MOTOR PICTURE NEWS

Gisborne Times, Volume L, Issue 5137, 1 April 1919, Page 3

MOTOR PICTURE NEWS

By THE MOVIE FAN

Gloria Swanson has signed; a two years contract with, Paramount. Mary~ Pickford has purchased the screen rights to “Gome Out of the Kitchen,” the popular stage play of that name. This will probably follow “Daddy Kong Legs” and ‘ Tollyanna.” - * * * An unusually interesting, release -‘Our Teddy’’ is expected in the Dominion shortly: This will be the dramatic life story of the great American. ex-President. Theodore Roosevelt. * * * Pearl White is at present busy on a new serial which is by It. W. Chambers. 'She is firmly established as the serial-queen, and has probably been within an inch of movie-death more times than any other six artistk put together * * « Mrs Pickford, not being content with the honor of being mother •of Mary, Lottie and Jack, has added another achievement to her credit by the organisation of the Jack Pickford company, which will star the youngest member of the family. * * * The will of the late Harold Lockwood left nearly everything to his ten-3 T ear-old son and his own mother; the widow received nothing. Miss Gladys Lyle, a friend of the actor, was also a beneficiary. It is expected that the widow, who was separated from her husband, will make legal .claim on the estate. * * * Mary MacLaren, Universal actress, gave a dinner recently in honor of Segern Nairn at a, chief filin censor of Japan. Mr Numata is writing a play for Miss MacLaren, whom, he says, is one of the most popular American film stars in Japan. Miss MacLaren’s first Universal feature, “Shoes,” made a great hit with Japanese audiences recently. * * * In the claim of the Dunedin Theatrical Employees’ Union for increased pay, the Conciliation. Council settled the hours of work for cinematograph operators at 42 per week. Their rate of wages was fixed at £4 5s per week. The holidays for operators were agreed upon at fourteen, days per annum at half-pay. Casual operators are to have 4s per hour. Overtime was fixed at 3s per hour. Ticket-sellers are to work 28 hours per week for 255; ticket-takers and ushers 36 hours for 27s 6d. * * * Fatty Arbuckle has just signed up with Paramount Pictures in what is considered the most important comedv contract ever made. He undertakes to produce ten two-reel comedies in the next twelve months. Rumors regarding the production of the Paramount-Arbuckle plays resulted, in an official statement in the Los Angeles Times that the stout lvunior- ■ ist "not only directs his own comedies ■but writes most of the pl°t'. sub-titles-and gags, and last but not least cuts the pictures. # Mr F. W. Thring, managing director of J. C. ‘Williamson Ltd., who : has just returned to Melbourne from \ America, states that. he discovered !no sign of the public demand tor S moving pictures waning. On the : contrary, Americans appear to he more enamored of the screen than ever. He noted, however, a growing preference for light comedydramas, which had a judicious blend of humor and sentiment, particularly ! stories with a wholesome domestic : theme Sordid sex plays and heavy ; tragedies were rapidly going out ot ! favor. S | The William Fox wonder picture I “The Conqueror,” featuring the : world-famous William Farnum in his best work before the screen, will be ; shown at His Majesty’s Theatre tomorrow night and on Thursday night only. The picture is a gripping drama dealing with the career of the great American, General Sam Houston, one of the central figures of the Civil War. Love, humor and pathos are liberally interspersed with fighting of the most realistic nature, in one battle episode alone over one thousand Indians and white men take part. “I was seated in a restaurant ! once” (says Charles Chaplin) “when I suddenly: noticed that a man. a few yards away kept bowing and smiling, apparently at me. Thinking he wished, to be friendly, I bowed and smiled back at him. As I did this, however, be suddenly scowled at me. I thought I had been mistaken in his intentions. The next minute, howj ever, he .smiled again. I bowed; I hut once more he scowled. I could not imagine why he was smiling and scowling until, looking over my shoulder, I saw he had been, flirting •with a pretty girl. My mistake made me laugh, and yet it was a natural one on. my part. So when the opportunity came a few months ago to utilise such a scene in/A Dog’s Life,’ I made use of the incident.” ■afr * * One of the most successful books of the war was “Private Pleat,” detailing the experiences of a Canadian j'soldier named Pleat, who was at the ; Front and in the. midst of the fighting for over two years. On his return invalided, he wrote the book which caused such a sensation in America- that German propagandists started a campaign against him, stating that he was not a Canadian, never saw a Hun, was never out ok America in his life, and that his book and his subsequent lecture. ‘ Two Years in Hell and Back With a Smile,” are British fabrications ornamented with .French and American lies. At one time feeling was verv hitter on both sides m connection with “Private Pleat.” The famous Players-Lasky Corporation has now scored a great win by hlming Private Pleat with the intrepid soldier in the star role.^

WILLIAM FARNUM.

Among the many interesting personalities iVlr J. C. Thrin'gj managing director of J. Cv Williamson Films, met in' America during ,his recent visit were Pauline Frederick,. Gerl&t Tnd’fcd Hiblo. .SjTfOd Goldfish and Sgom®*, .IVstlvS to Mr and Mrs. NiWo anu Sylvia Eremer, Mr Thring also met two other theatricals welh.known to Australian playgoers, Winter M and tv 41 ”!* was ta tairla that »s Ssgaesffis J? n ?v\xjSS&ora ” two of his'stage feL a . .nett jjS' a , ■ ■<.i Ac wds -only to. h® |pte&i6iht effoi## s .not L v, o th Ki siTi eo Wgt rhbf |W T^W* sr | JjK

PLAYS AND PLAYERS ON THE SCREEN

Walter Hiers, a well known actor of character roles and light comedy, has been engaged by Thoma’s H. Ince for Paramount Pictures and will make his first appearance with Dorothy Dalton. Hiers is an actor of considerable abitity, and lias had experience with Lubin Thanhouser, Metro, Selby and other corporations.

THE GISH. GIRLS ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

A film of more than ordinary note ■ is the Gaumont official picture of the ; "Surrender of the German Fleet ’ to the Allied Navies to he screened at i Everybody’s to-morrow. It- is a con- ; plete picture of the surrender of the j German Navy. and U-boats, their imi prisonment in the Firth of Forth, and i the review by King; George, the ■ Prince of Wales, Admiral Sims, and ; other Allied officers. j* * *

Madline Traverse, the latest star to he added to the William Fox fold, expects to release the first ot her Excel pictures shortly. It is entitled “The Danger Zone” and is from an original story by Marshall Bruce Bennington. Miss Traverse is being directed in “The Danger Zone by Frank Beal, one of the veteran d - rectors of movies. The cast include Traverse in the character . Dupre, Thomas Holding, Fretzie Ridgeway and Edwin Cecil.

A real c’-cus, with its interesting adjuncts, is shown in “The ' Show on Earth,” the Ince dramatic creation starring Australia s actress Enid Bennett, which will te seen here in the near future. * Ince rented the Barnes’ Circus entirely for the production. A section was engao; ed, and the big top went up. It was a regular circus in every particular, prepared solely for ture. Wien it appears before the public in screen form tins story by Florence Vincent will be found to contain many thrills, and will, perhaps, afford Miss Bennett more opportunities to display her talents an actress than any of her previ productions have ever done- * *

William Farnum, who will he seen in the great Fox film “The Conqueror,” at His Majesty’s to-morrow evening, lias been called “the greatest actor on the screen.” He was horn in Boston, July 4 ,1876 After a few years in Boston the Farnum family moved to Buclcsport, Me., where young Farnum, who was musically inclined, joined the Buoksport Cornet Band. When he was fourteen yeais old he began liis real theatrical career. His father had a stock company at the Academy there. Alter several vears with stock companies in classical repertoire, Farnum organised his own stock company and started on road work. In the lake cities, Cleveland and Buffalo, the Farnum stock company had wonderful success. Finally one of the goals o his lifetime came—,Farnum has many goals—he had his theatre in Neu York. He had a wonderfully successful season of thirty weeks. Then came one of the greatest triumphs of his wonderful career—ne starred in the stupendous drama Hur.” Whenever or wherever Ben Kur” is mentioned the name of vviiliam Farnum is remembered. “ a r ]Y r ’ Farnum played in “Virgimus, lie Littlest Rebel,” “The Prince of India,” and many other important dramas. Then Farnum heard the call of the moving picture plays- Hi® services were finally obtained by William Fox. Since, his connection with the Fox Corporation Farnum has added to his popularity, as the p4ys in which he appears give him unusual oportunity to display his wonderful personality. He has appeared m over twentv productions for Mr I ox. His apoearar.ee as Jean Valjean m a William Farnum de luxe production of “Les Miserable*;” has been called bv some metropolitan critics tbe greatest work of his screen career, though others prefer lug wonderful acting in “The Conqueroi. :* * *

i j Under the actual fire in the British ; { and French trenches at .intervals, 1 covering a period of more than ei„ht | eon months, was the nerve-racking . i experience of Lillian and Dorothy . 1 Gish, noted motion picture stars • 1 who with their mother, accompanied ; David Wark Griffith to the very I I front line trenches of Franco to se- . cure the important ; SCenes far ! “Hearts of the World the neW ! Griffith masterpiece, to be shown un■•S der the J. O. Wiliamson management •| at the Opera House on Thursday ! I S Gish family, with Robert S Haron, . Josephine Crowell Kate S Bruce, Master Ben Alexandei ( SIX : i years of age), Robert Anderson, 1 i George Fawcett, George A. biegmi ann, ’ and others, who appear m j “Hearts of the World,” were under j bombardment on three separate ocI casions, and in one instance the at- | tack lasted for four hours. It is 'interesting also to learn that Mr. j Griffith was the first American to eni ter the front line trenches. this ! was, of course, before the Umtecl 1 States entered the world-war. For eighteen long months these players were with Mr Griffith, and their stories of suffering are by al odds the most interesting ever told. }>y players for. the motion picture camera. As a result of their experiences,.tlie two Gish girls were toi, a long time almost nervous wrecks, while their mother suffered from hysteria for many • .Weeks after her return to the United States. In producing- “Hearts ot the World, Mr Griffith has cleverly interwoven stirring battle scenes into a number of the incidents in whieh. the Gish' girls and their brave little mother are the principal players. Many of the most beautiful scenes were secured by Lillian and ■ Dorot j Gish on the very battle-fields where but a few hours before men had fought and died. . Now-that the Gish family and the other players are hack in the United. Sates and resting in their comfortable home in California, they laughing tell of how Lillian. lost 16b. as the' result of her experience near the firing-line, and how Mrs Gish just 30lbs. lighter when she stepped from the gangplank and planted her foot once more on American soil. Dorothy Gish' . did not lose am weight, but it is said by those accompanied her that the young y invariably went into hysterics the moment the first gun .was bred continued crying until the *>omba d.ment was over. Under the jUitolimstances, no one will blame Dmothy for 'being hysterical, for certainly .there is no greater instance of personal bravery than to think of these two yoiing;%irls, accompanied by their- « ' Jug, into the. very danger . screen this groat drama: ; .i 1). ~v ': v - J, o, % ' tr>n T ?- eti.sirifcy- ■