Universal Weekly (1920, 1923-27)

A Magazine for the Motion Picture Exhibitors PAUL'GULICK' / — TnnmtnUirmillHfflnftllHltll . EDITOR ^iinTTmrrnnHHii||||im;TffffffFfm Published by the Motion Picture Weekly Publishing Co.HeckscherB’/dg. 730-5“ Avenue NewYork Q'ty Copyright, 1926 UNIVERSAL PIC TURES\CORPORA T/O/i All Rights Reserved ' Vol. XXIII FEBRUARY 20, 1926 No. 2 UNIVERSAL Claims His Mistake Forced MOVIEGRAMS Laemmle Into Distribution AMONG the most interested spectators at the premier of “What Happened to Jones” by George Broadhurst at the Colony Theatre in New York, with Reginald Denny as its star, was the director of that picture, William A. Seiter. Seiter arrived in New York early Sunday morning for two purposes: one, to be present at the opening; and the other, to see “Beware of Widows,” now running at the Maxine Elliot Theatre and which will be Denny’s first picture under his new releasing plan with Universal. SEITER also brought word with him of the great anxiety which Universal, and in fact, everyone all over the country, felt for the safety of Denny last week when he was lost on a fishing expedition in the Pacific Ocean. Universal sent five airplanes out from various locations on the coast to search the ocean for him. It eventually transpired that he had put into a harbor from which there was no method of communication and the thirty-foot steamer Barbara, on which he was vacationing, had no wireless. TO the already notable cast chosen to support Mary Philbin in “The Star Maker,” Lois Weber, who will direct it, has added Lola Todd, one of this year’s Wampas Stars. Miss Todd was recently loaned out after a long series of pictures, and has a prominent role in “The Count of Luxembourg.” Others in the cast of “The Star Maker,” which was adapted from Dana Burnet’s Saturday Evening Post story, “Technic,” ONE of the biggest surprises that Carl Laemmle ever had in his whole life confronted him on February 5th. That was the night of the Dinner and Dance given by the Universal employees in honor of Mr. Laemmle’s twentieth anniversary in the moving picture business, at the Commodore Hotel. The Dinner and Dance wasn’t any surprise to him; he knew all about that. But he didn’t know that his very first employe in the moving picture business was going to be there. You can imagine his surprise, therefore, when, in the midst of greeting some thousand or more employees and friends, a tall young man stood in front of him, and taking off his glasses, said : “Do you remember me, Mr. Laemmle?” Mr. Laemmle has a famous memory for faces and figures. (The latter, actuarial, of course.) He can pick a face that he has seen out of a crowd, and he can tell you almost exactly what any of his exchanges did on almost any month of any year that are Francis X Bushman, Grace Darmond, Warner Oland, Caroline Snowden and Roy Bloomer. Gertrude astor is the latest player assigned to the cast of “The Old Soak” under the direction of Edward Laemmle. This Broadway play by Don Marquis already has enlisted the services of Jean Hersholt to play the name part, June Marlowe, George Lewis, Zasu Pitts, George Siegmann, William V. Mong, Lucy Beaumont and Ada Gleason. you might mention to him. And he was not stumped by this face, although he hadn’t seen it for nineteen years. Peering intently up at him, he started — “you used to work for me — in one of my theatres — you were an operator. . . By gosh, I believe you were the first man I ever employed in the moving picture business.” “I am,” said the tall man, “and I took off my glasses so that I would look as nearly like I did when I worked for you a I possibly could — I cannot help the grey hair. I’ve come by it honestly. I don’t suppose you remember the name, so I’ll tell you; — Charles Chasteen. I started to run the old machine in your place several weeks after you opened. George Gilmore recommended me to you.” “Well, I am mighty glad to see you, Charlie,” — and “I’m mighty glad to see you,” said Chasteen. “I want to congratulate you on this twenty years, the start of which I remember so plainly.” (Continued on page 34) JOHN McDERMOTT, who was originally engaged by Universal to write the scenario, in collaboration with William A. Seiter for Denny’s picture, “Rolling Home,” has followed a course similar to two other scenario writers at the Universal City lot and been made a director. The lucky McDermott, after making the scenario for “The Love Thief,” was commissioned to direct it. In this particular his case is analogous to that of James O. Spearing and Melville Brown. Norman Kerry will be starred in “The Love Thief.’