Motography (Jul-Dec 1914)

674 MOTOGRAPHY Vol. XII, No. 20. Harry Weiss, manager of the Chicago office of the World Film Corporation, has signed the Saxe Circuit of houses in Wisconsin on Shubert and Brady features. This makes a total of 14 Milwaukee houses on the books of the Chicago office for Shubert and Brady features. Reina Valdez is leaving the Santa Barbara company, Aubrey M. Kennedy having taken his own two companies to the studios in the coast town. Miss Valdez is undecided just what she is going to do and has two flattering offers but is inclined to take a short rest before resuming work. Jack Cohn, editor of the Universal Animated Weekly, has instigated the writing of a story, the title of which will be "Save Your Children's Lives." In it will be brought out the fact that if the clothing of the children is washed in a certain solution of ammonia it will be made fireproof. It was through the suggestion of the Coroner of the Borough of Brooklyn that Editor Cohn did this. Henry P. Rhinock, brother of Joseph Rhinock, the theatrical magnate, secretary of the Shubert Theatrical Company, arrived in Cincinnati from New York to join the World Film Company's selling force. . A specially selected company is busily at work in the studios of the Balboa Amusement Producing Company, Long Beach, Cal., preparing a series of twelve photoplays, varying from two to three reels in length which will thoroughly treat one of the most vital questions of humanity. Each episode will be separate and at the end a prize will be offered for the person who gives the best answer to the question "who pays?" The Picture Playhouse Film Company has opened a new office, located at 202 Andrews Building, Dallas, Texas, and has installed Mr. P. A. Block as Manager. Mr. William J. Lee, general manager of the exchanges, has spent some time in Dallas arranging for the opening of this office and has already received a number of advanced bookings on the Picture Playhouse Film Company's releases. Great compliments are being paid Ashley Miller for the bevy of pretty girls he selected for the cast in "His Chorus Girl Wife" with Gladys Hulette, the Edison ingenue, in the leading role. The Forty-fourth street theater, where Andrew Dippel's opera comic company began an engagement last Wednesday in "The Lilac Domino" is equipped with a Radium Gold Fibre screen, the product of the Atsco department of Alco. John Harvey, owner of the wonderful dog Shep, is producing "The Doctor's Sentinel," a one-reel ThanhouserMutual drama. The next release of the Cosmos Feature Film Corporation will be Mrs. Thomas Whiffen in the five-part photoplay "Hearts and Flowers." The great feature of this picture is the wonderful acting of Mrs. Whiffen, the "grand old lady" of the American stage, for twenty-eight 3'ears leading character woman for Charles Frohman. Mable Trunnelle has a pet monkey named "Commodore" that plays an important part in "A Gypsy Madcap," the first of the series of "Olive's Opportunities." Bryant Washburn who plays the villain in the Essanay drama "His Dearest Foes," was saved by his dog "Kewpie," a four pound full blooded bull terrier pup given him by one of his admirers, from a "savage" attack by E. H. Calvert, hero, during the taking of one of the scenes. The pup didn't understand it was only acting. Irving Cummings, known widely both in the legitimate and in photoplays as a leading man, has been engaged by B. A. Rolfe of B. A. Rolfe Photoplays, Inc., for prominent parts in a number of forthcoming releases through the Alco Film Corporation. Hudson D. Maxim, son of the famed inventor of high power explosives, is now managing the studio of the Colonial Motion Picture Corporation at 226 West Thirty-fifth street, New York City. Young Mr. Maxim is a Yale graduate and prior to the outbreak of war in Europe was engaged in the film business in London in the capacity of continental sales manager for the Transatlantic Film Company, which distribute the Universal brand abroad. He is now up to his shoulders in work, co-operating with T. Hayes Hunter, the Colonial director-in-chief, and F. A. Coigne, the acting director of the "Adventures of Wallingford" comedies. This Wallingford series consists of separate stories in pictures, to be released one a month. A series of cartoons by A. B. Frost, the famous artist. in the Century Magazine furnishes the basis of the plot for "Dizzy Joe's Career," produced by Eddie Dillon of the Komic-Mutual Company at the Reliance and MajesticMutual studios in Los Angeles. The work of establishing the Alco programme in Canada has begun. A. C. Langan is in the Dominion to the north of us in the interests of the Alco Corporation. Since August this concern has opened seventeen exchanges, covering the entire United States. In the three-part Edison "What Could She Do?" Gertrude McCoy performs a feat of great daring. After surprising a band of kidnappers in their den, she climbs a swinging ladder four stories to the roof of a tenement and makes a drop through the skylight to the floor below, a distance of fifteen feet. That it will take the motion picture business several years to adjust itself, but that when it does it will be a vital power in controlling the public opinion is the theory which was advanced by John Bunny during his recent stay in Chicago. "As water runs over the pebbles in a brook it is clarified and as two or more bodies rub together both become smooth," said Mr. Bunny, "and it is the same with this great industry of ours — problems must be solved and obstacles surmounted until the fittest men rise to the work of guiding the silent art to the position it is entitled to." The $1,000 prize scenario, won by Miss Elaine Sterne in the Nczv York Evening Sun contest, is now in course of production by the Vitagraph Company under the direction of Ralph Ince. Anita Stewart essays the leading female character and Earle Williams the leading male part. So beautiful was the enlargement of the photograph taken by Gilbert Warrenton of Edna Maison as the Madonna with baby that the Universal Company have had a number of copies of the pictures finished to give to exhibitors the country over. Edward J. Le Saint, the Selig producer seldom goes to a motion picture show. He says that all his spare time is taken up in preparing, altering and thinking over the photoplay which he puts on and he goes over each scene in his mind for the following day's work. "Stop! Stop! My mustache's coming off!" shouted Jack Richardson, erstwhile villain of the "Flying A" studios, as he rushed out of the middle of a scene in "Old Enough To Be Her Grandpa." The detached appendage resulted from his vigorous impersonation of the rejuvenated grandpa. Incidentally, Mr. Richardson is making much of the title role in this comedy, and the Richardson smile is worth going some distance to see. Fred Thompson, who left the Vitagraph Company to go with the Imp and came back to the Vitagraph and went to the Famous Players Company and came back to the Vitagraph Company, has accepted a position as director for the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Company. He has gone to California to start work with them as soon as practical. Otis Turner, has had a full sized, old fashioned brick house built at the Hollywood. Calif., studios for the production of a two-reel criminologist story. The house has taken two weeks in the building and is a sample of the thoroughness which Mr. Turner insists upon in his productions. Myrtle Stedman of Bosworth, Inc., will be one of the prominent people who will appear at the gambol of the Photoplayers Club at the Mason Opera House on the nights of October 30 and 31. Conforming to the policy recently inaugurated, of presenting a new program every two weeks, the Vitagraph Theater will offer on Monday, Oct. 26th, and for the two weeks following, two new feature pictures, a four-act psychic drama entitled the strange story of "Sylvia Gray," featuring Helen Gardner, and a three-part burleque, "The Fates and Flora Fourflush." The films made by Joseph De Grasse of the Universal in the hills, featuring Pauline Bush have been run and have furnished a big surprise to many, for few people have credited Pauline Bush with a vein of comedy, simply because she never acted in anything which called for the lighter vein. The picture business is no respector of seasons, much to the frequent discomfort of the players. The other day found Miss Fischer of the "Beauty" company, looking more cheerful than might have been expected, bundled up in bed under a beating sun in the glass studio and Mr. Garwood of the Flying A Company a little later, wearing a heavy winter overcoat at a temperature of ninety in the shade — only he wasn't in the shade — far be it that this should ever be said