News of the Movies

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16668, 25 February 1922, Page 15

News of the Movies

BY

i The Movie Man □

FOTICE TO CORRESPONDENTS. Porre«pondonts desirous of haring Question* answered in the current issue are requested to see that their communications ure delivered at this office not later than Tuesday afternoon.

Inquirer.—” Studio Directory ” gives Betty Blythe’s height as sft Tin. and her weight as lost.

Inquirer.—Edward Connolly has the part of John Kernalie in ” The Conflict.” and Martha Mattox that of Miss Labo. Dclcie. —Kenneth Harlan. Brunton Studios. I„os Angeles, California. Wheeler Oakman. Hollywood Building, Los Angeles. California. Niles Welsh and John Hanon. care Willis and Ingliß, Wright and Callender Buildings. Los Angeles, Cali-

M H.—Madge Evans, care Edward Small. 1493, Broadway. New York City. Pat O’M all© v, Ooldwyn Studios. Culver City. California. Lillian Hall. Vera Gordon and Mildred Reardon, rare Willis and Inglis. Wright and Callender Buildings, Los Angeles. California. Cannot help you with the others, some of whom are no longer in pictures, while those who are have no studio addresses. Princess Pat.—Madge Evans, care Edward Small. 1493. Broadway, New York City. Lillian dish. Griffith Studios. Mamaroneok, Orienta Point. New York. Harrison Ford. Madame Nazimova, Harriett Rammond. Marguerita Fisher. David Butler and Larry Semon. care Willis and Tnglis. Wright and Callender Buildings. I.oh Angeles. California. Norma Talmadere, Brunton Studios. Los Angeles. California. Marie Prevost. Universal Stvdio*. Universal City. California. Irene Castle and Bessie Barriscale are on the

A super-feature coming to the Queen’s Theatre next week is “ Jinx. 1 which features Mabel Xormand. It is claimed to be one of the star s best features and to rival her other big success, “ Mi’ky.” The story has a circus background and is said to contain numerous thrills and comedy situations galore. The Grand next week will screen a Beaumont Smith production entitled ‘ The Gentleman Bushranger,” which is packed full of sensational situations, including a fight in the rigging of a ship, a hold-up by bushrangers, sticking up of a gold escort, collapse of a mine, and the final stand of the outlaws. The leading female part is

played by Dot M’Conville, who does some great riding stunts. Mr Rowley, manager of the Strand, has returned from a visit to Wellington. whither he went for the purpose of arranging for his 1922 programme. He informs me that he has secured Fox super-features for presentation every sixth week, special programmes for every fortnight, and two-feature programmes, known as the standard programmes- In addition to Sunshine comedies, mirth producers with Clyde Cook and Al. St John, have been booked. Patrons of the Strand will be well catered for during the year. An educational film of unusual interest will be shown at Crystal Palace at bn early date. It is entitled “Beautiful Britain,” and covers all the historical places in England and Scotland. Mr Beebe states that he is directing his efforts towards having a high-grade comedy-drama on each of his programmes. being convinced that this class of picture in much appreciated by patrons. Already he has been fortunate enough to secure several in which wellknown stars head the easts. First feature pictures coming include ‘‘False K»ss%»«,” Miss Dupont’s second stellar « Vering. and “The Millionaire,” with Herbert Rawlinson in the lead. “ Way I>own East,” D. W. Griffith’s j . tute, which broke records in New York, and which was the best box office production of tae year, will be screened at the Opera House, Wellington, today. The prices of admission range from 2s to «ss. A Melbourne picture theatre manager expressed regret that more local films were not available. The Australianmade pictures produced by him, he slid, had invariably proved good money gettei s. Eddie Polo’s next serial, it is announced. will be “ The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.” America is now seeing “ Our Mutual Friend ” a Swedish film adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novel. “Second Hand Rose.” a popular sung, is being made into a picture for Gladys Walton, the Universal star. Mrs Sydney Drew, who played opposite her husband, the late Sydney Drew, in the delightful Drew comedies, i> now appearing at a New York theatre with her own company in a Blanche Payson is said to he the tallest woman in motion pictures. She is six feet three inches tall. At present she is with the Fox Sunshine Comedies. She was formerly a San Francisco policewoman. Buck Jones now has arreal Christian name. The story goes that the William Fox cowboy never knew his parents. Like Tops.y, he just growed up. So the other day he went and had himself christened “ Charlie Jones.*' It is said that he intends to play a wider range of characters than he ha 3 been seen in. A society picture show is being organised in London by a party of aristocrats, including the Hon. Edward Lascelles, Princess Mary’s future bro-ther-in-law. and Lord Erskine of Restinoral. They have purchased the little church of St Peter, in Eaton Square, and are converting it into a society kinema hoti.se, with only 730 urn Us and about 300 dress circle Rents in the house. The hope is that members of the Royal Family will patronise the society kiema.

D. TV. Griffith has changed the name of his new picture from ‘‘ The Two Orphans”—the original name of the stage production—-to “ Orphans of the Storm.” After the picture was finished, it was found that at least two foreign films liad been imported with tho idea of presenting them under the title of “The Two Orphans” simultaneously with the Griffith production. To avoid confusion, therefore, Mr Griffy;h changed the title of his picture. A number of actors and actresses engaged in a Cecil I>e Mill© Paramount picture, “Pool’s Paradise, were required to do a week s outdoor soi <, and this is how the luncheons panned out:—Three thousand six hundred sandwiches (assorted beef, ham, cheese and jam), 2700 cups of coffee, 1250 pints of milk. 1500 pounds of fruit. 2000 pieces of chewing gum, 1000 pies. Ihe producer objected to nothing but the chewing gum, but as it was there it was used, and ’tis said the users included Dorothy Dalton, Mildred Harris, Conrad Nagel and Theodore Kosloff.

An interviewer on a well-known figure in most of Charlie Chaplin s productions: —Edna Purvia-nco lias had tho unusual faculty of endurance in a profession where success blooms swiftly—and fades even as it blooms. Among one's earliest memories of screen comedy, her blonde beauty stands out clearly. Then it was as it is to-day —the inevitable companion of a little black moustache and a pair of shuffling, enormous feet. Edna was Chaplin’s foil in his first rioting two-reelers, and she was his leading lady in his last and greatest picture, “ The Kid. Jn between lies a period of years in which, admittedly, .there have been Chaplin pictures without Edna- —hut- very few. Always the great “Chariot” has returned to her. Speaking of the circle that obtains in England tending to militate against the .showing of British films in place of the American article, a writer to the • Daily Mail” says:—“The public will not patronise the kinema in overwhelming numbers in England (as they do in the United States) until the bulk of the films shown are English

and deal with conditions they understand, and not with American life and sentiments which are quite often alien t< them. But English films will not be forthcoming in large numbers and good quality until big capital is put up. Big capital, however, will not lx? put up until exhibitors support home products But exhibitors will not support home products until the public signifies its approval of the new art by patronising the i inemas more freely. And so it goes round and round.

An interesting explanation has been offered by a New York paper as to why professional life in Los Angeles is written up a s being more lively than it is in the big Eastern cities—New York, for instance. players, it says! are part of the night life of this and other towns, and when they've finished their work they welcome bed with both feet. They’re often safe from temptation because when they’re at liberty tor it all the places are shut up, and they have to do likewise. In Los Angeles, it, is pointed out, the film players, after w orking all day-. are let loose on the night life at the same time as all other folks but burglars. Having plenty ol monev in normal times, they’re apt to ride high and free, especially after a hard day’s work at the studio, and when all other scamperings have been run into the ground, they often adjourn to a. hack yard swimming pool at an early hour of the morning for a little iclaxation. In some quarters in America there is a great outcry against the censorship of pictures, amongst those interested in their making and exhibition. Jn this connection the views of David \\ ark Griffith are of interest. He says: —I hope never to direct a picture myself which I should fear to show to the censor, but there should be, I think, discrimination shown between pictures intended to be shown to children and those intended for grownups. Children often take a wrong cast or may do so from something that is not intended to give it. Screens meant for them should be most closely scrutinised. With persons of age to understand the case is different. They are not apt to read into a picture evil which does not exist there, and there are certain themes, harmful perhaps to children, which would prove quite harmless, even innocuous, to their fathers and mothers. You may write me down as saying that 1 do not favour censorship of screen pictures meant for an adult audience. If the theme of such a picture is immoral it may safely be left to the police. The law is powerful enough to stop its circulation. But T am all for protecting the little ones.” For the first time in the history of motion pictures the actors who assisted in the making of a picture appeared in person as part and parcel of the entertainment. This was at the Granada Theatre, San Francisco, tfie 2.000,000 dollar building which opened ns a picture theatre in November, and Ito which reference was made in this column last week- The picture was “ The Sign of the Rose.” Says a San Francisco paper:—As tho fourth reel told its wordless utory the screen figures melted slowly into nothingness, t ame low voices from a darkened stage, gradually growing stronger as the stage lights fioga n o brighten, ind then, when the lights were >n in full' force, the stage revealed a. replica of

the famous flower shop, and tho characters of the silver sheet—the originals themselves —were revealed as living, breathing persons. That the new form of entertainment—mingling the reel with the real—was an instantaneous success was evident from the solid applause which came from every part of the theatre when Beban. Miss Sullivan. Thalasso, Edler and little Miss Jeannie, gave patrons of the Granada two reels of the real thing. The paper “ ventures to predict that the latest development in photoplay presentation will some day be worldwide.” What about the huge numbers of screen actors who could not speak their parts ?

Ono who claims to know all about how it is done in Los Angeles writes as follows to a New York paper:—A player goes out with a contract from a movie picture producing firm at o dollars a week for a year, and he looks around at the handsome homes of the film folk and says to himself, 1 John Jones can do this—and I’m as good a man as he is.” So he starts by buying a house, a dollar down and a dollar whenever vou turn around. Then he drops into* a furniture store and puts his shoulder to some more bills at instalment rates. He gets himself tangled up in some fixings-there are merchants out there just laying for that ? kind of player. Before he’s through he s loaded uo with 60.000 dollars worth of stuff, with onlv a year’s work provided for in his contract and probably nothing to look forward to after that but starvation. That’s why so many players, though they seem to be investing in good solid property out there, aren t really saving anything and have been caught bv the slackening in pictures Avith scarcely enough to got a hair cutAs “The Affairs of Anatol ” is to be screened in Christchurch in the near future, the report of the Melbourne premier at the Town Hal! is interesting. “Table Talk of h c )ruarv 2 says- A special introductory programme to create the proper atmosphere for the presentment of the big attraction was provided. After a “ curtain raiser ” in the shape of a Harold Lloyd comedy, came the prologue, probably the most ambitious attempt in this direction yet staged in Melbourne. Opening with an imaginary telephone conversation between Miss Australia and Uncle Sam, inquiries were made concerning “ Anatol/' and in response Uncle Sam called up the “ shadows” of the screen actors. Fairly substantial shadows they were, too. dressed similarly to their counterparts in the play. The idea was so good l that it was a pity the facial likenesses were not more remarkable. The actor impersonating Theodore Roberts was most successful. No expense had been spared in regard to the presenting of “ Anatol ’ in Melbourne, and even a song of that name was sung, specialty dances were given, and the stage was widened and arranged as a cabaret, with the elaborately garbed characters sitting at small tables all around. The picture which followed

these interesting preliminaries is one of the liest yet issued under the Paramount banner—and that is saying much. Cecil B. de Mille has utilised the full resources of tho vast Lasky studios and the talents of a dozen motion picture stars in this production, wiiich is based on Schnitzler’s whimsical

“ Anatol ” series. The continuity is well sustained, and occasional flashes of delightful humour creep in among tho near tragedy episodes. The mounting and dressing justify the titlp of super-production. Of the galaxy of stars appearing in the cast. Wallace Reid as Anatol. Gloria Swanson as Vivian and Wanda Hawley as Emilie shine most brilliantly. Snappy, subtitles are illustrated in novel fashion, which adds to the interest of the film.