THE SHADOW WORLD

Southland Times, Issue 18972, 20 June 1923, Page 11

THE SHADOW WORLD

Latest Real News of Reel Folk.

Vera Gordon, who was so successful as one of the Jewish characters in “Humouresque,” has been engaged to play Rosie in the screen version of ‘‘Potash and Perlmutter.”

Eosta Ekman. a Swedish actor, has been imported to the United States by Goldwyn. He may yet plav the title role of “Ben Hur.”

Fannie Ward, one of the older movie actors, is to return to the screen to play in “Black Oxen.”

First National has signed up Jack Dillon to direct “Flaming Youth,” adapted from the Warner Fabian novel. Colleen Moore will play the leading part.

Miss Colleen Moore’s first picture for First National will be “Die Huntress,” a comedy-drama of the out-of-doors.

The producer, Herbert Brenon, has signed a five-year contract with Paramount, and his first production will be “The Spanish Dancer.” Pola Negri is to have the leading part, and the picture is expected to be one of Paramount’s outstanding productions.

New Urban Classics released though Vitagraph are “Roving Thomas on the Western Coast” and “Beasts of Prey.” Roving Thomas visits Alberta, in the heart of Canada’s cattle ranges, and the picture shows how the Canadians raise beef. From there he goes South to California, visiting the popular bathing resorts. “Beasts of Prey” shows glimpses of various groups of carnivores. These include tigers and the cheetah of India.

Advocates of the film possibilities in “East of Suez," the play in which Florence Reed played in New York not long ago, suggested that it would be a good celluloid vehicle for Pola Negri. Allen Holubar has beat everybody else to it, however, and purchased it for one of his all-star Metro productions.

If preparations for C. B. De Mille's production of “The Ten Commandments” are any criterion you may anticipate that feature as the biggest ever put over on the Famous Players-Lasky lot. Tour the carpenter and blacksmith shops at the studios and you see 500 chariots in the making. Go into the plaster department and you see exact replicas of the Sphinx, the pyramids and treasures of the city of Rameses 11. to be pitched on a stretch of barren beach near Santa Maria. The casting department rises to remark that 2,500 people and 4,000 animals will get their daily manna by participating in the scenes filmed on this location. Mr De Mille planned to begin work about May 7. And now prepare for a surprise! Although “The Ten Commandments” is to really tell a modern story, it won't have a single cut-back. Can you imagine that? But the spectacle will be there all right. It’ll be in the Book of Exodus and a Biblical prologue to precede the modern tale.

By special arrangement with Goldwyn. Metro has signed James Kirkwood for the lead in Edward Slomon’s production of “The Eagle’s Feather,” from Katherine Newlin Burt’s story, adapted by Winifred Dunn. Mr Sloman will go after two weeks of interior work, to Bishop for the cattle stampede. Mary Alden, Lester Cuneo, Elinor Fair. Barbara La Marr, William Orlammond, Charlie McHugh, Adolph Menjou, George Seigman and John Elliott complete the cast.

“Fools and Riches,” a Universal picture, was adapted from a Frederick Jackson story by Charles Kenyon and George C. Hull. Herbert Blache directed it. Rawlinson’s cast includes Katherine Perry, Tully Marshall, Doris Pawn, Arthur S. Hull and Nick de Ruiz. It is the story of a spendthrift scion of a self-made millionaire. After the father’s death, the boy soon finds himself penniless and has to work out his own salvation—with the help, however, of a faithful and lovable girl whose worth he finally realises.

Vitagraph’s picturisation of “The Man Next Door,” the novel of Emerson Hough, has been completed. Victor Schertzinger directed this special feature, which deals with Bonnie Bell Wright, the daughter of a millionaire cattleman, who gets to the city to live and finds that riches cannot buy a place in society. David Torrence, Frank Sheridan, James Morrison and Alice Calhoun play the principal roles. Miss Calhoun plays Bonnie Bell Wright, David Torrence the wealthy old cattleman, Frank Sheridan the foreman of the ranch, and Jimmy Morrison “the man next door.”

Mary Pickford’s rise to fame is a long story. One feature, however, can be mentioned in a few words. When Mary first entered pictures, under Griffith’s direction, her salary was forty dollars a week. That amount increased steadily until, when working for the new’ version of “Tess of the Storm Country,” she was receiving 10,000 dollars a week. Such is the price of golden curls and an angelic smile! “Tess of the Storm Country” will be seen at the Albion.

“Crossed Wires” is a Universal comedy showing Gladys Walton as a telephone operator. It was made from an original story by King Baggot. He also directed it. The supporting cast includes George Stewart, Tom Guise, Lillian. Langdon, William Robert. Daly, Kate Price and Eddie Gribbon. The story recounts the adventures of a “hello” girl who takes a fling at high society.

An interesting tenant at the Ince studios is Jane Murfin, who is in the midst of her first personally-directed production, “The Sign,” from her stage play of the same name. Justin McCloskey is collaborating on the megaphone, and May Allison, displaying a number of lovely gowns acquired during her recent tour of the continent, is playing the stellar role with Edward Everett Horton, Harry Mestayer, brought on from New York, and Rockliffe Fellowes in the leads.

Richard Thomas is planning to make his third independent production a modern vision of Sir Walter Scott’s “The Lady of the Lake” and, according to present plans, Rod La Roque, Estelle Taylor and Kathryn McGuire will continue under the Thomas megaphone for this feature. Wyndham Martyn, English novelist, has been engaged as literary adviser.

In "One Exciting Night,” which comes ■ the Albion soon Mr Griffith has departed irom the heavy and spectacular to tell a modern story of mystery. He has merely attempted to follow the example of the story tellers of old in giving you a story df entertainment. In particular he has made an effort to have the latter part of the drama follow’ the old Greek unity with the events and action occurring in one nighty and as nearly as possible in the exact time it will take for these events to happen.

Coming to the Albion on Friday week is Betty Compson in her first starring vehicle •Prisoners of Love,” who is presented in the role of Blanche Davis, a girl who is possessed through inheritance, of a dangerous degree of physical attractiveness. Forced upon the world when she discovers that her father is buying the silence of a woman, she is called upon to fight a great buttle with overwhelmning odds. The story has a subtle yet poignant nature, and carries a moral, and a lesson for many a young girl of to-day who is gifted with beautv.

If you w r ant to learn how to ride, follow Josie Sedgwick and Art Staton as they travel through “Western Hearts,” at the Albion to-night. A sparkling and brilliant comedy drama is registered in “A Tailor Made Man” star ring Charles Ray at the Albion on Tuesday. The story concerns the rise of a humble tailor’s assistant to the realms of the upper crust of society. Now there has been much written about the war of the poor man and his right for better social standing, and in “A Tailor Made Man” we are presented an example of the tactics of young men of to-day, who wish to look “big.” The star plays the part of a young man who having secured a dress suit and top hat setsf out to charm society. He is in a measure successful, but when his | position is discovered and he is entangled i in a love affair there is a lot of explaning to be done and herein the spectator is provided many humorous situations, but proves himself a hero, however, and wins the hand of hte rich girl.

Frank L. Packard author of “The Miracle Man” has produced in “Pawned” with Tom Moore at the Albion on Friday one of the most amazing photoplays. The star is featured as a young man who temporarily stranded in the South Sea Islands makes a bargain with a wealthy gambler to conduct a series of secret investigations for him. Landing in New York he meets a beautiful daughter of a wealthy pawn broker whose trade is helped by the gambling casinos. The two fall in love and in keeping the girl immune from the persecutions, of a young doctor, a drug addict, the hero finds his way beset, with adventures, which lead him through the gambling dens and drug houses of New York’s most sinister world. Edith Roberts is cast as the leading lady.

A recent Universal release is “Double Dealing.” another Hoot Gibson special. Henry Lehrman wrote and directed it. Helen Ferguson, Betty Francisco, Eddie Gribbon, Gertrude Claire, Otto Hoffman, Frank Hayes and Jack Dillon are to be seen in Gibson’s support. The story concerns a Western small town “hick” who gets properly trimmed by a couple of “slickers,” but who finally is awakened to his own dumbness and begins to step out.

“Burning Words” is a Universal production starring Roy Stewart. It was written by Harrison Warren Jacobs. Stuart Paton, maker of “Conflict,” “Reputation” and “Bavu,” directed it. Laura La Plante, Harold Goodwin, Edith Yorke, Alfred Fisher, William Welsh, Noble Johnson, Eve Southern, Harry Carter and George McDaniels are in the cast supporting Stewart in this picture, which is his initial offering on the Universal schedule. The story is laid in the rugged frontier land of the Canadian Northwest and concerns the adventures of a mounted police officer.

Mary Pickford, Norma Talmadge and Constance Talmadge are among the high school students in the United States, the most popular motion picture actresses. The late Wallace Reid was the favourite actor, followed by Rodolph Valentino and Douglas Fairbanks. These preferences are based upon the returns to a questionaire, which was filled out by 17,000 boys and 20,000 girls in the high schools of seventy-six cities and towns in the United States.

The big William Fox special production, “My Friend the Devil,” adapted from Georges Ohnet’s celebrated novel, “Doctor Rameau/’ is coming to the Albion The-, atre soon. This is said to be a big dramatic story with a powerful climax. It is called another triumph for Harry Millarde who directed that other big Fox picture “Over the Hill.”

More rumours. This time James Kirkwood and Lila Lee are to be married. The fact that Mr Kirkwood has bought a tract of land in Beverly Hills and drawn up plans for the immediate erection of a lovely home there isn’t putting any sort of silence on the rumour, of course.

Two separate casts of stellar and featured players will be seen in the forthcoming film version of “The Ten Commandments,” Cecil B. De Mille has announced. One group of players will interpret the Biblical prologue and the other is to carry on the modem story evolved by Jeanie Macpherson to interpret the Decalogue in its relation to present-day life. No announcement has yet been made of those who will appear. Mr De Mille is searching the studios and the stage for players to fit specific parts, and there are many under consideration for each part. At present special care is being taken in the choice of the players who will interpret in the Biblical section the parts of Moses, Aaron, Miriam and Pharaoh Rameses 11. the famous Pharaoh of the Oppression. Richard Thomas will film a modem version of “The Lady of the Lake,” Sir Walter Scott’s poetic masterpiece of old Scotland. This announcement comes from the offices at the Hollywood studios where Mr Thomas is producing the second of a series of six-part features for independent distribution. At the completion of his third piclure of the current series he expects the adaptation of “The Lady of the Lake” to be completed. Actual production will commence about the middle of August. Northern California and Oregon lakes will form the background for “The Lady of the Lake,” which will be a ten-reel production. Wyndham Martyn, an English novelist, has been engaged as literary advisor. According to Mr Thomas, Estelle Taylor and Rod La Rocque will be cast in the two principal juvenile roles, around which the main action of the poem is developed. Records and reports of the showings of “Robin Hood” jn New York show that during the first week at the Capitol The atre, where the picture was shown on its second run in the city, 101,000 admissin” were registered. This established a wor - ' 1 record for theatre attendance. In all oU cities a new attendance record was mwhen “Robin Hcod” was shown. The ture, with Douglas Fairbanks in the t role, is anticipated as being a record ture in Invercargill.

Trade press reviewers, who witnessed the private presentation of the Fox super-pro duction “The Fast Mail” at the Lyric Theatre, New York City, were unanimous in their appreciation of the film and declared it. to be “a melodrama of merit, which will find approval within the most discriminating circles of picture enthusiasts.” Every necessary resource within reanh of the Fox organisation was utilised and as a result “The Fast Mail” is even bigger than the original production, the camera having visualised what was only suggested in the play. This much-heralded picture will be the attraction at the Albion Theatre beginning next Friday week.

New Zealanders have now received the exciting news that Douglas Fairbanks is going to visit New Zealand to produce part of his new picture, “The Black Pirate.” Wanganui, probably on account of its river and wonderful bush scenery, will be the chosen place. Fairbanks is to take the part of Bully Hayes, and he is bringing quite a number of well-known kinema players with him. Several weeks will be spent by the staff in search of suitable scenes for the film. Then other parts are to be taken in California and Tahiti. The production includes 150 people, and will cost over a Quarter of a million sterling.