Reel Life (1916-1917)

SIGNS FRANCELIA BILLINGTON Appears with “ Big Bill ’ ’ Russell in the American Mutuals Announcement is made by Samuel S. Hutchinson, president of the American Film Company, Inc., of the signing of a con¬ tract with Francelia Billington, one of the most brilliant young film actresses of today, to appear in a series of dramatic produc¬ tions opposite William Russell. Mr. Russell, who is famed chiefly for his work under Amer¬ ican-Mutual auspices in “Soul¬ mates,” “The Highest Bid,” “The Strength of Donald Mc¬ Kenzie,” “The Man Who Would Not Die,” “The Torchbearer,” “The Love Hermit,” “Lone Star,” and “The Twinkler,” is already engaged in going over several new plays in which he and Miss Billington are to appear. The negotiations with Miss Billington have been under way for some time and they have just been completed. Mr. Hutchinson has just returned from California where he held the final conference with Miss Billington which re¬ sulted in her signing the American contract. The engagement of this clever artiste is merely another evidence of the forward policy adopted by President John R. Freuler of the Mutual Film Corporation, which is being carried out by the various allied producing organizations in their arrangements for future productions. “Miss Billington is an undoubted acquisition,” said Mr. Hutchinson today. “She is a thoroughly capable actress of the type so tremendously valuable in motion picture work. She is a splendid athlete all round, a swimmer, a crack shot, an experienced chaffeuse and a horsewoman than whom there is probably no better in the country. “The engagement of Miss Billington is, of course, in pre¬ cise accord with our new policy of the biggest stars for American-Mutual productions. I do not see how we could have improved on our recent acquisitions. “Announcement will be made shortly of the news plays in which Mr. Russell and Miss Billington will appear. These will include some new dramas of which no men-: tion has as yet been made, their acceptance having been made contingent on the approval of the two stars who are now looking the manuscripts over.” Miss Billington’s first experience in motion picture work was with the Kalem company, with which she played leads for a year before joining the New York Motion Picture company. Synopsis oj “GRIMESY, THE BELL HOP” One Reel Star Comedy — Featuring Alexander Clark. Grimesy, a tall, lanky, awk¬ ward and equally homely bell hop, answered the bells in a small country town hotel. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” troupe came to the hotel and Grimesy immedi¬ ately fell in love with the blonde ingenue Little Eva and did ev¬ erything in his power to make her stay in the hotel comforta¬ ble. The first night’s perform¬ ance was very unsuccessful and the manager of the company de¬ cided to jump the hotel bill and Alexander. Clark. leave town. He demanded that Little Eva give him all of her money, which she was going to use as railroad fare to see her mother, who was ill. Grimesy heard of the manager’s scheme and hid in one of the troupe’s trunks. When the trunk arrived at the station Grimesy jumped out and at the point of a revolver, forced the manager to give Eva her money back. Eva left on the train and just before boarding it kissed Grimesy. We last see the rest of the troupe beating it down the tracks. * * * * Synopsis of “JEALOUS JOLTS” Two Reels — The troubles of the village queen. The village queen loves Ben, a hay baler. Paddy, a cow boy, loves the girl and he is the one favored by her parents. Ben ■hides in the dog house one night and it is lassoed by Paddy The Village Queen . Gypsy Abbott Her Ma . Margaret Templeton Her Pa . Arthur Moon Her Sweetheart . Ben Turpin The Cowboy . Paddy McQuire and Ben is given a thrilling ride, nearly ending disastrously. He escapes, however, and is knocked out and pressed into a bale of hay by the cowboy. Gypsy’s father steals the hay and Gypsy is starting to feed the horse some of the hay when she sticks the pitchfork into Ben. The next day Ben is buried alive by Paddy. The girl is tied to the chair by her father but escapes and doing so sets fire to the house. She is pursued by her father and Paddy. Ben, who has escaped and donned a diver’s suit, which he has filled with free air causing him to ascend to the cloud, is shot at and falls at the girl’s feet. The constable comes upon them and later they are married, while Ben is chased by his former wife, a washwoman. * * * Rube Miller, the farm yard funster of Vogue Films, has now in the making one of the most elaborate conglomer¬ ations of animated photography that he ever has produced. He outrivals Dante in his trips to the infernal regions and equals Lucifer in his various mythological journeys. One setting is the richest ever proffered by the Vogue studio, that of the idyllic heaven, where Rube dallies with dozens of beautiful houris in luxurious splendor and sentimental pastimes, only to come to an abrupt ending and discover that all is an iridescent dream, as fleeting and elusive as the will-o’-the-wisp. Expenditure is Mr. Miller’s last thought in this production and it is predicted that it will remain green in the memory of Vogue picture lovers for many years to come. REEL LIFE — Page Four