Motography (Jan-Jun 1918)

April 20, 1918. MOTOGRAPHY /DO Charles Sutton, Bertha Kent and Maude Turner Gordon. J. Searle Dawley directed the production. "Mr. Fix-It," is the title of the Douglas Fairbanks offering which is released April 15. This picture was produced by Allan Dwan from a scenario by himself based on a suggestion by Ernest Butterworth and presents Fairbanks as the expounder of the theory that happiness is a habit that comes only to those who afford happiness to others. Aside from the entertainment afforded by the display of his remarkable talents, both physical and artistic, Fairbanks is imbued with a sincere desire to teach a lesson of cheerfulness with each picture, and "Mr. Fix-It" is said to fulfill his wishes in this direction thoroughly. Clever acrobatic stunts were devised for Fairbanks to perform and it is claimed that he risks life and limb a great many times, one of the startling feats being a hand over hand climb across a political banner swinging high in the air in the street. Fairbanks has doffed his western make-up and appears in conventional clothes. The leading members of the cast include Wanda Hawley, Marjorie Daw, Catherine MacDonald, Frank Campeau, Leslie Stuart, Fred Goodwin and Margaret Landis. "His Majesty, Bunker Bean/' Released Keen Public Interest Expected as Piece Is Rich in Satire — Characters Modeled After Famous Men H Strong Cast in "The Judge" A stellar combination of June Elvidge, George MacQuarrie and John Bowers is at work on "The Judge," a World picture. Travers Vale is the director. BEAN." a Paramount picture featuring Jack Pickford and Louise Huff, released April 8, will undoubtedly be greeted with the keenest interest because the story is such trenchant satire on certain phases of American life and also because several of the characters arc modeled after famous Americans. Xotable among these arc Jim Breede, the czar of Wall Street, worth a round hundred million, and "the greatest left handed pitcher in the world." The character of Breede, an explosive little man who was always working at high pressure, is said to have been modeled by Harry Leon Wilson, the author, after the late E. H. Harriman. Harriraan, like Breede, was a little man physically, and he had the same incisive way of going to the heart of things that Breede has. The character of the financial wizard has been called by one enthusiastic critic, "one of the rcalest and most human portraits in American fiction.'' Bunker Bean, as all readers of the charming satire will remember, was Breede's stenographer. He was the only stenographer of a long line who could understand Breede's queer enunciation and take dictation from him. But Bunker, who had his snobbish side, scorned Breede, because the financier ^*33S iMiff^^'" w ^fei^^s^C mn^i 1 mil 1 >-.M ■]*♦" "sfi ?***': & ": ":. . jJk^0*' -.--•>■£•• y^"""*»fr ^HP^~fl^l^fl §-**«* ; -^y^^p «n ;" ^ wore detachable cuffs. So during the pauses in dictation Bunker used to write in shorthand on the margin of his pad, "Why don't you get a decent pair of cuffs?" and similar remarks, which was all very well as long as the remarks remained on the pad, but one day one of them inadvertently slipped into a business letter. Then there wa-= perdition to pay. The other character taken from life, "the greatest left handed pitcher in the world," is said to have been modeled after Rube Waddell, the famous eccentric southpaw, who several seasons ago was famous for his pitching and personality when, almost single handed, he won the pennant for the Philadelphia Athletics. The part of Bunker is said to give Pickford the best comedy part of his career, and as Jack is now in the government service, this is one of the last chances film fans may have to see him in action for some time. Pretty Louise Huff also has a part suited to her in "the flapper," and the direction given the comedy by William D. Taylor, the producers say, will mark another triumph for him. Foyer of the Liberty theatre, Portland, Oregon, of which E. J. Myrick is the managing director. The flowers are real. The Liberty is nearly always decorated with flowers and this has caused the theatre to be widely known. Mae Marsh in Georgia Easter week found Mae Marsh among the peachblossoms and oleanders of southern Georgia, her first visit to the happy hunting ground of all stars. A neglected mansion of the type which is fast disappearing was the direct object of Director Hobart Henley's journey and the success of his mission is attested by stills received by the Goldwyn home offices. They show precisely the sort of decaying grandeur described by the author, Edith Bernard Delano, in the story from which the photoplay is adapted. The big house stands in the midst of a rank garden overrun with shrubs and weeds, its fine old portico tumbling into ruin. In this setting were played the scenes requiring Mae Marsh, a modern girl wearing the quaint clothes of a past generation, to leave the old home in search of romance along the broad highway. This unusual situation grows into adventures which begin simply and end in a highly dramatic manner. Miss Marsh, the only player, by the way, concerned in the scenes immediately connected with the house and garden, naturally was the only artist accompanying Mr. Henley. With her mother and a corps of assistants they made a happy party.