kingston, Katherine French, George Washington Irving, Carl Mitchell, late of Lubin, and one Tomanato in a Jap part. Ignace Paderewski will be seen in motion pictures. He was caught face to face with "Our Mutual Girl" by Carnegie Hall en route to a recital. The Lubin forces are at work on the first photoplay of Mae B. Havey, late of Reliance, since she joined the Lubin scenario department. It is a two-reeler, "A Pack of Cards," and deals with the Northwest Mounted Police. John Bohemia Clymer bursts into the limelight. He has published a brochure of Clymerian verses, "Red Love" and "The OneNight Stand." They are more potent than a mustard plaster. L. J. Rubenstein, head of the Ruby features, is the father of a six-pound baby boy. To add more joy, William Herschberg, of the General Feature Film Company, of Chicago, contracted for the entire Ruby output for--»Illinois and Wisconsin. Hugh D'Arcy, the Lubin press agent, sends in a copy of the Betzwood Lenz, a humorous publication that is really humorous. It is packed with topical jokes and hits at the Lubinites. Harry A. Samwick, representing the Exclusive Features, Inc., has purchased "Taxicab 1098,'; the "Traducer" and "When Paris Loves" for New York State and Greater New York. The Universal has been taking pictures of the United States meat inspection at the Cudahy company's plant in South Omaha. Cleo Madison is to play opposite J. Warren Kerrigan in Universal productions. Russell Edgar Smith, late of the New York Sunday W or Id, has joined the scenario department of the Mutual Film Corporation. Phillips Smalley and his wife, Lois Weber, will film "The Merchant of Venice" for the Universal. Albert Blinkhorn has gotten up an exceptionally beautiful three-sheet poster of Florence Turner. A space is reserved for a one-sheet poster of whatever Turner film the exhibitor wishes to advertise. Five colors were used, and a very attractive poster is the result. For his D'avid Copperfield Feature, Mr. Blinkhorn has added a twenty-sheet poster, and this picture has now a large and attractive line of advertising matter. Beginning December 15th, three Keystone comedies will be released a week, and. in addition, one multiple-reel comedy a month. These will be issued as specials. The first of these is "Zuzu, the Band Leader," a two-reeler, with Mabel Normand and Ford Sterling. Next will come "Baffles, the Gentleman Burglar." John Bunny, of Vitagraph, is now a member of the Motion Picture Machine Operators' Protective Union. He was presented with a gold membership card by T. C. Barrows, treasurer of the organization. W. T. Rock, president of the Vitagraph company, and Albert E. Smith, its treasurer, were present and congratulated Bunny. Frank Donovan is now with the Manhattan Feature Film Company, of 341 Fifth avenue, as manager and press agent. This concern will start to make its own feature production early in the Spring, Frank says. VITAGRAPH-LIEBLERS PRODUCING "THE CHRISTIAN" THE recently formed VitagraphLiebler Feature Film Company, Inc., the merger of the Vitagraph Company of America and the theatrical firm of the Lieblers for the sake of producing plural-reel motion picture plays from successes on the speaking stage owned by the Lieblers, is now at work on a seven-part version of "The Christian," Hall Caine's novel and drama. This is the first of the coming series of "stage length" productions. The production of this picture is being made under the personal direction of J. Stuart Blackton, vicepresident of the company, assisted by Frederick A. Thompson, formerly a stage director with Belasco, who has been producing Vitagraph pictures for some time, and Frederick Stanhope, stage director for the Liebler Company. Eugene Mullin is the camera-man. An especially selected Vitagraph cast will interpret the drama. Earle William's plays John Storm. Edith Storey plays Gloria Quayle. Charles Kent, James Lackeye, Harry Northrup, Albert Gallatin, Donald Hall, James Morrison, Carlotta De Felice and Jane Fearnley are others of the principals. The beach scenes, placed in the novel on the Isle of Man, have been taken at North Scituate and Winthrop Beach, near Boston, and other places along the coast from Boston to Philadelphia. The booking of "The Christian" on its completion will be handled by the Vitagraph-Liebler Feature Film Company, Inc. "BOB" FITZSIMMONS A NATURAL STAR "Bob" Fitzsimmons, the famous pugilist, will be the star of a two-reel photoplay shortly to be produced by the Mutual Film Corporation, entitled "A Fight for Life." The play is a drama of pugilism and love and is from the pen of Robert H. Davis, editor of Munsey's Magazine, who was the veteran fighter's press agent in the heyday of his success in the squared circle twenty years ago. In the production the old master of ring-craft will meet his son, "Bob" Jr., in the roped arena and with fatherly solicitude knock out the proud possessor of his name. The youngster, al though only seventeen years old, is bigger than his parent and built in the same rangy fashion, and it is "Bob" Sr.'s plan to announce on the film that he is training the boy for the ring, in the anticipation that he will prove an even greater fighter than his father. KLEINE-CINES SCENARIO CONTEST READY Scenario writers who expect to compete in the International Cines Scenario Contest can obtain a sheet giving the conditions of the contest by application to the Chicago offices of George Kleine. Mr. Kleine personally offers $1000.00 in addition to the prizes offered by Cines for the best scenario written by an American. The American must have been a resident of the United States or its territories, possessions, or dependencies for at least five years. Distinctively American topics would be unwise, as the films are to be made by the Cines Company, which may not be able to provide the proper local color. The Montgomery Amusement Company is manufacturing industrial pictures to boom the South. Three reels have been finished and will be shown first in the theatres controlled by the company.