The Photo-Play Journal (Jul 1919-Feb 1921)

52 Photo-Play Journal REAL NEWS OF REEL PEOPLE sin Merle Johnson, the youngest director in the business, age 21, has formed his own company. With Doris Kenyon as his leading woman, he has taken his cast of thirteen players to Knoxville, Tenn., where exteriors of "Footsteps," his first picture, will be filmed. * * * Using the Capitol, the White House and the other government buildings as his locale, David G. Fischer will soon begin work on "In the Shadow of the Dome," a photoplay of life in Washington. Mr. Fischer heads the new Fox-Fischer Masterplays, Inc. He will be remembered as an actor in many popular successes on the stage, formerly Julia Marlowe's leading man. * * * Vincent Coleman, who is playing the lead in "Self Defense," at the Blackstone Theatre, Chicago, and Constance Talmadge's leading man in her current release, "Good References," nearly lost his life recently in the course of rescuing a boy from drowning in Lake Michigan. Coleman noticed the boy fall from a raft and swam to his rescue. The lad obtained a death grip on the actor's throat and both were in danger until the life guards saved them. * * * Irene Boyle, who played opposite George Walsh in "The Dead-Line," is now playing the leading feminine role in "The Rider of the King Log," which Edgar Jones is making in Augusta, Me. * * * Edna May Sperl has ended her month's vacation and will soon begin work on the second of the series of five-reel dramas Edgar Jones is producing in Maine. Miss Sperl earned her vacation for she worked steadily for a year in the Northwoods series of two-reelers at Augusta. * * * Although he has temporarily given up the idea of serial work. Tom Santschi is completely in his element in the two-reel westerns he is making for August Williams, the producer. With a horse and the great outdoors Tom Santschi is happy. leading man. He has signed to appear in plays with both Norma and Constance Tal madge. * * * Oregon will have a chance to see a nationally famous man. Frank Borzage is taking his entire company north to make timberland scenes for Peter B. Kynes story, "Kindred of the Dust," which he is directing with Marion Davies as the star. * * * Ben Turpin, whose eyes assert a various message in Mack Sennett comedy concoctions, celebrates this month the fifty-third anniversary of his birth. * * * Madge Bellamy, who supported William Gillette in "Dear Brutus," will be leading woman for Douglas MacLean in "One a Minute." * * * According to reports, George Walsh is to quit the Fox banner and become a producer "on his own." * * * Cutting and titling of "Lavender and Old Lace," a Renco production, in which Seena Owen has one of the principal feminine roles, is under way, under the direction of Director Lloyd Ingraham. Miss Owen plays the part of Ruth in this Myrtle Reed story. Others in the cast are : Margaret Snow, Louis Bennison, Victor Potel, Zella Ingraham and others. * * * Pell Trenton, who played leads in more than 100 stage productions in New York and London, and who has supported a score of famous film stars including Clara Kimball Young and others, is playing opposite Carmel Myers in "The Orchid." The film is being directed by Marcel de Sano. * * * Hallam Cooley, who plays the part of "Ferdie" in "An Old Fashioned Boy" with Charles Ray, landed a 200-pound tuna while fishing off Catalina Island recently. Cooley battled with the fish for nearly two hours before it was safely hauled into the boat. Vidor spent several weeks in search of the most suitable actress to play the difficult feminine lead. At length he went to Marshall Neilan, with whom Miss Moore recently signed a long term contract, and finally induced Neilan to loan him that capable young actress. * * * The distinguishing trait of the Griffith forces in discovering new juvenile talent has brought Tom Douglas to the screen. He makes his film debut in the lead to Dorothy Gish in "A Cynic Effect," and there is a consistent report that Douglas will take the place of the former "stock" leading juvenile who left Griffith to star in his own company. * * * The usual fate that happens to screeri stories has befallen "Calderon's Prisoner," the novel which is being picturized by Constance Binney and Ward Crane, her leading man. The new name for the picture is "Something Different." This is the production, it will be remembered, which took Miss Binney, Mr. Crane, Lucy Cotton and their director to Cuba to film the exterior scenes which are laid in and around Havana. * * * The .return to New York of the U. S. S. Pennsylvania gave its officers the opportunity to give a dinner on board ship in honor of Virginia Lee, the screen favorite, who is now creating the leading feminine role in the initial production of Cayuga Pictures Corporation, entitled "Three Women Loved Him."' During the war, Miss Lee was formally chosen as the mascot of the Pennsylvania, due to her marriage to Lt. Commander William Boyer, who was then serving aboard that ship. * * * Douglas MacLean has commenced work on "One A Minute," his latest Thomas H. Ince production for Paramount, a story adapted for the screen by Joseph Franklin Poland from the stage farce by Fred Jackson, author of "La La Lucille" and "The Naughty Wife." Supporting the star will be Marian DeBeck. Victor Potel, Frances Raymond, Andrew Robson and Graham Pettie. "The Mistress of Shenstone," by Florence L. Barclay, authoress of "The Rosary," has been selected by Director Henry King, for Pauline Frederick's next cinema vehicle, production on which has been begun. * * * For the first time an insurance policy has been taken out on a horse acting in a movie. Vitagraph has protected itself to the extent of $50,000 on the animal that plays the name part in "Black Beauty." Arthur Berthelet, Bessie Love's director, is making preparations to to take his star and members of the company to Arizona, to film great groups of cattle on the ranges and other scenes requiring the rugged background so vividly described in Belle K. Maniate's story, "Penny of Tophill Trail," which will form the basis of Bessie's next picture. * * * Harrison Ford has bebecome a wholesale Colleen Moore has been chosen to play the leading feminine role in King Vidor's production of "The Sky Pilot." After selecting David Butler for the male lead, Producer WARD CRANE Ouida Bergere, author and sceaarist, has sailed on the Aquitania for Europe where she will spend two months visiting England, France, Holland, and Italy. Blanche Yurka, actress and personal friend of Miss Bergere. will accompany her on the trip. * * * Elsie Ferguson, Paramount star, who sailed from San Francisco early in June on a tour of the world, reaches Marseilles this week, from which port she will go to Paris and London, returning to New York in November. Miss Ferguson has visited the Philippines, Japan and China and will reach France via the Suez Canal. * * * A group of the best known players on the London stage will be seen in "The Call of Youth," the Paramount picture by Henry Arthur Jones, now being filmed at the London studio of the Famous Players (Continued on page 61)