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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (June 25, 1922)
3 villain,' but up in my neighborhood, DIRECTOR STUDIES TO FIT ' SUITABLE MUSIC TO FILMS Columbia Orchestra Director Has Art of Playing the Picture Down to Point That Enhances Value of Feature, where they know me better, I'm "Mo- U. S. MARINES HELP BEAUTY OF SCREEN IN NEW PICTURE Extra Men Could Impersonate Doughboys, But When It Came to "Devil-Dogs" Director Insisted on Real Thing. Kim, the sewing-machine man. " m m m Clarence H. Geldert, screen actor, author and dire'ctor, has been re elected president of the Mission Film corporation, Leon Rice vice-president and D. W. Pollard and Ernest Caesar have been added to the board of directors. D. G. Havermale was chosen secretary and treasurer to succeed Richard Wayne, who re signed to have more time for his work upon the screen. While plan ning the exploitation of the first Mission feature production, "Science or God?" to be released next month, Mr. Geldert is also preparing to film "The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep," one of Hana Christian An derson's fairy .tales. II Able Artists. Picked for "East Is West." 1 : ; Constance Tulmadge, Star. Will Have Excellent Supporting Cast in Feature. , AST IS WEST " has an all THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, JUNE 25, 1923 I v w , t . , vf " H00US VIneent C, Knowles, who i singularly successful In selecting and render- ing charming and appropriate numbers for pictures ahowA. RECENTLY a discriminating wo man remarked to the writer: "The feature picture really was atrocious. But despite that fact, I thoroughly enjoyed the music they played for it." ' And that comment states consid erable; "Playing the pictures," to write in the vernacular of the the ater, is an art in itself. If one is under the impression that it is an easy task, they ought to sit with the orchestra director when the' coming feature attraction is being screened for him to select themes and also cue them in suitably. It is comparatively easy, as some direc tors do, to pick a few tuneful popu lar numbers and keep on repeating them, regardless whether the par ticular 'one they are playing at that particular period is appropriate to ,ihe scene or situation being enacted oh the screen. But that is not art fully -playing the pictures, any more than deafening an audience with loud music can be considered as en hancing the value of the feature. Some managers are fortunate in having directors who can musically suppliment the features. Such man agers can really get by with a fea ture that is, say, 60 per cent good entertainment, knowing that their orchestras under a director who knows can add the necessary 40 per cent to make it a 100 per cent en tertainment. Such a director is Vincent C. Knowles of the Columbia theater. There is an additional pleasure in reviewing photoplays at that the ater for th'at very reason. The music is not only always appropriate, but it is charmingly played and han dled in "such a skillful manner that it also helps the screen interpreta tion. - The' vast majority of motion pic ture patrons are now so accustomed to good music in the theaters that they do not really appreciate the ef forts of the men in the pits, but the writer has heard endless favorable comments regarding the' Columbia music. Knowles personally is a retiring sort of individual, intensely inter seted in his work, and continually studying to improve his art. He was born in England and studied music both in London and Leipsic. He has been at the Columbia more than three years, prior to which he was orchestra director in big theaters in Boston, Butte and Vancouver, B. C. star cast. Director Sidney Franklin believes in having the best talent to be se cured for such a felicitous combina tion of story, star and setting, and has made a point of surrounding Constance Talmadge with a cast of luminaries as a fitting foil for her piquant role, of the Chinese girl. Ming Toy. Edward Burns is portraying the leading role of . Billy Benson. The young Lochinvar of the screen will have a m p i e opportunity to aid beauty In distress and put another feather in his cap for excellent act ing. Fred Warren has unusual oppor tnnitie in his role of Lo Sang Kee, the genial Chinaman, who upholds the principles of the uccmeni as well asthose of unina, ana sym bolizes a benevolent justice in his chasacterization. - Hod Toy. as played by Frank Lan ning, is a sinister figure, in star tling contrast to the kindly Lo bang Kee. Still another contrast is the com edy element introduced by Charlie Young,, a role that Warner Oland makes the most of and brings out all the amazing complexities of that chop suey king's character. Then there are Nigel Barrie. a well-known juvenile, who portrays the role of Jimmy Potter; Nick De Ruiz, who is cast as Chang Lee, and Jim Wang, the proprietor of the love boat. Altogether it is an. excellent cast fortunate enough to" be provided with equally excellent parts. 1 f 'ttev;a;:; Ste ?.5':.;s?ftC;':',:-'::-K. IF? 'A:''S: Selznick Revives Pictures With Tommy Meighan. $tnr Will Be Seen in Film When He Wu Mere Leading Man. SOCIETY "DEBS" RUN AWAY WITH DIRECTOR'S PET GOAT Two Working in "Atmosphere Roles," With More Money Than Brains, Couldn't Wear Same Clothes Two Days. BY CHARLES E. MCCARTHY. THE dress ideas of New - York society girls cause motion-picture directors working in east ern studios no end of trouble. Un like Hollywood, New York-has girls of the elite and near-elite who seek in motion-picture work relaxation from arduous teas and bridge par ties. That is, they seek it ir the casting director doesn't find , out their lineage, for he has had enough trouble .with society in the films, and if a young lady with a blue book reference applies for work as "atmosphere" in the ballroom set she gets the "air," vernacularly speaking. They besiege the eastern studios of the motion-picture companies, however, and some" of them succeed in getting extra jobs. Two such sub-debs were hired the other day at the Paramount Long Island stu dio to make up the background of a fashionable ballroom scene for Alice Brady's first Paramount picture, "'Missing Millions." They came to the studio in their limousines, all dressed in pink evening clothes, with slippers and stockings to match, a perfect picture of loveli ness. . The casting director spoke lo Jo seph Henabery, who is directing the picture, with enthusiasm after the fashion of casting directors about NOW that Thomas Meighan is a star in his own right, picture fans will find interest in his earlier work in the days when he was only a leading'man,' striving for the "top of the ladder." Selznick's revival of "The Forbidden City" shows Meigh an in his beginnings. "The Forbidden City" was pro duced at a time when Lewis J. Selz nick was raising the Talmadge girls to screen stardom and the George Scarborough story was one of. the vehicles that helped Norma in her earlier popularity. In this work Meighan appeared as Norma s lead ing man. Another interesting point, coupled with Miss Talmadge's vogue at present, is disclosed in the fact that Sidney A. Franklin, who directed "The Forbidden City," also directed "Smilin' Through,", the latest of Norma Talmadge's screen successes. Thus is the screen record kept clear. Katherine MacUonald, coining to Rivoil in "The Infidel," who was "rescued" from South sea savages, out Dy real nonesi-ii-Bounea American marines. , ".. ' "E XTRA men" of the Los An geles motion- picture stu dios can successfully im personate the doughty doughboy, but when the author calls for mar ines in his story an S. O. S. must be sent out for the genuine soldiers of the sea, for no five-dollar-a-day cinema neophyte, regardless of 'light blue trousers, dark blue coat and plenty of brass buttons, can realistically give the atmosphere of the leatherneck. James1 Young, the photoplay di rector, is authority for this state ment, and when Charles A. Logue, the author, wrote a scene in "The Infidel," booked for the Rivoli, that called for Katherine MacDonald, the beautiful star, to be saved from hootch-crazed South sea savages by United States marines, it was marines he demanded, and marines that he got. ' Logue insisted that such . minor technical details of the plot as re quired scenes of Uncle Sam's dread noughts in action and runs-to-the-rescue by the sea soldiers be car ried out to the letter. . And who could look like a marine? Nobody who had not served in the ranks of the amphibious warriors could present a sufficiently au thentic appearance to satisfy the exacting author and director. ' Therefore, when a request from Katherine MacDonald for the assist ance of fifty husky leathernecks was wirelessed to the fleet riding at anchor near Los Angeles, the marines left immediately for the beach location, although the time allotted them before they must re turn on board the New Mexico was but four hours, and the time con sumed in going to and from loca tion left a scant half-hour for the rescue. . But wha!t marines need 30 min utes to rescue a lady in distress? Besides the beaut'ful star herself, the players in Katherine MacDon ald's latest screen production in clude such well known and capable players as Joseph Dowling, Mel bourne MacDowell, Robert Ellis and Barbara Tennant. Previous to entering motion pic tures John M. Stahl, director of "One Clear Call," "The Child Thou Gavest Me", and "The Song of Life," was an actor on the speaking stage, playing in both dramatic productions and vaudeville sketches. He began his film apprenticeship at the very bot tom over ten years ago, playing extra parts for '$5 a day. Now he has his own company under the Louis B. Mayer banner, making all-star spe cials for First National release. "The Dangerous Age," his latest effort, is now in course of production. "Island Wives," one of Corinne Griffith's current Vitagraph produc tions, affords the star an opportun ity to wear an astonishing diversity of costumes. On the south sea isle she is dressed in the cool native skirt, and waist, on the millioniare's yacht she wears a gorgeous suc cession of brocaded . Chinese cos tumes and in America she appears in the latest and best that Paris and Fifth avenue have to offer. the "classy" bunch of extras that had been obtained for the scene. . Everything went fine the first day. Ipng shots, close-ups and me dium shots were taken with rapid ity. When the day was done Hena bery gave the following instruc tions: , - "Everybody be on this set again tomorrow at 9 OVlock dressed the same as you are today.' . : For experienced extras in the mo vies that was enough. But to the young debutantes of the 400 . the words meant nothing. The next morn-ing 198 extras came in the clothes they had worn the day before. The two young ladies with addresses in the social register arrived at the studio in a complete change of costume. They were so pleased about their new dresses that they even became so bold as to ask the director if he liked them. Now Henabery is a mild-mannered man, but he almost lost his poise. "Why did you change . dresses?" he asked sharply. ,' - "Oh! we never wear the same drees twice in two days," the novices explained. "But, don't you realize that the scene we are shooting today is a continuation of the one we shot yes terday? In the picture you haven't had any time to change." And the picture was held up two hours while the disillusioned young ladies sped to their homes to put on the clothes they had worn the day before. , . NOTED PHOTOPLAY VILLAIN HANDY MAN ABOUT HOUSE Robert McKim's Skill With Screwdriver Reveals Dark Past When He Used to Sell Sewing .Machines. fj?il vgy l- ni if Direction "Jensen and on Herbert ROBERT McKIM is said by many to be the screen's most pol ished villain. But he's a handy man about the house, and this tale is told solely in the interest of the ladies. McKim's stage urbanity is wonderfully displayed in his inter pretation of tne role of the villain ous De Villefort In the William Fox special production, "Monte Cristo," recently made at the Fox West Coast studios under the direction of Em mett J. Flynn. During the filming of the picture Mr. McKim found a rip in his satin coat and hastened to the Fox ward robe department to have it repaired. . "I'll have to do it by hand," ex ' plained the wardrobe wo'man. "Our sewing machines are out of order." "Let us see what I can do with 'em," said McKim. , Then, to the amazement of half a dozen needlewomen, the stage's most consummate villain eet to work and with a few applications of a screwdriver in the right place soon had a machine in good running or der. For good measure, while the coat was being fixed, the actor re paired the rest of the machines and bowed himself out. Later he con fessed that once upon a time he had been a sewing-machine agent. "Many years ago," he said, "I went to Honolulu with a repertoire com pany. The show 'flopped.' I had to get a job and I found it with the local branch of a big sewing ma chine company. I. first worked in the rental and repair department, where I learned to fix any old kind of machines, and then I went out and sold them to Kanaka women. It took a year, though, before I saved enough money to get back to the United States. "Where ' I live in Hollywood, a number of our neighbors know of my accomplishment, and not infre quently a little girl will come over to my house and say: 'Mr. McKim, mamma's sewing machine won't run and she wants to know if you will fix it.' And of course I go. I know every sewing machine within two blocks of my home. Most people, I suppose, know me . as 'McKim the t V With All-Star Cast, Including ' MONTE BLUE . ' ' 5 m - Famous "Danton" of "Orphans of the Storm" 1 . I - It's the "Kentucky Derby" of the sea- I ' 1 - son's screen events. f From everywhere that it has been shown m , . v " . come nothing but praises ' M A -'A m praise for its great horse race iV .- fjfl ; praise for its pathos and comedy v -ifer j praise for its. love stories M r."- r J . praise "for its acting and beautiful set- '"J $J jfJ Vk ' ' ' 's 'the Wad of picture that" makes ideal ''jjL ' m. summertime entertainment. M g V Come and enjoy. A CV ... Pathe Weekly S - and Comedy "1 Crowds yesterday paid homage to this king of auto racing dramas, and they will be telling YOU what a wonderful show it is. Take your neighbor's tip and "GET IN EARLY." THIS ENTIRE WEEK WALLACE AND FFIEODORE ROBERTS IN PARAMOUNT'S CLASSIEST, THRILLIEST, LAUGHIEST ' - . AUTO RACING DRAMA ' ROSS THE AC mm Wally drives a flivver 85 miles per hour! breaks a coast-to-coast record ! ! drives through a raging prairie fire!!! races the Overland Limited through a pitch black tunnel and makes love to two girls!!!! KEATES' , CONTEST CONCERT On Our Mighty Wurlitzer "1 . Overture, Lustpiel . . . Kela-Bela 2f Traumerei . .Schumann 3. "After Vespers. . . . .Neit Morel 4. Keates' Contest 5. Take a Trp to the Land of Harmony .Arranged NOTE: Last Sunday's contest was a circus and every body had lots of fun.' We'll have more today! So if you can sing or whistle and have a little bit of nerve and. you feel lucky well, you're going to get a $5 bill. ' Try Your Luck ALSO A TWO-PART COMEDY AND WORLD EVENTS T,OLD IN MOTION I TODAY at 12:30 r '