Motography (Jan-Jun 1915)

May 15, 1915. MOTOGRAPHY 793 Brevities of the Business Estelle Allen, the new leading woman of the New York Picture Corporation, will make her debut under the Ince banner in "The Shoal Light." George Kleine announces that he has secured the film rights to Cleveland Moffett's famous drama, "The Battle," work on which is already under way in the Kleine New York studios. Eugene Pallette, the well-known actor, has become a Selig star. He is to take leading roles with Selig Pacific Coast stock companies. The six-reel Sennett feature which has been in the making for the last two months and in which are being featured Mabel Normand, Mack Sennett, Ford Sterling, Owen Moore and almost all the other members of the stock company, will be finished within the next week if the good weather keeps up. Gettinger has gone back to his work with Henry McRae and his company of 101 Bison players, with whom he was working before. He is known as one of the best riders, ropers and revolver shots on the coast. Ad. Kessel, president of the New York Motion Picture Corporation and the Keystone Company, who has been at the West Coast studios now for the past two months, has about finished his work there and will be leaving for the East in a very few days. Giles Warren, who was recently on the Selig production staff and previously with Lubin, Victor and Whitman features, has become a Mutual director. As a beginning, he is staging "Gridley's Wife," a one-reel drama, in which Thomas Wilson, Claire Anderson and Raymond Wells appear. Tom Walsh, who played Barcus in the "Trey o' Hearts" series, has been transferred from Henry McRae's Bison company to the position of assistant director with Bob Daly in the direction of Fritzi Brunette and company in the production of light comedies. Lester R. Calvin and Anna Thornton have joined the Univarsal Film Manufacturing Company and are now at work at Universal City, Cal. Ray Myers is the most recent addition to the staff of directors at the Griffith-Mutual studios in Hollywood. His first production is "Mike's Elopement," a one-reel Reliance drama with a light comedy interest. Violet Wilkey, the talented Mutual child actress, is featured. Richard C. Travers is in Chattanooga, Tenn., where he will make a wild ride on a "Dynamite Special" in an Essanay photoplay. In the photoplay the train loaded with dynamite collides with another train and is blown to atoms. Travers has the ticklish job of running the special. While Travers is supposed to be on the train when it blows up, he has every anticipation of returning to Chicago without any parts missing. He will come back to play opposite Viola Allen in "The White Sister." One of the Selig Red Seal plays which will be produced in the near future is "The Crisis," a film adaptation from the story by Winston Churchill. Hundreds of actors will be engaged for this big story. "The House of a Thousand Candles" is another Selig Red Seal play in course of production. The film play was adapted from the popular novel of the same name. Following are the official release dates for Selig Red Seal Plays to be booked direct from Selig, 1600 Broadway, New York City: "The Carpet from Bagdad," May 3; "The Millionaire Baby," May 31; "The Rosary," June 28; "A Texas Steer," July 26. Harry Lyons, brother of Eddie Lyons, of Nestor comedy fame, has joined the Universal forces at the western plant as a member of the Nestor company. Before coming to the Universal, he was on the legitimate stage. Paul Panzer, famous as Owen in the "Perils of Pauline," has finished his vaudeville tour through the New England states, _ and is now back at the Pathe studio playing one of the principal parts in "The Fortunes of Pierre," a four-reel feature being produced by Donald MacKenzie. Thomas Jefferson has been cast for the part of Father White in "Up from the Depths," the four-part Mutual feature now in rehearsal. Courtenay Foote will be featured in this play. Gladys Brockwell plays opposite him. Miss Martha Boucher has joined Director Colin Campbell's company, Selig Polyscope Jungle Zoo. Miss Boucher played the lead in "Ben Hur" on the spoken stage and is a talented actress. Harry Lyons, brother of Eddie Lyons, of Nestor comedy fame, has joined the Universal forces at the western plant as a member of the Nestor company. Before coming to the Universal he was on the legitimate stage. The Smallwood Film Corporation has removed its executive offices from the Flatiron Building to the Knickerbocker Theater Building Annex. Captain Wilbert Melville, manager of the western Lubin company at Los Angeles, has returned from San Diego, where for ten days he has been filming army and navy scenes for a forthcoming Lubin drama. The troops are shown in all sorts of manoeuvres, and one of the best scenes is a cavalry charge directly at the cameras. Within the next few weeks the Smallwood Film Corporation will begin releasing its new brand through the United Film Service under the name of "Pyramid Pictures." Catherine Carr, the photoplaywright, who picturized "The Melting Pot" for Walker Whiteside, has just finished doing the scenario for "The Price," in which Helen Ware will appear for the Cosmos Feature Film Company. Frank Powell, whose most recent release, "From the Valley of the Missing," has been meeting with marked success throughout the country, will direct the new feature, rehearsals Film Market Quotations and Financial Gossip Supplied by R. D. Small of A. E. Butler & Co., Chicago. Bid Asked American Film Mfg. Co 172 Biograph Film Co 58 69 General Film Co. pre/ 47 54 Majestic Film Co 170 185 Mutual Film Corp. pre/ 58 62 Mutual Film Corp. com 80 83 North American Film Corp. pref 50 65 North American Film Corp. com 50 75 New York Motion Picture Corp 76i 80 Reliance Motion Picture Corp 30 39 Thanhouser Film Corp 81 87 Syndicate Film Corp 115 130 World Film Corp 4 4| World Film Corporation. — Mr. George B. Cox of Cincinnati is the new president of the World Film Corporation. He succeeds Van Horn Ely. George A. Huhn of Philadelphia becomes chairman of the executive committee and John L. Rhinock was elected an additional vice-president. William W. Brady and Milton C. Work were elected to the board of directors. Mutual Film Corporation. — It is not generally known to the stockholders that Mr. Thanhouser has been appointed a member of the executive committee. As his technical knowledge of everything that appertains to the film world is of a very superior order, this should mean that the actual molding and control of the policy of this organization has been strengthened in a very decided way. Universal Film Manufacturing Company. — Following the big feature program established by the General Film Company and the Mutual Film Corporation, the Universal has now organized a comprehensive program, including Nat Goodwin, Marie Cahill, Emmett Corrigan, Wilton Lackaye, etc., amongst the actors, and such plays as "Earl of Pawtucket," "Little Brother of the Rich," "Caleb West," etc. These features are not to be released as any special departure from the policy pursued by the Universal, but simply as a regular part of the Universal program. Syndicate Film Corporation.— The 30 per cent dividend declared, payable the first week in May, is just another page in the brilliant financial history of the "Million Dollar Mystery." North American Film Corporation. — When Marcus Loew booked the "Diamond from the Sky" for his circuit of theaters (which constitutes one of the largest groups in the United States) after a personal inspection of the first 7,000 feet of the film, he made complete what is now regarded as one of the most successful booking campaigns that has ever been inaugurated for a continuous film production. New York Motion Picture Corporation.— Stock in this company has been strong and very little has come out at the present market level.