Paramount Press Books (1918)

How Dr. Hugo Riesenfeld put on "The White Heather" DR. HUGO RIESENFELD, director of the Rialto and Rivoli Theatres, New York, presented Maurice Tourneur’s Paramount-Artcraft special picture at the Rialto Theatre with highly artistic effect on Sunday, May 4, 1919. How it was done will interest exhibitors everywhere. As a part of the Magazine Dr. Riesenfeld introduced a short scenic “Through the Land of Bonnie Sweet Bessie,” and just as this is started we see Miss Gladys Rice standing on the lower end of the stage steps at the right ; there is a red light upon her as she begins to sing “Bonnie Sweet Bessie.” A few moments later the curtains over the side panels at either end of the stage part with two rural scenes in Scotland, lighted from the top in a glow of red. But the picture does not start just at that moment, for from the right of the house up the steps and across the stage comes a bagpiper. There are just a few strains of this and he goes out at the left. It is a surprising and delightful effect. As these notes are dying away the feature, “The White Heather,” starts. During his appearance and preceding the title there was a short picture of the bagpiper thrown on the screen. “Songs of Scotland” is the music at the screening and then at the scene showing the bagpiper we have the real one playing himself, and with the introduction of Marion Hume “Bonnie Sweet Bessie” is brought back. For the scenes in the London Stock Ex l_yilll:lllli]!lil1lllllll;,!llll:llll!l!llii!lllllllliillll!ill|i||ll!l,:llll;IM!lll:lllli:l!lli![llll lllill![|i;liill lu = RIALTO THEATRE, N. Y. m Week of May 4. = Program g 1. Overture, “The Bohemian ll n Girl’’; Rialto Orchestra. g 2. Rialto Magazine. H 3. Duet, “I Puritani’’; Edoardo = §§ Albano and Emanuel List. g n 4. “The Pale Pack Train,’’ g Bruce scenic. M 5. Soprano solo, Gladys Rice, n n “Bonnie Sweet Bessie.’’ n 5-a. Bag Piper. f§ 6. Maurice Tourneur’s “The n n White Heather’ ’ ; film feature. g 7. “Judge Rumhauser’’; ani 1 n mated cartoon. n g 8. Organ solo. = I ’HE picture feature furnishes the key to the show. Having its locale in Scotland, the framer of the bill has supplied a capital n bit of “atmosphere’’ in the mus == ical numbers which immediately M precede. §§ Gladys Rice is the soloist. She g takes a position between the cen n tral screen and one of the side § panels from which she is invisible n as she sings a pretty Scotch bal lad in her beautiful, clear voice. | The central screen is given over g n meanwhile to a motion picture n g scenic of Scotch landscape while j§ n the curtains are drawn from the M panels on both sides and illumin n ated still views are shown in col M ored silhouettes. n Following Miss Rice a kilted bag-piper walks across the stage g playing -on his pipes. He con n tinues to play during some of the g earlier scenes of the picture which == show the Scotch palace and in n M which a piper figures. g All this leads the audience un n consciously into the spirit of the g picture. When their attention g 1 has become fixed upon the story n by the development of its char §§ acters, the piper drifts out of the M proceedings unnoticed. n IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllillH I change, there is “Henry VIII,” and then with the introduction of Lord Angus Cameron a portion of “Pomp and Circumstance” is used, and later when he meets his brother, “Meeting.” There is an intermezzo used where Marion sees Lord Angus and then the theme again with Dick Beach. “Children’s Suite” is used where Donald, the little son, is shown. At the title “In the Morning,” Poesi Pastor is played, and then with the title “Aye, Lad,” “Hunting Music” is used until the scene where Alex meets Marion, when we have the theme. At the title “Hello,” we have “From the Countryside,” and as they sit down to dinner there is a bugle call with the remainder of the orchestra tacit and then “From the Countryside” taken up again. For the scene aP the Devil’s Chimney, “Ponticello” is played and then a pause, as the shot is fired with a numbered selection and the organ taking over the music. During the time the organ is playing there is a ’cello rendering of the theme for the death of the girl’s father, and then with the title “The Quest of Love Brings Another Searcher,” we have the theme on the violin. The orchestra comes back with “We’ll Return to Town,” and then a couple of numbered selections follow until the closing of the wounded man and then “Melancholic” is used once through. The rest of the music to the end where Dock goes to the man on the bed, “Berceuse,” is played to the end. 9