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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (July 9, 1922)
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAV. .. PORTLAND. JULY 9. 1929 3 DAUGHTER OF LORD CURZON TO MAKE DEBUT IN MOVIES Lady Cynthia Is Half American, Her Mother Having Been Mary Leiter of Washington, Curzon's First Wife. v .17; ' tADY CYNTHIA. MOSLEY'S ENTRANCE INTO PICTURES IS REPORTED TO BE LARGELY IN THE NATURE OB' PROPAGANDA. r I HE daughter of Lord Curzon is I to make her debut !n movies. Lady Cynthia Mosley is one of the most beautiful of English so ciety women. Lady Cynthia is half American, her mother having been Miss Mary Leiter of Washington, who became Lord Curzon's first wife. Lady Mosley will appear with Mrs. H. B. Irvine, who was the MORE THAN MILLION PAID FOR "BEN HUR" FILM RIGHTS Goldwyn Picture Corporation Makes Important Purchase Work on Scenario of Famous Biblical Story to Start at Once. THE motion picture of "Ben Hur" will be made by Goldwyn Pic tures comporation. Work oh the scenario will begin at once and preparations are now under way for the organization of the expedition to the eastern,shores of the Mediter ranean, where many of the scenes must be built and whole cities re produced. An arrangement has just been completed between A. L. Erlanger, president of the company owning the exclusive dramatic and picture rights for General Lew Wallace's famous Biblical story, andi the Gold wyn Pictures corporation by which the latter acquires the picture rights and one-half the dramatic rights. When Mr. Erlanger purchased the picture rights for "Ben Hur," more than a year ago ,the price he pa'd was close to $1,000,000. The trans action completed with Goldwin in volves a much larger sum, the largest amount of money ever paid by any motion picture producer for the right to picturize a single story. Under the terms of the agreement GREAT DIRECTORS NOW BUSY MAKING GOLDWYN FEATURES Six of Country's Most Able Men Behind the Megaphones on Big Photoplays at Culver City. WITH six of the country's ablest I tion will soon be forthcoming. ' It directors on its staff. Gold- I be on a bigger scale than prob wvn Pictures corporation is ably any Previous picture that he looking forward to a new produc tion year which will bring forth truly great photoplays. The six directors comprise Mar ehall Neilan, Rupert Hughes, who will also write the scenarios and continuities for his own productions. It. A. Waleh, E. Mason Hopper, Mau rice Tourneur and Allen Holubar. Plans are under way for a num ber of big productions to. be made by Marshall Neilan, director of such successes as "The . River's End," "Penrod," "Bits o' Life,' "Go and Get It" and "Don't Ever Marry." Mr. Hughes is editing and titling his story, "The Bitterness of Sweets," featuring Colleen Moore and Antonio Moreno, which he di rected himself, and is also engaged in writing an original scenario and In making a screen version of his latest novel, "Souls for Sale," a story of the motion picture polony in Hollywood. R. A. Walsh will make all of the future R. A. Walsh productions, for a stated period, In conjunction with Goldwyn at the Culver City studios Announcement of his first produc- PRODUCER PREDICTS HEAVY PICTURE OUTPUT NEXT FALL Joseph M. Schenck Declares Alarming Shortage of Photoplays for Next Season Is Already in Sight Greater Activity Necessary. ; TOSEPH M, SCHENCK, producer J of the Talmadge and Keaton pictures. Is conservative enough to be also a bank director. When, therefore, Mr. Schenck says any thing relating to the films, it com mands both respect and confidence. This producer predicts that next August there will be greater pro duction of photoplays under way in this country than ever in the history of the industry. According to Mr. Schenck, there is already a great ehortage of pictures in sight for next year's theater demand. To meet the needs of the near future it will be necessary to increase greatly the volume of output. "To illustrate the point," says . Mr. Schenck, "take the requirements ot the first-run theaters in Los An geles. How many are there? Say 12. Each one will need 52 feature pictures during 1923. Where ' are they to get them? The supply has I i I original Trilby in Beerbohm Tree's production of that play. Although the young woman's film debut is in the nature of a propa ganda campaign for the union of societies for equal citizenship, it has attracted considerable attention. The attitude of her father is the subject of speculation, as Lord Cur zon is the last person to be inter ested in motion pictures, especially for his own daughter, according to the latest dispatches from London. the cast, the scenario and all the various details of the production will be subject to the approval of Mr. Erlanger on account of his inti mate knowledge of the play which has been his property since 1899. The principals, of the cast will bs selected in this country, but the picture will"be made partly in Italy and Palestine and partly at the Goldwyn studios in Culver City, Cal. Edgar Stillman Kelly, who wrote the music for the original stage production of "Ben Hur," will pro vide the musical setting for the pic ture. No novel ever written has achieved the popularity of "Ben Hur." It has been translated into all languages and, it has been read and still is read by millions of peo ple In all parts of the globe. The dramatization was made in 1899 and the play first was produced under the personal direction of Mr. Er langer at the Broadway theater in this city on November 25 of that same year. Its success was phe' nomenal from the outset, and season after season for more than 20 years it has played all over America to enormous audiences. hsiR maiia nnr nvPrln r lr inn1 "Viniirflfl of the Dust" and "Should a Hus band Forgive?" Goldwyn recently renewed its con tract, with E. Mason Hopper, the man who directed the Rupert Hughes photoplay, "Dangerous Curve Ahead," Mrs. Rinehart's '"She Glorious Fool," and "Hungry Hearts." He is now engaged upon the Peter B.. Kyne story, "Brothers Under Their Skins." By special arrangement, Maurice Tourneur was engaged to produce "The Christian," by Hall Caine, and is now in England with Richard Dix and Mae Busch, who will act the leading roles, preparing to be gin work on photographing the great story within a few days. Mr. Tourneur is responsible for "The Blue Bird," "Treasure Island," "The Last of the Mohicans," "Lorna Doone" and other notable photo plays. V Allen Holubar was engaged for the making of "Broken Chains," the $10,000 prize winning scenario, in the Chicago Daily News .Goldwyn contest, by Winnifred Kimball of Apalachicola, Fla. now dwindled until there are noi more than 400 all told, good, bad and indifferent, remaining. The logic of the situation justifies the prediction I have made. "We must not expect," continue Mr. Schenck, "that the old days of wildcat picture -promotion are going to return. The industry could not escape the deflation that has been going on any more than other lines of business. The readjustment and retrenchment to meet post-war con ditions ar both necessary and salu tary. From now on those who prosper in making pictures will be the ones who create worthwhile photoplays. X am putting this be- i lief into practice. On my Norma Talmadge picture, "Smilin' Through' I expended over $300,000 to make it' worthy of a beautiful subject. On another, 'The Eternal Flame.' not yet released, I spent more than, tinn nr.ft " . : "I haven't done this with any fool, i ish idea that mere prodigality of ex penditure meant quality or popu larity. It was done after a care ful ptudy of existing conditions. - . In her next picture Miss Hope Hampton is to be presented as Gala had s bride in 'many-towered Came lot, a startling change from the Lily Becker of "Star Dust." Her new vehicle, "The Light in the Dark,'' by William Dudley Pelley. is a modern drama with a thousand-foot cut-in of Arthurian romance. T.his part of the picture, having been completed in colors by the Eastman process, was privately shown by Jules E. Brulatour in New York the other day. - : - Valentino Likes to Cook and Admits It. Star, Who Is Italian, Does Some Heavy Stunt With Uarllc. - MAGINE Rodolph Valentino stand L ing over a. gas stove pouring olive oil into a frying pan until its depth is the thickness of his fore finger! . Imagine- him slicing oiions lntp it and then putting in Just the right amount of garlic! Having imagined this, picture him taking out the onions and garlic after they have sizzled a few min utes Just enough to flavor the oil. Everything is done with exactitude finesse! Just the same grace and poise that he uses in waving a mu leta at an angry Spanish bull in "Blood and Sand." Valentino can cook. He admits it and adds that he likes it.' .A few close friends have tried his Italian spaghetti, also his meat .balls. In fact,-. he takes an active inter est in the subject of cooking when he isn't carrying around a 38-pound bejeweled toreador costume at the Paramount studios. He has an ex tensive knowledge of the prepara tion of many Italian dishes, and frequently goes into his own kitchen and dons an apron. ... He does this for several reasons: Finst, because he likes to prepare delicious foods; next, because he is an epicurean in his tastes, and be ing an Italian, he prefers Italian dishes which seem to baffle most of the American chefs. Recently he entertained several members of the company working in "The Young Rajah." his latest starring picture, at his home and prepared some of the main dishes himself. Reverse Things and Make Book From Photoplay. New Edition of "Loroa Doone" Made From Film Now on the Press. AKING a.photoplay from a book is of course all in a day's work. But it has remained for the Milton Bradley company, book publishers of Springfield, Mass., to make a book from a photoplay. A new edi tion of "Lorna Doone" is now on the press, illustrated with reproduc tions from scenes of Maurice Tour-neur's-mastepiece of the . screen, "Lorna Doone," which has just been completed. ' - The books, handsompiy done in color, will be known as the "Madge Bellamy Edition." Miss Bellamy plays the roie of "Lorna Doone in the Tourneur. picture. The early editions of "Lorna Doone" carry few illustrations and for that reason have not appealed to the younger generations although the story itself is one of the most popular of the fictional classics on the library shelves. Itis expected that the new de luxe 'edition will appeal to all ages as the photog raphy will give atmospheric color not possible by the printed word. LO CD CD Q iy ii?iiivaie !aur yiliiirs jlpwH tllfy see ' 7 S' S"mietto.u.frv"rdi V?w I 0uA ill 7 b) Hutettls F,ckIe -l ir I MAij jrflUr1 1 1? lA mf L CHRISTIE COMfeDY BEAUTY IS PRODUCT OF ROSE CITY Helen Darling Was Born in Portland, Developed Screen Ambition and Then Easily Danced Her Way into Movies. Here is a chance for the "he-fans.. She has red hair and hlue eyes. 1-4 ponnds. - ELEN DARLING, who in ai brief period has become' one of the most popular leading women in Christie comedies, re leased througgh Educatonal, at tributes a considerable share of her success to the fact that she is not afraid to try anything that leads to. success. And she points to Iter flam ing hair as her red badge of cour age, : " . Miss Darling was born in Port land; Dr., January 27, 1897, but she began her travels early in her life, for her parents sent her across the continent to Boston to receive her education. But it is said that she took to dancing, which was part of the curriculum of the school train ing young women for society. At any rate, she was soon the most accomplished dancer - in -the whole school, and when she returned to the west she was offered a position at Tait's, San Francisco's most fash ionable restaurant.' ' But Miss Darling bad ambitions, and they were for motion pictures. So she gave up her position and went to Los Angeles seeking a posi tion. One of the first studios where she applied was Christie's. There she was met with the question: Could she dance. Could she? Mss Darling proceeded . to show them. That ability in addition to her beauty of, face .and figure immedi ately won her ' a place among the Christie "steadies." Some of the most recent pictures in which she appears are "Falling i ill 1 - ' : . ata -'.CKmn Helen .Darling; is still heart free, She is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs ' Y for Fanny," "No Parking" and "A Rambling Romeo." Miss Darling is 5 feet 5, making her one of the tallest of the Chris tie girls, and weighs 124. She has large blue eyes in contrast with her red hair. She is still heart free. Harry Myers Put Opposite Gladys Walton. Famous Player in - "Connecticut Yankee" Signed liy I'liiversnl. H ARRT MYERS, Universal star son Crusoe," has been signed to play oppos'te Gladys Walton-in' "Top o the Morning," Anne Caldwell's Irish play which Edward Laemmle will direct. The story is Irish clear through and filled with pathos and inimitable humor. Myersr' role will give, him opportunity to show that abil'ty in ' comedy-drama which made hfm famous as the "Connecti cut Yankee" and in Marie Prevost's Universal vehicle, "Nobody's FooL" Wallace Clifton prepared the scenario. Edward Laemmle has been casting for a week. Production will start immediately on the selection of remaining principals. Another member of the cast se lected to support Miss Walton in "Top o' the Morning" is little Doreen Turner, baby wonder featured in Campbell comedies and who co-stars with Coy Watson Jr., in "School Day Love, a comedy which has run 12 weeks in a Los Angeles theater. Doreen has played important parts with nearly every big star in pic tures, including Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Nazimova and others. At the Fox New York studio 1 William Farnum has a new leading woman in Sadie Mullen. This is I Miss Mullen's third picture. Just a little over one year ago she was an art photographer making lovely stills of the lovely screen ladies. Her work looked so good to her that she decided .that she would be a leading woman herself. .' Gorgeous Settings Made ' for "Moulin Rouge." Beauty and Splendor of Paris Brought Out Realistically in Sew Picture. , ALL the beauty and splendor of beautiful Paris and its cabarets have been brought out in the pic ture, "The Queen of the Moulin Rouge," a story of remarkable char acter and strength and directed by Ray C. Small wood. , An all-star cast will be featured. Ben Carre, art and technical di rector, has had experts in Par's supplying him with detailed draw ings and photographs of the scenes, streets, buses, furniture and other details that the picture calls for. Among the most interesting of the scenes is the great "Moulin Rouge," a setting that is an exact replica of the original in' Paris. The chairs, tables, woodwork, even the color in this famous cabaret, were repro duced in the setting with t-emarkaole accuracy. More than 400 people were used in that one scene. There were the same number of musicians, play ing the same kind of instruments and the same music, which the or chestra of its namesake in Paris used and played. Those that have wondered about real underworld life and apaches will see that life picturized in a very realistic way. Violet Mersereau Writas of Work Jm Italy; Tension Somewhat Relieved by Presence of . American Jazz Band. VIOLET MERSEREAU, who is in Europe working in a ..William Fox film, writes home a chatty letter of her impressions of Rome and working in Italy, received dur ing the earlier making of the- big special "Nerd." Says Violet. - "Truly every minute seems to be taken up from the day we landed in Naples, where we only , stayed one day, then on to Rome.k It's so beau tiful here now. I mean, it isn't too hot or too cold just right. We have had quite a litle rain,' but it only showers. "This hotel is very beautiful, for this is the season in Rome, so it is decorated attractively and music all day long; dancing at tea time and from 10P. M. on they have a won derful, American Jazz band.' Yes, when we first heard it we all sat bolt upright. We could scarcely be lieve our ears, because even when they play in the streets and be neath the windows of the hotel, they always play selections from the dif ferent operas. The Italians love music and they certainly can play and sing. This, however, was the first time we ever heard any jazz. It's a wonderful American band. We have to tumble out early for the studio and work, so it's impossible to stay up late." Eugene O'Brien in Picture Booked for Rivoli. "John Smith" Is Plnin Title of Story Rioted for Wholesome Atmosphere. ptTILL' another clean. wholesome hAok-pd fftr picture has been snowing at me kivoii tneaier. uu A. Metzger. the manager, evidently figuring that after a while the pub lic will, show by their patronage their appreciation of his efforts to give it the pictures, of the better kind. The title of the picture is "John Smith,'" an unusual title to a Vv Kncrnr O'Brien, appearing; in "John Smith, a -screen story of refinement and charm. very unusual picture, judging from the reviews all over the country.1 Eugene O'Brien is the star and the story is one without a sensational situation, without one questionable moment or sub-title to offend. The cast includes George Fawcett, Mary Mason, Vivian Ogden, Warren Cook and others. "John Smith" is a jail bird. Although he is sentenced for something he never did still, for reasons of his own, he-' goes to prison, where his behavior gets him release on parole and a position in the . family of Martin Lang, a wealthy business man. There his sterling qualities are brought into play in bringing quiet out of disorder in the big household, which is "on edge" because of the temper of the elder Mrs. Lang. The house of gloom, under his manage ment, becomes the abode of smiles and harmony. Mr. Metzger, after viewing the film, declared that if ever a picture deserved the title "clean and . wholesome," "John Smith" did. Hence it is booked for a week, starting next Saturday. . The Swedish Biograph company, whose pictures are just beginning to make their appearance on the screens of this country, after being immensely popular all over the con tinent, is the largest producing cor poration in Scandinavia, and one of the largest ;n Europe. It has Tive studios, ove. 100 theaters and con trols about 75 per cent of the entire motion picture output of the penin sula. Ruth Rolland, Pathe serial star, has the distinction o,f being the fir .t motion picture public favorite U broadcast songs by radio. This sh'i did under the auspices of the San fit 4531 Urn Francisco Chronicle upon the occa sion of the opening of Loew's new Warfield theater. Miss Roland Sana at the Emporium station, San Fran cisco, her number being, "Don't Leave Me, Mammy." The cast that has been engaged co support Constance Binney, Ameri can stage and screen star, who is . now filming "A Bill of Divorce ment" for the Ideal Film company of London, contains the names of some of the most popular British players now appearing before the public. Fay Compton, a big London favorite, plays the part of the wife; Malcolm Keen (by permission of Rean Dean) has his old role of th husband, which he originated in the English production of the stas;e play; Henry Vibart. a popular screen actor, essays the doctor, and 'other roles are taken by such we.'l known players as tienry victor. F e w 1 a s s Llewellyn and Dora Gregory. Barbara La Marr, the famous film beauty who has the leading role m Rex Ingram's latest production for Metro, was reading the report that the former German emperor is hold ing out for $1,000,000 as the price of the publication rights to his memoirs. "Hardly seems enough?" was Miss La Marr's comment, "espe cially when one remembers thai Milton received about $30 for Par dise Lost.' " George Fawcett is doing two Paramount pictures at one time. He is playing Eph Holbrook in "The Old Homestead," directed by James Cruze, and the judge in "Man slaughter," a Cecil H. DeMille pro duction. In the latter he is inno cent of f.acial adornment; in . the former he wears whiskers that are. a lot of bother. "I've been doing some quick changes of late," says Mr. Fawcett, 'that would do credit to a protean artist. Talk about quick shaves 1 rip off the beard and comb my hair, whisk into the judicial robes and there you are. Later I doff the judge's mantle, haul out the spirt gum and back go the whiskers." Donald MacDonald Admits Liking "Heavies." Hero Parts Kine, hut Actor Pre fers PlnyiiiK "Villain." LIKE to play villains. They ' A usually become involved in the action of the story's plot and take part in whatever excitement is go ing on. Heroes are fine roles, and the people always like them, but they don't get as much fun out of their work." There, in one short paragraph, is the explanation of Donald MaVDon-. aid's many dastardly perpetrations on the screen. In person he is a very likable Irishman with a keen sense of humor, a broad strain of kindness and generosity and a hoet of friends. ' Mr. Macfionald's entry into the theatrical world was wholly in keep ing with his own quick wit. Raised in Brooklyn, he had frequently ap peared in amateur productions there, but had never quite had the nerve to apply at a theatrical agency for pro fessional work. One day, however, feeling espe cially courageous, he decided to throw his hat into the stage-ring. Just as he passed the door St the manager's private office, someone stepped into the hall, ejaculated "Where on earth have you been?" pulled him inside and signed him for a repertoire engagement. To this day MacDonald is sure they mistook him ' for someone else, but he took the job and got away with it for a full season, when the road show closed.