Evening Star Newspaper, June 18, 1922, Page 55

LIFE AS INTERPRETED IN MOTION PICTURES » ‘benefit or a serious menace to the American public, it is interesting to get the opinion of a woman of culture, who has written extensively both for the legitimate stage and for the moving pictures. Beulah Marie Dix, who has written the following article, is a playwright, novelist and @cenario-writer, and graduated from Radcliffe College in 1897. Her first Story was published when she was a sophomore at Radcliffe, and her first Pplay, the undergraduate dramatic organization at the college. She has written ore than a dozen novels, of which the last one. “Hands Off,” was pub- ished by Macmillan, in 1919. Two of her more recent plays are “Across the Border” and “Moloch,” with Holbrook Blinn. “The Breed of the Treshams” was produced by Martin Harvey, in Dublin, in 1903, as well as In Australia and South Africa. “The Road to Yesterday” had a season 3n New York, with an all-star cast, and a couple of seasons on the road. Because of the controversy ¢¢ to whether the moving pictures are a { Cicely's Cavalier,” was written and produced on the Idler stage, All this goes to show that she has a proper appreciation as well as an extensive acquaintance with the legitimate stage, yet for the past five Years she has been in Hollywdod writing for the moving pictures, and this is what she says about them: BY BEULAH MARIE DIX. OR four years 1 have been in “the pictures” in Holly- wood, the heart of filmdom, a peaceful little town of bungalows, palms and pepper trees, darkly suspicioned by the un- fnitiated to be given over to the sound of unholy revelry by night and every night. Far otherwise have I found it. Much is claimed for the pictures. Much is alleged against them. Truth, cording to her sensational habit. probably resides between the two extremes. 1 don't believe that mo- tion pictures usher in an educa- tonal or spiritual millennium. Neither do I believe they will de- base our stage and degrade our literature. , Over against those films in which the vamp and the custard-ple comedian dlsport themselves the old guard of the legitimate stage delight to set " “Ruther- ord and Son” and “Magic.” then “Could detestal e vou such as thes . Alas, no: and neither could the stage more than once in a blue T As & matter of fair, —la':su: :‘:t compare the best of the stage with the worst of the pic- tures, and vice versa. | When the Spoken Play Surpasses. When we undertake a fairer comparison, the stage at its best, with the subtleties of the spoken word and the eloguent pause— above all, with its capacity to de- velop theme and to wander in the byways of satire and of delicate {ronies—far surpasses the pictures. 1 had rather sit through “The Tro- jan Women" than “Broken Blos- 1 had rather listen to Androcles and the Lion™ than 100k at—but here there is mo possi- bility of comparison in filmdom. 1n short, the stage at its best plays over the pictures infinitely. But how often do we have the stage at s best? b When it comes to the great body of second-class plays and pictures that make up the bulk of our en- tertainment, I confess that as long as 1 live outside New York, and perhaps it I should live inside it. 1 prefer the pictures to the stage as it is now conducted. and for the reasons already cited: The pic- tures give us finer settings, hand- somer, better gowned women, more upstanding men than the stage (outside New York, and sometimes even in New York) will offer us; the pictures deliver us from the anguish caused by the untrained, Unintelligent speaking voice with which our American stage., With few exceptions—the more glowing for being so exceptional—is cursed; the pictures, though I may be stoned for so asserting, frequently glve us better acting. «“Thought Photographs.” T mean that last statement liter- ally. For the days have gone by when poor derelicts of the stage condescended to the screen and “mugging” and arm-waving made up the entire technique of a cinema star. Today the pictures have their own technique, quiet, subtle, inti- mate. ‘““Thought photographs.’ the ablest male star of the screen has often said. You can see for your- self how much more repressed must be the technique of the screen than that of the stage. Béhind the foot- lights the actor must play his great emotional scene, however intimate, with such stress that the man in the back row may get what he pays his money for. In front of the camera, thanks to the ‘close-up” method that has placed American films at the head of the world's list, the actor plays his great scene six feet from his audience. The niore suc- cessful the screen star. vou will note, the quleter the method. Mary Pickford, deservedly the most suc- ssful woman of the screen. can ut over” volumes by the turn of an eyelash. With such artists the spoken word 1s seldom missed. Every shade and transition of thought is * mirrored in the ever-changing and expressive face. All screen artists, it 'is platitudinously true, are not Mary Pickfords. But to compare the vast number of lesser film stars and good supporting screen actors and actresses with their equivalents on the stage is not to the detriment of the former, as any honest critic, I think, will grant who follows the pictures_intelligently. For there are pictures and pic- tures, just as there are plays and The discriminating devotee ness, however, plays. Df 'the silver sheet does not drop into any old show.” as the casual critic ries, “Away with the horrid so frequently seems to have Discrimination Necessary. 1 freely grant that a bad picture is " as dire s & bad play, though with the saving grace that one can sleep through the picture. But I manage to select my pictures as T select m plays, and thus selected they have Their advantages. 1 had rather see 2 melodrama on the screen than on the stage, for on the screen the possibilities of spectacle are far greater. You can’t burn a house or Sreck a ship eight times a week on the stage with much illusion. On the screen you can do it once for all time, and do it effectively. T had rather see a farce on the screen than on the stage, for on the screen the fempo is quicker, and thanks to the obedlent scissors in the cutting room 2ll dragging moments, such as are the bane of stage farce, can be elim- inated. ‘What Motion Pictures Lack. Of course, there are a number of things that motlon pictures are not. Chief among these lacks, the pic- tures are not designed for the nurs- ery. Many excellent people, and even some who are intelligent, at- tack them on that score. A curious habit has grown up of viewing the picture-house as a cache to Which the children may be sent at any hour. There was once—and in my litetime. too—a mavor of Boston who said that he didn’t want a show in the city that you couldn’t take a fourteen-year-old girl to see. That was hard on adults. ‘A volume could be written on the subject of motion picture censorship. That curious un-American outcrop- ping of Puritanism and busybody- . {sm that would set a small and relect committee to regulate, not the morals merely (the police have " powers to safeguard them). but the faste of thousands of their fellow citisens. There are states of our MOUNT VERNON AND Alexandris, rousd tHp..... - cars h-n' 12th QR o e, bou= and samraials QUC Pm. Rumalng time—850 mimutes. o v Co Cnion in which you may see a play, but not the picturé based upon that play. One astute manager, it is re- corded, ran his picture 'until he reached the censored portion. then stopped the projecting machine, drew aside the screen, and on the stage thus disclosed had actors enact the scene that the motion picture censor had deleted. He was absolutely within the laav. The motion pictures have their faults, their weaknesses, their Vi- ciousness. if vou will, for all of which you will find equivalents upon our stage. But they have their vir- tues, their possibilities, thetr ideals, even. The better class of pictures— the class which we compare to the more worthy offerings of the legiti- mate stage—eschews crude horrors. The better class of Screen writers are as worried over motivation and characterization as any writer for the stage. Desire for Happy Ending. The final by indictment drawn up the high-brows is that the creen story is sentimental and op- timistic. Doubtless, yes. What else could be expected in a senti- mental nation given over to & cheap and cheery optimism? The majority like sentiment laid on with a trewel. And if the ma- jority like to read the “glad” books and weep over stage crooks converted by peach jam. how shall we expect them to support on the screen a grim, realistic portrayal of life as it happens, not as it , would look dished up with cream and sugar on a posy-wreathed platter? The happy-ending tyran- ny, remember, is no invention of the pictures. “Secret Service” that time-worn pillar of the native drama, had originally a logical. tragic ending. and played to a fail- ure. Even Pinero tacked a second “happy” ending to “The Profli- gate.” The itch for the final clutch seems well imbedded in the sturdy and sterling Anglo-Saxon charac- ter. We can trace it back at least as far as the eighteenth century with its happy ending (save the mark!) to the tear-drained woes of crazed, dishonored old King Lear. Why blame our present age—or, for that matter, the scapegoat pic- tures—for an art-destroying, fact- defying convention that has for generations been deaf to the heart of our race? The pictures, remem- ber, are what we—the great ma- Jjority of us—choose to make them. Newspaper Talent Required FEW lovers of screen drama, no matter how confirmed their re- gard for the photoplay may be, ever stop to wonder who writes and com- poses the newspapers one frequently sees prodyced on the silver sheet. There is scarcely a picture released these days which does not show one or more journalistic “Inserts” of one sort or another. They may be used to acquaint the heroine of the hero's false arrest or to tell the hero of his sweetheart's marriage to another man. These “inserts” of newspapers serve an important use i{n modern screen drama. The modern motion picture studio usually finds it advisable to retain on its staff several former newspaper editors particularl qualified to du- plicate the various styles of news- paper make-up and to preserve, as far as possible, the appearance of Journalistic authenticity. At the Paramount_studio in California, for instance, Frank X. Finnegan, former- ly of the Chicago News. heads the staff of former journalists who care for this work in pictures made there. These men were called upon to devise a page advertisement inserted in Wallace Reid’'s latest picture, “Across the Continent.” that had its first showings in Washington last Sunday—an_advertisement which was set up right in the studio. News- paper “inserts” vary from three to fifty in the average motion picture and the most thoroughgoing famil- iarity with newspaper make-up nec- essarily enters into the preparation: of such material. Stage Bids for Screen Stars QTAGE and screen are now {llus- strating the maxim that the pendulum must swing as much one way as another. The number of film celebrities who have recenly returned to the footlights—Ben Turpin, Charlie Murray, Doris Pawn, Robert McKim, Mrs. Sidney Drew, Mildred Harris, Betty Ross Clarke, Mary MacLaren, to mention only a few—is likely to be increased as time goes on. One of the reasons for the shift is the sharp drop in the salaries paid to screen actors. The result is that the stage is now able to bid for fa- vorites on almost even terms with the studios. This is bound to mean a greater shift of personalities and an’ influx of many new faces to the screen in ‘the next year or two. An- other outcome will be that those who “survive” in either fleld will do so more on dmerit than formerly. Both the stage and the screen, therefore. will benefit by the new state of flux that exists and the pub- lic ought to see better acting than ever. Laborer Rather Expensive. N eastern boat builder was being shown through one of the big ship plants at San Pedro, Calif., half an hour’s ride from Los Angeles. He was particularly interested in a grease-covered workman in overalls{and ‘wonderfull: who was busy with repaits on a motor boat. “I like the way that man's going about his work—he shows intelli- gence,” commented the visitor. * like to have him in my plant. “1 have no objection.” replied the shipbuilder. “You might interest him with an offer, say, of $5,000 or $6,000 a week Z The workman was Dustin Farnum, who is a mighty good mechanic, and was repairing his champion motor boat, Miss Los Angeles II 500 Miles of “The Kid." AVE this for some rainy night: How many photographic images of Charlie Chaplin has the world seen? Watterson R. Rothacker, whose laboratories do. Chaplin’s developing and printing, ‘estimates that about 500 miles of tive film have been printed to of “The Kid." possi- bly 40,000,000 little images of the comedy king appeared. Now, by au- diences all over the world this meant seeing Chaplin, putting it very roughly. about 20.000.000,000 times. This is only one picture, and, Chaplin. has been in the movies 8o time. You are welcome to estimate away as lon you like, until you either run oyt of patience or @igures. One thing is certain, no one can prove your estimate is wrong, (% “ djwill be taken largely § Princess Railjah's elaborate orien- - Miss Wanda Lyon's foock of cara- * THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JUNE 18, _FASHION CREATIONS OF THE STAGE. £ Miss Beverly Bayne's attractive mel crepe de chine, worn in “The| georgette afternoon gown, worn at tal cos tume of sequins. Oulja Board.” Kelth's. BY ELENORE DE WITT EBY. time. We used to give nine and ten|was girdled with a long, narrow shows in hospitals during the day|crepe de chine streamer, knotted ANDA LYON sat curled up in a chair in her hotel room the other day, her blonde loveliness framed in a tea | cown: af cerise velvet and silver lace. “The story of my life”’ she queried, motioning the writer to a seat oppo- site and continuing her occupation of clipping theatrical reviews from thé dafly newspapers. ~I akways send my notices home to * she explained, “and I cer- tainly am happy about these. The "Washington cridcs are too nice for words! “This is my very first experience in lagitimage drama and I just love it. When I was a little girl, back in Salt Lake City. 1 used to hang around the stage enirances, hoping to catch glinpses of the actresses, for they seemed like beings from another world to me. 1 loved serious plays them and still do. In fact. “The Hole in the Wall' has been my favorite here tof all T have taken part in. “Betore this Washington engage- lment, however, 1've always been in musical comedy. First with Al Jol- in ‘Dancing Around’ and ‘Rob- son, inson Crusoe, Jr.’ and then with Clif- ton Crawford. in ‘The World of Pleasure. When the United States entered the war [ went abroad with a theatrical unit to entertain the soldiers. Of course, it was a_wonder- ful experience, but the story is a long one. I'll tell you all about it some Storm Scene in and then go to dinner at camps and give performances for the boys be- tween Dbites. After the armistice I went over to the Rhine for a while and later to Paris and London. “I was studying then, cultivating my voice, and 1 sang in ‘Madame Butterfly’ 'and ‘Tosca’ at Aeolian Hall in London just before returning to Amerlca. " My volce seems o have gone back on me now, for I haven't the time to keep in practice, but I uess you can't do everything at once. ometimes, when I stop to think that I am learning a new part every week, fehearsing one play and then taking part in another, I think I must be dreaming, and that it can't really be me at all!” Miss Lyon then exhibited some of the lovely things she had brought over from Europe—Parisian gowns and wraps, an Italian scarf, exquis- itely hand-painted in oils, and an ori- ental, shroud-like costume and head- dress presented by the King of Syria, then the crown prince. Last week in “The Ouija Board" she wore the charming little caramel-col- ored frock which is sketched. It was of soft crepe de chine. cut on the sim- plest possible lines, and it was ad- mirably suited to Miss Lyon's style of beauty. The neck was cut straight across to give a suggestion of the bateau line, but the dainty collar of fine Venetian point lace relieved its severity and added the only touch of trimming to the frock. The huge sleeves were patterned after those in a Japa- nese kimono, but very deep cuffs gave them an original finish. The gown “Foolish Wives” RICH VON STROHEIM. the au- thor, star and director of the picture, has introduced a storm 1n “Foolish Wives” that excels by its verisimilitude anything ever seen on the screen. It is not merely an attempt to thrilk those who see the picture. It is an in- tegral part of the story, and its effect upon the characters is immediate and striking. Out of what. is really only a severe thundershower von Stroheim has made a2 sequence of storm scenes which grips the imagination more forcibly than doz- ens of screen storms supposed to repre- sent the fury of storm at sea. He has accomplished this because his storm is real—the rain is real, the lightning is real and the characters uufller just as uch as they would in a real storm. mThia result was obtained at Universal City, Calif., where the picture was made, by great care and elaborate pre- parations, An_entire lake bed, hun- dreds of feet across, was excavated and filled with water. Marsh grass and reeds were transplanted-so that the Busy Scenes at Hollywood edges of this lake would be according to natute. The storm itself was produced by a series of big pumps and fire hose. which sent several columns of water high into the air. This water was caught by the blast from a battery of aeroplane pro- pellers, each mounted on a truck and driven by a powerful moto ‘The sheets of water, broken into rain, were swept across the lake with all the fury of a driving cloudburst. It was through this downpour that von Stroheim, his resplendent white uniform muddy and bedraggled, waded and stumbled with the heroine in his arms. The camera men shivered and cranked in a shelter nearby. The lightning I ashes accorrlmanylns the storm are not the usual screen lightning flashes. but actual forked lightning, produced by an ingenious static electrical device developed at Universal City. One actually sees the Hghtning strike and demolish the bridge across which von Stroheim is about to bear the unconscious woman. The following scenes, where he fever- ishly paddles a sinking skiff across the rain-beaten lake, as the water rises to cover the form of Miss du Pont, limp in the bottom of the boat, are intensely realistic. ITH hundreds of people working and nine produc- tions under way, the Lasky studio at Hollywood now is one of the busiest places in the film world. Cecil B. De Mille, with his Roman spectacle as & vision in “Manslaugh- ter,” occupies & big part of stage 4, the largest glass-covered stage in the world. About three Y:und:‘e‘d eople and others, mostly girls Xt Pattire of damsels of the days of Rome in its approach to decadence, make a marvelous picture of color and beauty. Bengal tigers, gladi- ators, barbarians, —tribunes, slaves and wealthy patricians fill a veritable arena flanked by magnificent columns and flights of steps leading to lm‘; mense heights and upon which :l the guests, while at the pinnacle o the tallest flight sits Leatrice Joy, in a marvelous costume, as hostess at the revel. Thomas Meighan and Lois ‘Wilcon and principals appear in the big scenes which form an interlude to the modern story of & medern girl Who becomes reckless and pays, the enalty. 3 2 A biy[ ballroom scene is now being staged by George Melford for. “Burn- ing Sands,” which Is rich, brilliant set. zu‘e Penrhyn Stan- On another Stan aws is making some scenes for Gods.” =i The production “On the High-Seas’ entails some striking scenes, which on th:hW.(etr. Strength and romance are e out- lundfix features of the npicture, which, by the way, is the first origl- Plans of Some Stars. ‘MONG the Fox stars for the com- ing season, Willlam Farnum will appear first in “The Miracle Child” (temporary title), now in production. Tom Mix's first plcture will be “Just Tony”—the story of a horse, based on Max Brand’s popular novel “Al- catraz.” Tony, the pony known to all Tom Mix fans, 1s practicallly a co-star in this picture. Among the plays in which John Gilbert will be seen are “In Calvert's ’ Valley,” by Margaret Prescott Mon! e, and directed 'bz Jack Dillon; Splendid Outcast, by George Gibbs, and - directed by Jerome Storm, and ‘“Across the Bor- der.” The first of Charles Jones series is entitled “West of Chi > Dustin Farnum will seen in * One Way Trail” by Ridgwell and series of Richard Davis stories. Shirley Mason will be gm nni in ';'rgomumo T:uhor:‘ iam Russel! appear in “Ths Crusade; an; “Mixed Faces" by Roy Norton, and nal screen story by Edward Sheldon. who wrote such stage successes a “The Nigger” and “Salvation Nell. Wallace Reld and company, making “The Ghost Breaker,” under the di- rection of Alfred Green, are shortly to have a set représenting the Span- ish castle whose ghosts are laid by the energetic work of the young American who loves the pretty mar- chesa, owner of the ancient structure. Pirates, seventeenth century swash- bucklers and ladies in waiting, In dians, colonists, and what not, take part in_the production of “To e and to Hold." Alternating scenes at the studio and on location keep this company on the jump. The same may be said for James Cruze and his troupe of actors who are making “The Old Homestead,” a modern picture version of America’s second gieatest stage classic. The Lasky ranch, where the village and the old homestead are built, is the scene of much of their activity. Sam Wood is getting in shape for his next production starring Gloria Swanson, entitled “The Impossible Mrs. Bellew. Pending the return of Miss Swanson from her European trip, Mr. Wood is busy with establish- ing shots and scenes in which the star: does not appear. Production of Agnes Ayres' picture, “Borderland,” under the direction of Paul Powell, i{s drawing to a close. The final scenes, in which Miss Ayres is attired in a ghost costume, re- quire most exacting work on the part of the cameraman, with much complicated double exposure. The costume departments and the set buflders are among the busiest of the studio organizations, but every other department is working at top speed as well. Movie Set Insured for “Her Man." IN the world of motion pictures everything from an eyebrow to & star's life is insured to protect the producer in his investment. Marshall Neilan in the production of “Her Man,” his newest First N: tional ploture, recently gave the in- surance people a new thrill when he took out $50,000 worth of insurance on the contents of a movie set for twenty-four hours. The set represented an elaborate boudolr, Louis XV design, and con- tained priceless antiques rented for the ocoasion, the total value of which amounted to a small fortune. While the amount paid for the renting of materials used in this scene was rea- sonable enough, yet If the set had . damaged by -fire or had any of the ;valuables been stolen it would have odst the producers a nice penny. -In.order to protect itself the insur- ance cmo-.n assigned a man to ‘watch lot' om:f"m life of the loosely over one hip. Later in the play Mis§ Lyon ap- peared in an evening cregtion of lav- ender crepe de chine dedorated with periwinkle-tinted beads. ' The bodice was sleeveless and modeled with a rounded neck and wide shoulder straps, while the skirt consisted of a narrow foundation and a short apron panel at the front. Long points of the silk hung at either side, the low- est ones trailing almost to the ground, and their edging of glitter- ing beads caused them to drape gracefully. Additional beads outlined the neck and large armholes, and dangled in a fringe from the gathered apron panel. Miss Beverly Bayne, appearing at Keith's this week, wears the attract- ive georgette afternoon gown which is illustrated. Tiny wooden beads and silk embroidery form an elabo- rate pattern on its delicate folds, and a large flower bedded in ribbon loops gives an additional touch of trim ming. The hat, of filmy hair straw. has a small ribbon bow at one side of the crown, which is dimly dis- cernible beneath the velling of the wide. upturned brim. The Princess Radjah. an oriental dancer, who is also appearing at Keith's, wears the ornate costume pic- tured at the left of the accompanying illustration. Tt is fashioned from iri- descent _sequins and trimmed with { jewels, bead strings and dangling tas- Sels. and she wears a jeweled bandeau in her halr to complete the effect of eastern elegance. Digesting the Movies. BY AL CHRISTIE. Producer of Comedies. ID you ever stop to think about the proper mastication and di- : gestion of the varied offerings of the moving picture shows which you at- tend? Perhaps you have on occasion suffered from picture indigestion. It's a terrible thing, I'll assure vou, to return home from a picture show and realize that something you'd par- taken of hadn't agreed with you. No doubt the chef had the ingredients mixed or in the wrong order. I have recently been asked why ‘we have not departed, except in rare instances, from our program of mak- ing but a comparatively small num- ber of pictures every year. and those all of the two-reel variety, or really less than two reels, for we have a limit of about eighteen hundred feet in which our plots must be told. The reason is the same as that which actuates the management of big hotels in having one under-chef specialize In roasts, one in salads, one in desserts, and others in various and sundry articles of food and delicacles for the jaded palate. ‘The viewpoint of picture patrons is often enlightening to the poor, down- trodden picture producer. I recently saw a letter writter to the editor of a magazine by an overfed and dis- gruntled picture spectator. The writer asked why pictures were so long and complained that shows seemed often to drag, later realizing that the pic- ture witnessed had been nine reels. The writer—a woman—stated that in the time one now sees “a picture,” one used to see a good feature play, a news reels, perhaps a Topics of ‘the Day. hear some good music and still have time to get home and get the children to bed at a ET!onlble holul;. “Give us variety,” the letter-writer asks, “anything good ma; by having too muc] Y be anctled I think this correspondent voiced a genuine objection—which must be in the minds of thousands of people who visit picture shows regularly. In many cases—not all by any means— the stories that producers used to tell in five reels now consume seven or eight, entertaining the patron, it Is true, but leaving him too fagged out and too full of the entree course properly to enjoy the salads and the dessert. In my humble opinion, feed- ing the picture patron on a huge courSe of one thing end eliminating the trimmings is just like expecting a diner to sit down and get the full benefit and enjoyment out of a whole ham, expecting him to gorge himself, and offering no antidotes in the form of hors d'oeuvres, bread, ices, coffee and u;try. o ersonally I shall continue to offer the salad and dessert of tl'l.e picture bill of fare and I'm so busy thinking up new ways to make salad in two reels that I don't care to get into competition with the other cul- inary specialists. Of course, I main- tain—with a certain amount of ego- tism—that the diner can't properly enjoy the other man's roast beef without my salad, but then that's only a matter of personal opinion. Every man is running his own stomach and picking out the places which agree with him, and if he gets picture indigestion I'll say it isn't all my fault. Origin of the Rosary. TBE origin of the Christian Rosary is shrouded in legendry, but it is known that in the fourth cenfury, Peter the Hermit used pebbles to help concentrate hls thoughts, ‘casting them aside ons by one until his pray- ers were sald. From this crude peb- ble rosary came that which is used to- day, the string of beads ending with the cross—the symbol of sacrifice. Because she has been identified with roles of similar character, Jane Novak has been chosen to create the girl of spiritual nobility in “The Rosary,” the screen adaptation of famous play. d n&nl’, to be shown at the Strand today. —_— Metropolitan. Constance Taimadge fs announced as the star of the bill at the Metro- politan Theater next week. Miss Tal madge’s latest production tor Firs Nstional is “The. Primitive Lover, 2, Drisk_comely-drams In which the porte th Harl and Harrison Ford. Columbia. The feature at the Columbia The- ater for the full week beginning next Sunday afternoon will be Ethel Clay- ton, in “For the Defense,” adapted from Elmer Rice's play, “On Trial with a supporting cast that include: Vernon Steele, ZaSu Pitts, Bertram Grassby, Mayme Kelso, Sylvia Ash- ton and Mabel Van Buren. Loew’s Palace. The attraction of featured im- portance at Loew’s Palace Theater for the full week beginning next Sunday afternoon will be “North of the Rio Grande,” the latest starring production for Jack Holt and Bebe Danlels, based on the story by Vingie E. Roe, and fncluding in the c Charles Ogle, Alec B. Francis, Will R. Walling, Jack Caryle, Fred Hunt- ley, Shannon Day, Edythe Chapman, George Field and W. B. Clarke. Crandall’s. \ Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swan- s~ will be the pictured star of the bill arranged for presentation at ¢Crandall's Theater the first three days of next week, in Elinor Glyn's “Be- yond the Rocks.” Beginning Wed- nesday and continuing, the major at- traction throughout the remainder of the week will be shown, “Step On It," starring Hoot Gibson. Rialto. Romance and vivid imagination have been brought to life on the scrcen in the latest story by Gouverneur Morris, “Yellow Men and Gold,” which will be shown at the Rialto Theater Sunday next. Helen Chadwick, Rich- ard Dix, Rosemary Theby, Richard Tucker, Henry Barrows, Fred Kohler, Willlam Moran and others of equal note and ability appear in the sup- porting cast. New Pictures Under Way. HE following new pictures are promised soon: “Broken Chains,” $10,000 prize scenario. “Uncle Tom's Cabin. ““Te with Mary Pickford. “Flaming Hearts,” with J. B. War- ner. “The Malamute,” with Joh: Wal- ker and Ruth Clifford. AN “East 1s West,” with Constance Talmadge. “The Electric Hous: Keaton. “Alcatraz,” with Tom Mix. “A Self-made Man," with William Russell. “The Ladder Jinx,” with Edward Horton. “White Shoulders,” w 3 Macbhite Shoulders.” with Katharine “Pink Gods,” with J; v nndMBebe Danlel':.‘ A Reel K rimond. “Manslaughter,” de Mille, all-star. “The Siren Call,” wllh‘ Dzr‘;lh)‘ with Buster Dalton. ‘Trooper O'Neill,” with Buck Jones. Wreckage,” all-star. The Flirt,” all-star. They're Oft." with Marie Prevost. “The_ Sheriff of Sev. " with 1oThe, Sheri even Bar,” with “The Valley of Silent Men.” all-sta “Under Two Flags,” with l”rlsmll& Dean. he Suburban.” all.star. en Knighthood Was i v with Marion Davi Exiie " the Mornin with Gladye “The Old Homestead,” w - dore Roberts. S Previous Owen Moore. “The Ghost Breaker,” vallac T ker,” with Wallace “The Mirage,” madge. “My Wild Irish Rose,” mance feature. “A Virgin's Sacrifice,” wit! i Griffith production. e “*Resflcss Souls,” liams. Engagement.” with with Norma Tal- Irish ro- with Earle Wil- “The Girl in His Room,” wi Calhoun featured. S “A Pair of King: with Larry mon. “Divorce Coupon fith production can western Vow."” Casting "The Bondboy." RICHARD BARTHELMESS has as. sembled a noteworthy cast to support him in “The Bondboy," which will follow “Somny” to the screen. Mary Thurman, who recently ap- peared in “The Sin of Maitha Queed.” is his leading lady. She is the fourth famous leading ingenue to play oppo- site the voung screen artist since he became a star under the management of Inspiration Pictures, Inc. M;)flry Alden, “mothers™ on the screen, will pla: the part of Dick’s mother. She will be the third motaer he has had in less than a y Charles Hill Mailes plays the heavy, and Laurance D'Orsay, fam- ous as the Earl in Augustus Thomas' play, “The Earl of Pawtucket,” also plays a prominent part in the screen adaptation of - this story by George ‘Washington Ogden. In “The Bondboy” Mr. Bartnelmess portrays the role of a barefoot country boy, who rises to chivalous heights and proves that romance is not dead. To save a woman who slew her cruel hus- band, he accepts responsibility for the crime. One of the most famous jails in thé south is to be used for the filming of the prison scenes. Dick has to do a regular thriller of a horseback ride to escape from jail. a Corinne Grif- and a William Oun- feature. “The Silent Kittens of Movie Fame THEY say a cat may look at a king —but it does not often happen that a king will look at a cat. It did happen the other day, however, in New York city when King Henry VIII and all his courtiers stopped work on the big production, ‘“When Knight- hood was in Flower,” being filmed at Cosmopolitan Studios, long enough to pay their respects to “Molly,” tne studio cat and her family of four just newly arrived kittens. It was Marion Davies, star of the pro- duction, who issued the invitation to the christening party. And, in fact, it ‘was more a command than an invita- tion, for Miss Davies was clad in the robes of Princess Mary Tudor. Every- body was tired after some energetic work in one of the court scenes when suddenly Miss Davies had the inspira- tion to take the whole crowd to visit the studio mascot and her family. off they tropped to a blue draj box in the corner back of tne set—King Henry and Queen Catherine and Prin- cess Mary and her ladies-in-waiting and the courtiers. “Molly” paid them scant attention. She was more interested in the tiny gray and white bits of fur in the basket. X “Molly” is the daughter of the kitten 'which appeared in “Humoresque.” It was “Molly’ ‘mother who was lifted out of ‘the ash can by little Miriam Battista. And it was her “aunt” who was the other kitten in “Humoresque.” So Molly comes of a histrionic family and it was ‘a small matter for her to stop a produc- tion like “When Knighthood Was in Flower.” Hayawaka Going Home HE retirement of Sessue Hayakawa from the movies to appear as a star on the stage under Shubert man- agement nips in the bud an Interest- ing enterprise planned around his personality. It was the purpose of Robertson- Colc to star him in a spectacular film production of the Gilbert & Sullivan operatic masterpiece, “The Mikado.” Before appearing on the stage In the fall the star and his actress wife. Tsuru Aoki, will make a short visit to thelr native land, T considered one of !he‘ AMUSEMENTS." FILMOGRAMS To have appeared in fifty .comedies ©f the screen is rather a record, but this is only a part of the experience that has fallen to the'lot of Frank Hayes, who plays the role of Cy Prime in “The Old Homestead,” which is now being made into a colossal film spectacle for Paramount Pictures, with James Cruze at the megaphone. Russell Simpson, famous screen sheriff known for his remarkable growth of hirsute, plays a whisker- less role in the forthcoming Wesley Barry picture, “R: to Riches.” -(Down to_the Ses in Ships” Elmer Clifton's drama, of old whaling days, has entered on its second year in pro- ducttop. Mr. Clifton spent more than ten months in research and prepara- tion before a scene was filmed, and he does not expect to have the picture ready for release before September. The beautiful Katherine MacDon- ald, who just completed “The hard work. Her White & 3 atest story is “White Shoulders,” from the pen of George Kibbe Turner. This tale attracted the attention of millions of readers when it appeared in the Saturday Evening Few Chinese in America care for motlon pictures and fewer still care |to become actors, but when they do Bet a taste of acting the fever seems to grip them as nlron'lg as it does any American flapper who has been told she “looks like Norma Talmadge and could act a lot better if she would 80 in far the movie life.” Mary Pickford has decided to call her ‘new picture simply “Tess.” al- though it is frankly a remaking of her old Jpuccess, “Tess of the Storm Country.” A theater owner, when told of the decision. saw a very bright side . “Tess,” he said, “will s | ot electric lights.” SR The screen rights to “The Abysmal Brute.” one of Jack London's storfes of the prize ring. have been acquired by Universal. This story will be put into immediate production. Billy Bevan, with Mildred June playing the feminine lead, soon will complete his next two-reel comedy, to be known as “Oh, Daddy!" The picture is described as a fast-moving. typical Sennett comedy, in which Teddy, the wonder dog. does an al- most” human bit, aided by several young children and bables. ~ “The Bat” will be picturized b Oliver Morosco, accnrd!npg 1o r’wgotm’-’ tions now practically completed. There is no branch of sport i which Tom Mix is not an expert, Of course riding is his forte. Making a photoplay from a book is. of course, all in a day’s work but It has remained for book publishers of ringfleld, Mass, to make & book from a photoplay’ A new edition of “Lorna Dcone” is now on the press, 11- lustrated with reproductions from scenes of Maurice Tourneur's master piece of the screen, “Lorna Doone, Which has just been complete: Ward Lascelle has announced the cast and staft for “Affinities” the Mary Robberts Rinehart story which is to be presented on the screen. Col- leen Moore and John Bowers are in. leading roles, supported by Joseph Bonner, Jack Duffy, Grace Gordon and Pete Sos0. The title of the forthcoming pro- duction, “A Spinner in the Sun,” for release by the W. W. Hodkinson Cor-* poration, has been changed to “The Veiled Woman.” 1t is by the late Myrg tle Reed, author of “Lavender and Old Lace” and “At the Sign of the Jack o' Lanter: 2 George Arliss has begun work og “The Sflent Call,” his next picture. In the cast are Edward Earle. winner of the male screen star popularity con: test recently held in New York, and Ann Forest. Arliss will take the star role as a musician whose career is blighted by sudden deafness when he is at the height of success. Jules Eckert Goodman wrote the play and Arliss acquired it from Otis Skinner. John Henry Jackson's motto was “If fate slips you a lemon, use it to open a fruit stand.” John Henry is the hero of the new comedy, “Too Much Business,” an adaptation of the Earl Derr Biggers' story, “John Henry and the Restless Sex Lydia Knott, one of the famous mothers of the screen, is playing one of the greatest roles of her career in “The Flirt,” an adaptation of Booth Tarkington's novel. Little Richard Daniels, “champion freckled boy of the screen.” lost a bet to Pauline Starke the other day The two are members of the cast of “My Wild Irish Rose.” Miss Starke bet Richard a box of candy that he could not .count all the freckles on his face in half an hour. Viola Dana, the little Metro star, has decided 'thut this business of making personal appearances in con- nection with the showing of her pic- tures has its drawbacks. As a result of her tour the requests for her auto- graphed photos have increased about 200 per cent. Most of these applicants fail to inclose even a two-cent stamp. ‘Autografting,’ 1 call i, says Miss Dana. Rudolph Cameron, )gadmg ,man’ in her next attraction, | "Rose o' the Sea” was formerly on | the speaking stage. He scored his greatest hit on Broadway in “Rich Man, Poor Man Tn private life Mr | Cameron is Anita’s husband and busi- ness manager. Anita Stewart's ! Mary Young will enter vaudeville in iBoston July 12 in “The Well,” by Ar- thur Stringer and John Craig. fession,” a comedy. by Nina Wilcox Putnam and Ethel Watts Mumford. SEPHINE DRAKE will be scen next season in “Momma's Pro- Julian Eltinge will return to the stage mext scason in “The Vanishing Lady.” a play with music, by Glen { MacDonough ‘and Raymond Hubbell {The play will be produced in Atlantic iCity by Jacques Pierre October 3. ‘ That Day.” by Louis K. Anspacher, will be the first play produced by the Belmont Theater Repertory Company, and Iden Payne has been engaged to stage it. BEd Wynn, in “The Perfect Fool.” will close at the Cohan Theater, New York. Saturday night, July 1. He will go to the Illinois Theater, Chicago, early in August. Arlina MacMahon has joined the cast of “The Dover Road” at the {Bijou Theater. New York. taking the |place of Phyilis Carrington. who is leaving the stage to be married. Richard Bennett will leave “He {Who Gets Slapped” tiis week and will {head a Los Angeles stock organiza- tion over the summer. His first play on the coast will be Channing Pol- lock’s “The Fool" in which he will be seen next season under the direc- | tion of the Selwyns Fortune Gallo. the producer, has ac- cepted a play for early production dramatized from the novel “The In- evitabl Ttalian actress to the English-speak- {ing stage in the leading role. appearing Ben Hendricks, witl Marjorie Rambeau in “The Goldfis] jis planning to revive next s i {Olson” and “Yon Yonson. |dramas of SwedishsAmerican life. which were his starring vehicles for ifitteen years. Charlotte Greenwood has taken “Letty Pepper” to Philadelphia for an encore engagement before starting westward for her Pacific coast visit this summer. After departing from Philadelphia. Denver will be the first |-ch. Oliver Morosco has completed a Solid vear's booking for the new Greenwood success. When Leo Carillo arrives in Los Angeles early next month at the Close of his vaudeville tour he will begin rehearsals of the new starring vehicle provided him by Oliver Moros- Co. Instead of “The Bread Line.” as previously announced, Carillo's latest Will be “Michael Angelo,” by Edward Locke. The author himself will re- Success Not Due to Outlay SOME motion picture producers in Los Angeles have recently predict- ed that the film of the future is the “big’” production, made with large num- bers and at heavy outlay. That not all the movie leaders think that way is shown by the expression of King Vidor, director of “The Turn in the Road.” “The Jackknife Man™ and other smaller successful pictures. Sald Vidor: *Those who express such sentiments wholly misread such signs as we have to guide us. They do not take into account the very important factor we call by the little word ‘appeal.” “What has lived on the stage? Not the sumptuous, extravagant spectacles, They have had their fleeting moment and passed out of memory. What one can be mentioned with Joe Jefferson's simple comedy ‘Rip Van Winkle,' with its record of nearly half a century “To take a more modern instance. the outstanding piece of our national stage is ‘Lightnin’.’ Frank Bacon's simple, homely play of trivial production cost. ““The most popular film of recent years is “The Miracle Man,’ which was pro- duced at moderate cost, and others of great artistic and commercial success, Which cost comparatively little, could be cited. A modest picture with a beau- titul dog as its star has broken all the- ater in Los Angeles. “Some pictures costing mnot over $30,000 have swept large fortunes into th XKets of their makers. The big | spectacle has its market. but the smaller picture with that elusive thing, appeal, will never be passe.” 'Success of Betty Blythe BEHY BLYTHE, star of “His Hus- band's Wit produced from Anna Katherine Green's soclety novel, “The Mayor's Wife,” was recentl; seen as star of “The Queen of Sheb: She was also featured in two of Rex 7 fct “The Silver ing an actress of superior ability, Miss Blythe is a beauty who has won extraordinary notices from the critics ;ed and the colossal Norman castle ever since her first screen appearance in Guy Empey's production “Over the Top,” in whleh’ she played the part of a Belgian noblewoman who shield- ed an American flrlghvm her Germdn o g Y -|duced by Baron Henri de Rothschild He will introduce a mnew In the Spotlight |main in Los Angeles while the pro- duction is being made under the super- vision of Clifford Brooke. Because of the death by drowning of Maxie McCree, of Maxie and Georgia, featured dancers with the show. George White has canceled the tour of his “Scandals of 1821 to the Pa- cific_coast and the company returned New York last week from Minne- apolis. Mr. White will immediately b gin rchearsals for his “Scandals of 1922, which he announces wiil open during the summer in New York, in- stead of being held over until next son, as originally planned Because of their popularity in the new “Follies.” Gallagher and Shean have been placed under a long-time contract by F. Ziegfeld and may head a company of their own. Oliver Morosco. who has been one of the most friendly producers of new: authors throughout his years of stage productions, also sticks closely to those playwrights who have given him success. Thompson Buchanan, who wrote “Civilian Clothes” fors Morosco and saw it run thirty-seven weeks in Los Angeles and become & big success elsewhere, now has. written “A Sporting Thing to Do Buchanon has taken the modern divorce tendency as his theme and ¢ made a surprise drama of it. wit love finally triumphing over intrigues and legal woes. Pierce Resploux is now conjugating “The Sign_on the Door” in French. Channing Pollock’s play will be pro- in the early autumn at the Theater Antoine, Paris. Lester Allen, the comedian who has been one of the features in George White's “Scandals” for the past two 'vears, has entered Keith vaudeville He will head “the managers' special competition week bill at the Hamil- ton Theater. New York, the first half of this week. Marjorie Rambeau and Gladys Unger. the star and the author. respectively. of “The Goldfish,” are colleborating upon a novelization of the comedy. which will be spread broadcast in zerial form by a syndicate through newspapers devoted to art. Evan Burroughs Fontaine has been added to the cast of “Spice of 1822 the new revue by Jack Lait. which w be shown for the first time at Atlan City tomorrow night. Margaret Mack society girl of Wilmington, N. C.. and a niece of Re resentative Charles M. Stedman of North Carolina, made her stage debut jast Wednesday as a dancer in “Thesy Rose of Stamboul,” now running at the Century Theater, New York. While an- pearing in the operetta she will study voice culture and the drama. Another Novel Filmed. * 0 the average American any ace is . luck and good fortune smiles with special broadness when four of them are found in a single hand To the Spaniard. however, the ace of kpades represonts the = suprems opitome of good fuck. And so it is that Rodolph Valentino is known as he “Espada” or Ace of Spades In “Blood and Sand.” the picture adapt- ed from the Vicente Blasco Tbanez novel by June Mathis and produced by Fred Niblo. The “Espada” (or matador) is the Babe Ruth of bull fighting He » the Eddie Rickenbacker of Spain For to him is intrusted the delicate, graceful cape play and the final sen- sational dispatching of the bull. Apd keeping in the spirit of the Spanish veneration of the ace of spades, the long maradorian sword is likewise called “espada.” i “Hicod aud Sand” is announced as being one of the most colorful pro- ductions in years. It is a tale of Spain and the life of a bull fighter. glving all the verve and romgnce of such an existence without présentfng those features of a bull fight not en- joyed by American audiences. Rehearses on Whiskers DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS in “Robin’. Hood" will present the hero to his public in a startling though scant . growth of whiskers. However, thé. studio announces that the whiskers® will mnot prevail ‘throughout the whole picture. The beard, grown for the purpose, will tease the zephyrs ¢ only in the Sherwood Forest scenes. s, It is argued that this is realism, be- cause a bandit, no matter "how kind the heart that beats under his tunic. is unlikely “to barber himself each dewy morn. The beard will be about three weeks old—not of a length to interefere with good archery prac- tice. While he is not yet in the Sherwood forest epjsodes of his film, which will be released by United Ar- tists next fall, Fairbanks knows how he is going to look when the time comes. Before scene-shooting start- was building on the studio lot, Doug grew a sample breard and had test K 7 > 3 N ' shots taken of himself in character . Then he mowed himself, knowing'= that when the hour comes he co deliver whiskers to suit. e