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

Short Features Good for any Time ASSISTANT DIRECTOR JUST A MOVIE TERM Seldom Assists Director, His Work Being Nearly Always of a Business Nature The term “assistant director” is more or less a misnomer. It seems to indicate that the bearer of this cognomen assists the director in di¬ recting, but the truth of it is, the assistant director has little or noth¬ ing to do with the actual directing. His duties are more like those of a business manager, because practically his whole time is taken up in making various business arrangements pre¬ paratory and coincident to making a motion picture. He seldom is authorized to issue even the slightest order to an actor and on such occasions he is merely the courier for relaying the decree of the director. Moreover few. as¬ sistant directors ever become direc¬ tors. They are more likely to branch off in other departments of the film- making industry. All of this is . ac¬ cording to one of the most efficient assistant directors on the Pacific Coast, Shaw Lovett, by name, and who served as John S. Robertson’s assistant during the filming of Mary Pickford’s new version of “Tess. of the Storm Country,” a United Artists release coming next. to the .theatre. “I have been Mr. Robertson’s as¬ sistant for three years and if I had entertained any ambitions to be pro¬ moted to the position of director, I would have met bitter disappoint¬ ment, because I am no nearer that goal now than when I started,” Mr. Lovett says. “For some reason.it does not seem to be in keeping with film logic to ever think of putting the assistant in the line of succession to a directorship. Personally, I am just as well satisfied, because I would much prefer an executive position in the business offices. However, it is rather difficult to understand why , in the natural evolution of things a chief assistant should, not succeed his chief in emergencies.” \ SINCERE ACTRESS LIVES TWO LIVES Mary Pickford Tells How Psychol¬ ogy of Acting Affects Her in Picture Making Mary Pickford’s father has been in jail for a week. Not her real father, of course—only her “movie” father whose real name is Forrest Robin¬ son and who plays the part of Daddy Skinner in the new Pickford produc¬ tion, “Tess of the Storm Country,” a United Artists Corporation release booked for next . at the ... Theatre. “It is strange how the. psychology of acting affects one,” said this little mistress of emotions, discussing the predicament of her - paternal parent of the films. “Ever since we began picturing the scenes, which show Daddy Skinner in jail, I have ex¬ perienced a genuine sense of depres¬ sion. At night when the work is over, I go home feeling sad, wonder¬ ing what will happen to lift this MARY PICKFORD DOLL SOON FOR KIDDIES Famous Screen Star and Pro¬ ducer Goes Into Partnership With Santa Claus Mary Pickford has gone into part¬ nership with Santa Claus and ex¬ pects to establish a large factory for the. making of doll-miniatures of herself, according to an announce¬ ment issued from her studio today. “America’s Sweetheart” has al¬ ready applied for patent and copy¬ right on her new product, which is to be called “The Mary Pickford Doll.” Christian von Schneidau, fa¬ mous Scandanavian artist and sculp¬ tor, is credited with making the life- size bust of Miss Pickford from which the dolls are to be reproduced. Through a process of reduction this representation of Miss Pickford will be brought down to a head suitable in size for a fourteen-inch doll in which it is said the likeness will be perfect. Since work first began on this project, eight internationally famous artists have attempted to chisel a satisfactory bust of Miss Pickford, and all told sixty different models were made. In addition to these, one life mask of the star which almost eventuated in being a death mask was taken. During the process of pouring this mould, Miss Pick¬ ford nearlv suffocated and her face was so bruised that it was impos¬ sible for her to appear before the camera for several years. This venture represents Miss Pick¬ ford’s first plunge into any comYner- cial field not connected with motion pictures. It is occasioned by the in¬ sistent demands of the country’s ju¬ venile population which has persisted over a period of many years for a doll-replica of this famous photoplay celebrity, whose latest photoplay pro¬ duction for United Artists release, a new, elaborate and up-to-date version of the famous old classic, “Tess of the Storm Country,” is coming next . as the chief attraction at the . Theatre. disgrace. In spite of myself, I am moody. I find that I have to say over and over, ‘Mary, don’t be fool¬ ish. It’s only the play.’ “But is it the play? Sometimes I wonder. Perhaps it is something deeper—something in the subcon¬ scious mind which comes as the re¬ sult of living a dual personality, for the player who is sincere actually lives two lives—that which is his own and also the one he is por¬ traying. “It is a sort of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde condition in real life, and cer¬ tainly there must come times when every actor and actress who takes his or her work seriously has dif¬ ficulty in throwing off the make-be¬ lieve identity, I know that I have experienced this difficulty before, in connection with characters that I have lived with the same earnestness which I have assumed in depicting this lovable little ragamuffin, “Tess of the Storm Country.’’ I know that I would not be greatly surprised to read some day that Mr. So-and-So, well-known actor, had been unable to separate himself from the character he had assumed, and that the case was baffling every physician and alienist of note in the country.” ALL FUSSED UP ON X-RAY AND RADIO Mary Pickford’s French Maid Finds Modern Progress a Bit Swift Modern progress is too swift for a lot of folk and oftentimes serious ef¬ forts at trying to keep coversant with the latest forward developments pro¬ duces a veritable dizziness. Mary Pick¬ ford’s French maid is among those who find it difficult to keep absolutely abreast of the times and she frequently gets sadly mixed up. One evening, just after Miss Pickford had returned to her home from the Pick- ford-Fairbanks studios, where she had had a particularly strenuous day enacting the role of the heroine in her current cinema triumph, a new production of “Tess of the Storm Country,” a United Artists release coming next. to the.Theatre, she expressed the wish to be left undisturbed to rest. However, fifteen minutes later, something happened to cause the servant unlimited worry. There was a call for Miss Pickford over the radiophone with which she has her home equipped. It seemed very important. After debating the wisdom of appris¬ ing Miss Pickford of the radio call, the maid decided to tell her someone was waiting at the other end of the air wave. So she knocked at the star’s door and when she heard her voice in re¬ sponse, there was an inevitable losing of courage. Hence— “Somebody wants you on the X-Ray,” the maid announced. “The X-Ray!” excalimed Miss Pickford in surprise. “That’s what the voice said,” the maid contended. Then it dawned on Miss Pickford that her maid has the radiophone confused with the X-Ray and when she learned it was none other than Douglas Fairbanks who wished to speak to her, she hurried to' the “phone.” WEDDING SECRET LEAKED Danny Cupid will keep secrets for his victims most any place in the world excepting Hollywood. Shaw Lovett, assistant director for Mary Pickford in her notable new produc¬ tion of “Tess of the Storm Country,” a United Artists release coming to the . Theatre next .. is convinced this mecca of film folk offers no encouragement to those desiring connubial secrecy. After taking every precaution to insure himself the utmost privacy, he married Miss Lucille Fish at the home of his mother, with only mem¬ bers of his own family and a few close friends, sworn to secrecy, in attend¬ ance. But somebody saw Mr. Lov¬ ett’s name among those listed in the marriage license column. Even then it was necessary to resort to third-degree methods to make the young benedict confess. Miss Car- melita Geraghty, daughter of Tom Geraghty, well-known scenario writer, was bridesmaid and John S. Robert¬ son, Miss Pickford’s director and the bridegroom's step-father, acted as best man. MOVIE CHAMPIONS WHO ARE NEVER SEEN One Man Has Been Photographed Million Times But Doesn’t Get on Screen There are all kinds of real artists wielding a potential influence in the making of photoplays, yet who are totally unknown to the public and who must always be content to dwell in the land of oblivion. Yet, they are champions of the first mag¬ nitude—men who do big jobs in al¬ most unbelievable quantities. For instance, there is E. M. Mc¬ Dermott, a film-cutter at the Pick¬ ford-Fairbanks Studios of Holly¬ wood. A conservative estimate places the amount of footage of finished films he has cut for this organiza¬ tion at 200 miles. He has accom¬ plished this task in less than three years and has handled his scissors with such consummate skill and pre¬ cision that not a single error is charged against him. Is he entitled to some kind of a championship belt? Well, he deserves a little mention, anyway. Then, at the same studios is Ar¬ thur Jacobs who, it is estimated, has been photographed more than a mil¬ lion times and yet his face has never been seen on the screen of any the¬ atre. Jacobs is an assistant camera¬ man, who, after each scene is “shot” passes in front of the camera hold¬ ing the board containing the figures marking the scene. Every week-day he is photographed hundreds of times. But when the film is given its final cutting, the last vestige of Jacobs is carefully eliminated and no movie audience ever will see his smiling face unless he does finally succumb to the lure of becoming a screen idol or—“extra.” Each of these men did their usual bit in the making of Mary Pickford’s new 1922 version of “Tess of the Storm Country,” a United Artists release booked by the ... Theatre and to be shown next. SNAKE KILLS FILM CAT Within fourteen hours after becom¬ ing the mother of five kittens, “Cu- tie,” a trained cat which was used in several scenes of Mary Pickford's new version of ‘‘Tess of the Storm Country,” a United Artists release booked for next . at the . Theatre, was killed by a three-foot rattlesnake and the rep¬ tile had devoured one of the kittens before John. Wallace, chief property man for Miss Pickford’s company, discovered it. John S. Robertson, who directed “Tess of the Storm Country,” had planned on using this cat and its newly arrived family in an important scene of a sequence, but was forced to abandon the schedule until an¬ other full-grown cat, capable of doing a little “acting” could be found. Meanwhile his assistants are ex¬ periencing no little difficulty in nursing the four infant survivors of the tragedy on canned milk and to make sure they did not become the prey of the hungry reptile, they were placed in a screened cage in one of the shacks which was a part of the complete fishermen’s village Miss Pickford has had built on the lake shore.