6
THE SILENT
' '
TODAY'S KIL31 FEATURES.
Columbl a William S. Hart,
"John rettlcoats."
Majestic Special production,
"When Bear Cat Went Dry."
Strand May Allison. "Fair and
Warmer."
Liberty Doris May and Doug
las MacLean, . "Twenty-three
Hours and a Half Leave."
Peoples Alice Joyce. "The Win
chester Woman."
Star Earle Williams,
Wolf."
S u n s e t Mary Pickford,
"The
"The
Hoodlum.
Circle Theda Bara, "A Woman
There Was."
Globe Elsie Ferguson,
ciety Exile."
"A So-
PURCHASE of the Strand theater
by a Seattle syndicate affiliated
for buying purposes with four
Puget Sound cinema houses made last
week the most important period In
-tland film history for some years.
The sale, which involved a cash con
jderation of $125,000, means an entire
change of policy for the theater now
known as the Strand. When this
policy goes into effect, on January 16,
according to' present plans, the
theater will be one of, if not the fin
est, motion picture house in the city,
and will be called the "Rivoli."
The Rivoli theater will mark a new
step forward in the cinema world for
It will not be a "movie" it will be
an institution. Its great feature will
be Misha Guterson's 14-piece Russian
orchestra, personally conducted by
Mr. Guterson who for some time has
conducted a similar organization in
the two largest Seattle motion picture
theaters. This orchestra will be re
markable for several reasons. Flrstlv.
Mr. Guterson ia a musician. He is
Russian born and at an early age was
learning from the master, Sevoik,
from whom also studied Elman,
Kubelik and Zlmballst. Later he was
connected with various symphony or
chestras, among them the famous
Russian Symphony, under the direc
tion of Safonov.
With this unusually fine musical
training Mr. Guterson posseses an un
derstanding of the real beauty of
Jazz." This does not mean that he
cares for noise, it doesn't mean that
he tolerates the vulgar but It does
mean that he can take the best In a
good selection of popular music and
make his listeners become a part of it.
Illustrative of this was a little in
cident which happened Tuesday last
in the grille of one of Portland's
hotels. The orchestra was playing
the "Oriental" fox trot. The piece
had rythme, there were no dlscorda
it was well played but it lacked soul
and everyone throughout the room
was talking with his thoughts far
from the orchestra and its operations.
Apparently Mr. Guterson, one of the
diners, had been engaged in a conver
sation but abruptly he rose, left his
table and walked quietly over to the
leader of the orchestra. They talked.
Few In the room noticed the incident.
A few seconds later Mr. Guterson re
turned to his table.
The music had changed and every
one in the room knew it. Its melody
floated out. alluring and puissant.
Observers who looked closely at the
orchestra might hav seen that the
eyes of the director were on the eyes
of one of the guests whose face was
alight with interest. It was he at
that moment who In reality was the
director. "Beautiful." his lips would
silently say as he smiled back at the
man at the piano and his hands moved
slightly directing the rythm. "Now
step on it," and a downward, eloquent
gesture would make the words clear
to the musicians. Before there had
een the ordinary applause. At the
end of this selection it rang out and
finally the orchestra played the same
"Oriental" for a second time.
Mr. Guterson will enjoy the distinc
tion of being director of the theater
as well as director of his orchestra.
He is owner of $25,000 worth of stock
and his salary, which does not In
clude his interest in the company, is
said to be $26,000 annually. It is also
known that he left the Clemmer while
drawluz a vearlv stioend of$19.000.
All who know Puget Sound theaters
know of him and his orchestra, and
Portlanders and it is estimated by
paid admissions there 'were about
60,000 who saw Mickey durlng its
two weeks' run in this city last
spring, will remember Mr. Guterson
as the director of the special orchas
tra which accompanied the picture.
More than a few will also remember
Mr. Guterson as the director of the
Kloradora musical company when it
made its unusually successful tour of
the United States.
Taylor Ia Sew Manager.
Manager of the RlvOli will be
Marshall Taylor who just the first of
this month arrived in Portland from
Seattle to manage the Peoples and
Star theaters. Mr. Taylor was asso
ciated with Mr." Guterson in Seattle as
house manager of the Clemmer. Mr.
Guterson being director of the orches
tra. Mr. Taylor is brimful of new ideas.
One of them is a tea garden to be es
tablished on the mezzanine floor of
the Rivoli. Japanese hangings, fix
tures and furnishings are already be
ing selected for this new feature of a
cinema house. Japanese girls in their
quaint oriental costumes will act as
maids in the teamroom, according to
Mr. Taylor's present plants. The ushers
who, by the way, will be started off
by a rise in salary because to quote
Mr. Taylor: "They will be expected to
be up on their toes every moment
giving service to the public will be
in the severe black silk and white
lace attire of an ultra chic French
maid.
The Strand will close its doors on
January 1. January 16 the Rivoli will
open. Rex Beach's newest picture,
"Going Some," and Geraldlne Farrar's
recent production, "The World and Its
Woman" are being considered for the
opening feature. Other feature pro
ductions already booked to show at
the Strand are pictures made by Rex
Beach, Gertrude Atherton, Mary
Roberts Rinehart, Phillips E. Oppen
helm, Basil King, Tom Moore, Madge
Kennedy, Jack Pickford, Geraldlne
Farrar, Pauline Frederick, Owen
Moore, Olive Thomas, Eugene O'Brien,
Elaine Hammerstein, Norma Tal
madge, Henry B. Walthall.
Noble In Disguise,.
The best feature in established
circles on film row last week was
Paul Noble, himself. To the uniniti
ated the rank and file let It be ex
plained that Paul is the dignified
manager of the Liberty theater, the
largest of its kind in our fair city,
and whose hobbies are outclassing in
general Jake Holt and riding trium
phantly about the streets in an amaz
ingly good looking King Eight. The
majority of Portlanders would not
have recognized the man of correct
evening dress who directs the Liberty
housing problem each evening in the
overalled and grimy individual who
reigned In the Liberty basement last
week. v
Down in the Liberty basement last
week a steady force kept bus before
a table on which magnificent branches
of red-berried holly were piled high.
Irreverently those who surrounded
the table separated the precious ber
ries from their prickly leaves and
fastened the leaves in queer little
groups of three on to a toothpick.
The'queer little affairs are to be used
in building bay trees which the man
agers of the Liberty will enthusias
tically explain are not bay trees at
all but holly trees.
Christmas decorations will be elab
orate at the Liberty this year. Rising
out of the fountain in the lobby will
be a superb Christmas tree. Its top
will reach to a ceiling of cedar from
which thousands of wee, brilliant red
lights will gleam and twinkle. Inside
the theater, proper, will be the bay
trees, which are not bay trees at all,
holly trees. They will be fashioned
in the manner of a bay tree but by I
means of the holly toothpicks will be
a mass of holly leaves with now and
then a great clump of holly berries.
On either side of the stage and before
artistically painted and electrified
Christmas greeting signs, these trees
will be placed. Two little ones will be
on the stage also and even more will
be in the great urn Just outside of the
Liberty doors. Festoons of cedar and
holly varied with great holly bells
will be used across the theater audi
torium. The plan and design of the Liberty
decorations are wholly the work of
Mr. Noble. They have taken weeks to
be materialized and no extra person
other than the regular Liberty force
has helped In the preparation.
HolrlKh Again at Peoples.
A. C. Raleigh, manager of the Co
lumbia theater, is temporarily In
charge of the Peoples and Star the
aters again. He says that his present
headquarters are at Washington and
Broadway streets, because if one Just
stands there long enough he will
come along on his way from one of
his theaters to another.
Having three theaters on one's
hands is bad enough, but having one
of those houses in the chaotic state
of reconstruction is worse still. The
Peoples is undergoing a tremendous
change, although It is kept open every
day. New chairs, hangings and car
pets are or will be installed. January
16 it will open triumphantly, a new
theater, with its blg feature a 20-
piece orchestra.
Weather Cripples Outside Theaters.
While motion picture exchanges in
Portland by heroic efforts while the
snow storm was on succeeded In
maintaining their service out of Port
land without any mishaps so far as
getting the films on their way at the
railway depots was concerned bad
roads, delayed trains and other ele
ments made the lot of the exhibitor
out in the state a hard one and fre
quent demands were made on Port
land exchanges to supply emergency
shows to fill In where shipments
failed from Seattle.
The suburban theaters In Portland
suffered in attendance during the
coldest nights very severely, but in
many of the theaters but through the
state the houses were closed on ac
count of failure of the lighting facil
ities and other troubles.
J. B. Sparks, manager of the Lib
erty theater in Condon, sent a pa
thetic postal card to Dean Collins, In
the Universal Exchange, showing his
theater looking more like a polar
scene than anything else, and under
neath he wrote the brief caption: "30
in. snow and 25 below."
W. H. Durham, manager of the
Grand, Camas. Wash., was In Thurs
day and said that the theaters in
the towns along the Columbia river
are, still in the grip of the cold
weather and that in Camas it was
registering around zero when he left
for Portland. Lew Cullins of the
Casino, at The Dalles, reported ex
treme cold weather still persisting,
but said that the theater-goers were
getting used to it and were coming
out anyhow.
E. C. Smith, manager of the Liberty
theater, Dayton, Wash., lost his house
In a Are that occurred on the 12th, in
zero weather, the only thing that
was saved being the films that were
being used. The loss, however, was
covered by insurance and he expects
to rebuild and reopen in the near fu
ture. B. F. Munson has purchased the
Grand theater, in Sheridan, Or., from
E. E. Lewis and was in Portland this
week arranging for his future pro
grammes. The theater haa been run-
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND. DECEMBER 21.
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ning three nifrhts a week heretofore,
but Mr. Munson expects to open It for
four nights a week in future.
C. J. Pugh of the Gem theater.
Falls City, Or., who besides being a
veteran motion picture man is the
pioneer loganberry juice producer In
the state, was a visitor in the Port
land exchanges this week and George
Bligh of the Bligh theater, Salem,
was a visitor on film row Thursday
also.
R. R. Garner of New Tork, repre
senting the International News Film
service, en tour of the Pacific coast,
was in Portland. Wednesday looking
over the field ana getting acquainted
with the theater men.
Representative citizens of the Greek
colony of Portland were at the Uni
versal film exchange Tuesday and the
projection room was turned over to
them for a preliminary, viewing of a
motion picture showing the participa
tion of the Greek nation in the great
war. The film was brought here by
D. Protopapas, to be shown before
John Howard, exploitation rep
resentative Famous Players-Luky.
the Greek citizens and friends of the
Greek people.
C. E. Yeager, manager of the Ideal
theater, ran Into bad luck this week
from all directions on account of the
bad weather. He was a joint suf
ferer with all the residential district
theater men in the poor attendance
that obtained during the storm, and
to cap the climax, while he was quiet
ly parked on Morrison street Monday,
several hundred paunds of ice de
tached Itself from the roof of the
Portland hotel and took the shortest
distance through the top of his ma
chine, making the car look for all the
world like an Ice wagon until Mr.
Teager could get the pile of ice and
snow shoveled out of it.
Norman F. Haas, former manager
of the Empress theater, Anacortes,
Wash., and for a time manager of a
theater in Astoria, came to Portland
this week and will go on the road In
this territory. Tor the Universal ex
change. B. F. Albertson of Seattle
and H. R. Keele, also of Seattle, came
to Portland Thursday and will be on
the road for the same exchange for
a time. Al Rosenberg, formerly han
dllng states right features in the
northwest, one of the most popular
film men of the territory, has at
tached himself to the Universal office
in Seattle and will go on the road for
V. M. Schubach, formerly of Portland,
who is now managing the Seattle of
fice.
XEW YORK DIRECTOR HERE
Famous Players-Lasky Corporation
Sends Special Representative.
John D. Howard, exploitation rep
resentative for Famous Players-Lasky
corporation, arrived in Portland last
Thursday from New Tork.
Mr. Howard has been sent to the
Portland territory to handle pub
licity and advertising for the local
exchange. His arrival here is in
line with the policy of the Famous
Players to give the exhibitors any
help possible in the exploitation of
their plays. He came north by way
of Los Angeles, where he spent con
siderable time at the studios dis
cussing with various directors pic
tures to be released In the near fu
ture, especially the productions "Male
and Female," "Every Woman," arid
"Dangerous Days." Mr. Howard spent
some little time in San Francisco ex
1919
ploiting these pictures, and declares
these productions are being accorded
hearty support, and are In line with
the policy of the corporation to pro
duce bigger and better pictures.
Mr. Howard has been with Famous
Players-Lasky for a year since his
discharge from the 143d field artil
lery, with which he served In France.
NEW CO-STARS AT LIBERTY
'Twenty-Throe and a Half Hour's
Leave, " Is- Here.
Two new co-stars hold the screen
at the Liberty theater for the current
bill In a production entitled "Twenty
Three and a Half Hours' Leave."
Douglas MacLean and Doris May are
their names and while many photo
play-goers of this city may remember
them from previous subjects in which
they have appeared, this is the first
time that they have blossomed forth
as stars. Mr. .MacLean has appeared
opposite such popular screen person-
lltles as Mary Pickford and Dorothy
Dalton, while Miss May, under the
name of Doris Lee. appeared with
Charles Ray in a number of that pop
ular actor s notable pictures.
It Is a happy co-starring team
hich these two players provide.
They have youth, good looks and
plenty of personality and It Is prac
tically a foregone conclusion that
future pictures of theirs will be
eagerly sought after when the merits
of "Twenty-Three and a Half Hours'
Leave" are considered.
The present picture Is splendid light
comedy, with a strong romantic in
terest, and centers around a training
camp in which men were prepared for
the recent war. Twenty-Three and a
Half Hours' Leave" does not. how
ever, have any war atmosphere. It ia
pure fun and romance from first to
last and is remotely removed from
anything In the least gruesome or
foreboding. It is an adaptation from
story by Mary Roberts Rinehart,
recently published in one of the pop
ular magazines. Mrs. Rinehart is an
author who is constantly In touch
with the wants or tne public and her
"Twenty-Three and a Half Hours'
Leave" is proof conclusive of this
statement.
HART PICTURE AT COLUMBIA
"John Petticoats" Full of First-
Class Comedy.
William S. Hart's newest picture,
"John Petticoats," which will be at
the Columbia theater this week, has a
quality that most of this star's pro
ductions lacked, and this quality will
probably make It universally popu
lar. This quality is comedy. it is
full of It. The picture starts out with
one of the funniest situations Imag
inable, and the fun Is kept right up
to the end.
This doesn't mean that It isn't
strong drama It Is fully as strong In
plot and situation as "Wagon Tracks,"
for instance, or almost any Hart pic
ture that could be named. The com
edy is simply an added attraction.
Hart Is a lumberman in the north
west at the beginning of the picture.
A letter from a lawyer announces that
he has fallen heir to a modiste shop.
He doesn't know what a modiste shop
Is. but suspects it is a saloon, and he
goes to New Orleans to find out.
When he sees what he has inherited!
a proper shame overcomes him and
forces him to conceal his ownership.
Then the plot enters in and con
cerns a girl, her father and the
young woman who manages the mo
diste shop. This girl, to whom Hart
becomes a good friend, is betrayed
by a society snob who Is at the same
time trying to marry the girl Hart
loves. The unfortunate young woman
commits suicide, and the blame for
CS&yc S'jT&r- 2
her death is laid on Hart. All works
out cleverly and unexpectedly to a
happy ending.
"WINCHESTER WOMAN '
Alice Joyce Vehicle Comes to Peo
ples Theater.
Wesley Ruggles directed what la
said by some to be Alice Joyce's best
starring vehicle, "The Winchester
Woman," the special feature which
will show today, tomorrow and Tues
day at the Peoples theater.
Press notices of "The Winchester'
Woman" were snowbound in Seattle
or In whatever place Alice Joyce press
notices come from and while rum
men have seen the picture and say
exceedingly kindly things about It,
they are apt to be prejudiced. But
this is what J. S. DIckerson, known
to the sorrow of many producers to
be woefully unprejudiced, says about
the film:
"Alice Joyce ia twice falsely ac
cused of murder in this. The plot
for the most part Is along conven
tional paths, the philander viewing
the Innocent maid with eM Intent
and the heroine compromising herself
to shield the ingenue. Director Rug
gles has succeeded In making the fea
ture entertaining.
The methods employed to accom
plish this purpose are of A-l variety.
In the first few sequences your curi
osity Is aroused by the Inference that
something Is to come from the deduc
tions of an amateur handwriting ex
pert. Then follows the lnrormation,
via a newspaper clipping insert, that
Miss Joyce has been acquitted of mur
dering her husband which suggests
mvstery. Finally you get to tne place
where the star induces the villain to
write a letter and you begin to expect
something from this sequence. Then
bang! the villain falls out of the win
dow and kills himself ana aiiss joyce
Is again accused of murder.
EARLE WILLIAMS IS BACK
"The Wolf" at Star Shows Dra
matic Canadian Duel.
Earle Williams whose productions
have not been seen in Portland for
many a day Is back In town. He Is
appearing on the sliver screen of the
Star theater in "The Wolf."
"The Wolf" Is a story of the far
Canadian northwest where might en
forces right by methods not as velvet
gloved as those of older civilizations.
The knife plays a great part In the
law of this country. In "The Wolf
a dramatic duel Is fought between two
northerners, one anxious for revenge
on the man who sought to Injure his
GLOBE
3 Stars 3
Today and Tomorrow
ELSIE FERGUSON in
"A Society Exile"
Tues., Wed. and Thurs.,
DOROTHY GISH in
"I'll Get Him Yet"
Friday and Saturday
WILLIAM S. HART in
"Money Corral"
Photo and scene pictures
of your favorite star and
cinema for sale at the
GLOBE
llth and Washington
sweetheart's reputation and the other
working for life, unbelievably sweet
to him In his hour of danger.
Jane Novak, known to Portlanders
as the actress who left California to
come to this city and help with the
motion picture Industry pioneering
efforts In Oregon, nas the leading
feminine role. Miss Novak was last
seen In Portland at the Liberty where
she played opposite William S. Hart
In "Wagon Tracks."
The cast Includes: Jules Beaublen,
Earle Williams; Bapttste, Brlnsley
Shaw: Andrew MacTavlsh, George
Nichols; Hilda MacTavish, Jane
Novaki; William MacDonald, Robert
MacKim; George Huntley. Billy Ma
son: Annette, Beulah Clarke.
REVENGE TURNS TO RESCUE
"When Bearcat Went Dry" Thrill
ing Scene at Majestic.
In writing the novel "When Bear
cat Went Dry" Charles Neville Buck
did not realize that he was creating
a story which lent Itself to perfect
plcturizatlon for the entertainment of
the millions of patrons of moving pic
ture theaters and which is the present
-- . ! : ' : i:
Come
Fourth at Washington
Today-Tomorrow
Theda Bara
A WOMAN
THERE WAS
77
The story of a Princess
who died for a man
Also
A Snub Pollard Comedy
"It's a Hard Lif e"
And a Mutt and Jeff Cartoon
This Theater opens at 9 o'clock in
the morning and remains open
until 4 o'clock following morning.
TV Come
IN