Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1921 - Feb 1922)

News Notes from the Studios Items of interest about popular players and productions in which they appear. CECIL DE MILLE has announced that his next production, "Saturday Night," will be something of a contest. The two leading roles, which are to be played by Edith Roberts and Leatrice Joy, are of equal importance, but Mr. De Mille believes that even with equal opportunities one player is bound to outplay others. The result will be interesting to all followers of these two young players' pictures. Nazimova's next exploit in motion pictures will be the production of several pictures to be used on the same program. These will include Oscar Wilde's "Salome" and Ibsen's "The Doll's House." Matt Moore, Seena Owen, Gladys Leslie, and Joe King will all appear in the Cosmopolitan production, "Sisters." Wesley Barry has now attained his fourteenth birthday and been rewarded by a handsome Skootamotor from his director, Marshall Neilan. Like the fond fathers who spend Christmas Day rtmning their children's toys, Neilan developed such a hearty interest in the tiny vehicle that he dropped work for the day and astonished Hollywood Boulevard by running about on it. Wesley had the birthday all right, but it looked as though Neilan still had the present. Robert Gordon, who returns to the screen in the Selig-Rork production, "The Rosary," has been signed to appear in future productions of the same company. Faire Binney recently made such a hit on the New York stage that the Selznick company rushed to reclaim her services. She will appear opposite Conway Tearle in "A Wide-open Town." Sigrid Holmquist, who plays the leading role in Frances Marion's Cosmopolitan picture, "Just Around the Corner," and who is known as the Swedish Mary Pickford. will appear opposite Eugene O'Brien in his next production. "Hedda Gabler," as presented for the screen by an Italian company, will be one of the next importations to be shown in this country. Irvin Willat, who has been making his own productions, will direct "Yellow Men and Gold." a Gouverneur Morris story, for Goldwyn. Raymond Hatton, who plays the leading role in "His Back Against the Wall," has to fall off a train and get generally bruised and battered in the course of the pic Even Ihough Marie Prevost is a she is modest in her choice of m "Prince ture. Fortunately his wife, Frances Hatton, is playing a nurse at the same studio. "Lassie," whose pedigree lists her as "just plain dog," has the most important role of her screen career in Richard Barthelmess' first star picture, "Tol'able David." Previously she appeared in support of such prominent stars as Elsie Ferguson, Irene Castle, Mabel Normand, and Tom Moore. At last Pat 0']\lalley has a chance to really make love in a picture. Always before he's played a juvenile role, and had to do the job in a boyish way, but now he is leading man for Miss DuPont in "Ropes," and Paul Scardon, the director, lets him go just as far as the scenario permits. "Cinderella of the Hills" has been selected as the first starring vehicle for Barbara Bedford, the new Fox star. Thomas Meighan has prevailed upon the Famous Players-Lasky company to purchase the script of "If You Believe It It's So" from the estate of George Loane Tucker. Production notes made by the late director of "The ]\Iiracle Man" have been handed over to Tom Forman. who will direct the picture. Every one from Kid McCoy to Kathryn ^IcGuire. late of the Sennett bathing beauties, has been engaged to support Lefty Flynn in his first star picture imder the Fox banner. Molly Malone will play opposite him just so that he won't be in entirely new surroundings. They both come from the Goldwyn stock company. His first picture will be "The Last Trail," a Zane Grey story. Rudolph A^alentino will play the leading role in "Moran of the Lady Letty" opposite Doroth} Dalton. ^^'ilHam Jennings Bryan's daughter amused herself while at Miami last winter making a motion picture ; almost every one else down there was doing it, so she decided that she might just as well. She wrote the scenario, which is called "Once U^pon a Time." cast it, and directed it herself, all of which caused no little merriment to the other companies playing there. But when the finished film was shown to a few producers the laughter subsided, for Ruth Bryan Owen had turned out not only a workmanlike motion picture, but a remarkably good one. It is expected that she will enter the ranks of regular motion-picture directors this winter. George Arliss' next screen production will not be the full-fledged Universal star now, ounts. Her next picture will be Virtue."