The Moving picture world (January 1926-February 1926)

January 2, 1926 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 19 giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiritiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiusiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ I Reviews from the Screen Viewpoint | I of Plays, Books, Stories and Operas | I By Qray Strider | It's Still the Christmas Classic LAST week in this column it was suggested that Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" would make the ideal Christmas picture, — a classic that could be shown each year in every village, every town and every city from 'Minnesota to Florida and from New York to California. I Since then the New York WORLD, one of the largest metropolitan dailies in the world has printed the following in its short story section of Dejcember 20, 1925: "Charles Dickens wrote 'A Christmas •Carol' so long ago as 1843 but it shows no sign of age. It evoked an immediate sensation of good cheer and good will, which has not waned, but rather has grown to be universal, during the 82 years that have elapsed .since its first publication. The inimitable little masterpiece, translated into all languages and conditions of people is acted as play or pantomime in theatres throughout the world, and illustrated by artists of various nationalities. Y?t the characters of Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and the rest, not forgetting wistful, pathetic Tiny Tim, remain changeless, perennial, perfect. "Dickens himself launched 'A Christmas Carol' with the following modest wish (that has been overwhelmingly fulfilled) : " T have endeavored in this Ghostly little book to' raise the Ghost of an idea, which shall not put my readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.' "Everybody in Christendom ought to read the 'Carol' each Yuletide season. Perhaps everybody does. If not, they are steadily •coming to it . . . ." And so I hope by the time the next Christmas comes around that we may all be able to see the "wistful, pathetic Tiny Tim" in a picture which will remain "changeless, perennial, perfect." "Lions 'N' Tigers 'N' Everything" WHEN I picked up Courtney Ryley Cooper's bpok (publishers. Little, and Co.) "Lions 'N' Tigers 'N' Everything," I thought it was a child's story, but I was happily disappointed. This man Cooper certainly knows what lie's talking about, namely, the circus and animals, and with Charlie Chaplin's circus picture in the offing, I want to quote a few pages from Mr. Cooper's book, a few pages — which if picturized in any circus screen production — would draw an uncountable audience from all over the country : "Bon v/as the baby (hippopotamus), a bulbous thing of some five hundred pounds Avhen he arrived from the old home place on the River Nile. The result was that Bon began to grieve to such an extent that he worked himself into a state of hysterio, if such a thing can be imagined in a member of the hog family. . . . Then one day the crisis arrived; Bon began to beat his head .against the bars, a favorite method which grieving hippopotami seem to have for committing sucide. That night Bon was happy. He had a human companion, known by no other name than Mike — and the world was good again. ■'The baby hippo ceased to whine. Gradually it was noticed that the "hippopotamus nurse" was taking more and more interest in his charge, pilfering bread for him or cutting fresh grass. . . . The hippo seemed cured. " 'Guess you can go back to your bunk nov^',' said the menagerie superintendent. "But Mike continued to sleep in the hippopotamus den without pay. "One night, the emergencies suddenly clamped hard. There had come a shrieking cry from the shrouded wagons atop the fiat cars : "Fire! F-i-r-e! "Hurrying men spotted the cage where a red glow had shown for an instant, then faded — the hippopotamus den. Workmen ai.d performers rushed forward. "Then den was dripping with water, evidently carried from the circus water-cart just ahead. But Mike, the "hippo nurse," was not to be found. "Then came a shout. They had discovered him by the right of way, his neck broken ; in the fight for his grotesque comrade's life he evidently had slipped on the top of the den and fallen from the train. "Mike gave his life to save that of a hippopotamus. "The circus bought a lot for Mike in one of the best cemeteries of the Western town near which his death occurred. The usual "round robin" went about the circus lot for flowers. There was only one time in which the show people could pay their last respects to the faithful Mike, and that came between parade and show time. That morning the few people in the big cemetery saw a strange cavalcade turn through the gates of the burial place, winding among the silent tombstones and masoleums. The band inen atop the carved wagons playing music strange to the circus ; the lions shifting in their cages ; the equestriennes, with their white, be-ribboned horses, riding beside the hearse ; the snares and bases of the Zouave drum corps muffled and beating in slow time to the funeral music from the big-top and kid-show bands ; the clowns slumped on the big tableaux — the whole circus, Mike's beloved circus, with its colors, its beautiful mottled parade horses, its cages, its clowns and couriers and Wild West Riders, with Bon whining in his big tank in dumb wonderment as to what had become of his companion — Mike's circus had come to say good-by. And some way, to those who watched, there was nothing strange about it, nothing incongruous. They were of his life — a grim, rushing, tumultous life behind its covering gaudiness, and neither the paint, nor the spangles, nor glittering colors seemed to matter." If this scene is picturized, it will draw the entire country. It will add the most dramatic of all contrasts to any circus comedy. PURCHASED FOR THE SCREEN Carl Laemmle has bought his first German story, "The Opera Glass," by Gabrielle Renter, the well known German authoress. The story has been adapted by Don Cobb of the Universal scenario department and 'will be called "Three Women and a Man." Reginald Denny will be starred. Universal has also purchased Frank H. Spearman's collection of ten short stories called "The Nerve of Foley," a group of railroad fiction, including the well known "Whispering Smith." Five of the Foley stories have been grouped and adapted by Cobb into a big railroad melodrama for Universal. The story will be directed by Eddie Laenmile under the title "The Still Alarm." Clear Lobbies, Exits, Remove Draperies, Orders Mayor PICTURE theatre lobbies must be kept clear at all times, emergency exits must be open and in working order, all draperies in theatres must come down. Mayor Dever gave that three-ply ultimatum to a group of Chicago theatre owners over their protests and pleas for a compromise. The fire ordinances must be obeyed to the letter, the mayor said. He told the theatre owners that Fire Commissioner Connery had complained of conditions in the larger movie houses. The theatre owners suggested adoption of a rule allowing half of the lobby space to be used for persons waiting for seats. The mayor turned down the proposal. People standing in the lobby block the exits, he said. In case of a disaster the thousands inside the theatre wouldn't be able to get out he argued. Owners of theatres elaborately decorated with velvet draperies and other expensive ornaments were told that the law permits nothing on theatre walls but paint and plaster. After the conference it was said that a committee probably will be appointed to work out a set of rules with Fire Commissioner Connery. NEW WASHINGTON THEATRE Construction is about to start on the new $150,000 theatre and commercial building in Mount Vernon, Wash. The property covers a triangular site 200x212x100 feet at First and Kincaid streets. The theatre will occupy a portion of the building 50x100 feet. It will be constructed on a main floor plan and will seat 700. It will be of concrete and brick construction with terra cotta trim. William Aitkin of Seattle was the architect. .Alexander & MacNeil are the contractors. A $17,000 pipe organ will be included in the e((iiipment.