Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

January 19, 1918. MOTOGRAPHY 109 Olive Thomas is starred in "Bettv Takes a Hand: Jack Richardson and Josie Sedgewick in a scene from "The Man Above the Law.' Both are Triangle productions. After New Production Record Triangle Directors Start New Year With Plans for Executing Exceptional Schedule of New Pictures STIMULATED by the exceptional production schedule set by General Manager H. O. Davis, the Triangle studios at Culver City opened the New Year with a burst of speed. The first week of 1918 has seen four new stories started and four exceptional pictures completed as the old year died. Four directors are waiting for stories and one director, Cliff Smith, maker of Western thrillers, is putting the finishing touches to his latest Roy Stewart vehicle. E. Mason Hopper, whose last feature was "Her American Husband," a romance of the Orient, has begun shooting on a sevenreel feature by E. Magnus Ingleton, the title of which has not been announced. Among the Triangle favorites included in Director Hopper's cast are Alma Rubens, Joe King, Francis McDonald, Jean Hersholt and Nellie Anderson. Director Frank Borzage, with two wellknown eastern actors in his cast, has begun work on "The Shoes That Danced," a screen adaptation of John Moroso's Metropolitan Magazine story of the same name, declared by Editor-in-chief Julian Johnson to be one of the most interesting stories bought by the department in some time. Jack Cunningham did the continuity. This is a story in which the leading characters are gangsters and it touches on life in the underworld. An unusual feature is that the villain attends a masquerade ball disguised as Charlie Chaplin. Director Gilbert P. Hamilton has started work on a subject titled "A Soul in Trust." This is an original story by one of the staff authors, Catherine Carr, and deals with society life in Virginia and Washington, D. C. Belle Bennett is the star of this feature. Thomas N. Heffron is working on a water subject called "The Sea Panther," a tale of pirates of the Caribbean Sea, written by Kenneth B. Clarke, well-known Saturday Evening Post author. In this picture William Desmond will be seen. Director Cliff Smith, Triangle western expert, is putting the finishing touches to the latest vehicle of the cowboy star, Roy Stewart, "Keith of the Border." Four Triangle pictures completed in the last week include "Real Folks," directed by Walter Edwards ; "Captain of His Soul," a screen adaptation of Eleanor Kinkade's magazine story, "Shackles," directed by Gilbert P. Hamilton ; the magazine story, "Little Red Decides," in which Director Jack Conway is said to have obtained some wonderful scenes between the child actress, Barbara Connolly, and the Chinese cook ; and "The Hopper," from Meredith Nicholson's Red Book Magazine story of the same name, on which Thomas N. Heffron handled the megaphone. The Triangle directors who are waiting to begin work on new subjects are Jack Dillon, Raymond Wells, Jack Conway and Walter Edwards. Praise for Fairbanks-Hart Reissues The Triangle re-issues of Hart and Fairbanks' features are constantly bringing comments from exhibitors that indicate the unusual drawing power of these productions. Exhibitors express great confidence in the box-office value of these re-issues by re-booking them, after having shown them for a full run when originally released. In referring to the Fairbanks' re-issue, "The Lamb," released September 30, the manager of the Colonial Theater, at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. states, "This was the fifth repeat on this picture and it played to more business than the first time." With reference to "The Disciple," featuring Hart, re-issued September .16, the same exhibitor said, "This feature played to 60 per cent more business than when first shown." New Picture for Mary Pickford Activities on Mary Pickford's next picture to be released by Artcraft following "Stella Maris," have finally been commenced in San Francisco as a result of special arrangements made by the local police to take care of the crowds that daily storm the locations. The title of the new picture is "Amarilly of Clothes Line Alley" by Frances Marion, based on the novel by Belle K. Maniates. Soldiers See Big Patriotic Film "For the Freedom of the World," Capt. Edwin Bower Hesser's stirring sci^en spectacle, thrilled and delighted Ohio's boys in khaki at Camp Sherman last Saturday and Sunday. Thanks to the Q#veland News and Sunday Leader and the enterprise and courtesy of H. A. Bandy, Cleveland branch manager for Goldwyn Pictures, the production, which is destined to have a tremendous appeal everywhere, was screened in each of the nine Y. M. C. A. huts that dot the camp. Makes Personal Bow Madge Kennedy recently for the first time made a personal appearance in conjunction with her newest Goldwyn starring vehicle, "Nearly Married." The Eighty-first Street Theater, New York, was crowded to welcome the comedienne, who is called "the 'find' of the season." Miss Kennedy made a brief speech, frequently interrupted by applause.