The Moving picture world (February 1920-March 1920)

March 27, 1920 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD 2137 Seven Companies Making Metro Specials; Six on West Coast and One in the East SIX companies on the west coast and one in the east are getting under way on the big special production which will constitute the fourth round of Metro's "fewer and better" pictures series of photoplays adapted from stage successes and best-selling novels. The fourth round of the "fewer and better" series includes May Allison in Eugene Walter's drama of a woman's love of luxury, "Fine Feathers;" Bert Lytell in a picture version of a colorful and gripping novel of India, by I. A. R. Wylie and entitled "The Temple of Dawn"; Viola Dana in the uproarious boudoir farce, "Parlor, Bedroom and Bath," from the stage hit by C. W. Bell and Mark Swan ; Alice Lake in "An Outsider;" a second Herne play, this one by the daughter of the author of "Shore Acres," Julie Herne; a third all-star-cast melodrama from the Drury Lane Theatre in London; "Hearts Are Trumps," by Cecil Raleigh; Taylor Holmes in a picturization of one of the stage hits which contributed so much to William Collier's popularity, "Nothing But Lies," by Aaron Hoffman ; and Mitchell Lewis, in the first of his cinema productions of four Jack London novels, this one being "Burning Daylight." No Director Chosen for Walter Play. No definite word has as yet been forthcoming from the Metro studios in Hollywood regarding the choice of director for the production of the Eugene Walter play, "Fine Feathers." This, it will be recalled, was produced several years ago in New York with a cast as notable as the success the play enjoyed. H. Thompson Rich has prepared the script for this striking play of American life. "The issue of such a play as this on the screen today," said a Metro official at the New York offices this week, "is particularly timely. It is a play which follows with unswerving logic the result of extravagance." Bert Lytell's part in "The Temple of Dawn" will come as a marked contrast to his last two characters, that of the immaculate and brilliant young Montreal lawyer, Charley Steele, in Sir Gilbert Parker's "The Right of Way;" and of the title character of "Alias Jimmy Valentine," the reformed crook, Paul Armstrong's great melodrama made world-famous. Has Role of English Army Officer. In "The Temple of Dawn" Lytell will be seen as an English army officer, Leigh Daring, who, through unfortunate circumstances becomes an outcast in India, and there later "finds himself." Arthur Zellner of the Metro scenario staff prepared this story for the screen, before leaving Hollywood for New York to join Maxwell Karger. "Parlor, Bedroom and Bath" will be something of a novelty, too, for Viola Dana, last seen in "The Willow Tree," by J. H. Benrimo and Harrison Rhodes; and recently having completed "Dangerous to Men," from the drama by H. V. Esmond. Edward Dillon has been selected by the production staff at the Metro studios to stage the production. Chief in the support of Miss Dana in the cast of this boudoir farce by C. W. Bell and Mark Swan, is Eugene Pallette. A. P. Younger, of the Metro scenario staff, wrote the script from which Mr. Dillon will direct the piece. In "An Outsider," by Julie Herne, daughter of James A. Herne, who wrote "Shore Acres," Alice Lake at the head of an allstar cast will be given the part of a manicurist. Lois Zellner has done the adaptation and continuity for the picture, but the choice of director has not as yet been made public. Third of Drury Lane Plays. "Hearts Are Trumps" is the third of the Drury Lane melodramas of the five Metro purchased last year while Richard A. Rowland, president of Metro Pictures Corporation, was in England. This third of the thrillers is the sole work of Cecil Raleigh, WtmM iiPiiirtiiiiitiiuiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiii (IMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKlllllllJIIIDllltll who collaborated with Henry Hamilton and Arthur Collins in the writing of several other big successes of the same sort. As the title implies one story deals with gambling, high social life in England, and intrigue, with a strong and appeaing love interest skillfully woven through the story. Finis Fo'x wrote the scenario. Aaron Hoffman wrote "Nothing But Lies" for William Collier after that stage star's hit in "Nothing But the Truth," which James Montgomery adapted for the stage from the novel by Frederic Isham; and the comedian repeated his triumph. Metro believes that the same repetition of humorous achievement will fall to the lot of Taylor Holmes, who recently bought and produced three stage comedy hits and produced them for distribution through Metro. "Nothing But the Truth" and "The Very Idea," the latter by William Le Baron, have been finished; and "Nothing But Lies" will be in the course of production within the near future. This picture is being made by Taylor Holmes Productions, Inc., in the East. Mitchell Lewis has Edward Sloman as director for "Burning Daylight," the Jack London story of Alaska and New York which will be the first of five such Mr. Lewis will appear in on the screen, for C. E. Shurtleff, Inc. Hodkinson Reports Exhibitors Showing The Sagebrusher" with Big Success WHETHER it is the action and fidelity of the picture to Emerson Hough's novel or whether it is the heart story of a blindgirl's faith that is making Benjamin B. Hampton's "The Sagebrusher" such a big success with first run theatres everywhere even exhibitors are not able to determine. But the fact remains that the production is a recordmaking picture. "Everybody responds to a great love story, the finest type of story that can be put in a theatre," says Charles H. Toy, a big Milwaukee exhibitor and he booked "The Sagebrusher" instantly for his Toy Theatre. Such theatres as the Liberty, San Jose; the Rialto and Lyric, Lincoln, Neb.; the Fuller, Kalamazoo, William Fox's American, Paterson, N. J.; the Star, Elgin; the Heyburn, Evanston ; the Majestic, Rock Island, 111.; the Virginian, Charleston, West Va., are repeating the public success that "The Sagebrusher" has won in Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Butte, Pittsburg. Although this Hampton production has been released but six or seven weeks there are not more than a dozen big cities in America at the present time that have not set play dates and announced the coming engagement of "The Sagebrusher." C. E. Stillwell, the prominent Spokane showman who stirred the townspeople with a spectacular promotion campaign on Mr. Hampton's "Desert Gold" last Fall, duplicated that drive on "The Sagebrusher," the attraction at his Casino Theatre last week, resulting in an engagement that reached the high attendance mark set by the powerful Zane Grey picture. She Might Be "Nobody's Girl" Now, But We'll Wager That Before Reel Five Is Over She's Somebody's "Prospect." Plenty of sand in this National Pictures Theatres production with Blllie Rhodes.