MOVIE WORLD STUDIO & SCREEN

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16905, 2 December 1922, Page 3

MOVIE WORLD STUDIO & SCREEN

WOTTOE TO OOBBEBPONDENTB. j Correspondents desirous of bavin* Questions answered in the current issue are requested ;o see that their communications J are delivered at this office not later than i Ttwadar afternoon. Jklerl.—Elaine Hammerstein trill be seen 'n i Ohristchuroh again about the end of De- : oember at Greater Cryeal Palace. “ Fool- 1 ieh Wiv«e " is in eleven parts. Beatrice.—Conrad Nagel is married; Dorothy Dalton la not at preeent, but has been. Address of both. Laeky Studios, Hollywood, California. " Orphans of the Storm " will be screened at Liberty on I>ecember 16. John L.—“ Robinson Crusoe" is in eighteen episode*. The cast is:— Harry My ere og Bobinson Crusoe and Noble Johnstone as Friday. Other main parts are taken by Josef Swickard, Gertrude Olmatead, Percy PembjQpke and Gertrude Claire. 'Local patron s * will soon have the opportunity of seeing the famous Polish actress, Pola Negri, on the screen. Paramount have secured one of her productions. (t The Red Peacock. ” and it- will be screened at Everybody's. (t Trooper O’Neil,starring Charles (Buck) Jones, a romance of engrossing interest and speedy action dealing with the Canadian North-West Mounted Police, will be screened at the Qneen’ri Theatre shortly. Everybody’s will shortly be screening “ The Man Unconquerable,’’ a Paramount prcdnotion. witli Jack Holt and Sylvia Breamer in the leading &arts. It is n romance of the South aas, and contains some beautiful tropical scenes,

Included on the new progiamm© at the Queen’s Theatre is a special feature * Vesuvius Conquered.” The film give** wonderful views of the famous volcano i full action. The scenes wen* taken from a ’plane and was the first time that moving pictures have been taken of the actual crater. The enterprise was nearly marred by accident as the pilot was overcome by fumes and had to make a forced landing. A gripping drama of the great North-West, of wide expanses and the great out doors, is “ Hhe Silent Call,” ♦o be screened at Liberty next week. The central figure of the story is a dog, Strongheart, a wonderful canine—pulling between the blood call of the wolf, and of devotion to the girl. The leading feminine character is played by Katherin M’Guire, a gill transferred from the city ease to the mountain vustnesses, while John Bowers plays the leading male role, that of a strong man among strange men. “ Omar Khayyam,” which is booked for production at Liberty on December SO is described a 3 a remarkable and beautiful production. The many magnificent scenes include a wonderful conception of the Heavens showing stars shooting through the skies and many extraordinarj' and unusual sights never before seen in motion pictures. Other scenes that stand out in the picture are those of the Potter and hi- living pots, the dance scenes in the Sultan’s Palace and the delightful pictures of Persian Gardens, cities. ;md temples. “ Orphans of the Storm,” D. W. Griffith’s great production will be screened at the Liberty on December I(*> Based on the stirring melodrama “ The Two Orphans,” with a record of a half century’s success the Griffith film utilises every bit of dramatic action in it and displays it against ;t titanic background of action and atmosphere ot the period—the French Revolution. Critics have hailed “ Orphans of the Storm ” as a moving story, swift in action, wonderful in historic interest and filled with a masterly sense of suspense and climax. “If I Were King.” which is based on Justin Hu fitly M’Carthy’s romance, will be screened at the Queen’s Theatre nt Christmas. It is a Fox production ami "William Farnum has the part of Francois Villon. The author recently related how he came to write “If I AVer© King.” “ While I was in New York,” said Mr M’Cartliy, “ J was weaving the plot of a piny lor Mr E. 11. Sothern. The idea did not work cut as we expected, so 1 spoke to Mr Sothern about. Francois Villon. 1 had been interested in Villon since I was very young, during the days when I was travelling on the FYmiinent to complete my education. Villon always fascinated me. I translate i lib poems. 1 read everything he Mr

Sothern liked the character. I wrote he play and the book practically at ■ the same time Tam pleased to say that both were well received by the public.’’ Of “Foolish ’Wives,” which was produced at Auckland on November 25, and which will be screened at Greater Crystal Palace on December 4, an Auckland critic says ;—The appeals to ! the senses aro so numerous in “ Foolish Wives ” that the spectator has quite | a bewildering experience as the film is j unreeled. He is at once impressed j with the expen si vo ness of the producj tion. So thorough is the orattsmani ship of the builder and originator of ! the picture it is more than diffiIcult to realise that the scenes were filmed in California. The entire action is supposed to take place at Mont© j Carlo, and ir. the vicinitv of the faj motie gambling resort, and it is truly | remarkable bow faithful a replica of the real localities hus been made for this film. The Plaza at Monaco, with ! its huge throngs of plea sure- seekers, by 1 day and by night. the Cafe do Paris, the Hotel do Paris, the- pigeon-shoot-ing rendezvous, and scores of other *ocn«s are thrown upon the screen as , the story progresses, until the spectacular effects have made a lasting impression. The interior scenes at the asino, with their motley and cosmoooliton crowds, are very vividly shown, ■•rid with a wealth of detail quite unisual. Throughout the picture this attention to detail is a feature, and there are some really notable feasts for the

vision of the onlooker. Among the sensational phases of the theme which grip the interest forcibly are a tierce storm in which the two loading characters bravo the dements, and a fire scone in which the name duo make a thrilling escape from a burning tower. Apart from the lavishness of the settings, there is a story of such tense and sustained interest that it has an enthralling effect, which von Stroheim, who directed, the film and wrote the scenario, plays the role of a, veritable liend, who preys upon society, and especially upon its weak-willed women, to his own advantage and that of two smart Russian accomplices posing as princesses. The villain portrayed hy von Stroheim engages in an intrigue with the pretty and frivolous wife of the American Envoy to Monaco, who becomes a ready victim. The false “ count ** is presented by the actor in a most forcible way, impelling the whole-hearted hatred of the specta- j tor. Longfellow’s celebrated poem “ The Courtship of Miles Stand, ish ” is to be picturised, with Charles Ray fn the loading part. Why is someone always suggesting that sub-titles be done away with when the titles are often the best part of the picture? Tn his latest picture— name not given Tom Mix, the Fox star, wears a l>oard, and not a false one at that, but one he grew himself. I When a dentist tried to charge her IdOO dollars for filling one of her molars, little Zazu Fitts got her candor up (according to a movie magazine). She proceeded to go through I voluntary bankruptcy, in the course cf which her sole assets wore revealed as a husband and a baby. One hundred novels a year! That is the rending average of Thomas Meighan, Paramount star, in his quest for good material for his screen vehicles. Ik'sides the hooks, Meighan peruses many short stories add plays, and keeps an active watch on all new fiction, stage end short story material. The following statistics, guaranteed to he authentic, have been issued in connection with “ Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood”: Thirty thousand calls issued through casting department to players. Eighteen hundred ! players used in biggest scene. Throe : hundred horses used in a single scene Total scenes shot, 1108 Maximum I number of scenes in a day. thirty (in Sherwood forest). ; When Mabel Normand returned j from her trip abroad she found that . several trunks stored in New ' ork and | containing wardrobe and fewellerv had 1 ! been seized in connection with* an ■ ’action instituted lv P M. Charles , who alleged that he formerly was on j Mi.v.s Nonnand’fe publicity stair and

that he was not paid for hi* work. His claim was for 3940 dollars, representing salary alleged to he due and money paid out by him on her behalf. “Through Three Reigns,” Mr Cecil Hepwortb’e historical film record of the principal events of the last 30 years, was shown recently at a command performance before the King and Queen at Balmoral Castle. The film presents a. Royal Family album such as never existed before. It shows Queen ictoria’s visit to Dublin, an inspection of troops on the Horse Guard s Parade by King Edward, at which the cx-Txai-

sor was present, and the coronations of j both King Edward and the present King. Wesley Barry, whose contract with j Marshall Neilan lias expired, has been ! signed for a number cf years to appear ! exclusively in Warner Brothers produci tions. He has already completed two ' pictures for the company— “ Rags to ! Riches ” and “ Little Heroes of the j Street ” —and when the mail left, the new employers of the freckled-faced youth had arranged for his appearance in the principal cities of Airierica in« a j short act specially written to prove that his abilities were not confined to ! the “ silent'drama.” A great effort has been made by film folk in Amerl.-i 1o out nut the profits of the middleman. "The Independent Screen Artists’ Guild ’ is the result of the movement. It was formed by forryllvo of the most prominent independent. producers and stars of motion pictures, headed bv Charles Chaplin and Norma Talma rige. and seeks to establish direct relations between the Los Angeles studios and lire eighteen thousand theatres of the t ruled States :o Ibe exclusion of middlemen s costs. Its charter is based on those of the craftsmen’s guilds of Europe. Over three, thousand theatres quickly enlisted to support- the new movement. Someone called Mitchell Lewis, playing the heavy in Irvin V. Willat’s pro- ! duct ion for Paramount, “On the High . Seas” a hard boiled egg. Whereupon Lewis decided upon looking into the mirror that his head resembled an egg. in shape, due to' the fact that his liair was nearly all shaved off except a little topknot which came up to a point, giving an oval effect. But, although he looked villainous in his begrimed

stoker costume, he took exception to j the phrase “ hard boiled.” “ Roasted ” , would be a better word he explained, j as he displayed a ccat of sunburn on his shaved head due to having worked j for two days bareheaded on the deck j of a schooner. An American scribe advances the fob j lowing interesting theory to explain j the phenomenal rise to fame of Rudolf 1 Valentino:—He does not look like | you r husband. He is not in the least j like your brother. He does not re semble the man your mother thinks you ought to marry. He is not like the : nice boy who takes yon to all the- high school dances. And so women go to j see him in motion pictures because he typifies Romance ; he is the hero of that love affair you never experienced. Out in Hollywood, the men who know him like him. But no man understands the reason for his phenomenal popularity. The women know, but they won't tell. Ah for Valentino himself, he doesn’t talk about it.” The Fox representative who went to Palestine to film pictures on the spot in connection with the picturisation of Wright Lorimer’s novel “The Shepherd King,” have completed their work. The story deals with the life of David, beginning when he was a mere shepherd lad and kills the giant Goliath. A prologue shows Moses lending the tribe of Israel out of bondage. , passing the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Subsequent scenes were taken in anti near Jerusalem and the battle with Giant Goliath was staged in the J actual valley where the original com- ! hat took place. The giant Goliath was j impersonated by an Egyptian, seven j ieet six inches tall, a well-known char- ! acter in Cairo, Egypt, who was en- j gaged specially for the role. Violet j Mersereau is the leading woman of the cast. The last of the Caesars, brave in all liis decadent glory, the twice-dail - burning of Rome, and the massacre of the earK Christians, are among tinmany palatable ingredients in the new film, “ Nero,” a Fox “ super ” production, says the “ Daily Mail ” film critic. Produced for the Fox Film i Company by J- Gordon Edwards, the film was largely taken in Rome and its vicinity, additional scenes being | made in the Italian Alps. A great 1 spectacle, vivid and full of action f*. the second half, tolerably well produced. and certainly exciting. “ Nero 5 i-j probably a better film than its pro decessor, “The Queen of Sheba.” The acting of Jacques' Gretillat. a Frenchman, as Nero, i~ particularly good. The film leaves nothing to the imagination in the way of a fire. Rome is ablaze indeed, and. judicious tintiu : adds considerably tv. the effect- Jf not u great artistic achievement. “ Nero n is a vigorous film, and likeb to prove popular. Apart from the regular cast, which to international (So,ooo people are said to have taken part- in the crowd. LILA LEE. LEADING WOMAN IN PARAMOUNT PICTURES. One of the mos . popular leading woj men ot the screen is inla Leo. the attractive young imss who recently graduated rroin vauuenlie into tfie raius oi kiucu Aituouglt very young, xHiss j_.na lias acnievea o measure 01 iume seldom equalled in the film.world, xier personal charm, plus an instinctive

dramatic ability, iiave earned, tor Jier a known as “ Cuddles” to followers in America, began her >tage carter at the ago of eigne, when she made her first. appearance in vaudevnie. £She attracted the attention of Je-sse L. La say and she ..its signed to uppear in Paramount pictures on her sixteenth birthday. Her first ‘ picture, “The Cruise of the Make-Believe,” was a big success, and in rupxd succession she appeared in tiie r.-1 lowing photoplays: —“Such a Little Pirate.” “ The Secret Garden,” •‘Puppy Love.” “ The Rustling Bride." " A Daughter of the Wolf/' j •* Rose of the- and “ Heart of ! Youth ” She played the important, role of "Tweeny” in Cecil B. de il’e’s production “ Male and Fe- • ” f- r arn .*■ In “The s _ _ .... eu -pp-osA-e Thomas i-.ign.in ana was leading woman ioi Houdini in “ Terror Island,” a Paramount picture. Lntelv she plaverl , ;.podie Wallace Reed in The Ghost

THEIR FIRST SCREEN KISS. MOVIE ACTRESSES RELATE EXPERIENCES. (Bv MYRTLE GE3HART in “Picture Play.”) One of the thousand reasons the girl fans mention in their letters for envying the lucky damsels of the screen is their opportunity for being made love to by such handsome chaps. To play amorous sceneß with Wnllie or the beautiful Rodolph or handsome Eugene O'Brien! “You don't appreciate the gifts the gods have bestowed upon you.” as one ecstatic little girl down in Louisiana wrote Patsy Ruth Miller, commenting upon Patsy Ruth's printed statement- that she didn't get a bit of thrill out cf silver*sheet love scenes. The truth of tiie matter is that our

screen actresses particularly the vounger girls—fairly detest kissingkinematically, of course. Those scenes of lip pressure—culminating in that ecstatic wiggling of feminine fingers behind the stalwart masculine back, a la Griffithian school-—are the bane of their young lives. What seems 1o many of their admirers a wonderful opportunity, seems 10 them only a disagreeable experience, sc disagreeable, indeed, that some players make every effort to avoid it. mour credits Madge Kennedy with being the qnlv star who has succeeded in avoiding screen kisses. Many envious players have tried to emulate her example, but their producers proved to be hard-hearted men who insisted on their being kissed. Not only Patsy Ruth Miller, but al most every other player of note has received dozen© ofi (let ters yjpenkki g enviously of the love scenes she has an opportunity to play. Much as I hate to disillusion Patsy Ruth’s youthful critic, and the thousands who agree with her, 1 think it is only right to explain that kissing before the camera is very prosaic, and is utterly devoid of sentiment. What so many of the fans do not stop to consider is that the making or a picture is as different from seeing it as cooking a dinner is from eating it. When you sit in the cool, dark theatre your senses lulled by music, and your imagination carried along by the tori- \ dor story and the beautiful, ever- ! changing picture 011 the screen, you I feel, of course, the tenderness of the j love scenes. The emotions which the actors have ‘worked hard to portray : actually - I> over you. i- difstudio set. The. other evening a hunch of girl *

was at my house for dinner. The conversational pyrotechnics settled upon j canning romance, and crude onlooker 1 that I am, I let fall a question aoout their participation in scenes of amour with the screen’s handsome heroes. “Oh, my dear, if you only knew what we go through with!” Mildred Davis raised horrified blue eyes. ** It s terrible, having strange men kiss you. Of course you got ysed to it, but. the first time Why. I almost lost my contract because I wouldn't let Bryant WTshburn kiss me. “ I was supporting lum in ‘ Ail Wrong.* at Universal.” she went on. “It was one of m first p-ciures, ami c* I • 1-C ' : •' iix-h fr.un - Everything went well until we came to tfie kissing scene. ‘ Grab him, Mildred.’ the director cried. c Tiirov^your liim ” iituck one paw tiimdly on Mr

j Washburn’s shirt front—that was the ; £ l best T could manage. I , wnemt quite i j sixteen then, and I’d never been kissed j ; • Ivofore bv anv man but mv dachlv. and ' j 1 was reared stiff. } “ Whaeldaya think you’re doing, j ' i child, patting a telegraph pole?” the j • j director yelled. He was furious with j ( ! me. and that made me more nervous. ■ ' I just couldn’t go through with it. So J ! 1 wont off in a corner behind some : j scenery and cried. The director stormed | around and if I didn’t do that ; ! kissing scene I could consider myself j . fired and my contract broken. ‘ I don't j | care.' I wailed, ’I won’t kiss him 1’ j j But finally Mr Washburn intervened, j ! He said I needn't kiss him if I didn’t j ! want to. So they shot the scene with j j u* holding hands, which wasn’t quite j ino bad." Later her first screen kiss | j was given her by Harold Lloyd, and j j she has been his kissee ever since. i

j “ But mine was worse .than yours.” | Patsy Ruth Miller exclaimed, exprets- | sivo brown eyes racing a mile ahead I of her lips—when Pat talks it isn’t with | words alone, it’s with eyes, shoulders, j hands. “They, played a dirty trick j on me when I had my first encounter. ! It was in ‘Camille,’ Maximova's picj ture. with Rex Cherry man—my first j part. 1 was terribly nervous—kissing | a man I’d just /net-, with all those j people standing around watching. Mother was just off the set and kept j calling to me, ' Go ahead- Pat, it’s all : right you’re supposed to be married to j Box. it's perfec» 1 3* respectable.’ Finally ; l mustered up courage to commit the | c red. It was one of those terrible fadei cut- kind that last for several minutes. ■ Hold it !’ yelled the director. Pat 1 grabbed .Mildred and demonstrated her strangle hold on Rex. ‘And I held too. Finally we had to come up for air and found everybody laughing ;i t us. The camera wasn’t grinding-—the fadeout had been completed, but they left us to our misery to see how long we would hang on. It was a dirty trick, “Next?” I turned io May MaoAvoy. ' 1 Come into 1 iiio. “ Why, their experiences were mild compared to mine,” May insisted, “ft was in ‘ Hat.’, my first picture and my fust screen kiss. Oh. how f rebelled. I knew the leading man and his wife quite well, but stiil I shied from indulging in amorous kisses with him, imploring the director to merely let me fall on his shoulder •It will look so wraceful and poetic if 1 just fall on his shoulder.’ I urged. But no, a- kiss it had to be-and a fade-out at that. They certainly do drag. The first time i didn’t hold it long enough * so the 1 second time 1 determined to hang on

I fox* ever. When J. finally decided it I was long enough I discovered that some--1 thing was wrong with the lights. And had to do it" all over again After it was over i was so ashamed I wouldn’t speak to the man or to anybody—just went off and -cried. They all teased me so until his wife persuaded me into a better humour. ' If 1 don’t object, May. I don’t see why you should.’ She laughed. Since then I've learned to irn personalis® such things absolutely They are iuat part of the ' business ’ of the'picture. Still, I don't think I’ll ever forget the agony I went through with that first screen kiss.” “ T can’t remember the first time I quisitxve sails, ‘ because screen kisses are entirely impersonal. I can’t recall that I was ever ‘fussed ” or embar\alentino admitted hat he was

somewhat emban*assed when first called j upon to kiss a young lady before the camera, but states confidently that be | lias so far ccvercoine his early scruples that be ncPvv “can make love xealisticallv to a girl who doesn't appeal to me at. nil." Agues Ayres, on the other } hand, confesses that never has she got j over her embarrassment at being kissed j for the screen, , I • Laura Hope Crewes. in • The Fight- ; ing Hope.’ was my first vis-a-via in a ! screen oscillatory scene. said Thomas j Meighan when 1 inquired into his past j misdeeds. c ' 1 had been on the stage, so was not an amateur in the art. ; I was not nervous about it. Miss j Crewes* said nothing cue way or the . ! other, so I hove no means of recording j | her opinion on the matter ot my i ! efficiency might- have been. I So you see. you girls and boys who i envy screen folks their amorous ; 1 scenes, they aren't quite as poised and

self-confident as you might think, while embracing and being embraced by each other. And particularly was their first kiss an appalling affair. SUCCESS COMES SLOWLY. HOW 1 HOSE FROM NURSEMAID TO FILM STAR. (By BETTY COMP SON.) Funny, isn't it, how lots of people still believe that a. girl has but to show a prettv lace to a film director in order to be made a “ star.” and earn a “ hundred-a-week ” salary. This idea has got, about because many stars do not cave t y -dwell on the sad storv of disheartening drudgery that they endured before .success came to them. For my. part, however. 1 find it rather inspiring to look bark and remember the bumps and mis For fames which L met on my road to. fame. My parents wanted me to become a violinist, and knowing that J. must earn a living somehow. I accepted an offer to .join, as violin player, a small music-hall troupe. The salary was extremely small, and had to cover travelling, living expenses. and clothes. The miserable struggle, the discomforts and dirt of the tumble-down balls in the towns we visited, and the fact that before the tour was mided my mother had to return home, leaving me alone, ncarlv made me deride to give up what l had so eagerly hoped would b • a. “ grand career.* * Fin a lly the ompa ny w 1

in San Francisco. I knew my mo then* could not afford to come t-o me, so my only course was to earn and save enough to go to her ! In desperation I took a post as nursemaid to the children of a wealthy shipbuilder. To get to my mother would cost me fully ten pounds, and as ms wages as nursemaid were -two pounds a month. £ must remain in the situation at least live months. And here, if you please, my story reads like a novel! Just when T was getting interested in my little charges another bump appeared in my road! The eldest son of the family by whom I was employed chose to fall in love with me. and went to roarrv me! —y: -*yz *;e!y T y ' hove to lea ve- and my ten pounds seemed to be going to be swallowed up in another unemployment period; but I decided, once more to ‘‘stick it out.” and niani aged to make the young disturber in . question understand tlial L intended to

have nothing whatever to do with j him. So I earned my ten pounds, aud jpckzl j car. imagine my joy whan the trefn ; steamed ont for the little homo-town j several hundred miles * After that I obtained am engagement j with a. musical comedy oompnay, and ( while on tour met 0. gentleman who gave me an introduction to A 1 Cbriaiie. oi Christie Comedies fame Again T was involved in. a struggle to * collect enough money for a train ride, ! this time* to go to the movie city. Loa ! .V-geles. When at last T arrived -there T was lucky enough to find that, on the j strength of his friend's letter. Mr j Christie had kept a small part for me in a new film. T wired for mother to ioi-n me. and once again we settled oow n to see what success awaited me. With my foot thus on the screen ladder, the lessons diversity had taught me—-especial I v during my nursemaid period—helped me to make a slow but steady climb up to success in emotional roles on the screen. And here T am.