Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1923 - Feb 1924)

86 Hollywood High Lights Continued from page 68 lacking, and there is a romance in the plot that should bring joy to the dapper heart. The objection that might be cited to the new Hough picturization is that it offers a similar background and almost identical effects in some of the scenes, like those where vast herds of cattle are shown to swim the swollen rivers. Fortunately, though, the panorama is much larger, and the use of men and animals in the mass effects will be on a bigger scale. A great stampede, when a bolt of lightning strikes the herd, will be a thrilling feature, and the courage and persistence of the early settlers, particularly the girl, who sought to drive their cattle to a new and profitable market, against all kinds of odds of tempest and storm and intrigue, promises a stirring theme. What will probably attract many film followers is the fact that Ernest Torrence, the hardy plainsman of "The Covered Wagon," is to play a leading role. No Cruze picture, especially one laid in the great outdoors, would be complete without his presence now. Jack Holt, as the hero, will have a break in the monotony of his series of ineffective portrayals of the last few years. Incidentally, if the price of beef is high this winter, you'll have to complain about it to Mr. Cruze, because he's going to use three or four thousand head of cattle in some of the bigger scenes. Simplicity Needed. In addition to the famous tiger skin, specially purchased and shampooed for the occasion, something new in settings and props is promised to the film beholder in the Goldwyn production of "Three Weeks." At the studio, these are referred to as "futuristic." and they are perhaps something like those that you saw in Nazimova's "Salome" and "Camille." There seems to be a commendable artistic tendency on the part of some of the producers toward more simple backgrounds, getting away from a certain garishness and pertaining more directly to a dramatic mood. This is exemplified in the picturization of the Glyn novel, especially in the gracefully arched ceilings, the smooth and undecorated walls, the scarcity of furnishings, and the sweep and softness that is given by the occasional hanging or drape. Many of the fans have doubtless tired of looking on the excess of adornments in some of the recent films, not only those of the period type, but the modern as well. The directors have inclined to overdo the bigness of their construction, without the correct regard for the limitations of the camera. This instrument is peculiar in that it has a way of gathering up everything that is in sight, and bringing it all together in a very small space. Certain sets, say like those in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "The Spanish Dancer" looked magnificent when you beheld them in actuality. They filled the eye and seemed just like the original. When they showed on the screen it was a different story. Something about them was a trifle disappointing. You felt, perhaps, a lack of quality. They did not seem to match the bigger contrasts of the story, and convey little or nothing of the period in which that story was laid. Despite the excellence of the aging process, which was used in their construction, they persisted in being new and movie-esque. Douglas Fairbanks is probably one of the most successful in his use of period settings, and his theory is that you can't be too real when you are dealing with an imaginary theme. We have always felt that his huge castle for "Robin Hood," outside of one or two shots, where miniatures were used that were painted on glass, continues one of the most excellent examples of architecture that fit the story. There was no crowding of the interior with useless trappings. You sensed at all times the bigger spaces wherein there was plenty of room for your vision to roam. Admittedly, most feudal castles are squat affairs, when they are compared with the Woolworth Building, or structures of that character, but Doug succeeded in impressing you with a splendor and bigness that, while not traditional, aroused a real thrill over the beauty of the legendary times. Financial News. It was probably just a natural sequence of affairs that Betty Compson, on coming back from abroad, should complete the present cycle of her experience by returning to Famous Players-Lasky to head the cast in "The Stranger," adapted from John Galsworthy's "The First and the Last." The other players include "Richard Dix, who made his entree into the Paramount coterie of actors by playing opposite Miss Compson, beside Lewis • Stone and Tully Marshall. Doubtless, too, Miss Compson is receiving more money for this engagement than she averaged when she was a star, in which respect she parallels May McAvoy, who, we believe, advanced her price consider ably when it came to being engaged for "West of the Water Tower." Free lancing may not mean a steady succession of jobs, but it has its share of compensations. Taps for Charlie. For years great, bulky Charlie, the Universal elephant, has carried mock Indian princesses through studio streets; with a majestic air he has strolled into comedies, wreaking havoc to the furniture and bringing terror to the hearts of the players. And too, he has often played in circus scenes. That must have seemed odd to Charlie, for no doubt he thought he had shaken the dust of the circus from his great flat feet when he was ingloriously fired years ago. Charlie came into the movies under a cloud. He had not been a good boy. But that was before the days of morality clauses in players' contracts and before theater owners passed resolutions barring pictures which featured notorious characters. So, in spite of the fact that Charlie had broken loose several times during circus parades and smashed up brancl-new automobiles, he was given a job out at Universal City. Charlie was not one of those placid elephants who could be driven on a truck from studio to studio to play his parts. He had to live in a specially constructed compound where he was chained to a concrete floor. Only Curly Stecker, his trainer, dared direct him. And when the camera men and players went on to do a scene with Charlie, every one admitted freely that he was nervous. For months, now, Charlie has been unmanageable. He has been a real menace to the safety of people out at Universal City. And so he had to be killed. So that he would not suffer, a crack marksman came and fired the shot that killed him. His skeleton has become the property of the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History. As the main situation is somewhat exciting, the fans will probably be interested to know that Universal has lately completed a picture called "The Signal Tower," in which the men who work in the railroad switch towers, and upon whom thousands of lives daily depend, are cheered. Two men in the picture are thus employed, working different shifts. One is the husband, the other the lover of the heroine, who is played by Virginia Valli. So you can now figure out the plot. It looks as if there would be absolutely no end of these pictures that pay compliments and fling bouquets Continued on page 98