Evening Star Newspaper, December 27, 1925, Page 61

N REGINALD DENNY -~ Ruslto Tivolt N MARY DHILBIN - Lincoln eEws anc] Comment By W. H. Landvoigt. ¥ HILE all the world New Year and the average human heart is nearer to peace and ‘entment. perhaps. the irrepressible Movie is girding up its loins for a busy time and who knows what ? { the screen is bidding for control of the stage, due to the th producers of theatrical entertainment. which the Society d Playwrights Jusly resenting; turning a sour face to e hectic specch of the nervous in Chicago. who thinks the motion | - Christian civilization to the demnition bow wows; the president of a leading film-producing com- a panic right over the theater situa- uncrushable Movie is getting ready to cele- oh Month” While the kill-joys are wailing. the Movie is pre- et mare laughter into the world. With corns and other callous born of the abrasions of numerous battles in the 1Ty and others no! <tly waged against it. the Movie still "t 1o think of mirth and joy and happiness—and its financial h jnst closed wonld scem to indicate that some of these its portion cor w dicker Authors 2 S vigo! sending o in car c<tablishment of the president who finds re confessing that 27 secretarics are busy ta lcenario for forthcoming pictures. Will H. < organization that is being accused as an octopus mimg that the Movie is having a powerful effcct American gzoods abroad. that it is the “universal iz peace and understanding to a turbulent world, cach other they do not hate. and when war,” and further, that his associa- in the air. ing dictatic the st Hays « from t monstr grece salesman o is which iderstand vhen men ¥ do not titey make returned seething has a \not producer has just reports that Mexico is fairly Mayhe, after all, the m Month” in January. You never can ¢ will be the irresp optimist csponsible pessimist. It's a case of “Go it, Dick; go it, Devil; elp the hi " What a aiter all, is the sturdy " that refuses to get excited. no matter what ilization try to scare them with nal p Mexica, oving-picture far ILau and the over rd ndern hlessing the jazzmaniac yad, of our ci \WHEN the cxtremist has had his say, when the overexcited calms down, Fere periad of sober, sensible after-thought that gen- cven keel—and the world moves on as hefore s erally puts things on a Je kiord long has cnjoved, undisputed. the honor of being t <o long has Charlie Chaplin held a lasting of the movie fan for his human comedy. Time nk Charlic’s impudence, and especially his wicked arse and naughty. But all naughty be- and Charlie, sidestepping his naughtiness, the class until he finally hecame the hest hox school ¢ news. therefore, heralded in the nuary Phe E zine that the doctors have told him that he ha- a bad (not wicked) heart and that he must take a long rest or the tal will bring a feeling of sadness to all who believe <creen’s hest comedian. The writer of the article adds to Somehow. that story of Charlie’s about the heart trouble ke the cry of a loncly little boy. Genius is a darned way 1 Mary i America’s swee they ngu‘uv oved higher tle 1 ¢ hoys 1 in sequences m m to be the his news story <ounded to mc lonely thing « x e SQUMMING up the motion picture entertainment of the past month, the 2 Photoplay Magazine credits “The Big Parade.” “The Skyrocket,” “The King on Main Street.” “The Eagle.” "Classified” and “Lord Jim” as the “six hest pict and John Gilbert and Karl Dane in “The Big Parade.” Corinne Grifith in “Classified.” Pegzy Hopkins Joyce (mark well!) in “The Skyrocket.” Rudolph Valentino in “The E and Percy Marmont b in “Lord Jim” with the best movic performances. a FROM the offices of Players-Lasky comes the declaration that the public will support the big. lavish productions as well in the Spring the Summer as in the Fall in heralding a group of 30 Paramount ictures which it will release hetween February 1 and July 1, each picture, according to the announcement. being made “on a scale unprecedented in the production of Spring 2ud Summer film attractions.” The announce- ment adds: “The public wa tufl. and wants it all the time. Pro- eram pictures will not do the trick.”, This ought to be refreshing news to the continuous picture fan, for the average “program’” picture strongly cuggests the unripe persimmon IFamous . s TAMOUS PLAYERS also is to inaugurate a weekly news reel, with Courtland Smith. at present assistant to Will H. Hays, in charge. Mr. Smith i< said to have a large background of newspaper experience, being the son of a prominent Eastern newspaper man who founded the American Press Association. No short recls shown on tiie screen are more deeply interesting to the general public than the news reels. S h Y Association has created its “Twelve Will H. Hay D. W. Griffith, "HE American Motion Picture Immortals.” They are Adolph Zukor, Jesse Las Marcus Loew, William Fox, “Roxy” (S. L. Rethaiel), Joseph M. Schenck, Carl Lacmmle, Sidney Kent, Richard A. Rowland ahd Sam Katz. They are going to be crowned at the seventh annual “Naked Truth Dinner.” at the Astor, in New York. February, 6, at which it was unanimously voted to have no speakers and no speechmaking whatever. A wise provision, no doubt * S o I' is announced that Anthony J. Xydias of Sunset Productions will film the story of the Alamo in San Antonio, Tex., next Spring. with Roy Stewart as Davy Crockett. This should bring to light another-historical picture of great interest. ! AS anybody noticed what a penchant movie makers have for changing names? Now they are going to change the name of the film version ~f Wagner's "Siegiried.” because it doesn't appeal to the box office, doubt- n poetry “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” but in vies i§ would have to. e the m is ringing with joyous wishes ior a Happy | ignoring | |in the army purpose than to make this especial contribution | THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON War Stories Coming Back. **1 BELIEVE ‘Behind the Front' destined to do much in brinz ing home to the American people the story of the war,” declares Hector| | Turnbull, associate producer of the| | Paramount West Coast studic Behind the Front' stresses | essential humanness of the American doughboy, his sense of humor, escapades—that part of life in A. E. which remains most’ vividly in the minds of the doughboyvs them- | selves. Its humor will, I fell sure be a marked contribution to war his tory.” ‘Behind ace Beery Brian in a enemies in the Front” features Wal Ravmond Hatton and Mary story of two doughboys. civilian life. but buddies who fight and work and get into trouble because of a girl they left behind. E.B. O Janual:y iiel‘ease& AN array of productions assembled by F. B. 0. for January The program is headed ing Waters.” imposing F has been N release during RINT N:fi Straud by “Flam- | melodrama pro- 2 D. €, DECEMBER ) NORMA SHEARER Palace Arta Corporation. | - Photoplays an oil duced by Associated with Mary Carr, Pauline Garon and Malcolm McGregor featured. It slated for January 3 release Others will be released as follows January 10—"Man Rustlin’” an In- dependent Pictures Corporation pro- duction, starring Bob Custes January 17—A “Lefty” Flynn pro- duetion. as vet untitled, based on the story by Gerall Beaumont. January 24—Tom Tyler. F. B. O.'s “surprise” Western star, in a picture as yet untitled January 31-—When Love Grows *'a modernized version of Laura Jean Libbey's novel. in which Natacha Rambova (Mrs. Rudolph Valentino) is starred January 31—A Richard Talmadge production, “The Blue Streak,” with | Sory by James Bell Smith Seven short subjecis listed for re- <e during January. National Laugh- include “High But Not Hand- No. 9 of “The Adventures o Mazie,” starring Alberta Vaughn January 10— Mummy Love” a Blue bon comedy, starring Alice Ardell January 10—The Giraffe’s Lonz Neck.” a_one-reel novelty from the Rray studios. in which Walier Lantz the artist, acts in conjunction with the cartoon characters which he cre- | ates Anuars tures of Mazie.” Looney.” and .1 \ two-reel Star featurinz “F rr. “Kewpie” Ross and “Faity” Alexander, a trio of rotund comedians whose gross weight equals a ton, and the same day “Dinky Doodle at the Studio,” a Wal- | ter Lantz one-reel comedy January 31—"A Snitch in Time, 11 of “The Adventures of Mazie. Keith's Midnight Show. MANAGER ROLAND S. ROBBINS of R. F. Keith's Theater an- nounces a_special midnight perform- ance for New Year eve, Thursday, starting promptly at 11:15 p.m. In addition to the regular bill, topped by the creator of the American ballet, Albertina Rasch, there will be special features, souvenirs »)d fun galore. Tickets are now on . .ie. istelle Winwood has been engaged by Henry Baron for the title role of Jacques Deval's comedy, “A Weak Woman,” which is slated for produc tion after the holidays. METROPOLI ning. COLUMBIA—"A Kiss evening. RIALTO—"Where Was 12" PALACE—"His Secretary.’ TIVOLI—“The Merry Widow. AMBASSADOR—"We Moderns.” ning TRAL—"The Man from Red evening. LINCOLN—(colored) * ernoon and cvening N—"We Modern CE! lea month some = METROPOLITAN—"We Moderns.” Colleen Moore returns to the screen at Crandalls Metropolitan Theater this week in her new First National production, “We Modern: Israel ZAngwill, author of the story. supplied her with valuable sugges tions as to the best methods of mak ing the screen reflect the full purpose of the distinguished author’s study of | the ““jazz era” that followed the war It was directed by John Francis Dil lon. who has gulded Colleen Moore through a majority of her popular hits A new Christie two-reeler, “Slippery Feet,” featuring Bobby Vernon; the Metropolitan World Survey, spec short reels and a musical program | the Metropolitan Symphony under Daniel Breeskin will complete the pro- gram. Miss Moore’s performance is said to reveal a dramatic power that few other pictures have permitted her tae opportunity to demonstrate. “We Moderns” is not merely another “flapper picture’; it is a drama that makes clear in what manner a neg- lected little girl may be shocked into a realization that her parents, all, are her parents, and more richly endowed with knowledge of the world {than the independent young things who consider the “Charleston” the epitome of sagacious achievement. A 1 . 10 of titled “The Adven- “Little Andy | 4, “In the Air,” t Men comedy a s | "A ND now somebody is urging a movie “Jazz Week,” because, as Danny | X70f Film Daily says, “Jazz ideas are putting over a lot of weak-sister | pictures. Through the West tho ‘Jazz Week' idea is developing rapidly. |'Tt ic probably the movie's answer fo the kill-joy, to whom all the world is dark, especially the movie. P the screen or otherwise, Valentino seems to cling to the sheik drama. Now they are talking of starring him in “The Sons of the Sheik. x % REPORTS from Paris indicate that Nazimova is to be featured in “The Portrait of Dorian Grey," a French film, which will be produced by Marcel L'Herbier,-who has a contract to make six pictures for Pathe Consortium. « % N American production it is announced that little Mary Philbin is to be given a real chance in Dickens’ “Little Dorritt,” with Lois Weber as her director. “SHE had the night in her eyes, the sun upon her lips, and he called her his ‘Midnight Sun’'"—a rather clever way to advertise the new Dimitri Buchowetzki production, with Laura La Plante as its star. v o+ = Fu * * o+ s = _M DAILY reports that in South Berlin Y., Rev. William Weaver, theater. . * JESSE L. LASKY has signed Pola Negri to a new contract for the term of two vears. And now Pola's friends are hoping he will provide Her | with a suitable vchicle for her unquestioned talents. 3 At the Photoplay Houses This Week. for Cinderella.” Shown this afternoon and evening. hown this aiternoon and evening. Shown this afternoon and evening. The Phantom of the Opera. for which | after | thrill is afforded when a giant dirigi- | HETHER he is, as many contend, one of the hest romantic actors of | in order to increase the revenues of his church, has opened a fi'm | Thee Wheal Shown this afternoon and eve- Shown this ernoon and Shown this afternoon and eve- Gulch. Shown this afternoon and Shown this aft- | ble in which a wild party is hemng staged is rammed by an airplane thou sands of feet ahove the earth and both machines plunge to the grecund in flames The cast includes Claude Gilling- water, Clarissa Selwynne, Jack Mul ! hall and Cleve Moore, brother of the star. The orchestral overture will he a special arrangement of “Kreisler's Familiar Airs.” embracing “Apple | Blossoms," hon Rosmarin,” “Ca price Viennois” and “Liebesfrend.” and the interpretative score will suggest #The Road of Dreams,” from “Ma The doors of the Metropolitan will be open to the public on New Year day at 10:30 a.m., and attendance at | the earlier performances is suggested by the management. COLUMBIA—"A Kiss for Cinderella.” Betty Bronson. the 18-vear-old girl star who first flashed into public no- tice a year ago in the title role of | Paramount’s production of Sir J. B. | Barrie’s “Peter Pan,” has again been honored by the Scottish playwright | by being selected by him to play the | chief role in a screen version of his equally famous story, “A Kiss for Cinderella.” | This beautiful, fantastic and To- | mantle screen tale is being released this week simultaneously in 300 or more theaters in various parts of the {country as Paramount’s second annual ii'hrlslm;\.u offering and will be shown |at Loew's Columbia this afternoon and all this week. Tom Moore, Esther Ralston, Dorothy Cumming and other Paramount plavers appear in the cast. It was directed by Herbert Brenon, who made ‘““Peter Pan” last year, and | was supervised by the author. It re- veals in modern guise the century-old story of the little kitchen slavey touched by the wand of a fairy pri cess and suddenly transported into a | court beauty and favorite of a prince, only to be transformed back into her kitchen garb on the stroke of mid- night, leaving a glass slipper as the only clue to her identity. ‘War-time London forms the locale of the photoplay, while the Cinderella story all happens in the course of a dream that comes to a little girl of the London slums, and who is be- friended by a young policeman and immediately makes him the hero of her girlish, romantic dreams. The International news reel and or- chestral music directed by Léon Bru- silof will complete the entertainment. RIALTO—"“Where V Reginald Denny in “Where Was 12" | heads the New Year program at the :Rlalln this week. ‘_:rhe plot.rotates around the efforte (Continued on Fourth Page.) 7, 1925—PART 3. CoLnreN Moore - Metro Polfiam . " BRITY BRONYSON Columbia The Moving Picture By Robert E. Sherwood. HERE was a time when fame, like virtue. was its own re- ward, when a hero had to content with a laurel wreat «nd the spiritual halo that ac- companis it. It is different today in this cinematographic age. Rehold the sizlwart figure of Harold (“Red”) Grange, who is now cashing in on the clory that he college! His good right fist, which had been planted in the faces of many discouraged tacklers, is now kept busy signing on rows and rows of dotted lines. Recently he was forcibly removed from the field of battle as result, the papers told us, of a disio cated shoulder. In my opinion, the real trouble with “Red” Grange is writer's cramp. Among the many contracts that have lately been forced before Mr. Grange's vouthful eyes is one which calls for his services as a motion | picture actor when the final game of the professional foot ball season shall have been played. Harold the Red has been employed by Dr. W. Schallenberger of the Arrow Film Corporation to appear in one movie. It is reliably reported that Dr. Shal- lenberger has even gone so far as to deposit a_check for $300.000 in Mr. | Grange's favorite bank This deal has been widely reported In the press We have seen roto- gravure portraits of Dr. Schallen berger, Mr. Girange and Mr. Pyle, with fountain pens in hand. feverishly sign- ing their names to legal documents. To all intents and purposes, ihe stage is set, the orchestra is tuned up and the spotlight is focused for Harold ("Red”) Grange's theat al de- but. The grease paint and mascara are ready, and there is a liberal supply of halr paste on hand to keep those crimson locks in order. Th back-stage murmurings disturb the transquillity of this pleas ant scene. Among the film folk of Hollywood and New York there are rumors that the public out front is about to be handed a lemon The Motion Picture Theater Owners of America are investigating tne Schallenberger-Grange deal, with an eve open:for possibly phoney founda- tions. which may The kindly old Dr. Schallenberger Is | beaming amiably throughout all this disturbance and gathering more pub- licity than he had ever dreamed of, and the mighty Mr. Grange is con- tinuing to tell the radio audience that the rewards of foot ball are spiritual rather than material. * ook % As one who doesn’t know anything about the inner aspects of the matter, but who (like every one else) is en titled to a guess, I shall venture the opinion that Harold (“Red”) Grange will never actually recelve $300,000 for his services as star of a motion plcture. T might even go farther and predict that he will never even appear in a motion pleture, unless he decides to it into the background as an extra. The $300.000 contract. in my estima- tion, is just a lot of talk. But the American public is notoriously fond of talk, and is having a great deal of fun out of the spectacular activities of Harold the Red. There is, there- fore, no particular cause for com- plaint. * ok ok % There are perhaps five stars in the movies—Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pick- ford, Gloria Swanson, Douglas Fair- banks and Harold Lloyd—whose serv- ices to a picture are worth the sum of $300,000. All of these celebrities have established audiences in every quarter of the earth. Their pictures are dis- tributed by vast and necessarily com- petent organizations. Mr. Grange's reputation is local to the United States. By next Summer, when his picture would be ready for release. that reputation will have faded. “Red” Grange will be one with the mah jongg craze and “Yes, We Have No Bananas.” It is extremely unlikely that he will be on a par as a drawing card with Charlie Chaplin. A paralle! case may be found in the achieved in | 30 re appear. however, to be a few | Filrhog’ |** A GREAT audience | part of a great art the stuff of art not in the woods, the iountains ‘ll lles in the heart (Extract from Samuel dress hefore the Society Culture). is an implicit heca the f Audiences. Goldwyn's ad Ethical Mason has heen piay the ieorze Shirley Fame “Desert recting <i lead Seitz vers to in It <aid 10 he the proba hilities that Marshall rect Blanche Sweet picture. is ‘mong Neil in 1 di next her production “The has been Actual commenced on bles Pathe The of “Les Miser: filmed in the have been made scenes { which® is being studios in Paris picture will be released ir try, in time, through Ur Final versal. Hal Roach has enviched his with Lincoln Steadman, Grace don and Josephine Crowell and is go- ing to make more and more laugh makers Raymond McKee and Ethel Shannon have started in “The Speed Limit. by James J. Tyman. in the politan studio. as Renaud next Gotham release forces Gor ott is “gag man for First Nationad. Merwyn for Colleen Moare in “Irene Langdon has five of them Frank Frank < on “The V. Roy € Far Cf Le Roy and Ha in Tim Whalen, Gerald Duffy Holliday, Hal Conklin and | Capra R\ F- Woodhull. president Motion Picture Theater Ow of America. is urging screen writers to pay more attention to the short films. s the Metro-Goldwyn- be called Monte Rell's next Maver picture will Book of Charm.” Maj. Bowes of the Capitol Theater, New York. has gone on record against the prologue in motion pictures. West Coast Theaters, In shortly introduce a telephonic infor tion bureau for the general from which. between & am. and 10 p.m.. girls will answer all inquiries | concerning pictures and plavers at the |local theaters. | Jesse L. Lasky celebrated recently the twelfth anniversary of the build ing of his original studio in California. | with 200 picture stars assistinz. They |gave him a bronze tablet Whittaker. a_well known scenario writer, says: “Most of the failures of the screen are the result not of bad acting or incompetent di recting. but largely of a stupid story or a good story stupidly handled by the ‘supervisor. who in some firms is having it far too much his own way. The prime danger confronting ns is that executives these davs are irying to be too ¢ Herbert Rrenon's next production will he “Beau Geste.” F. V “Down | Murnau | made Murnau is to make for Fox to Earth,” by Julius Pertuz is the German director who “The Last Laugh.” he directed in by Norma Talmadge is “The Garden of Allah." to seen Hichens novel by Edward Clark. De Mille is to start Leatrice Jov {in “Eve's Leaves” within a few weeks. Marie Prevost's new starring pic ture will be called “Why Girls Go Back Home,” Warner Brothers pro duction. Charlie Chaplin's “The Gold Rush” is said to hold the box office record for Broadway to date. Springfield, Mo.. voted against Sun v amusement and now they are go- |ing to erect a theater “just over the city line” to heat the biue law. = I A Chinese educationaF film corpora tion has been incorporated in San Francisco. Red" Grange's picture for the Ar row Corporation. which will be com menced in March, it is said. will be a picture portrayal of ‘‘Red’'s" life from Iceman to millionalre. Kenneth Harlan and Patsy Ruth Miller will head the cast in “The King of the Turf,” a melodrama of the racing world, by Louis Joseph Vance and John C. Brownell. Ricardo Cortez will play obposite Greta Garbo when the new Swedish screen career of Jack Dempsey, who is_certainly more celebrated ~than “Red” Grange, and just about as good a movie actor. None of Dempsey’ pictures has been more than mildly successful. Tf he has received as much as $100,000 for his share in any one of them he has been grossly over- paid. * ko If Harold (“Red”) Grange takes my advice—and the odds are now quoted at 600 to 1 that he won't—he will lay off the movies and go into the bond business, where gll good college grad- uates belen{. 4 (Coprafens, 1025.) | wyn-Mayer's this coun- | Metro- | Hoaaman's | “The | Clarence Brown, and adapted from the { have rams ar makes her American debut In e Torrent.” which Monta Bell will from the Ibanez story. Claire McDowell Parade” and * the mother of “The Ben Hur.” has been cast for a similar role in “The Light Eternal the first American pictu. 10 he made hy Benjamin Christians the Swedish director imported M.G.-M. G Having completed the adaptation of Beverly of Graustark' for Marion. Davies.” Agnes Christine Johnsons: scenarist, is now at work screen version of Rudolph Schildkraut may be starred, in “The Auctioneer” by William Fox.. Mauritz Stiller, one of Metro-Gold- new Swedish directors will film Ibanez's “The Temptress” a his first American picture. o Marguerite de la Motte has been red for the feminine lead in “Red Rod LaRocque’s next picture!) Mary Philbin, who has been resting- completing “The Phantom of | the Opera™ and “Stella Maris,” will: do “Little Dorrit,” the Charles Dicket ens masterpiece. which Lois Weber { will produce for Carl Laemmie. s Compson has_finished her, role in “The Palace of Pleasure.” ahd® is in New York with her director husband, James (ruze, preparing sail for Europe on their second honeys m Befty Cup.” of in the Sada ( he by Gertruds® “Black Oxen near future b; “owan will ma Crystal Atherton. author will he filmed First National | the adaptation. W F stage comedian, will rank as a_screen star in his next effort for Paramount, which s nov being prepared at the Long Island- studio, according to William Le Baron, | associate producer. The production ‘It’s the Old Army Game,” is based on “The Comic Supplement.” which J. P. McEvoy wrote especially fort Fields when the latter was a Ziegfeld star (o7 is Chomas Meighan and his company, veling in two special cars on the., lorida East Coast Railroad, were, caught in Florida's transportatioy, tangle and delayed more than 20 hours in the journey from Jacksonville Miami. " The train bearing the P; ount company South to make * ew Klondike" narrowly missed wreck near New Smyrna and had wait § hours while the wreckage the train ahead was cleared away o oy o The “Youth Unit" is announced hy® P. B. Shulberz. associate Paramount® producer at the Lasky studio in Holly- | wond. The phrase means that William™ Wellman. one of the voungest direc:3 tors of recognized ability. will direce® vouthful Beity Bronson in her next ramount production, which is a# untitled Y vet My ara Bow. who has just Lady of Whime Arrow Production Co.. has arrived pix New York to purchase her weddinea trousseau. She will marry Donalde Keith, who played opposite her in thise production. completeds for Golden® Jane Jennings, who is cast for tha~ mother in Maj. Maurice Campbell's production, “Self Defense” is said to played more mother parts than |any other actress on the screeni” | Miss Jennings has reached the one hundredth and seventy-eighth mother | role since beginning her screen career;” which began with two-reelers in thé~ pioneer film day o Arthur Rankin has become aa: stranger in his own home town. A few weeks ago he had coal black hair and a large number of Hollywood ac-+ quaintances. Today he has brilliant. vellow hair, a featured part in_Cecil B. De Mille's production, “The Volga Boatman." and can walk down Holly wood boulevard without being recog- nized by any one. William Boyd, Elinor, Fair, ‘Theodore Kosloff and Juliac Faye are in the cast. Leonore J. Cof fee adapted “The Volga Roatman' from Konrad Borcovici's original. Bebe Daniels will he launched hy~ Paramount as the supreme comedienne - of the screen at the head of her own producing unit and with unlimited re~’ sources to make super-comedy fea-'” tures, according to a long-term agree- ment announced by Jesse L. Lasky: “Miss Brewster's Millions" will be the - first of her pictures under the new policy. It will be directed by Clarence Badger. i To complete the strongest possible, triumvirate of star, director and/ writer, Dimitri Buchowetski has been= signed by B. P. Shulberg, associate Paramount producer, to direct Pola Negri in her next picture, an original _ starring vehicle written by Ernest~ Vajda, Hungarian playwright. Two of; the director’s most recent productions® are “Graustark” and “The Midnight Sun.” Mr. Vajda had four successful plays running simultaneously ons Broadway -ast season. This is hi first screen ventur E Aided Dy perfect weather, Allan. Dwan has completed the fi week of filming of “Sea Horses,” giant sea: spectacle, taken from Francis Bretd {Continued on Fourth Pazsd