Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1925 - Feb 1926)

71 Hollywood High Lights Keep pace with recent developments in the western circle. By Edwin and Elza Schallert THE perennial lure to far-away places has again been dominating film making, and though there are more prominent stars in the West than in ages, Hollywood in recent weeks has at times borne somewhat the aspect of a deserted village. All the big forthcoming productions promise to reflect anew the dependable charm of natural settings, and prove once again that "All the world's a stage" for the movies. Douglas Fairbank's "The Black Pirate," "The Sea Beast," starring John Barrymore, and Cecil B. De Mille's feature. "The Road to Yesterday," are among the films that will disclose the enchantment of unusual locations. The same is true even more strikingly of Rex Ingram's "Mare Nostrum," produced abroad. Throngs of people have been absent lately with the James Cruze company, including Ricardo Cortez, Betty Compson, and Ernest Torrence, filming the story "The Pony Express," an epic of the early West, and also with "The Vanishing American," in which Richard Dix and Lois Wilson are the principals. Scenic spots in Arizona, Wyoming, Utah, and even farther afield are to be brought to the screen once again, and such Meccas of the tourist as the Grand Canon, Yellowstone Park, The Garden of the Gods, and the Yosemite, may possibly be comfortably visited while the film sightseer is also being diverted with entertainment in the theater. . . • All this suggests a new tendency toward romance and adventure on the screen. The present overwhelming urge for comedy is abating. "Don Q" has been exerting a strong influence on the minds of the producers because of its dashing and adventurous flavor. Charlie Chaplin's "The Gold Rush" has. of course, been exuberantly hailed since its arrival in Hollywood, but part of the appeal of this picture, even, is due to the outdoor settings which are new for the comedian. Altogether, therefore, the fans may as well prepare themselves for another "back-to-nature" movement, and as new scenery is always restful to the eyes of the film-goer we rather hope that the quality of the stories that are made with these will prove more Charlie's picture was applauded as a genuine tour de force in the comedy vein. Audiences have never laughed so incessantly and for so long at any other first showing. There are nearly twelve reels to the film, and Chaplin appears in approximately every scene. The reviewers in most instances were less enthusiastic than the audience, and, taken all in all, the popular vote on the worth of the production is quite divided. The verdict is inclined to be rather unanimous that "The Gold Rush" is not as good as "The Kid" or "Shoulder Arms," and also that Chapin's own work evidences more conscious effort on his part, and less spontaneity, than heretofore. It cannot be said, though, that this is the consensus of views held by either the directors or the actors. Some of them are literally mad about the Chaplin accomplishments, and are willing once again, it would appear, to learn "at the feet of the master." This inclination to worship the fetish of the Chaplin art is nothing new to those \ who know the colony, but on the pres\ ent occasion it seems to us to be rather \ more overdone than warranted. Photo by Ruth Harriett Louise Lilian Gish, as she screen version of backgrounds intriguing than usual. "The Gold Rush." The premiere of "The Gold Rush" easily took rank as the most brilliant ever held in Hollywood. It was an earlysummer affair, and as comparatively few companies had gone away at that time, everybody who could beg, vamp, or otherwise procure a 'ticket, was on hand for the opening. Chaplin the Father. The news of the birth of the Chaplin heir was published just a few days after the opening of Charlie's picture, and if there are any who happen not to be aware of the details, we may mention that the child is a boy, and has been named Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. . The newspapers had been keeping very close tab on the event for some weeks prior to the announcement, and the absence, of Lita Gray from the premiere, of course, was significantly noted. Chaplin, as a father, is perhaps not materially different from the Chaplin he has always been. It seems doubtful whether the new arrival will alter those peculiarities of his temperament which have been given such wide publicity. His main interest is again concentrating itself on his work, and he is planning out a new comedy based on the hectic adventures of a man just having been voted a member of a suicide club. The idea of such an organization offers much to the imagination, and development under Charlie's guidance, we have little doubt that it would lose much of its gruesomeness. Of course — judging by Chaplin's characteristic changes of mind in the past — by the time he actually gets ready to shoot another comedy, it will just as likely be based on the doings of the evolution case at Dayton, Tennessee. Frances Howard as Hostess. Samuel Goldwyn, the picture producer, entertained in Chaplin's honor following "The Gold Rush" premiere. will appear in the "La Boheme."