The Moving Picture Weekly (1916-1917)

THE MOVING PICTURE WEEKLY ■25 "Fairest, and hardest man to work for in the business. If you're a mutt, beat it quick. You can't fool Sunset Mac. He'll work from dawn until the sun goes down. Maybe you eat and maybe you don't, but he'll never ask you to do a thing that he won't do himself. If it's shooting a log flume at 60 miles an hour, falling down a cliff, jumping into an ice-cold stream or walking a 14-inch pipe over a 150foot ravine to get to a 'location,' Mac wil be there to do it first." Such results make it permissable to ask McRae what, in his mind, constitutes a successful picture. "Several things," is his answer. "Personality of the actors, interest in the story, 'punches,' setting and photography. Yet, these may all be good and, if your film drama lacks real, human appeal, it won't bite into the lasting appreciation of your audience. "The day of 'any old thing' is gone. The day of the real portrayal of real humanity is here. The men who can make pictures so tme in their portrayal of joy and sorrow, humility and pain, shame and glory, that these qualities reach out and strike a responsive note in the hearts of the audience — those men are the ones who are making and will continue to make the truly successful motion pictures." Aside from his work McRae has one enthusiasm, his small son, Henry Oswald McRae who gives every evidence of being a true Bison production. MARIE WALCAMP HAS JAPANESE ADMIRER. A bundle of mail comes every day to Fred Donaghy of Universal City addressed to Marie Walcamp, who plays the featured lead in "Liberty, A Daughter of the U. S. A." Recently, one came from an admirer in Japan written in excellent penmanship but unusual in its phraseology. The letter follows : "Dear Miss Walcamp: — I have no doubt that you will have certainly astonished in getting the letter from me who am quite stranger to you. But I know you on seeing 'The Moving Picture Weekly,' publishing in your country. The reason why I am now writing this letter to you is that I am very much interested In Cinema. "Recently a curiosity induced me to collect general photos of wellknown cinema players in the world. Some American players kindly accepted my offer in giving me their photos. I do not see Liberty manufacturing by Universal Co., but I have any room to doubt that it will arrive Japan presently. So I desire earnestly to have one of your photo, having your own hand's writing's signature on it. I sincerely trust that you will have no objection in accepting my offer. "I thank you in anticipation for r your kindly sending me one of your photo to my request." JAPANESE TWIN GIRLS ADMIRE POLO. yHE fame of Eddie Polo, well-known Universal athlete and actor, has spread to Japan as is evidenced by the large correspondence he receives from the Orient. No letter has pleased him more, however, than one from Japanese twin girls in Yokohoma in a joint letter. They not only sent their photographs, but told him how they admire his work on the screen. The letter was translated for Polo by Frank Tokanaga, one of the Universal actors. INTEREST IN "LIBERTY" GROWS WITH EACH EPISODE. (Continued from page 15.) was that it was all right only he did not have enough to do. Polo, who before going into the movies, was a trained athlete and circus performer, is the possessor of a wonderful physique and is quite the strongest man of the studio. In spite of his many encounters in the film he has found it necessary to take conditioning runs and boxes with any one who is brave enough to undergo the ordeal. It is interesting to know that Eddie has an enormous following in Japan, where they are simply wild over his wonderful muscular development and the numerous stunts that he performs. Another of the players in "Liberty" who has covered himself with glory is Jack Holt. Jack is the hero, and as a dashing army captain who is always on the spot to save the heroine. Jack is able in every respect. His handsome face and figure, together with the expert horsemanship that he has shown in this picture have won him the admiration of the entire country. And now with a couple of shudders and many gasps of horror, the villains are approached, villains because of these there are two in "Liberty." The first and most villainous of them is, or rather was, Manuel Leon, a part played by Bertram Grassby. This was the first picture that Grassby had ever been in where he had had to do any riding, so all the boys were anxious to see him in the saddle. But Bertram fooled them all, for he jumped right on the horse and rode off without so much as a single balk. The very first episode had a part in it where Bertram had. to ride down a very steep incline, but he stood up to the test like a major and now has the respect of all the rough riders in the film. The other gasp-producer was G. Raymond Nye, who in the part of the bandit chief, has filled the bill in every respect. With a towering physique and a black mustache, he has terrified quite as much by his satirical laugh as by his stem frown. In the last few episodes since Manuel was killed, Raymond has had to work pretty hard to furnish all the villainy of the serial, but he has stood up to the task so well that the heroine is still in his clutches without much prospect of freedom. Much to the regret of the company and of those who like to see a man finish what he has begun, the direction of "Liberty" has changed hands almost in the middle, as it were, but this course was necessary and unavoidable, owing to the pai-tial breakdown of Jacques Jaccard under the tremendous strain of putting out two reels of intense action every week. A very unexpected rainy season at Universal City also impeded the progress and so worked on Mr. Jaccard's nerves that it was feared he would have a complete breakdowTi. In this crisis Henry McRae, veteran director of the Bison brand, was asked to take up the serial, and out of his friendship for the leading players, Marie Walcamp, Eddie Polo and Jack Holt, all of whom he knows very well indeed, and has directed in the Bison brand, he con.sented to take up the serial in the thirteenth episode and see it to the end. The thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth have already been shoMTi in the projection room, and too much praise cannot be showered upon Mr. McRae for the manner in which he has grasped the original plan and for the friendly spirit in which he has undertaken to carry out something which he did not begin. McRae has long been known as one of the foremost and most successful thrill producers in the game, and the episodes that he has turned out have been up to his reputation in every way. So well has he picked up the threads that it is impossible to tell at which episode the other left off and at vv^hich McRae began. So "Liberty" is drawing to a close. To say that it is the greatest serial that has ever appeared would not be going too far. Many others have said it, and the congratulations from exhibitors and fans have been pouring into the office ever since it began. Undoubtedly it has set a new pace in serial conducting, showing the country something entirely new in the way of serial pictures, and has opened ujd a new field which the other companies will not be long in following. IT WAS NEW TO ELIZABETH. ■pWO little girls were sitting on th( knee of Marshall Stedman, engaging director at Universal City, telling their friend of the events of the day in school. They were Lena Baskette and Elizabeth Janes, well-known child actresses of the film capital. "I got 100 in deportment to-day, Uncle Marshall," said Lena proudly. "How much did you get?" he asked of Elizabeth. The fair-haired child looked up. She did not quite understand the meaning of the word. "I don't take it," she replied.