Photoplay (Jan 1921)

It s getting so every motion picture company has to take its own little private orchestra along on every location jaunt. This South African village built for a Universal picture probably pricked up its ears at the echo of the tom-tom tunes of its palmier prototype — and the African extras shimmed between scenes. Note the reflectors which throw the proper lighting on the actors. Jacques Jaccard is the director. \P/qys and Jpfayers Real news and interesting comment about motion pictures and motion-picture people. By CAL. YORK IN view, I suppose, of the rumored money shortage, we have been besieged the past month in Hollywood with ''sets." Everybody has been building, staging, locating rets bigger than "Intolerance" and more expensive than the burning of Rome. You can't speak to anybody on a picture lot without being told about a set. Fox is probably in the lead, with two really staggering affairs— those for the "Queen of Sheba" including Solomon's Temple, the Tower of David, and Solomon's Throne Room. They cover a couple of blocks and I can't remember how much they cost. Then those for "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" — a whole valley being necessary in which to build King Arthur's castle. At Universal Von Stroheim has spent a couple of years' profits erecting a young Monte Carlo for "Foolish Wives." Metro staged the Battle of the Marne on a stupendous scale for the "Four Horsemen;" while Mr. Ince entered "The Bronze Bell" and Cecil de Mille spent $65,000 on his plateglass Cinderella set for "Forbidden Fruit." It's a great life while the money holds out. DON'T ever say "Reduce" to Emily Stevens. That lady thought last summer that she was gaining entirely too much weight to be in keeping with her portrayals of subtle stage heroines. So she began to starve herself thin. She did — she lost forty pounds in a remarkably short time. Her own private little hunger-strike worked even better than she expected. This fall she went on tour with "Footloose," the Zoe Akins play which scored such a success in New York. It — and Miss Stevens — got as far as Boston. As she was about to make her entrance for an evening performance, Emily collapsed and the curtain was rung down. She was hustled to a hospital. "Nervous breakdown from overwork," nodded the doctors wisely. "Overwork nothing!" cried Miss Stevens weakly but effectually, "underv eight ! I tried to reduce — and look at me. Never again !" LOWGIE CASTLE, in Bombay, India, has been purchased as a studio by Paramount. Soon we should see the Winter Palace and the once-imperial Palace at Potsdam converted into celluloid workshops. The Alhambra, that you go to Spain to see, has already served as a location for the film people. EDNA PURVIANCE, whose contract with Charles Chaplin still has a number of years to run, is spending her leisure moments, which are many just now, actually breaking into society. Edna's dearest friend and constant companion is a charming young society divorcee whose family is Society in Los Angeles, and the blonde film beauty is present at Santa Barbara, Coronado, Del Monte and Burlingame whenever anything special is going on. Incidentally, she is a feature guest at all sorts of millionaire affairs in Pasadena and has more or less forsaken film circles. And she's just as popular with the male section as she ever was. Oh well — with her assured income— she still draws her weekly pay-check on her five-year Chaplin contract, you know — and no work to do, Edna can afford to play the social game. THEY said for a while there that Mary Hay Barthelmcss was going to forget she ever wTas in the Follies and settle down to domesticity. Evidently she changed her mind, for she's ju?t signed with Ziegfeld for an important part in a new musical play starring Marilynn Miller and Leon Errol. RIDYARD KIPLING is to write for films. Pathe has cornered him and expects soon to put into work his first scenario. "The Light That Failed" and "The Naulahka," both Kipling tales, were filmed by Pathe. (Continued on page 88)