Picture Play Magazine (Oct-Nov 1915)

28 PICTURE-PLAY WEEKLY "Only this morning I heard some more good news which I must tell you at once. The department has just notified father to hold up all work on the Rheinstrum orders till your gun is tested. Father says that means that the government will substitute your gun for the Rheinstrum if it stands the test. Will not that be wonderful? "Even for business reasons, father is very glad. For, as he told you at Manila, he has always regretted the extortionate terms which Mr. Pinckney had to arrange in order to get the Rheinstrum rights ; and he is very much in hopes that your gun can succeed. "Yet, as almost all work is now being delayed till your gun is tested, you can see that you must hurry here at once. "Father asks you to wire him the time of your expected arrival in Durant. He will not forgive you if you disappoint his hopes of having you at the house during whatever stay you can make here. And I shall not, either. Sincerely yours, "Frances Durant." Besides this letter, the following telegram from the war department at Washington was delivered to Sommers : "Extremely probable increasing gravity affairs Bagol demand instant return. Keep department informed telegraph where reach you any moment." Dick took two telegraph blanks to reply to these ; but, after some hesitation, was able to fill out only one, addressed to Washington : "Taking limited from San Francisco to-night. Telegrams subsequently care Durant Works, Durant, Pa." The other form he finally tore up as he hurried over to Oakland to take his train. At Ogden, however, when he got Salt Lake City and the Denver paper and glanced quickly at the cables fro Manila, he sent a telegram to M George Durant : "If not ordered back to Philippin before, and make Chicago connection should reach Durant four-thirty tra Thursday afternoon. Apparent pro; ress affairs Bagol gives at best shor est possible time. Impossible s< forging unless done almost immed ately upon arrival. Regrets. "Richard Sommers." Three hours later, due to the diffe ence in time, Mr. Durant received th message at his office. Before he ar swered it, he himself hurried in to sc the manager. "Etherington, exactly what is the wea — that is, the most debatable point in tl making of the Sommers gun?" TO BE CONTINUED. Screen Gossip LJ AVE received quite a few letters ■ * suggesting several five greatest things to name. The majority of them asked me to name the five greatest dare-devils in filmdom, so I will start with them first. Below is a list of the five greatest dare-devils in the films ; by this I mean the five who are in pictures all of the time, playing daring parts only when called upon to do so. Here are the chosen ones: i, George Larkin ; 2, Murray MacCoid ; 3, Cleo Madison; 4, Helen Holmes; 5, William S. Hart. All of the above are known as dare-devils of the worst kind. There is hardly anything on the calendar that they will not try. George Larkin is the best of the five. His work with Cleo Madison in "The Trey o' Hearts" is well remembered. Murray MacCoid does not know what the word fear means. He spends most of his spare time in the hospital. Helen Holmes is known the country over for her railroad pictures, and everybody knows what William S. Hart has done. It certainly pleased me greatly to have so many readers of my column By Al Ray offer suggestions for the five greatest, and I would like some more. What would you like named? I see by the Mutual weekly that eighty-five per cent of the butchers in Germany are in the army. We're neutral. Chester Conklin, known as the "fall guy" at the Keystone studios, is sitting up these cool evenings studying his seven different languages that his press agent accused Chester of having. To date Chester has almost located one of the seven. See that a film company is going to produce the white feather. Why don't they give us something new? Lots of people have shown the "White Feather." and also the "Yellow Streak," numerous times already — old stuff. Don't miss seeing Emmy Whelan in "Tables Turned." This is certainly a fine picture, but would never go in Ohio. There are all sorts of plots in it, and murders, and everything. On the whole, it furnishes a real exciting evening's entertainment. Speaking of yellow, Arthur James. the demon publicity pusher of the Metr forces, tells me that Francis Xavie Bushman — he of the heavy wallop tha knocked Jim Jeffries cold for severs minutes — is to be seen to good advantag shortly in "The Yellow Dove." Won der if it is any relation to the "Rei Canary"? If it is, it ought to be gooc Heinie and Louie, those two comedian with the Starlight brand, releasin; through Pathe, are certainly quite a due James Aubrey — yes, he hails from Eng land — is the Heine of this series, an< Walter Kendig, formerly of Philadel phia, but now of Yonkers — from ba( to worse — is the Louie. It looked prett; bad for these two comedians when th< United Service went sky-high, but Path, generously came to the rescue, and pro vided a meal ticket for Heine, Louie the director, and the angel. Everybody is anxious to know wha the Universal's new serial is going t< be like. They have fifteen prominen authors getting paid for it. This cer tainly is a harvest, for fifteen author: to be paid for anything. Usually one h lucky.