Picture-Play Magazine (Sep 1926 - Feb 1927)

60 Hollywood High Lights Tully is the author of "Emmett Lawler" and "Beggars of Life," two very good sellers on the bookstands. He has also written articles about picture stars. The Paramount tramp picture, 'which is to be called "The Passing Strangers," isn't the only film in prospect that has to do with vagabondia. John Barrymore's "Francois Villon" deals with the fascinating vagabond ballad writer of that name of the French renaissance, who has already been celebrated in the old-time stage triumph, "If I Were King," and in Robert Louis Stevenson's literary pastel, "A Lodging for the Night." Rudolph Valentino's film about Benvenuto Cellini is said also to have a trampish angle, though we had always considered Cellini as a mere aesthetic sort of artist rather than a tramp. Firemen, Too. The fire fighters, too, are having their innings. MetroGoldwyn-Mayer have put a lot of energy and money into their feature, "The Fire Brigade." We stood on the side lines one evening watching the filming of some of the scenes, and it looked as though the whole Los Angeles fire department had been called out, not to speak of Jack Gilbert, Antonio Moreno, and various other stars ordinarily associated with mere romantic entertainment. Gilbert and Moreno were just looking on, but they kept up a nice cooling line of conversation that served to act as a counterirritant to some very realistic blazes. During these blazes, various stunt firemen leaped from the third and fourth stories of a prop building, and landed very adroitly in a sitting posture on a regulation fire net. Another did some sort of handspring and flip effect as he jumped from the roof. We were duly informed by somebody that these things were all quite according to Hoyle when such a thing as a big fire happens and men are supposed to spring out of upper windows with women and children in their arms. At that, M.-G.-M. really did everything possible to make the picture wholly and entirely authentic, and it is to be offered as a big road show through the country. The Enticing Olive. We haven't viewed a more interesting person lately than Olive Borden, particularly since she became a star at William Fox's. We don't see her as often as we should like to but, whenever we do glimpse her, she is eye-filling. The romance between George O'Brien and Miss Borden must still be persisting, because they are frequently seen together. They have already been reported engaged, and they should make a very lovely married couple. Mae Murray whispers sweet nothings into the ear of her dapper and distinguished new husband, Prince David Divani — just after the wedding. Marriages are them important. More Marriages. still numerous, and the majority of None was more unexpected than that of Mae Busch to John Earl Cassell, a civil engineer, who is reported to have made much money in oil. They were wed at the Mission Inn at Riverside, with Arline Pretty and Jimmy Morrison respectively as bridesmaid and best man. Miss Busch was formerly the wife of Francis J. MacDonald. Mae Murray has settled into her new home with her new husband. The home she purchased from Jack Donovan, who has built many unique residences for film stars, and who has also very occasionally played in pictures. Mae's husband, David Divani, artist and prince, is a trifle younger than Mae herself. They were wed in Beverly Hills, with Pola Negri and Rudolph Valentino attending them. Quite a group of other well-known stars were present. Turpin a Benedict. Dear old Ben Turpin, too, ceased to be a widower early in July. He duly took unto himself, as wife, Babette Dietz. Or perhaps it might be more proper to say that she took unto herself Ben as husband. Either way is correct and, judging from the photos that we have seen of Miss Dietz, we feel that she is going to make a very charming Mrs. Turpin. As we have before remarked. Ben deserves all the happiness that he can obtain. He has done both long and valiant service in making the world brighter and happier, and he was a most loval spouse to his first wife, who died about a year ago. Ben has been doing work regularly in Sennett comedies lately. More Skyscraping. Various unusual film productions are now in the offing. One of these particularly catches ■the fancv, and that is the film version of H. G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds," a very remarkable imaginative story about the invasion of the earth by the inhabitants of the planet Mars, that was written quite a few years ago. Paramount is to make "The War of the Worlds," with the new Berlin director, Arzon Decserepy (we can't pronounce his name, either) directing. The pictures he produced abroad, "Frederick the Great" and "Nirvana," are considered very remarkable. Under the Sea in Ships. Syd Chaplin has been contemplating, for the sake of variety, doing an unusual type of underseas thriller comedy — one that may in a wav revive memories of "The Adventures of a Submarine Pirate," made by him some years ago for Keystone. Syd's war travesty, "The Better 'Ole," it is said, will increase his prominence among the feature comedians even more than any of his previous successes, and also enables him to get away from female impersonations. He isn't particularly anxious himself to do any more of the latter, unless the public appear absolutely to demand them of him. Personally, we think that they can begin to do without them, particularly if Syd is going to give us something even more clever.