Evening Star Newspaper, March 1, 1925, Page 63

AMUSEMENTS. MENJOU ~ th%bia £ 7 Eva NovaR_end Avrec B FrANCIS Strand Comment By W.H. Landvm’gt. A enterta It was even ful ment. MURMUR of mild protest was wafted in with the balmy air of last week against scolding the public for the type of present-day suggested that the public is right- a law unto itself, and that it has a perfect right to what it pleases in the matter of stage and screen offerings. This may be true, a sense, but it is scarcely wise to admit it, for the intangible personified rule, is slow in its resentment. dividuality called “the public” is very often misrepresented, and, as a There are many offenses against morals and manners defended by their promoters with the excuse that they arc warranted by public demand. smacks of truth. the public is really Sometimes it would seem that the excuse But sound thought seldom reaches the conclusion that retrograding. The fact, more likely, is that occa- sionally the public becomes a bit careless, a bit neglectful, as it were, in the matter of civic duty. Tt is then that the forbidden becomes bold and asserts itself until checked by indignant public opinion, and when that opinion expresses itself, as it can do scen that, after all, the people, as a and that the ever-continuing struggle has only apparently sl worse, by a kened up a little. y manner of means, but sometimes it does seem as if the most forcefully and effectively, it is whole, have clean minds and hearts, onward and upward to better things The world is not growing good part of it were lacking in energy. ninister a pL'F\[,H, opinion can ad sounder and more effective castiga- tion to offenses against morals and manners than any censor or pen- alty that law can provide. vestige of evil is eradicated. offensive is very desirable Once aroused, it does not abate until every | Sometimes it becomes very difficult to arouse | it. Just now it would seem that a little less energy in patronizing things | And. by the same token, a little more encrgy n encouraging worthy things might help much in getting the world back to normalcy, to speak In Washington, especially, a communication of the week states that conscientious, sincere effort to provide suitable entertainment in the theater for children seems to lack the public en- couragement and support it deserves. Mrs. Harriet ‘Hawley Locher, director of the Crandall Theaters’ public service and educational depart- ment, states that the children’s programs that have been presented on Saturday 'mornings for some time at the Tivoli, while not strictly “educa- tional” in character, are, nevertheles , planned on definite and construc- tive lines, based upon children’s psychology, and that they have made the theater ring with the children’s shouts of laughter, but, she adds: “They have not been so well patronized as the cause would warrant.” One of the strongest attacks that entertainment has been that it did not consider the child. to be an instance where the child is plaint that it is not encouraged. % * UT Mrs. Locher’s communication plaint. vear's trial may bring more encouraging results. have been made against photoplay Here appears considered, and yet comes the com- * % is not, by any means, one of com- With joyous optimism she indicates that, perhaps, another She invites attention also to the wonderful work that is being conducted by her department in community service, by the use of C “randall Theaters as classrooms for experimental work in visual instruction with motion pictures for public school children, and also in Americanization work, for which the projec- tion room of one theater has been utilized as a sort of laboratory, where the forcign-born are fi English language. quarte: as origit it has been patterned after d for American citizenship and are taught the This work has won national attention, and in some and the idea has been appropriated al with other communities, although it was the National Capital and the public spirit and civic interest of Harry Crandall which conceived and carried it on regardless of cost. SPE * % A ublic service, should command April, at one of the Crandall * 3 TFIC announcement, in connection with the continuation of this wide attention. During March and heaters, 8 programs will be presented embracing 15 of “The Yale Chronicles of America.” These pictures, pro- duced by the Yale University Press, are regarded as remarkable for their authenticity in visualizing the thrilling pages of American history. They have a wide appeal for both young and old, the announcement states, and “they are just the sort of inspiration we need these days—Lest we forget”” EANWHILE, * ¥ clsewhere, things are moving along other lines. * *x New York has reached the point where provision is to be made for a 24-hour show daily and at moderate prices. Across the seas so drastic has been the censorship imposed in Dublin, Ireland, that English renters of photoplays are considering a boycott of the Irish Free State, accord- ing to news received by Film Daily. a photoplay dircctor of eminence, has been the famous story, “Kreutzer Sonata,” And over here Victor Schertzinger, gned by, William Fox to film while an interviewer in Berlin, Ger- many, credits Norma Talmadge with having expressed the hope that in some way it may be arranged to have Ernst Lubitsch direct a picture for her. William Fox, it is said, will also drick Bangs’ famous story produce a film version of John Ken- The Houseboat on the Styx,” and Emmett J. Flynn has been signed to direct the production. *Shenandoah” to Be Filmed B, F SCHULBERG has announced * that he will make an elaborate acreen version of the famous Amer- ican play, “Shenandoah,” for 1925-192¢ lease. “Shenandoah” is a spectacular drama full of pictorial effects and swift-moving plot with a background of Civil War days. With the excep- tion of “Uncle Tom's Cabin,” it has received the widest presentation .of any American drama ever staged. Written by Bronson Howard, it was first presented in 1858 with Gen. Sherman as guest of honor at the opening performance. Wilton Lack- aye, Henry Miller and Effie Shanuon appeared In the original cast. For the last 36 vears the play has been a regular feature of stock repetoire and has been presented in practically every city and town in America. It has had five revivals on the New, York stage, Park Theater's “First Runs. A.V NOUNCEMENT has been made by the management of the Park Theater, at Fourteenth and Buchanan streets, that arrangements have been made whereby the next series of Par- “Famous 40" resenting some of the notabie stars and directors fires that rank With the best ‘produst of the motion play industry, will be shown at the Park Theater for the first time in that section of the city after their appearance at the big downtown theaters. In other words, the Park management proposes to make that house a neighborhood “first run’’ house for its section for the Paramount pictures mentioned. It is pointed out that since the theater was first opened its programs have been continuously and consist- ently made up of the best pictures ob- tainable, and the management pro- poses to not only maintain the repu- tation thus established, but to ad- vance a step further in its efforts to give to its patrons the best pictures that the film market affords, regard- less of cost. Quartet of Comedians Invited. A quartet of former Mack Sennett comedians, now dramatic players, have been brought together by Para- mount’s “The Night Club.” They are Raymond _ Griffith, Vera Reynolds, Wallace Beery and Loulse Fazenda. After serving their apprenticeship in comedies, all four have risen to posi- tions as featured players. In “The Night Club” all play the type of role in which they have won popularity. Grifiith is a handsome, rich young American; Vera Reynolds is the winsome miiss with whom he falls in love; Beery is, of course, a villain, though more humorous than wicked, and - Louise “Fazenda is the swectheart of Beery, who loves men only when they are angry. The_story was adapted from Wil- liam C. and Cecil B. De Mille's play, “After Five.” Risks Life to Make Picture MARGUERITE DE LA MOTTE risk- ed her life in making one of the thrills of “The Clean Hear adaption for the screen of A. Hutchinson’s novel. Miss De La Motte was required to back off a cliff, slide over the em- bankment, be caught by Percy Mar- mont, and, when the lives of both became endangered, let go her hold and drop into the water beneath. It was a dangerous scene and could not be rehearsed. The action was such that almost the entire scene is filmed in close-ups, so profesional doubles were out of the question. Although Miss De La Motte is not of the daredevil type, she made no objection when J. Stuart Blackton informed her of the ordeal before her. “I would much rather avoid it,” she said, “but if the role requires me to perform such feats I will do my best, confident that you will use every precaution to prevent injury.” In order that no delays might re- sult from unforeseen accident this sequence was left until the last and amou in p as many safety devices were pro- vided as might be necessary in any emergency that might occur. But it was not until the scene had been safely filmed that the anxiety of making it began to disappear, Ph otoplays COLUMBTA—“The Swan.” and evening. PALACE—"Coming Through.” RIAL Now or Never. TIVOLI—“The Only Woman.” evening. NTRAL—“Silk Stocking Sal." Columbia—"The Swan."” Ferenc Molnar's delightful comedy of royal romance, “The Swan,” which achieved success before the footlights brought to the screen as Buchowetski production for Paramount, with Adolphe Menjou, Frances Howard and Ricardo Cortez in the featured roles, will be seen at Loew’s Columbia this week, be- ginning this afternoon. The story revolves around the ro- mance of Princess Alexandra, “the swan,” who secretly loves the tutor to the young princes, but who, for state reasons, has persuaded herself that such a love is hopeless. At this juncture the gay and urbane Prince Albert, who has resigned himself, for state reasons also, to the idea of matrimony, comes courting Alexan- dra and spends most of his vistt fiirt- ing with a lady-in-walting. Matters reach a climax when the prince, the princess, the lady-in-waiting and -the tutor, caught in a storm, seek shel- ter in a ramshackle cabin, where the tutor, maddened by the turn events are taking, declares his love for the princess, but is silenced by the girl Later matters are brought to a cli- max, when a slighting remark by the prince precipitates a duel with the tutor, which arouses the whols court, and the princess rushes in just as the tutor is wounded and sud- denly defies the whole world by de- claring her love for him. The production is sald to be im- pressive and ornate, the costumes daazlig, and the cast, which includes Clare Eames, well known. actress; Helen Lee Worthing of the “Follies,” and several of the players from “The Miracle,” unusually capable. A new Ben Turpin comedy, “A Raspberry Romance”; the - Interna- tional News reel, Topics of the Day and Leon Brusilof's musical program round out the bill. palace-—"Coming Through." Thomas Meighan is the star at Loew’s Palace this week, beginning this afternoon, when he will be seen in “Coming Through.” The cast in- cludes Lila Lee, Wallace Beery, John Miltern, Laurence Wheat, Frank Campeau, Gus Weinburg and Alice Knowland. Eddie Sutherland di- rected the production, which was from Jack Bethea's novel, “Bad * a romantic drama of the Ala- bama coal fields. The head of a large corporation, learning of the whirlwind courtship and marriage of his daughter to a clerk in his employ, passes along the word to assign the young man to the toughest, wildest coal mining camp in their possessions. . On top of this, the young man is trapped into a statement which leads his bride to believe that he really married her to satisfy his ambitions. Sent into this lawless coal camp, the young man immediately clashes with a burly, brutal pit boss, and numerous attempts on his life follow. This dificulty eventually culminates in a struggle, which ends by the newcomer not only demonstrating his ability to boss the camp, but completely disproves the charge of fortune-hunting made by his supe- riors. A new Sennett comedy, “The Water ‘Wagon”; the Pathe news reel, & screen cross-word puzzle and Thomas J. Gannon’s orchestra musie will be added features of the billy and has been to a Dimitri At the Photoplay Houses This Week Shown this afternoon and evening. METROPOLITAN—“Learning to Love.” Shown this afternon and evening. Shown this afternoon and evening. Shown this afternoon and evening. AMBASSADOR-—"Learning to Love.” LINCOLN (Colored)—“The House Behind the Ce ored cast). Shown this afternoon and evening. This Weal Shown this afternoon Shown this afternoon and Shown this afternoon and evening. s” (with a col- Metropolitan—"Learning to The story | who engaged of a gay young heiress herself to three young | men and then falls in love with her | | guardian, will be seen at Crandall's | Metropolitan Theater -this week, be- ginning_this afternoon, with- Con- | | stance Talmadge in First production, “Learning to Love,” sup- ported by Antonio Moreno, Ray.Hal- lor, formerly a resident of-this c Johnny Harron and Emily Fitzro Added features will bo “His High Horse,” starring Lee Moran. A new issue of the Metropolitan World Sur- vey, and a &pecial musical program arranged by Daniel Breeskin, conduc- tor of the Metropolitan Orchestra, including melody gems from the late Victor Herbert's “Mlle. Modiste,” “So This Is Love,” from “Little Miss Blue- beard”; a late popular hit, “Peter Pan”; selections from “Oh, Lady, Be Ggod,” Elsie Janis' *Puzzles of 1924" and Al Jolson’s production of “Big Boy.” y Learning to Love” was supervised by John Emerson and directed by Sidney Franklin. The action pursues an ascending course and reaches a climax that is.delightfully refreshing. While her three flances battle on the terrace in front of a fashionable home, Patricia Stanhope dashes away in a taxicab to the home of her hand- some guardian and there attempts to compel him to propose marriage, which in the end he, of course, does. The. development of the plot is said to be brisk and amusing and the prin- cipals to offer interesting character portrayals. Rialto—"Now or Never.” The Rialto announces a special pro- gram for inaugural week, beginning today. There are two feature photo- plays, Harold Lloyd, in a new edi- tion of his comedy, “Now or Never,” and “The Clean Heart,” a screen ver- sion of A.'S. M. Hutchinson's novel, produced by J. Stuart Blackton, with Percy Marmont and Marguerite de la Motte, as the stars. The story deals with a newspaper editor and novelist who breaks down from overwork and goes out into the world in search of happiness. He has strange adventures, some of which are traglc, while others are ludicrous. Josef Turin will head the musical program. He has appeared with some of the largest opera com- panies and on the concert stage and will be heard in solo selections. “Melody,” written by Vice President- elect Dawes, has Dbeen selected by Mischa _ Gutterson, director of the Rialto Orchestra, as a speclal musical accompaniment- during -the showing of a natural-colored series of scenes taken from nature; they will play as the overtue “Evolution of Dixie,” in- troducing a panoramic scene of “The Spirit of '76,” and the International News of Current Events will com- Dlete the program. Tivoli—"The Only Woman" The first two days of this week, be- ginning this afternoon at 3, at Cran- dall’s Tivoli Theater will- bring Norma Talmadge, supported by Bu- gene O'Brien, in First National’s pro- duction of “The Only Woman. story concerns the experiences of a beautiful young woman who mar- ries a drunkard to save her father from the penitentiary. Others in_the cast u\wmz-r Hail, Mathew Betz | an important role in | corne: National's | ) W, V8 Perpetuating Film History. HOBART BOSWORTH. a noted fig- ure of the screen, Is writing the history of his life, in connection with the development of the motion pic- ture industry, for the California State Library at Sacramento. He is playing ‘Chickie,” which rl Hudson is producing at the New York studio, #d between the scenes he may be seen sitting in a secluded writing notes and additions to his_hissory. “T'll never forget the day we made the first picture in Los Angeles,” says Bosworth reminiscently. “It was on a vacant 1ot in the rear of a Chinese laundry. When w lot I nearly broke my neck over a pile of old tomato cans and rubbish which was covered with weeds. With me were Betty Hart, Stella Adams, Iva Shepard, Jimmie Crosby, Frank Boggs, Tom Persons, now with First National; Frank Montgomery and James Magee. We felt pretty dismal when we looked the place over, but went to work and in two days had completed our picture. “The picture was ‘The Sultan's Power! We started it May 8, 1909, and finished it May 10. We moved in those days, and it was only a one- reeler. Difficulties were met at all sides. Everybody. was against us. The police warned us at the start that any actor appearing on the street with make-up on would be ar- rested. “The picture was ‘@ success, how- ever, and we made a series of one and two reelers. Other companies saw what we were doing and socon Bison came to Los Angeles. Then came Vitagraph and Lubin, and the film industry was started. Hollywood was in the making!” and Edward Davis. The comedy will be Walter Hiers in “Good Spirits” novelty “Crossword Puzzle™ reel also will be shown. The week's program further includes, Tuesday Wednesda Doris Ken Lioyd Hughes and Frank Mayo in “If 1 farry Again,” Ben Turpin in “The Wild Goose Chaser” and a Grantland Rice portlight Thursday and Friday, Jack Holt, Ernest Torrence, Lois Wilson and Noah Beery in ‘North of 35, also Cliff Bowes in “The Mad Rush”; Saturday, Johnny Hines in “The Early Bird,” supported by Sigrid Holmquist, Wyndham Standing, Edmund Breese and Flora Finch, and a *“Hysterica] History” sub- ject, “Ponce De Leon,” also the minth installment of “Galloping Hoofs.” and a and Ambassador — “Learning to IIOVE.“ Constance Talmadge, Antonio Mo- reno, Emily Fitzroy, Edythe Chap- man, Ray Hallor, Johnny Harron, Wallace McDonald and Alf Goulding will be seen in First National's pro- duction of “Learning to Love,” to be shown for the first three days of this week, beginning this afternoon at 3, at Crandall's Ambassador Thea- ter, also Lee Moran in “His High Horse”; Wednesday and Thursday, Pola Negri in “East of Suez” sup- ported by Edmund Lowe, Rockliffe Fellowes and Noah Beery, and Harry Langdon in Sennett's “All Night Long”; Friday, Mary Pickford In “Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall,” also a new Aesop Fable, “Fisher- man’s Luck”; Saturday, Richard Dix in “A Man Must Live” with Jacque line Logan, George Nash and Edna Murphy, also Jimmie Adams in “Step Fast” and the tenth installment of “Galloping Hoofs.” Central—"Silk Stocking Sal’ “Silk Stocking Sal” will be shown at Crandall's Central Theater the first two days of this week, begin- ning this afternoon, with Evelyn Brent, Robert Ellis and Earl Metcalfe in the principal roles. The story s by E. Richard Schayer, for- mer Washington newspaper ~man. The comedy will be Hal Roach’s “Every Man for Himself,” with Mickey Danlels, Farina, “Sunshine Sammy” Morrison and the other members of “Our Gang.” Tuesday and Wednes- day, Gloria Swanson, in “The Wages of Virtue”; also Ned Sparks and Peg O'Nell, in “Low Tide”; Thursday and Friday, Nazimova and Milton Sills, in “The Madonna of the Streets,” and Clift Bowes, in “Have a Heart”; Sat- urday, Agnes Ayres, in “Tomorrow's Love,” with Pat O'Malley and Ray- mond - Hatton; also Sennett's “Gallop- ing Bungalows.” 5 House Be- Lincoln—"The hind the Cedars. “The House Behind the Cedars,” with a cast of colored players led by Andrew Bishop, will be the film offering at the Lincoln Theater the first”three days of this week, begin- ning this afternoon. This subject is o|en adaptation of one of the most widely read works ever written by a member of the colored race. The com- edy will be Seiinett’s “The Handsome Cabman,” with Harry Langdon, and « stepped onto the | AMUSEMENTS. i TANCE, TALMADGE. Me{‘ropolitan Symphonic Story Telling’. *QOUL-FIR the new Richard Barthelmess production, bodies a new idea in motion picture story telling. It is adapted from Mar- tin Brown's play, “Great Music,” and, instead of setting forth the usual plot, it relates the four episodes in the life of its hero, Eric Fane, that inspired the writing of his symphony. In a way the story of “Soul-Fire” is a series of “program not: to the music created by Eric Fane. The four episodes of the picture correspond to the four movements of the symphony in D minor composed by Fane. On the stage a symphony by Linn Seiler was played as the ac- companiment to the dramatic action In adapting the story to the screen Josephine Lovett, who wrote the scenarip, had to overcome the diffi- culties of the silent drama and find a way of suggesting music to screen audiences The prologue of the picture is a scene in a New York concert hall where Fane's symphony is having Its first performance. first move- ment of the symphony announces the theme and the scene fades into first episode of the story, which takes place in Italy, »and which pictures Eric Fane's revolt against his thor- oughly conventional parents As a modern composer Fane al- lowed himself some liberties in fol- lowing the old symphenic pattern, for his second movement is a scherzo instead of the usual slow movement. em- the | This episode takes Fane to Paris, where he becomes the successful composer of popular songs, without, however, realizing any of the ambi- tions that caused him to break with his parents. The third episode is in Port Said, to which Eric has drifted after his failure to adjust himself to the garish cafe life of Paris. This is the largo movement of the Fane symphony The last movement—the rhapsody and finale—takes Fane to the South Sea Jslands, where problems are resolved, after the manner of musical dissonances John S. Robertson, director for Mr. Barthelmess, has found this method of telling a story an unusually fasci- nating one. While it is episodic in its action .and diverse in its background, it has the advantage of focusing the interest entirely on the character played by the star. Moreover, each episode creates a mood of its own, it is explained, and the central idea of the story—Fane’s revolt against superficialities of civilation and r turn to the simplicity of the primi- tive—is more strongly presented than it would be in the or: ¢ unbroken continuity. The idea of presenting pantemine to tell the story of a symphony is not modern; in fact, it goes back to th origin of the symphony or sonata form, which primarily was a suite of four dancés of varying tempi and mood, and intended to be danced or enacted. his FILMOGRAMS PECIAL Inauguration day matinees will be held in*all the Crandall photograph houses, including the Ambassador, Appolo, York and Savoy, starting at 2 p. Famous Players-Laskey has an- nounced that Pola Negri has signed a new contract with that organization effective in April, when her present contract expires, whereby she will make four picturet, with the option of making four more if it be agree- able. Henry King will make for Rgbert Kane a production of “Any Wortan,” with Alice Terry heading the cast, at the Thomas H. Ince studios before they pass into the hands of Cecil B. De Mille. Arthur Somers Roche wrote the story of “Any Woman.” Cecil B. De Mille announces that he has bought four plays and the screen rights 1o eight novels for production. Emil_Jannings, the noted German star, refuses to be tempted by Amer- ican offers so long as he can find work jn his native land. This is set forth in an interview in the Film Re- port. Whether she is a great actress or not, Gloria Swanson's illness is said to have affected the stock market. Hunt Stromberg is to direct “The Romance of an Actress” for Chad- wick Pictures, instead of “Sunshine of Paradise Alley,” which he was to have made and which will be directed | by Bdmund Lawrence. has to Erte, the Parisian designer, been engaged by Metro-Goldwyn design_ fashion gowns for the Metr Goldwyn players and he has already arrived in this country. A writer in Printer's Ink, who has made a careful survey, of the situa- tion, states that in his opinion motion picture men dre seeing the error of their ways in bad taste and misrep- resentation of their product and are remedying them—a very hopeful sign. He states that they felt their mistake in their pocketbooks, where public opinion registers its judgments. At the Metro studios. it is reported, sets valued at $100,000 were torn down to prepare for the filming of scenes for “Ben Hur.” Gov. Smith of New York has ap- pointed Mrs. Elizabeth V. Colbert, wife of a local physician and prom- inent in politics, as a member of the New York Moving Picture Commis- sion, at a salary of $7,500 a year. After a considerable period of quiet the Cosmopolitan Studies, New York, are again humming with industry. Earl Hudson has taken ovér the studio for the filming of the big scenes of “Chickie” and also will make the biggest scenes of “The Necessary Evil” there. Greta Nissen, whose acting and dancing irf the stage version of “The Beggar on Horseback” were a feature of that production, is to play a lead- ing role in the Paramount picture, “In #he Name of Love,” an original story by Sada Cowan, to be directed by Miss Cowan and Howard Higgins. Lora Sonderson, musical comedy favorite, seen in the ‘“Music Box Revis” and “No, No, Nanette” is laying the part of Bess Abbot in 'J:hlckio," Ear] Hudson's new produc- on. “Breaking the Ice” is the name of the current comedy featuring Ralph Graves. As an ice man, Ralph is an eight-letter ‘word, vertical—dumbbell —for he gets stuck at a cross-word puzzle by a three-letter word mean- ing ‘“refrigerated water.” Lowell Sherman, now playing in “High Stakes” in Chicago, has been signed by Warner Bros. to appear in several pictures on their new season's program. . He will report at the present theatrical work early in Ju season and begin Warner Bros. have purchased Inevitable Millionaires.” by Oppenheim, and “The Wife Who Wasn't Wanted,” by Gertie Went- worth James. The former, which Oppenheim’s latest, written in a light comedy vein, the author depart- ng from his usual line of society or international intrigue. Willard Louis and John Patrick will be featured in it “The Philips is Dorothy Mackaill will be co-featured with Milton Sills st National's “The Making of O'Malley,” an adapta- tion of Gerald Beaumont's magazine story of a New York bluecoat, Lambert Hillyer will direct. Declared the newest screen “find,” Lawrence Gray, has been placed under Ton m contract with Paramou: who will feature him in “Are Paren | People?” with Betty Bronson, Flor- ence Vidor and Adolphe Menjou le Carlisle, for a long time v Semon’s leading woman, makes her debut in a dramatic role in Jacl London’s “Adventure,” which Victo; Fleming has just completed for Para- mount. The rotunda and lobby at the Rialto Theater has been newly decorated and the lighting effects changed to correspond. The large dome in the rotunda has been painted with a background of azure blue with trim- mings of antique gold and empire red. The Jower side walls are fin- ished in old ivory with panels of French gray bordered with bronze, the lobby leading into the rotunda also being finished in old ivory and gray. New draperies of sheen gold and lighting effects have also been installed on_the stage. After a series of screen appear- ances under other management, Lila Lee, the dainty “Cuddles” of vaude- ville fame and now Mrs. James Kirk- wood, is back again in the Paramount fold, where she first started her screen career. She is Tom Meighan's leading woman in “Coming Through,” a current attraction, The day of the hand-cranked cam- era will soon be as passe as the hand-cranked motor car, according to Alvin Wyckoff, who photographed “The Swan,” with a motor-driven camera. Modern film photography takes so much -skill and attention, says Wyckoff, that the motor-driven camera is a boon to the cinemato- graph expert of 1925. The innova- tion has come to stay, he believes. George Walcott; 13 years old, who plays the role of a young prince in “The Swan,” played the same role in, the stage version. o Meet the “Gag Man.” HEN a comedy is being made the “gag man” is the busiest person on the lot. His advice is constantly being sought by the director, camera- man, scenarist and every member of the company from star to the smallest bit. He has to think up all the funny little stunts that pull a picture out of the rut of ordinary photography into something distinctive and humorous. ‘When “Listen Lester” was being made the script_called for innumerable dif- ficulties. Music, eliminated by screen limitations, had to be replaced by othe: forms of humor. Here the “gag man' came into his own. One of the problems consisted in hav- ing a man discover what was going on behind the locked door of a hotel room. The old keyhole gag had outlived its use- fulness. Besides, the previous scenes had indicated that the room was bullt so that an outsider could not look in directly and see what was happening. It took the “‘gag man” to discover an answer. He had the leading man attach a mir- Hollywood studia at the end of the: Tor to his cane, raise it above tho open transom and turn it at an angle that revealed what was happening.