Tess of the Storm Country (United Artists) (1922)

More About the Picture and the Star FIRST AND SECOND IN PICKFORD MOVIE These Numerals Figure Conspic¬ uously in New Version of “Tess of the Storm Country” In the first place, Mary Pickford is starring in “Tess of the Storm Country,” for the second time in her illustrious ' career. When she first made her appearance in this epochal film eight years ago, it won her such unanimous applause that she was recognized immediately as the foremost exponent of the silent drama. I This same old version also at¬ tracted the first international atten¬ tion to the late Harold Lockwood, who was Miss Pickford’s leading man and the result was, he became a prominent star in his own right soon afterwards. In the cast supporting “America’s Sweetheart” in this second produc¬ tion of Grace Miller White’s greatest story are Loyd Hughes and Gloria Hope, man and wife, and this is the first time they have ever played to¬ gether in the same picture. Mr. Hughes is playing the role created by the lamented Lockwood while Miss Hope has the important part of Teola Graves. This is the first time John. S. Robertson ever directed Miss Pick¬ ford, but his services in this direc¬ torial capacity were not obtained until after a second attempt, because he was under contract with Famous Players-Lasky and was obliged to reject the offer with all due reluc¬ tance at first. However, when in the second attempt Miss Pickford made a request personally, Jesse Lasky rearranged his production schedule so as to permit Mr. Rob¬ ertson sufficient time to preside over the megaphone until “Tess of the Storm Country” was completed. In the second place, this is the second time Forrest Robinson has played in support of Miss Pickford, his first appearance with her having been made eight years ago. Moreover, |Mr. Robertson was Mr. Robinson’s first director. This veteran actor has the part of Daddy Skinner in this latest Pickford triumph. His characterization of Ben Letts, the villain in “Tess of the Storm Country,” a United Artists release coming next. to the. theatre, is Jean Hersholt’s first effort at acting in two years, as he has been directing various pictures. And still in the second place, this is the first and only one of her long list of starring vehicles Miss Pickford has ever revived. Also, this is the first picture she ever made in her own (and Douglas Fairbanks’) newly acquired studios in Hollywood, but it was the second production to be started in these studios after its ac¬ quisition by this famous duo. In conclusion, the return of the lovable Tess to the screen is firstly and secondly a serious effort to per¬ petuate this character so that pos¬ terity might enjoy her, according to Miss. Pickford, who. says that her decision to essay this revival came as a result of the persistency with which thousands of her followers had been requesting it for several years. BRIEF LIFE SKETCH OF MARY PICKFORD Began Stage Career When Only Five—Foremost in Her Art and Still Youthful Mary Pickford, who is the most distinguished woman of her profes¬ sion, having even been nominated by the New York Times as one of the twelve greatest wom&n of the United States that have won their way to eminence by their own efforts, was born in Toronto, Canada. At the age of five she made her first appearance on the professional stage in the Val¬ entine Stock Company of that city. She played child bits. Following this she played in road companies, mainly in the States. By the time she reached the age of nine she was being starred in “The Fatal Wedd¬ ing” in the period of melodramas. Road and stock work finally brought her to a Broadway engage¬ ment. Her first appearance was with Belasco in “The Warrens of Vir¬ ginia” in the role of Betty Warren. After this her really notable life work began. She entered the films. Miss Pickford’s motion picture beginning was with the Biograph Company in New York, during the time of one-reelers. She came under the attention of D. W. Griffith, then conducting a unit of the Biograph Company, and was given many parts. For eighteen months she remained in these surrondings, closing at a salary of $100 a week, which then was extremely high. In less than a year Miss Pickford was back with Biograph at an increased salary. But she dropped out once more to play a season for Belasco. Then began her career with the Famous Players Company, and her own unit of that company which she incorporated in 1915. In that year she was working for $2,000 a week with a big percent¬ age of profits. In twelve months more her salary was doubled, her consist¬ ent merit sealing her popularity with the public. Very shortly after that she was playing under an arrangement guar¬ anteed a drawing account of $10,000 a week and fifty per cent of the profits, with her choice of stories, directors and cast. Miss Pickford’s contracts with Famous and then, later, with Artcraft, terminated in 1916. Three pictures through First National were then released, after which Miss Pickford joined with Charles Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and D. W. Griffith to release through the “Big Four”, a co-operative organ¬ ization. Under those conditions she has made her latest pictures, such as “Pollyanna”, “Suds”, “The Love Light”, Through the Back Door”, “Little Lord Fauntleroy and now, as her 1922 picture, an entirely new “Tess of the Storm Country”, which was made first under one of her old contracts but which established her then in the fame which she has con¬ sistently held ever since. This new “Tess of the Storm Country” comes to the.Theatre next .as the feature attraction. The splendid acting and the clean wholesome stories presented by Miss Pickford have done much to make Pickford have done much to make mo¬ tion pictures classic as entertainment. HOW MARY PICKFORD BORROWED DIRECTOR Insisted on John S. Robertson for Her New “Tess of the Storm Country” There were plenty of top-notch motion picture directors at liberty at the time Mary Pickfo'rd was called upon to decide who should direct her in her entirely new and elaborate “Tess of the Storm Country,” a United Artists’ release coming to The . Theatre next . and in which she scored one of her early notable screen tri¬ umphs eight years ago. But this foremost of all -screen stars was convinced that the one man perfectly equipped to handle this 1922 production of an old classic was John S. Robertson, and he was busily engaged under contract with Famous Players-Lasky. Undismayed by this obstacle, “America’s Sweetheart” summoned her most irrestible per¬ suasive powers with the result that Jesse Lasky graciously released this directorial genius long enough to permit him to serve Miss Pickford until her new version of the un¬ forgettable Grace Miller White story was completed. The concentrated and undivided efforts Miss Pickford exerted to get Mr. Robertson to the exclusion of other eligible directors aroused an interest approximating a veritable curiosity. A question heard in most every quarter, was: Why did Miss Pickford favor Mr. Robertson so strongly? And now comes the answer, based on her own vew-point. In the first place, Miss Pickford regarded this man as the one director whose past screen record proved him certain to both understand and sympathize with sentiments such as actuate Tess in this story of life in a remote fishermen’s village. Mr. Robertson had given striking evi¬ dence of an ability to comprehend and to bring about a clear visualiza¬ tion of the finer impulses, the lights and shades of life’s everyday strug¬ gles. Mr. Robertson has been a dis¬ tinguished director for the last seven years, in which time he has had about the most varied experience imaginable, an experience which establishes his versatility as par ex¬ cellence. Prior to his advent into the film world, he was prominent on the speaking stage, having been af¬ filiated with many leading luminaries including Frances Starr. He made his debut at the age of seventeen, which means he has been actively in the histrionic profession for twenty- seven years, as he is now forty-four years of age. “I felt that the very nature of ‘Tess of the Storm Country’ called for a director who had given a con¬ spicuous demonstration of his power for understanding down-to-earth life as it is actually lived and who at the same time had shown an un¬ limited versatility in directing the visualization of fiction reflecting every other phase of this same life,” Miss Pickford says. “A glance at Mr. Robertson’s record shows him to be rather pre-eminent in his line, which, explicitly, is real unalloyed heart interest more than anything else.” MARY PICKFORD CURLS UNWASHED FOR WEEKS Forced to Ban Shampoo While Making Her New “Tess of the Storm Country” Would you believe that Mary Pick¬ ford could bear to let her world- known. and world-loved curls go un¬ washed for six whole weeks? Well, she did. But, it was for the sake of art. Specifically, a famous character by the name of Tess is to blame for it all. Miss Pickford has brought this heroine of the mem¬ orable story, “Tess of the Storm Country” back to the screen in a new and her own production, and inasmuch as this said heroine is a resident of an obscure fishermen’s village, where scrupulous cleanliness is not one of the watchwords, it could not be expected that she should be a devotee to the popular habit of milady of refinement to shampoo her hair several times a week. In fact, Tess is so unsophisticated she does not know anything about the importance of keeping her beau¬ tiful hair free from the grime of her abiding-place until one of the ma¬ tronly neighbors apprises her of her discovery that she could be a mighty good-looking girl if she would only “spruce up” a bit. Hence it has just come to pass that after inter¬ preting this role for six weeks, Miss Pickford reached the point where her first shampoo was logical. This new “Tess of the Storm Country,” a United Artists release, is coming to the . Theatre next The high development of the mo¬ tion picture camera lens is such that little make-believe can pass before it undetected and therefore Miss Pick- ford, in order to be sure of looking the part she was playing, was obliged to actually neglect her won¬ derful and valuable tresses so they would look becoming to the lovable character of tatters. Needless to add, she was extremely enthusiastic in her co-operation ■ when, came the happy hour to divest her locks of the accumulation of sandy dust that abounds on the shores of Chats- worth Lake, where, in a complete village she had constructed for the occasion, she had been working for such a prolonged period. The very ragged dress Mary Pick¬ ford wears in “Tess of the Storm Country,” ;a Unit.ed Artists release showing at the .... Theatre, is real in all the word implies. She purchased it from the child of im¬ poverished parents residing in the tenement house district of Los Ange¬ les and it was the only dress the girl owned. Mary not only paid her a big price for it, but bought her a complete new outfit. For the first time in their lives, Lloyd Hughes and Gloria Hope, who in private life are Mr. and Mrs. Hughes, are playing together in the same picture. Mr. Hughes is leading man and Miss Hope has the second important feminine part in Mary Pickford’s new version of “Tess of the Storm Country,” a United Art¬ ists release coming next . to the . Theatre.