Pictures and the Picturegoer (April - September 1915)

PICTURES AND liiti PICTUREGOER 493 Wr.EK ENDING 'y'5 Welcome Reappearance of " The Master Kiy '* Favourites, Bob Leonard and Ella Hall. "A BOOB'S ROMANCE." Laemmle Comedy. 1,950 feet approx. Released Noveiulier 1st. Tlie countless admirers of Bob Leonard and Ella Hall have been ■ waiting for another picture featuring these two poj alar stars. Well, here tiny mo in a wholly delightful comedy, which every one of the many thousands of i eoplewlio witnessed " The Master Key " will be eager to see. Bob Leonard is seen as a boob— a genuine, fly-swattin' boob— and his k characterisation is so nbsoluttly perfect that one -^■^^" wonders if lie can really be the fame Bob Leonard who von world-wide fume in " The Muster Key." Ella Hall is as pretty and Cbonniug as ever, and as usual she puts her heart and soul into the work. The resulting comedy is a picture that stands in a class by itself ; its charm is beyond description. YOU MUST SEE IT ! A Chance of a Lifetime. SETS OF BEAUTIFUL HALF-PLATE PHOTOS depicting tbe principal scenes in "Flying A" and "Beauty" productions sent all applicants on receipt of Postal Order value 6d. "FLYING A" CO., 193, Wardour St., \7. IN AND OUT OF THE STUDIO The Villain in Pictures. A MAN cannot smile and yet be a villain— not in Movieland ! On the screen a fiendish smile may be employed now and then to poke in the essential realism, but for the most part the villain must be a stern and foreboding individual. He must be as mild a mannered man as ever scuttled ship or cut a throat ! John Charles, whoplays the" heavies " in many of the Red Seal plays produced t>y the Selig Polyscope Company, in Movieland is a villain of the most ipproved type; outside of Movieland lie is not a bit villainous; but that is another story again ! Starting to play parts in theatrical stock companies at the age of sixteen years, Mr. Charles has enacted a range of roles from " Simon Legree " to "Hamlet." and all more or less villains. "In the good old days of the ten, twenty, and thirty," said Mi\ Charles the other day, " the villain, who always smoked a cigarette, carried a ridingwhip and wore puttees, was frequently hissed off the stage. His was indeed a thankless part. In the pictures details ire somewhat different. While the villain wins the enmity of the picture 'gallery gods' right off the bat, he cannot be hissed off the screen, and consequently no endeavours are made toward this end. Also the hard-working actor who portrays the villain in pictures is not present in the flesh and is not obliged to dodge sundry missiles. •' 1 find that the actor who well issumesa ' heavy ' rQleva motion-picture productions is complimented for his work rather than condemned for the part he is compelled to play. .1 have overheard many compliments extended by audiences in motion-picture theatres to art i-^lcs who play 'heavy' parts convincingly. Jusi m few years Ago such compliments would have sounded very strange. 1 construe the new attitude to mean that sentiments ore changing and that audi. Mires are appreciat ing the work of each and everv one who assists in iking the motion-picture play the e realistic and entertaining, " It is not easy to specialise in 'heavy' f&lea in the movies. Sou must know J. R. TOZER hi Kismet. (See next page.) that to the ' heavy ' man or woman there generally befalls the most difficult and dangerous sort of ' stunts.' If there is a fall from a cliff, the 'villain' most frequently draws that assignment. If a terrific hand-to-hand combat is called for in the action, it is the ' villain ' who is generally rendered horx de combat. "In the Selig Red Seal play The Millionaire Baby I was called upon to assume the rC>h of a scheming and unscrupulous physician. In the end T was obliged to fall from a balcony and was supposed to break my neck. I nearly did break a leg. The producer ordered me to make the fall as realistic' as possible. I toppled over backward and fell about twenty-five feet with my _ leedoubled under me. There 1 was obliged to lie until the all-powerful camera had C lUght me." Empire Comedian in British Films. ITvOB more than four generations the Lupino family have occupied a foremost place among British come dians. It was at Covent Garden in lTslthat the first Lupinbs made their appearance. Lupino Lane made his debut at the early age of three at the Prince of Wales' Theatre. Birmingham, and. since then has been appearing constantly in London, Paris, a York. A few year ago he was playing at three West-end theatres at the same time, making no less than ten appearances each day. At the present time he is star-ring in Watch You v the Empire Theatre. Leicester Square, and his pantomime engagements extend several years ahead. In his film comedies Mr. Lane is aiming at something really original and really British. There is no attempt to imitate the favourite style of the c medians of the moment— in fact -Mr. Lin ! strikes the other extreme as far as ap pea ranee u'oes, appearing as a typical dude, foppishly dressed, with an eyeglass and a bored expression. His first production is now complete and will be introduced shortly by Davison's Films Sales Agency, whose efforts on behalf of the British film industry o.ir readers are already acquainted with. A Lucky Day for Alarie— " T SHALL always consider Ausrust 4th 1 the luckiest day of my life." remarked Marie Dressier on her return to town recently, "because on that day I not only won every point in my suit to prove my half ownership of Til lie's Jyi( net it rt d Romance from the Keystone Company, but on that same day I also completed my new picture. Ti'l/i<'< Tomato Surprise, which in partnership with the Lnbin Company I shall release some time in September. Both Acton Davies, the author of my new | and myself pride ourselves on the fact that in spite of fillie's Tomato S being p five-reel comedy you will not find in it either a policeman, a syphon, a telephone, or a revolver, and any one who baa ever seen a comic moving-picture will realise that in avoiding these features we have attained at least some t\at and are going to e;ive the public something new in the line of vegetables, if not of photoplays."