Picture Show (Oct 1920 - Apr 1921)

Future Show, January 15th, 1921. "PICTURE SHOW " CHAT. lCo1'Zeifr " Rather damp reading, dad ! " laughed Bert. "Reading, my eyes ! snorted tlie old man. " 1 had a dozen cream meringues for a children's parly in this paper when 1 goo aboard, and now ' look at them ! " — v* — News of Tom Santschi. 1AM glad to say the condition of Tom Santschi, who, as you kriov. , has recently been operated upon for appendicitis, continues to Jbe satisfactory. In the case of many film actors work could he rceomsiicnced r.sain trithout delay, but Fate has cast Santschi into the most strenuous roles, and it v. ill be many weeks before he will be able to take up his work again. Jack, Now, Please. BfcjLL MONTANA, who is noted for his characterisations of brute roles, and who has appeared in a number of Fairbanks films, 1 hear, is beginning to take on dignity. >le is to be programmed hereafter as " Jack "' Montana. — Bessie Coming Soon. BESSIE LOVE, in view of her proposed visit over here in the New Year to make scenes in England for " The Old Curiosity Shop,' has spent much time recently in studying the character of " Lit'.le Nell.';' In this (ilrn Bessie hopes to make the part of Dickens's little heroine so realistic that the public will be swept almost into the belief that they are seeing Nell in-lhe actual scenes of her trials. That is why she insists on theso scenes being taken in England. She says it would be nothing less thin sacrilege* to make counterfeit backgrounds in a studio. — ** — Custard, Apple, and Blackberry. CHEST F.R CONKLIN says he could write a book on the " Evolution of Pie-throwing ■ in Comedies." He says, in the early days of the films, only custard pies were used to smear in the face of an enemy. In the glaro of the modern lighting those were found to photograph bodly, and open apple tarts were used. These did very well until one director discovered that blackberry pies photographed with even mere contrast. They wero more juicy, and ran more when they collided with the face of the victim. — — A "Villain's" Collection. ROBERT Mr.KIM, the famous screen villain, believes that ho has the largest and it.ost valuable collection of fingerrings owned by a private individual. His first " iind that made him a collector was wl.cn ho acquired an Italian ring of silver, net with sapphires, which contained a small receptacle for poison, which formerly belonged to the Di Medici family. His collection contains a ring of virgin gold,, mad? from gold gained in the first great Klondike strike ; a plutinum and diamond ring, onco part of the Russian crown jewels : tv beautiful lado ring, inscribed in Chineso and set with a large pe:irl ; aTM a ring carved from a black walnut shell, and ingeniously set with a river pearl. The latest addition to his collection, however, is a most valuable old-time dynasty Egyptian ring. Mnde'in gold, much after the fashion of the modern s"al ring, it is set with e. larer, flit ruby, carved with the scarab, or sacred, beetle. Robert McKim is to wear this in his coming photo-play, " Thero was a King in Egypt." — »4 A Narrow Escape. SHIRLEY MASON adds to our collection of thrilling escapes from death by telling how she was driving one day along the banks of a river with her well-known sister, Viola Dana. Descending an unfamiliar road, she did not know that thero was a sharp turn, which was concealed from view, and when she reached it, she did not turn the wheel far enough round. As they went round, the edge of ono of the tyres grazed the edge of a precipice ono sido of the road, beneath which was a sheer drop of hundreds of feet. Another inch, and the screen would have lost two famous stars. MARY MASS ART, the MARION FAIRFAX, pretty British actress who author playwright, and is playing the part of scenario editor, who has Helen Camberley in the signed another contract Stoll screen version ot with the Marshall-Neilan " The Yellow Claw." Studio. A Terrible Hour. EILEEN PERCY related an experience that occurred when she was crossing the Atlantic, and the liner was caught in a terrific storm. The waves swept the decks, as the boat plunged to and fro. The women wero huddled together in charge of an offic/sr. Mothers were praying, children were crying piteously. Everyone was panic-stricken, and suddenly the lights went out. After hours of tense agony, the storm ceased, but Miss Percy said that sho never prayed so hard as she did during those awful hours. — ♦> — In the Lion's Cage. LOUISE LOVELY capped all the stories by telling of her experience when she was playing on, the music-hall stage. On the bill with her was a wild animal 'act, and an unusually beautiful lion, much admired by the star, occupied a large cage divided into two sections, with a door between and a door at either end. Miss Lovely, believing the lion safely secured in the farther section, walked in, and allowed the door to slam behind her. To her horror and amazement she saw the connecting door between the two sections open, and the great beast walked slowly into the same cage as herself. • She screamed aloud, and fainted, and stage hands and workmen, hearing her cry, came just in time to drive the great beast off with forks. Fay Filmer. FROM "OVER THERE." Notes and News From New Yorh. Taking the Milk Cure. THAT winsome young person, Mabel No*-) mand, gave all her friends a terrible? shock when she grew thinner by tho houLf . a few months ago. I saw her at the thcatrO and was haunted by her white face, and her* eyes with their deep shadows. . Mabel's eyes are' so big and deep, when sho looks badly they seem to cover her whole face. After meeting her, I heard she had gone to tho country and was drink'ng gallons of milk. Then I didn't see her for weeks, until we met at the auction of Olive Thomas's things. She has put on ten pounds, and is as round and pink as when she used to make everyone laugh ' in her famous comedies with Fatty Arbuckle. " I am just resting," she said, ' and I refuse to make anothcr^jicture until I can get a story I want, and the sort of director 1 need." Mabel looked very well in a red turban, set jauntily on her pretty head, and a coat worth a king's ransom bid none too good for the littlo lady. EDITH MAY, who has won the Sales-girl Beauty Contest in America. She was chosen out of 10,000 entrants. Miss May has been given six weeks engagement in the Ziegleld Follies at £20 a week, travelling expenses for herself and chaperon, and a guarantee for her expenses back in case shejdecides to return home at the end of her engagement. Speaking of the Thomas Sale. 1WAS having lunch at Delmonico's with Thomas Meighan, and he suggested we go to the sale of Olive Thomas's effects. He said there was a string of jade beads his wife wanted, and several little pieces of silver he; wanted to buy. He was with Jack Pickford when many of his gifts to Olive had been purchased. We picked up Mrs. Meighan, she who was formerly Frances Ring, a member of the famous theatrical Ring family, and motored dowai to tho auction rooms. There was something so austere and cold about this dreadful place with its crowd of curious folk who gathered, not to buy, but to stare at those who did want to purchase some memento of poor little Olive. Olive's friends were sad and heart-broken over this public sale of her effects, but it was tlie only thing left for her mother to do. Jack Pickford walked out of their apartment leaving all Olive's clothes, her jewels, and the household effects to the Duffy family. Not being in very good circumstances, Mrs. Duffy seemed to think the. only way for her to do was to sell her daughter's valuables and realise as much as sho could from them. She sold two motors, and at once paid a deposit on a home in New Jersey. Thero was* nothing belonging to Olive too sacred to be kept away from the auctioneer's hammer. Her photographs in gold frames and tho pictures Jack had given her with tender sentiments, were heaped up on a table with hot jewels. It was heart breaking to tho friends who had admired the warm-hearted lovable gfii .. ■ Tommy and the Cocaine. I WAS highly amused at Thomas Meighan'? description of how prisoners iii gaol and at Sing Sing get their cocaine. He has been making a picture in which the gaol in Now York City, and the famous Sing Sing prison arc filmed. He became very good friends with tho warden, and learned more secrets of the crook trade than he ever knew in his life before ho mingled with this strata of society. I had luncheon with him a few days after he had left his gaol friends, and he told me all about it. Ho had a letter witli twelve stamps on, marked special delivery, sent to a man in gaol. The envelope looked innoceut enough, but Tommy explained to mo how the sender of the lotter had placed cocaine under each stamp. He had a box of cigarettes, which looked harmless, bi»t on closer investigation one found a tiny vial of cocaine. " Those men," said Tommy, " aro clever. Thev are desperate too, and the combination is deadly. But the prison reform has kept hundreds from suicides, and many moro from insanity. They no longer wear stripes, but a , comfortable pair of grey trousers and any shirt they wish. Tho warden certainly does a great Work. ' One of these days, Thomas Meighan will he going in for prison reform. He has all tho statistics at his finger-lips, and is vitally interested in those guest* of the State. LOU ELLA O. PAHSONS.