The Moving picture world (May 1921)

May 14, 1921 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 159 Keeping in Personal Touch Marie Prevost, one of the most famous of the Mack Sennett bathing beauties, has deserted the California seaside and now is in New York. She has signed up with Universal and will be starred henceforth in comedy drama. Up in the Universal offices the other day we asked her the chief object of her visit to town. "I just had to come to New York to re- plenish my clothes," she quickly answered. "Bathing comedies are not conducive to the accumulation of an extensive wardrobe. Of course, I was not limited to one-piece suits in my recent comedies, but even so, after many months as a bathing girl, I am dying to dress up and play serious or at least semi-serious roles." By FRITZ TIDDEN * * * Harry Rowson, head of the Ideal Film Renting Company, Ltd., of London, arrived in New York on the Adriatic April 30. He expects to stay here for three or four weeks at least. Rowson brought with him a num- ber of the English pictures produced and released by his company. * * * Another visitor from Europe is Abel Gance, the director of "J'Accuse." He came to New York to be present at the initial and private showing of his produc- tion, which Marc Klaw will hold in the ball room of the Biltmore on Tuesday evening. May 10. * * * One of our secret service agents informs us that Mary Pickford has presented friend husband with a new Rolls-Royce. * * * Nathan Hirsh sails for Europe on May 14 to purchase foreign pictures. * * * Louis Reeves Harrison, formerly of Moving Picture World, is very low in the Memorial Hospital, following a serious op- eration. There is but one chance in a thou- sand that he will recover. * * ♦ "It seemed to us that Mae Marsh's per- formance stood out from all the rest, though Lillian Gish had at that time the pathetic appeal which has since made her the most popular of all screen heroines."— New York. Tribune. We wouldn't let Douglas Fairbanks or Joseph Schenck hear about this, Harriet. They might indignantly stand up for their respective "Mrs." * * * Hiram Abrams entrained for California on April 30. * * * The Film Market, Inc., of which Robert W. Priest is president, will move shortly into new and more commodious executive offices in the Fitzgerald Building. * * * Hyatt Daab, the famous sport writer, who for many years conducted in the New York Telegram one of the best sport col- umns in the country, has joined the staff of Robertson-Cole. He is not in the pub- licity department, as might be expected. Hy is doing special work, the nature of which he keeps a deep mystery even from his most intimate friends. This is not the first time Hy has been connected with the film business. Some years ago he combined publicity promotion for the U. S. Distrib- uting Corporation with his sport writing. Speaking of Robertson-Cole a trio of their prominent people recently arrived in the East from the Coast. The other eve- ning we sat next to Pauline Frederick at the theatre and she told us that she did not expect to make a very long stay in New York, returning to California early next week. She stated that Louis Gasnier and R. J. Tobin, western manager for R-C came East with her. * * * The Senate Finance Committee plans to commence hearings on May 9 on matters pertaining to the revision of the existing revenue laws. Sales tax proposals will be taken up first, and after that will probably come the excess profits tax for repeal. * * * Charles Gilpin, the negro actor whose tre- mendous success in "Emperor Jones" is now theatrical history, has signed a con- tract with James Fitzgerald to make a pic- ture for the Eureka Film Company. The details are rapidly being arranged for Gil- pin to commence in the near future. It was natural that the difficult question of a play entered into the consideration and it has been decided to) give the talented negro a vehicle somewhat on the order of "The Copperhead." Both white and colored actors will be associated with him. Fitz- gerald will direct the picture. * * * Nat Levine, president of Plymouth Pic- tures, Inc., left New York last week for Harry Reichenbach is noted for doing big things, in a big way. His latest is putting a street on the map. Forty-third street has always worried Harry. It always seemed to him to be a step- child of Forty-second street. He couldn't stand to see it forgotten in the mad rush of things. When "Dream Street" moved over to the Town Hall, Harry took on the exploitation. He immedi- ately realized that in putting over the Griffith "Street" he could kill the two well known birds with the equally noted stone, and ac- complish one of his foremost am- bitions by putting Forty-third street on the map simultaneously. If you don't believe he has done it walk by there some day. He dressed up the block between Broadway and Sixth avenue with the American and Chinese flags: Harry staged ballyhoos through- out the day and evening near the Town Hall. The result is that New Yorkers and their out-of- town cousins are diverting their steps through Forty-third street in preference to any other block. Forty-third street is now very much on the map and Harry is happy. a short business trip which will take him to Buffalo, Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, At- lanta, Chicago, and Minneapolis in the in- terest of his company's new feature, "Every Woman's Problem." * * * Enid Bennett, the beautiful star of the Rockett Company, bade adieu to the screen for a season when the final scene of "Keeping Up With Lizzie" was filmed the other day. It had been rumored that the former Ince star would be featured in all six of the comedy dramas the Rockett Company is under contract to film for the W. W. Hod- kinson Corporation, but the intervention of the stork has made this program of no avail and Miss Bennett has already gone into retirement at her beautiful home in Beverly Hills near Los Angeles. * * * His first press notice: Born May 1, to Mr. and Mrs. Bert Adler, a son, named Arthur Graham Adler, after his father's friend, Arthur Butler Graham, the well-known attorney. Bert Adler is now representing Allan Dwan, Whitman Bennett, J. L. Frothingham and Irvin Willat. * * * John A. Kent, lately of Vitagraph's At- lanta branch, is now a member of the sales department of the Aycie Pictures Corporation. Shortly after he assumed his new duties he left for an extended tour of the country that will take him to all of the important trade centers from coast to coast. * * * Alia Nazimova, who came to New York from the Coast in time to appear in the Equity benefit at the Metropolitan Opera House on May 1, is ill. She has the grippe. "What Every Woman Knows" should de- velop some interesting information on the screen. * * * And some surprising disclosures might be expected when the screen tells "The Truth About Husbands." * * * Jim Cogan, one of the old guard of scenario writers, is back in the game after an absence of several years. Jim figures out that the demand for clean stuff will give him a look-in, and he is doing a little acting as well as writing in order to per- fect his screen technique. With anointed beard, huge moustachios and his hair long he looks like a cross between Buffalo Bill and 'The Silver King." Jim was out of the game during the craze for book titles but he has his ear to the ground and be- lieves that the story for the screen is com- ing into its own again, and he is right on the ground. * * * Just as some communities are starting Dayhjht"' aI °" g C ° meS 3 film ' " Burni "g * * * Roderick Ross, motion picture printer of Chicago, who is retiring from the printing business and entering the film business was another we met during the week.' Ross has sold his home in Chicago and is going to take up residence in the m p colony, in the vicinity of New Rochelle. C F. Bender assistant to Lucien Hub- bard, scenario editor at Universal City, has