Screen Stars and Films

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 170, 19 July 1924, Page 23

Screen Stars and Films

Universal has purchased "The Riciin' Kid from Powder River," a Western novel by Henry Herbert Knibbs. for Hoot Gibson's first Western feature under his new production schedule for the coming year. Huntly Gordon and Myrtle Stedman, who appeared together in the screen version of "Tbe Famous Mrs. Fair," have two of the featured roles in "Wine," the Universal-Jewell production now being filmed at Universal City under the direction of Louis Gasnier. Every now and then one meets among the newcomers in picture a girl from the Follies. Dolores Rousse, who just finished a small part with Herbert Rawlinson in "Dark Stairways," directed by Robert F. Hill, is the latest in the Universal studios. In six month's time she has made considerable progress in film work. "The Gold Diggers," a coming attraction, is the story of Jerry Lamar, who "digs" with her wealthy men friends, when she is not acting, but who remains a good girl all the time, and keeps her girl companions in the same position, despite tremendous handicaps put in their way.

Jack Hoxie, Universal star, started work on his latest Western feature, "Daring Chances" The supporting cast includes Alta Allen, Catherine Wallace, Genevieve Knapf, Claude Pay-on and others. The script calls for much spectacular riding. Among the character studies of several decades none stands out more picturesquely than that of "Beau Bmmmei" famous fasliionplnte, wit, and dilettante of the eighteenth century. Richard Mansfield first introduced this character on the stage, and now John Bairymore has brought it to the screen in the great picture of the same name. Little Arthur Trimble, fcur-year-old screen actor, has been signed by Julius and Abe Stern to appear in a series of Century comedies. Arthur's ability and his winning personality promise to make of him another juvenile star of world wide popularity. He will be featured as a member of the "Century Kids," a group of talented screen children to be seen in a series of Century Comedies. The Sterns are considering the production of a series of pictures later in which Arthur Trimble will be starred-

Wallace McDonald, formerly a star ol feature pictures and one of the screen's popular leading men, has been least by Rupert Julian in the role of ! Anatole Picarde in "The Bugler of 'Algiers," which Julian is directing. I "The Bugler of Algiers" is an elaborate nil-star production telling a story of the lives and loves of French colonial j soldiers. | Four actors in William de Mille's production, "The Bedroom Window," I have sppnt a total of 148 years in entertaining the public And they are sill at it. ln a few months George Kaweett. Robert Ed-won. Charles Ogle and Guy Oliver will mark the celebration of the ISO years on stage and screen with a reunion The four made their dehut in ISB7. Oliver being the youngest and starting at the age of seven with his parents and sister in a vaudeville act. Ogle was originally destined for the ministry and Faweett studied law. Ogle switched to law and I then went on the stage, after seven years returning to legal procedure and three years later going back to acting. Edeson planned a medical career, but the stage called him. Ultimately the four drifted into motion picture work and their greatest delight is to tell stories of the days when they played the "tank towns." "Gulliver's Travels," Dean Swift's famous old story of the land of Lilliput, with its diminutive people, and Brobdignag, where men were giants, may soon live again in pictures. For plans are being discussed for producing the story, : known to every "hild in the world, with a company of tiny actors and actresses, : a giant or two, and a big all-star cast. Preliminary conferences were held between William Koenig, general production manager, who has long talked of putting the noted tale into screen form, and James O'Neill, who visited Universal City for the conference with his entire troupe of Lilliputians—known in vaudeville as "Irving's Midgets." There are twenty-five little men and women in the company, none over a yard tall, and ranging in age from sixteen to forty. They are now on a vaudeville circuit, but piopose during the summer, if the plan now under discussion is carried out, to rptum to Universal City for several weeks to film the allegory. Three years ago in London, a demonstration was given of a "shutterless continuous moving picture projector," the invention of an Englishman, Mr. Kingsley Higginson. The machine was most ingeniously contrived, a series of narrow mirrors being arranged round a revolving ring. In America Mr. 0. Francis Jenkins has been experimenting on very similar lines for some thirty 'years or more. Quite recently a German machine has been evolved in which the mirror principle of projection seems to have been brought very near perfection The film moves continuously and smoothly, with no strain, by means of a wonderfully simple and delicately adjusted combination of mirrors, lenses, and prism; the photographs follow each other on the screen without any jerk or hiatus, each melting, as it were, into its predecessor. Probably, owing to the fact that every picture on the screen consists of two successive, slightly different photographs, a pronounced stereoscopic effect is produced. One objection often raised to this system of projection is that a mirror absorbs an appreciable proportion of light, reflecting only part of what falls on its surface. Practical tests alone can establish a balance between the pros and cons of continuous projection.

A screen spectacle utilising the services of more than one hundred thousand persons, is a massive undertaking, but when these are drilled with the precision of an army of regular soldiers, the highest artistic results may be expected. This is said to be true as regards "The Loves of Pharaoh," a coming Paramount picture, which tells the tragic story of an Egyptian king's love for a beautiful slave girl. The 6tory is quite thrilling, and it is claimed that the '"sets" representing the Palace and Treasure House are among the greatest eier built for any picture Heading a capable caste are Rmil .tunning-. Harry Liedtke and Dagny Servaes. Julius Stern, president rf the Century Film Corporation, has announced the formation of a troup of talented screen children to .be known as the "Century Kids," under bte lead of Buddy Mi-ssin-ger, well known Century star. The "Century Kids" will be featured in a series of comedies, to be produced for release, portraying American home life. Messinger will play the role of "big . brother" or gang leader, to the kids. The stories will be written especially j for the troup and will be produced on an elaborate scale in keeping with the unusually high standard of two-reel Century product. Included in the Century Kids are "Bubbles," "Spec" O'Donnell, Sadie Campbell, Tommy Hicks, Donald Clark, Arthur Trimble, Martha Sleeper and other equally well known and talented screen players. When Bpau Brummel invented the ; cravat just about a hundred years ago, he did not magine that it would even fually take the form of our simple I modern collar. During the reign of j George "TV. as Prince Regent of England, Beau Brummel w»b the dictator iof fashion, and as such made radical i changes in the styles for men When jbe first found favour with the Prince, ' fc-nee breeches were the accepted style, i but it was not long before the ambitious I Beau introduced long trousers for the .personal gratification of the Prince, i whose portly presence was much in_I proved thereby. The life of this fascinating dandy has afforded considerable material for writers, and now John Barrymore, the handsomest man on the American stage, presents him on the j screen in the magnificent Master Pic•j ture, "Beau Brummel." i I Caught in the very teeth or a terrific storm at spa while working aboard : the lightship Relief, eight miles out in I the San Francisco Harbour, thirty members of Victor Fleming's "Code of the i;Sea" company narrowly escaped drown- !. ing. "The storm came up about noon- . | time," related Rod La Rocque, who is , featured in this Byron Morgan story i for Paramount, with Jacqueline Logan. .; "All of us were so interested in the [ spectacular water stuff we were filming f that we ignored the intensity of the • gale. When it came time for our tug , tc come to take us off the lightship we i fcund that it could not approach the • anchored craft. In a driving rain sailors i helped us into small boats with which ! we were to make our way to the tug, i which stood off about twenty yards • waiting to pictt us up. None of us ever - knew that twenty yards of water could • cortain so much fury. One of our little • shells capsized, throwing three extra • men into the teeth of tho racing waves. • Fortunately they were picked up before " anything happened to them. We all got ' a thrill that won't be seen on the ' screen, but it was of invaluable benefit to all of ua."

Future Paramount pictures will in-' elude: "West of the Water Tower," fromj the novel of the same name that created such a sensation a few years ago; "The Fighting Coward," with an all star Paramount cast including Ernest Torrence, Mary Astor, Noah Beery, and Phyllis Haver, a picture which is said to be a masterpiece of modern film art. Zane Grey must again get credit for another big Western offering, "The Heritage of the Desert," which, like "To the Last Man," was produced under the author's personal supervision. With the excellent title of "Bluff," Agnes Ayres, of "The Sheik" fame, offers a very fine society drama. Tommy Meighan again comes back to big work in "The Confidence Man," and those who remember him as the star of Paramount's "The Miracle Man," are promised a great star in another great role. Worthy of special mention as tho most novel and interesting travel picture ever taken is "Around the World with the Speejacks." This picture was taken from the yacht of an American millionaire which left for an around the world tour early in 1023 and registers t~t_e most fascinating travel Etory ever Ii Imed.