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6 inE SUNDAY OREGOXIAy, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 31. 1919.
I '.,t fU - y r ',V, f-V 7 ( I
TODAY'S FILM FEATURES.
Strand Nazimova, "The Brat."
Liberty Plive Thomas, "Upstairs,
and Down."
Majestic D o u p 1 a s Fairbanks,
"His Majesty, the American."
C o 1 u m b i a British production,
"Choosing a Wife."
Peoples Billie Burke, "The Mis
leading Widow."
Star William Desmond, "A Sage
Brush Hamlet."
Sunset Blanche Sweet, "The Un
pardonable Sin."
Circle Douglas Falrbanbs, "The
Knickerbocker Buckaroo."
MOTION1 PICTURE row has sud
denly turned musical. In reality
it turned musical on September
12. the day on which the strike made
by" the musicians, operators and post
ers' union was called' off and motion
picture managers once more were at
peace with the world. On that day it
was announced that an eight-piece or
chestra would be installed in the Co
lumbia theater within 10 days and that
a 12-piece orchestra would find its way
to the Peoples theater by the end of
90 days.
Ten days have elapsed and Portland
Is this week welcoming the Columbia
orchestra. In celebrating the first
week of orchestra, the Columbia is now
showing a British film, "Choosing a
Wife." . .
Running true to announcements
made the first of the month by its
owner, S. Morton Cohn, the Strand the
' ater embarked on its new policies yes
terday to the tune of a 25-piece sym
phony orchestra. As if a 25-piece or
chestra . were not enough to emphasize
the point that the Strand intends to
rank as one of the first of all high
grade cinema houses in the country, it
is now showing "The Brat," Nazlmova's
latest success. These two facts the
orchestra and the Nazimova picture
are further enhanced by the elaborate
changes completed in the Strand by
yesterday noon. The changes com
menced to take place ten days ago w hen
work. started on a ramp or incline lead
ing from Washington street to the
mezzanine floor. By Thursda'y night
patrons of the theater crawled into the
auditorium over false carpeting, around
lurking ladders, over spiteful tacks and
In between busy carpenters. Friday the
house remained dark but yesterday it
opened in. all its new glory,, in which
predominates mulberry hangings and
draperies, new loges and more elabo
rate dressing rooms.
J. J. Parker and C. S. Jensen, declar
ing their nerves to be run ragged, le'ff
Portland last Thursday night in search
of "a little quiet." The Pendleton
Round-Up proved to be their idea of
Quiet. They jire expected to return
today.
.
Portland film row had a real loss last
week. Sam W. B. Cohn. manager of the
Sunset theater, resigned from active
business. It is understood he is con
sidering an exceedingly attractive posi
tion with a large eastern firm.
Among. the visitors in Portland last
week who interested local film men
were President Wilson and L. D. Bur
chart and both of these visitors fea
ture C. S. Jensen of the Jensen &
Von Herberg Interests. President Wil
son merely lunched with Mr. Jensen,
sitting exactly across the table from
him. Mr. Burchart, however, did more
than eat. Representing the Selznick
Interests, he spent the week in staging
a few "circus" events aimed to adver
tise Olive Thomas in "Upstairs and
Down," the feature now appearing at
the Liberty theater. One of these stunts
was a newsboys' marathon which start
ed yesterday morning before Liberty
temple 'and ended an hour later before
the Liberty theater. The other event
was in connection with the United States
navy recruiting department and con
sister of a ladder climbing, rope scal
ing contest staged from the Imperial
hotel windows just opposite the Lib
erty theater. Mr. Burchart is a former
dramatic editor of the Seattle Tost
Intelligencer. Incidentally, he has writ
ten a scenario to be used shortly for
Pauline Frederick.
POLISH CONDITION'S FILMED
Ked Cross Pictures to Be Released
Next Month.
Once upon a. time. Joseph Leckowlt
sky lived happily with his wife and five
children in tiny quarters on the lower
East Side of New York City. He had
prospered in his trade as a hatmaker
and just before the war broke out,
he resolved to send his little family
back to Poland on a long promised
visit to old friends and relatives.
Then followed four years of agony.
Mrs. Leckowitsky and the children were
caught in the maelstrom of war. The
husband appealed in vain for informa
tion as to the whereabouts of his loved
ones. He tried to send money to them,
but there was no way. Week after
week, and month after month, he
dragged himself through his dally
work, driven by worries and rumors
everything but the assurance of safety
for his dear ones.
Yesterday came the climax of a bit
ter tragedy. He learned that a chair
man of the American Red Cross relief
in Poland had arrived In New York.
Trembling with anticipation of news
of his people.' he hurried to the hotel
where the Red Croaa official was
stopping. The chairman was address
ing a little group at a luncheon. Joseph
Leckowitsky faltered at the door and
then sank into a nearby chair to wait
his greatest opportunity.
- Without warning, the speaker men
tioned his name. And as he listened,
Joseph Leckowitsky learned how his
wife and oldest daughter had starved,
following a courageous effort to keep
together the bodies and souls of the
little family. The speaker related how
13-year-old Abraham had traveled alone
from Pinsk to Warsaw to say to him:
"Please do not tell my father that
mother died from hunger." And he
heard how the brave boy was struggling
night and day to keep the three other
little Leckowitskys from a similar fate.
Joseph Leckowitsky, in his remote
corner, heard all the story. He did not
wait to talk further with the chairman.
He left and where he went, no one
seems to know. Israel Grossman, an
other East Sider, had .also heard how
his wife and children were suffering
the pangs of hunger. In Poland. He
had imagination and he pictured in his
mind the fate, of his loved ones. Three
weeks ago the patrol carried him away
a maniac. In instance after instance,
the horrors and suffering of Poland
are thus reflected among us at borne
who barely realize the conditions that
exist.
The American Red Cross relief trains
covered 1500 miles on Polish railways.
The bureau of pictures of the American
Red Cross secured on that trip material
for a motion picture which is to be
released soon. In the picture is told
the story of the soup kitchens that are
the only means of staying off starva
tion. Peasants travel miles to take
their place in the daily soup line.
Should they, by any misfortune, miss
the soup, they would have to go with
out tasting food for 48 hours.
The Red. Cross cameramen who are
filming these new subjects are securing
material that has not before been pho
tographed They, are making picture
records of scenes that have not been
enacted before in the world's history,
and of events and places that have been
closed to the camera during the war.
Beginning in midsummer, it is expected
that there will be regular releases that
will bring to American audiences vivid
portrayals of Red Cross activities, and
history in the making, as it is seen
in Poland. Russia, Turkey, the Balkans
and other war-torn countries.
FOREIGN MARKETS UNINVITING
American Methods and Production
t
Will Continue to Dominate.
"American pictures dominate the for
eign market, and American ideas, effi
cient business methods and general
up-to-dateness must be adopted abroad
before film manufacturers of England,
France or other foreign countries may
hope to compete in the picture market."
Such is the impression gained by E.
W. Hammons, vice-president and gen
eral manager of the Educational Films
Corporation of America, as a result of
a six weeks' study of conditions on the
other Bide.- Mr. Hammons does not con
ceal his slight disappointment in find
ing unsatisfactory scenic material on
the other side; he does not pretend to
place any seriousness on attempted or
rumored boycotts of American film;
nor, most important of all, does he
hide his satisfaction in the plan of
plans for .the broadening of Educa
tional. He wants the best short sub
jects in the world, intends to have them,
and . sees his corporation publicly
looked up to as the creators and pos
sessors of such pictures. Details of the
coming enlargement of Educational's
interests must wait M. Hammons' an
nouncement the latter part of July.
"I have left five men behind to work
in England, France and Italy to secure
suitable film. Agencies have also been
established in London and Paris and
other centers.
"But frankly, the foreign market
does not have material, nor can it pro
duce it. The war, of course, curtailed
all film manufacturers over ihere. But
the fact remains that Europe must im
port American ideas and efficiency be
fore they can hope to have "a place in
the sun' of this industry."
. "We make pictures at one-half the
cost it takes an English manufacturer
and the pictures are better than
theirs. Talk of an English boycott of
American films can amount to nothing.
There are 5000 theaters, approximately,
in England. With their costly methods,
a manufacturer can not find a paying
market for his pictures among them.
We in America can make money with
out .selling to the foreign market. We
can do without those over there, but
they can not do without us. Practi
cally all that is seen in English or
French theaters are American pictures.
Speaking specifically of France, Mr.
Hammons said:
"The French like the American pic
ture. Despite very high admission
prices, due to enormous taxes, the thea
ters do a good business. Of course
prices are high in England also, but the
theaters are not of the class of the
average French house." .
While Mr. Hammons said his an
nouncement regarding the broadening
of Educational's activities must wait,
he did. outline tentative points in his
plans.
"We are going to add many new re
leases of high-class order," he stated.
"As many releases as the market will
stand, but we do not intend to glut the
market. There will be an expansion of
our activities that will be, I think, sur
prising to the trade. We want the best
in the world In short subjects, and we
want to pay the best for these pic
tures." One representative of Educational
has been sent into Germany and Aus
tria to take scenes of present-day con
ditions. Many offers emanating from
these countries have received no con
sideration from this firm.. The event
ual ratification of peace and the lifting
t of the ban at present observed will be
& I k " " k 1 v ' il ' i nil
F ' ' 11 'r'-KL J ' J
time eno' gh, Mr. Hammons said, to
consider commercial relations with
concerns in the countries of our former
enemies.
COMEDY DRAMA AT LIBERTY
"Upstairs and Down" Is Full of
Dah and Thrills.
"Upstairs and Down," a comedy
drama with pep, dash and thrills that
wi'l entertain and delight any moving
picture audience in the country, will be
seen this week when the lovely young
star, Olive Thomas, is presented in the
first of her series of Selznick Pictures.
Olive Thomas as Alice Chesterton,
gives a delightful characterization of
the "baby vamp" who was happiest
when she was entangled in a web of
intrigue and trouble. This adorable
little mischief-maker is engaged to Tom
Carey, but to her that is only an ordi
nary incident in the wheel of life. At
a large house party in Long Island she
"vamps" Terry O'Keefe, an Irish boy,
with a captivating smile and a be
witching brogue. He is the means of
furnishing her with one of her many
"happiest" moments. She follows him
to the city and when later he really
falls in love with Alice's sister. Betty,
and asks her to marry him, Alice says
that Terry has compromised her and
must marry her. Eventually, things
straighten themselves out, to the satis
faction of all concerned.
"Upstairs and Down" is a picturiza
tion of the fjffnous stage success of the
same name by Frederic and Fanny Hat
ton. With its splendid direction by
Charles Oiblyn and excellent cast in
cluding Robert Ellis, Mary Charleson,
Rosemary Theby, David Butler and An
drew Robson, this superb comedy
drama will enter the annals of the best
productions the screen has ever had.
When Miss Thomas' picture, "Up
stairs and Down," was first shown,
Messrs. Lewis and Young decided to
write a song about it. The result of
their collaboration was an instant hit.
Everywhere people are singing and
whistling "Upstairs and Down."
BILLIE BURKE AT PEOPLES
"The Misleading Widow" Is Attrac
tion of Week.
Billie Burke, the famous stage and
screen star, is the star of "The Mis
leading Widow," this week's attraction
at the Peoples theater.
The story centers around pretty Mrs.
Betty Taradine, who has taken into
her home in a small New England
town two convalescing officers a
Colonel Preedy and his aide. Captain
I'eter Rymill and because she and her
chum, Penelope Moon, live alone there,
the Reverend Ambrose Liptrott and his
sister. Miss Tabitha. are quite con
cerned over the scandal.
Betty has a husband somewhere
he. had left her years before because
she was hopelessly extravagant, and
when her bank informs her that she
has overdrawn her account again and
had better borrow on her husband's
life insurance, she gets an idea. If her
husband were dead, she would get it
all. So 6he sends a telegram to herself
Informing herself of tho death of her
husband in South Africa. Just as she
finishes reading this to Penelope,
Colonel Preedy brings in Captain Ry
mill, whom Betty has not previously
seen and she finds herself 'looking at
her "dead husband."'
Peter agrees to keep. up the Iecep-
tion, but when the Rev. Ambrose rails
to offer consolations for her loss. Peter
shows he is jealous over the minister's
attentions. Realizing this. Betty flirts
desperately with the colonel, with whom
Penelope has fallen in love. So Penel
ope devotes herself to Peter and un
consciously enlightens him as to
Betty's financial condition, so he set
tles most of Betty's accounts, but. un
fortunately for her reputation, he is
seen by Miss Tabitha.
The Liptrotts have come to tell Betty
that because of the scundal going
around about her, she had better leave
town. When he . hears this, I'eter
crawls from under the bed and claims
Betty as his wife. Then Colonel Preeiiy
steps forth, explains the reason for his
presence in Betty's room, and tells
Penelope of his love for her.
So all misunderstandings are cleared
away and the lovers 8re happy.
Majratlr.
Breaking records is the chief hobby
of J. J. l'arker of the Majestic thea
ter. That was why he came back from
California early last summer with a
contract in his jeans calling for tho
"Big Four" productions to be shown
at the Majestic theater. And that was
why Douglas Fairbanks' first picture,
"His Majesty, the American" opened
last week at the Majestic. And that,
again, was why the announcement was
made that owing to the great success
of the latest Fairbanks picture and
the thousands of persons who had been
turned away from the theater, "His
Majesty, the American" will be shown
at the Majestic for still another week
beginning today.
One reason for the evident success
of "His Majesty, the American" is the
uniersal appeal of the production.
Youngsters enjoy the fairy tale that
is woven in it. Men enjoy the tricks
of physical skill in which "Doug" so
prides himself. There is a pretty love
story from which any real girl can get
a real thrill and there is a little talk
about mothers that every person who
sees, the picture realizes strikes right
home.
Everything that has been claimed for
"His Majesty, the American" is more
than borne out in the production. The
picture has been splendidly put on, and
the cast supporting Fairbanks is ex
ceptional. Marjory Daw, who has been
seen before in numerous of Doug's
pictures, is with him again, and Frank
Campeau, Lillian Langdon, E. H.
Sothern's talented brother, Sam. Al
bert McQuarrie, Jay Dwiggins, "Bull"
Montana, Will Gillis, Phil Uastrox and
many others help Fairbanks in fine
shape. The direction of the picture is
credited to Joseph Henaberry.
All in all. "His Majesty, the Ameri
can" scores, and scores heavily. It
is about as much honest, wholesome
fun as can possibly be crowded into
a film.
Star.
"A Sage Brush Hamlet." William Dcs
week's attraction at the Star theater,
mond's latest production, which is this
is one of those unusual western com
edy dramas with real humor in it.
Much of this humor is supplied by a
picturesque Hibernian character.
Mother Dolan, played by Florence Gib
son. Mother Dolan spouts some quaint
and forceful philosophy to Locoed
Larry, the cowboy hero who pretends
to be a reckless fool. When Larry
comes to the ranch drunk. Mother Do
lan locks him in the corral. "Shleep
with the cattle in the corral, where ye
belong ye booze-pig!" she emphatical
ly, if inelegantly, tells Larry.
The good old soul. concocts a scheme
with Dora, the pretty pjrl who hns been
wished on Larry !y u dolini; aunt, to
keep the girl at the ranch in spile of
Larry's objections. Every time Larry
goes near Dora's room to try r.nd per
suade her to leave, tne pirl appears
in her filmy "nighties'' and shoos the
bashful cowboy away.
The scheme is daring and rather
risque, but the humor of it all saves
the scenes from being "smutty." The
comedy is clean throughout, a'thouch
in less capable hands it might easily be.
overdono. It is to the credit of ies
mond and his rhorts that the spieiuess
is retained without any suggestion of
the vulgar.
The cast, which is an excellent one,
contains such well known n:-nies as
Marguerite I e La Motte, who plays op
posite Desmond, Klorenee Gibson.
Frank I.anning. Kd Piel. Walter Perry.
Harrish Incraham and Georjje Fields.
Joseph J. Franz directed the produc
tion, which was made by Jesse D.
Hampton for Robertson-Cole company.
Columbia.
There Is nothing modest about ths
attractions which the Columbia theatr
Is offering Its patron this week. To
begin with the feature photoplay has
the very insignificant title "Choosir.g
Days V MJ
Starting piL ; - :T
Toda' mmm
Douglas Fairbanks
In His $264,000 Production
"The Knickerbocker Buckaroo"
Through Rip-Roaring Arizona, In and Out of Devil
Ridden Mexico, in a Merry Yarn as
Happy as Doug Himself
ALSO
MUTT & JEFFOV
CARTOON XJJ
L
FOURTH AT
T .THE
i fci r it a
II Ml.
a Wife." Then again the Columbia
' V. .. r. 1.. ... n. n.lAufl.. -! n i tl. a r w ..
With notices of a wonderful symphony
orchestra which enters its doors this
week and becomes a port of the per
manent fixtures.
"t'ho.ising a Wife" has the distinc
tion of biing a British film and will
give to the people of Portland one of
their first opportunities of sampling
the film work of their mother country.
It is adapted from a society novel by
Ernest Her.drie and Metcalfe. two
writers who are not loath to expos-
methods of choosing a wife to the
American and British publics. The pic
ture lias enjoyed unusually long runs
in England and in Canada especially.
The story of "Choosing a Wife" tells
of the chill of years of loneliness be-
ng driven from a woman's heart by -in
unexpected proposal from a man 'ae
admires. In the proposal the girl sees
spinstei hootl vanish before the rosy
dreams of a belated love.
Then just when her happiness . was
about to be fulfilled she finds in the
soft chiming chorus of wedding bells a
hard, grating voice of oerision. for the
tragic revelation is made to her that
the proposal was intended for the girl
she had raised from childhood.
The photoplay in its entirety is a
dramatic consideration of marital pro'i
lems. Having that as its heart, it will
have a universal appeal.
SunMet.
J. A. Jennings, owner of the Sunset,
has the habit. And it's all Mary Pick
ford's fault. The success of "Daddy
Long-Legs." which showed at the Sun
set theater last week was bo great
that Mr. Jennings, hoping to keep up
the fun. has announced for this week
an equally largo attraction. "Tho Un
pardonable Sin."
"The Unpardonable Sin" Is the super
production starring Blanche Sweet
which has Belgium as the background
of its plot. It deals with the story
of an American family, the. father of
which- was an Arctic explorer while
the mother and two daughters were
just su eet and pretty as thousands of
other fine mothers and daughters arc
in' America.
Miss Sweet plays the dual role of
the two sisters. To give one of the
sisters the desired musical education,
the mother takes her to Europe this
was before the war and the other
daughter remains at home. Suddenly
out of a clear sky a note comes into
the hands of the daughter telling her
.Concluded on X
7.
No
Advance
In
Admission
15c, 10c,
5c
Open from 9
o'clock in the
Morning until
4 o'clock the fol-
owing Morning.
WASHINGTON'