The Moving picture world (September 1923-October 1923)

164 MOVING PICTURE WORLD September 8, 1923 Rocketts Translate the Life of President Lincoln Into Pictures Covering a period from 1809 to 1865, during which thirteen Presidents of the United States sat at Washington, "The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln," a picture story of the life and events of our martyr President, has been successfully filmed at Hollywood by the Rockett-Lincoln Film Company. Done after nearly two years of research and eighteen weeks of actual shooting the picture is a great triumph of the cinema over the stage which, at best, has been able only to suggest Lincoln and not in any adequate manner to interpret his entire amazing career. The stage has presented but a few scenes from Lincoln's life, while the picture-play requires one hundred and fourteen sets, more than one thousand scenes and over two thousand set ups of the camera to tell the story, and then only the high lights can be touched upon. This picture play had its genesis in the purpose of Al and Ray Rockett, of the Rockett-Lincoln Film Company, to produce a great photo-dramatic historical subject in aid of the Americanization movement to preserve American ideals and the Constitution. Lincoln was chosen as the subject typical of liberty, democracy, patriotism and union. The success of the Rockett picture hung upon the ability of the producers to find a player with the spiritual, mental and physical equipment to interpret the role of Lincoln, both as the young man and as the elder statesman. After a year's search, during which time every available professional Lincoln of stage and screen was considered, the right man was found in George A. Billings, who had never appeared before a camera and who had had but little stage experience. Mr. Billings is startlingly like Lincoln and his creation of the role in the picture play will establish an American screen classic. He is not an actor; he lives the part. Phil Rosen, M. P. D. A., was called from Famous Players Lasky to direct the picture, which he did Sale Finishes Film Charles "Chic" Sale completed his first C. C. Burr feature this week and will spend his vacation between pictures in vaudeville. Immediately upon finishing his last scenes at the Burr Glendale Studio, Sale left for Chicago, where he is headlining this week at the Palace Theatre. Next week "Chic" is booked for the Orpheum Theatre in St. Louis. Meanwhile, Director Gregory La Cava is cutting and editing the first picture. alter months of preparation, and his masterly handling of Frances Marion's great script has placed him in the forefront of the world's directors. The story of the picture play begins at the Kentucky birthplace of Lincoln and follows him to Indiana; to Illinois; to New Orleans, where he first saw African slavery ; back to New Salem, Illinois, where he was successively clerk, store-keeper, inventor, soldier, postmaster, surveyor, state representative ; to Springfield, where he became lawyer, elector, congressman, husband, father, and President of the United States; to Washington; to Gettysburg; to the battle fields; to Grant's headquarters, the field hospitals. Fort Stevens ; to his death at Ford's Theatre and back to his old home in Springfield. Among the one hundred and fourteen sets erected for the picture were the log cabin where Lincoln was born ; the home in Indiana ; the old slave market, New Orleans; Lincoln's flat boat; the village of New Salem with twenty-six log buildings ; Lincoln's home and law office at Springfield, Illinois ; the Lincoln-Douglas debates; Black Hawk war; the East Room of the Whit eHouse ; Fort Sumter; Fort Stevens; Gettysburg; Grant's headquarters; President Lincoln's Cabinet Room; Lee's surrender; Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House to the Capitol, a mile and a quarter long; the field hospitals; Ford's Theatre; the great catafalque, etc. Miles of earth works were constructed for the war scenes which, staged by army experts and acted by ex-service men, are said to be as convincing as real war. Exact copies of troop movements of the Civil War were used and designed to display the valor of both the Blue and Gray. The cast of characters reads like a page from United States history, the numerous players being scientifically selected according to type, the principals being, aside from Mr. Billings : Ruth Cifford, Eddie Burns, Pat Hartigan, Otis Harlan, Win. Humphrey, Wm. Moran, Wescott B. Clark, Fay McKenzie, Irene Hunt. Chas. French, Danny Hoy, Lillian Leighton, Peaches Jackson, "The Torrent" Goes to Goldstone "The Storm," by Langdon McCormick, produced by Universal, was such a big success that many of the producers were after the photoplay rights of "The Torrent," by the same author, the rights finally being secured by Phil Goldstone, who announces he will make of "The Torrent" a big spectacular production featuring an all star cast. Langdon McCormick, the author, will personally supervise the script and production. Finishes Filming C. B. C. Picture Actual production has been completed by Producer Harry Cohn on "Forgive and Forget." the new C. B. C. Film Sales Corporation feature. The first print is on the way to the company's New York offices, where final editing and titling will immediately be done so that the feature may be released on schedule time on the special Box Office Winners' series. Directed by Howard M. Mitchell, "Forgive and Forget," features in the cast Estelle Taylor, Pauline Garon, Wyndham Standing, Josef Swickard, Raymond McKee, Philo McCullough, Vernon Steele, and Lionel Belmore. "Forgive and Forget" is a story of modern marriage. Feature Series for Grand-Asher Samuel V. Grand, president of the Grand-Asher Productions, Inc., has announced that Elliot Dexter and Bryant Washburn will each make five pictures for Grand-Asher. Work on this first Dexter picture, tentatively titled, "The Man Who Forgave," will begin August 27 under the direction of R. William Neill. The high lights of the supporting cast are Mildred Harris, Robert Edeson, Anders Randolf, Sydney Bracey, Grace Carlisle and Jeanne Carpenter. The story was written by Adam Hull Shirk and adapted by Florence Hein. Bryant Washburn's first production will probably be called, "Try and Get It." This is a screen adaptation by Jules Furthman of a Saturday Evening Post story, "The Ringtailed Gallawampus," by Eugene P. Lylc, Jr. The picture, which will be under the direction of Cullen Tate, formerly with Cecil B. DeMille at the Lasky Studio, also will have a remarkable supporting cast, including Billie Dove, Lionel Belmore, Joseph Kilgour, Edward Horton and Rose Dione. Gerson Begins on New Series The Gerson Pictures Corporation of San Francisco began work on August 13 on a new series of six five-reel action melodramas, directed by Tom Gibson, and featuring the popular film star, Ora Carew, supported by Jay Morley and a capable cast of players. The Gerson organization will not seek a national release for this series, but will themselves release them to the state right market one a month. The recent output of the company includes twelve "Plum Center Comedies," featuring Dan Mason. F. B. O. release, and "The Cricket on the Hearth.," a feature picture with an all star cast to be released by Selznick in September. All studio work on this series of pictures will be done at the company's own studio at 1974 Page Street, San Francisco, Cal., with locations in and near the city. Louise Fazenda, Nell Craig, Mickey Moore, Homer Willetts, Eddie Sutherland. Walter Rodgers, Alfred Allen, Earl Schenk, Dolly McLean, Willis Marks, Drexel Biddle, Alfred Hart, Mabel Trundle, George Dromgold and others. Ruth Clifford, as Ann Rutledge ; Nell Craig, as Mary Todd Lincoln; Wm. Humphrey, as Stephen A. Douglas; Wm. Moran, as John Wilkes Booth ; Homer Willets, as John Hay; Walter Rodgers, as General Grant : Irene Hunt, as Nancy Hanks Lincoln ; Wescott B. Clark, as Thomas Lincoln ; Danny Hoy, as Abraham Lincoln the boy, and many others will come out of the picture with added honors and some will be started on their way to the electric lights. Messrs. Rockett claim for the picture a nation-wide influence for good in teaching the wholesome lessons of Lincoln's life to the rising and future generations, a liberal education in United States history and a visual demonstration that there is no entertainment so rich in all elements of the drama as real life properly picturized. Every child in the United States will be given an opportunity to see this Lincoln picture and the producers believe that because of the innumerable tie-ups with schools, women's clubs, fraternal, welfare, military and patriotic organizations, as well as of the peculiar charm of the subject, "The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln" will in time be seen by not less than one hundred million people in America alone and by five hundred millions in the world. The picture will be ready for release in September. To Begin Second for Mammoth With the return last week of A. L. Jaffe, one of the directing heads of the Mammoth Pictures Corporation to the Coast, plans were laid for the production of the next picture which the Fisher Productions will make for distribution under the Mammoth banner. It is expected that within a short time announcements of farreaching import will be issued concerning the affiliation of several important Coast production units with the Mammoth organization. The plan upon which the Mammoth will handle its distribution was formulated by Victor B. Fisher and has met with the unqualified commendation of a large portion of the independent exchangemen in the United States. Arrow Gets First of New Cobb Series The Arrow Film Corporation is in receipt of "The Sting of tbe Scorpion." This is the first of the new series of ten Western features starring Edmund Cobb, made by Ashton Dearholt Productions of Los Angeles, and to be distributed by Arrow. "The Sting of the Scorpion" is from an original story by Daniel F. Whitcomb and was directed by Richard Hatton.