Universal Weekly (1920, 1923-27)

VOL. 18, No. 6 Universal Weekly 27: International Beats World in Qetting Pictures of Japan Amid Throes of Catastrophe The Imperial Theatre, Tokyo, where “ Hunting Big Ga?ne” broke all records of attendance, and which was showing “ The Leather Pushers” when it crumpled up in the earthquake. WHAT is probably one of the greatest news reel feats ever accomplished has been put over by Capt. Ariel Varges, crack International News cameraman, in getting pictures of the Japanese disaster. As the result of his speedy work and unparalleled enterprise, remarkable moving pictures of the great holocaust are now on their way to America, and will be supplied to International News reel patrons far ahead of any other pictures from the earthquake zone. Luck again was with Varges, reputed to be the luckiest cameraman in the game. After a slow trip around the world, covering a period of many months, he had the good fortune to be in Shanghai when the earth-forces rent the Japanese archipelago. As the crow flies, Tokio and Yokohama are around 1,500 miles from Shanghai, or as far as Kansas City from New York, or New York from Key West. Varges, a veteran of many disasters and great news events, immediately arranged for chartering an aeroplane. Thus, while the great fire was still at its height, and while the earthshocks still were demolishing buildings and rolling up the score of victims, Varges was speeding over the China Sea and was flying over the stricken country-side, taking marvelous pictures of the demolished cities, and remarkable close-ups of the coun try-wide conflagration and the smoking ruins. Varges landed in Tokio harbor and spent several hours getting unusual pictures of the burning city, its palatial ruins, its victims and its feeling refugees. His films are a record which will go down into history. There has been no greater disaster than the Japanese earthquake, fire and tidal wave. History will thank Varges for his intrepid enterprise, and his reckless disregard of his own safety in getting graphic views of the horror that is Tokio and the Gehenna that is Yokohama. After using up all his film and all the photographic plates of his still camera, Varges climbed back in his sea-plane and was speeded back to Shanghai. He arrived there in the nick of time to put his precious films aboard a steamer leaving Shanghai for the United States. By this time the films are well across the Pacific. As soon as they are received in San Francisco they will be rushed by special aeroplane service across the United States to New York, to be included in the first possible International News Reel released after their arrival. They will not be issued as a special, but as a regular part of the International News Reel service to all International News Reeel customers. Varges has a long record of news 'v’ " — Auuuuutional. Capt. Ariel Varges, International Newsreel cameraman, first American photographer to enter Tokyo and Yokohama after disaster in Tokyo — Before the smoke had cleared, before the earth tremors had ceased, Capt. Varges was on the job — His news dispatches from the Orient stated that not a structure remained in either Tokyo or Yokohama — He was the first cameraman to fly over both cities, taking aerial views of the destruction. beats. After serving as a Captain in the British Army he joined the International service on the condition he would get all the hazardous assignments. Since that time he has been in every battle-zone, revolution area and storm center in Europe and Asia, getting exclusive pictures for International. He obtained the famous German pictures taken of sinking Allied vessels from the Raider Moewe, also similar pictures taken from the German submarine U-35. He also took pictures under fire of the revolution in Berlin. He took the first motion pictures of the Pope in the Vatican, the first pictures of Lenin and Trotsky and of the Sultan. Advices just received by N. L. Manheim, export manager of the Universal Picture Corporation, by letter from Japan, indicate that the great Imperial Theatre of Tokio, Japan’s most pretentious amusement palace, {Continued on Page 35)