THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 26, 1923
3
FRANK MAYO NOW FEATURED
IN UNIQUE ARRANGEMENT
Popular Player Signs Contract Calling for the Portrayal of Starring
Role in Short Space of Three Weeks Vacation Plans Shattered.
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SFrauk Mayo, Universal artist, vt tao jnmpa lmnwdiately to location upon
completion of big production only to tackle more hard work.
pect an Income of about $1,000,000 a
year.
A question that many a pretty
picture actress is asking herself
these days is "who will be deemed
pretty, soulful, piquant and adorable
enough to play the role of Trilby
to the Svengali of Guy Bates Post?"
Virginia Brown Faire is in Hono
lulu at present, but there are other
beauties of the screen present In
Hollywood." where the picture will
be directed by James Young, now
In New York. Will he look 'sm
over at Ziegfeld's and send back
another Jacqueline Logan? Mean
while it is announced definitely
that when Richard Walton Tully re
turns from his European trip it will
be to begin work at once on Trilby,
which will be made at United
Studios, Hollywood.
do-ups-offifnirofk
Story Written for Films by
Tarkington.
Author's First Effort Made Di
rectly for the Screen.
BDOTH TARKINGTON has arrived
at the Paramount L-ong island
studio from tils 'home In Indianapolis
to confer with Thomas Geraghty,
chief supervising' director, on th
screen treatment of tho original
story he Is writing for Thomas
Melgihan. This i the first story
Mr. Tarkington has written espe
cially for the screen, although sev
eral of his stories have been done
in photoplay form.
A preliminary draft of the story
has been prepared by Mr. Tarking-
ton and all that remajns is to put
it Into the proper technical form
for production on the screen. The
theme of the story has not been an
nounced, but it is known that the
locale willtibe a small Maine town
and that there will be many chil
dren In- the picture.
The Paramount Long Island studio
Is becoming quite a rendezvous
for prominent authors these days.
Joseph Hergesheimer, "whose novel,
"Java Head." is being translated to
the silver sheet by George Melford,
is a frequent visitor to see how his
story is progressing In its new form,
and George Ade is expected along
in a few days to do the final titles
for his story, "Back Home and
Broke."-which Thomas Meighan, is
finishing under the direction of
Alfred E. Green.
BY ARTHUR Q. HAGERMAN.
FRANK MAYO, screen star, re
fuses to take a vacation!
"Rut hA will mvft to bustlft
to keep up with the contract he has
just signed, which calls for portray
ing a starring role in three weeks'
time. The arrangement by which
he does it is unique.
He completed his Universal con
tract on a Saturday night and
within 48 hours left for location on
a starring production for First Na
tional release, with his starting date
on a uoldwyn production set at
December 9, three weeks away.
"The Man From Outside" is the
title and Elite Productions axe
making it. Frederick Reel wrote it
and will direct. One of the finest
casts of the day has been chosen.
Miriam cooper will play opposite
Mayo and Stuart Holmes, villain de
luxe; Josef Swickard, French father
6f "The Four Horsemen"; Mitchell
Lewis and Jim Alamo will play Im
portant character roles.
The location is near Huntington
lake and the exteriors there will
require a week. Then the company
will return to Universal City, where
studio quarters have been leased.
The unique feature of the agree
ment is that all of Mayo's scenes
will be shot first and the Test of
the company held up until he Is re
leased to go to his other engage
ment. If he gets through a day or two
early or has any spare moments, he
has the privilege of spending them
at the tailor's and the costumer's
getting fitted for 50 outfits required
In "Souls for Sale," the Goldwyn
production, in which he plays a role
with nine roles within it. It is a
story of motion picture life by
Rupert Hughes and pictures the
filming of several photoplays.
A hard life, but an ambitious one!
King Vidor Will Direct
Clara Kimball Young.
"The Woman of Bronze" to Be
Star's Next Release.
HUGHES' POPULARITY GROWS
WITH GOLDWYN REGULARS
Noted Photoplaywright and Author Helps Aspiring Writers Not
Too Tremendously Busy to Be "Chummy Fellow" With Employes.
PERHAPS the dominant reason
why Rupert Hughes' novels and
photoplays are so popular Is
that he can take a close-up of the
human heart. And, by the same
token, that'e the reason he Is so af
fectionately regarded by those who
come into personal touch with him.
Major Hughes hia associates at
the Goldwyn studio call him by his
military title is sympathetically in
terested in everybody. He has an
understanding mind. It's easy to
reach a point of contact with him.
He can talk to a property man or
he can talk to a savant with equal
ease and understanding.
Despite the fact that he Is lead
ing the hard work league In batting
averages, he always has time to
listen to the other fellow's story,
to give advice and cheer.' He has
given many a young writer the nec
essary aid and encouragement to
tart him on a successful career. His
latest protege was Jim Tully, that
picturesque young tramp, prize
fighter and author. The major read
every word of "Emmet Lawler" in
manuscript and helped Tully get it
Into shape.
Rupert Hughes often wishes he
could live a thousand years and. be
a lawyer, a doctor, a merchant, a
plumber, a politician, a soldier
everything. He approaches the world
with a passionate curiosity that is
amazing. The short span of life
prevents such an ambitious pro
gramme, but it has not prevented
him from writing novels, plays,
sketches, articles, poems, from be
ing a sculptor, composer, musician
and soldier. He is particularly
skilled in the fine and difficult art
of living.
With all his work, his many du
ties and engagements, he is never
harried, never temperamental. This
does not mean, however, that he is
not capable of strong opinion and
of hearty contempt for insincerity.
The motion picture is now claim
ing a great part of the author's
time and interest. He has plunged
into It with the ardor and enthu
siasm of a man who sincerely be
lieves that he is working in a great
new art. He has spent almost three
years at the studio studying the
technique of the cinema and he is
now successfully writing,1 directing
and editing hi own stories. He has
little patience with those who decry
tne screen as a medium of story
telling.
"Anything that creates a new art
is good, and all the reasons that
make any other art good prove that
the motion picture Is an art," he
declares with some impatience. "It
can do some of the things that all
me otner arts can do and many
things that no other art can do. It
occupies partf the fields of paint
ing, sculpture, music, drama, poetry,
history, philosophy and all the
forms of fiction. It uses all those
arts as helps."
To those authors now small In
number still virginal to the films
he hurls this challenge:
"For a story teller of any eort to
keep out of the movies because they
have been criticised is a confession
of cowardice. If he thinks the mov
ies are not good enough for him he
is eitner an ignorant snob or a
stubborn jackass. If the movies are
not good enough for him let him
go into them and bring them up to
nis own nigh standards."
THE large set at the Garson
etudlo, where work Is pro
gressing on Clara Kimball Young's
newest production, "Tne Woman of
Bronze," under the direction of
Hjng Vidor, is 'the Interior of a
sculptor's studio.
Joseph Wright, the art director,
scoured the art colony of southern
California to find genuine works of
art in order to create an atmosphere
that would reflect the personality
of the owner who. In the play, is a
sculptor of note. Casts were secured
from such well-known sculptors as
Ella Buchanan. Frolich and others.
Mr. Wright succeeded so well that
the whole cast became imbued with
the desire to "sculp," and one by one
each had his fingers in the clay. For
a while It looked as though Mr,
vidor were conducting a class in
modeling, but there was one thing
certain, he had no trouble In getting
tne players Into the atmosphere Mr.
Wright had created in his set and
which Mr. Vidor desired to portray
on the screen.
Earle Williams shows his skill In
climbing walls in "You Never
Know." In one of the sequences
the star scales the wall of a man
sion and makes an entrance throUeh
second-story window. The man
ner in which Williams accomplishes
this will make human flies sit ud
and take notice. He goes at It as
though he bad .been climbing walls
all his life.
KNOCKING MOVIES EASIER
THAN WRITING PICTURES
Best Literary Brains in World Recruited by Producers for Enter
tainment of Photoplay Patrons and Still They Kick.
BY DONALD H. CLARKE.
PERHAPS it is just as well that
some of the scenarios written
and submitted to motion pic
ture companies by some of the se
verest critics of the silent drama
never are produced. Chances are
about 99 out of 100 that the critic
authors, if they were honest, would
have more to rave about than ever.
" it s easy to write that the movies
are terrible; it's much harder to
peel off one's shirt and get down to
the job of making the best pictures
possible.
r Nobody will deny that the best
writing brains in the world have
been recruited by the producers in
their never-ceasing struggle to reach
the top of the heap and stay there.
Many authors have complained that
they were hampered in their efforts
to make, or assist in making, artis
tic motion pictures. Others, just as
able, have stuck to their knitting,
and are doing the best they can
with the material at hand, and the
limitations that are Imposed upon
the motion picture art which is no
different from any art in that it has
certain definite boundaries.
'It is no secret that Rupert Hughes
is one of the first of the writing
fraternity to make a definite aQd
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'"Within" the Law," with the pros
pect of a future starring contract
' in England.
The sisters are carrying on this
icampaign in conjunction with the
i London Sketch, and Lord Ashfield,
1 chairman of the competition grand
committee. Reports from across the
Atlantic tell of the attraction of
' large crowds who followed the Tal
madges about the streets wherever
they went, and indicated that the
Teaching of a decision as to who
was England's fairest daughter
would provide a knotty problem.
. -.
It Is announced that when George
Rigas, the popular Grecian star who
is giving the American screen some
of its most artistic characterizations,
notably in support of Ethel Clayton
In "If I : Were Queen" and in the
de luxe production of "The Rip
Tide," will have a total of 5000
Greek-Americans back of him in a
business way in a picture-producing
enterprise he plans for the , early
future. Mr. Rigas' first effort will
be to film on an elaborate scale a
novel he devoted seven years of his
life to writing. He will appear as
one of an all-star cast in the
Picture. .
Jean Hersholt has finished his
enacting of the role of Prince Otto
In support of - Mae Murray in
'Jazzmanla," and It is said he has
added another character triumph to
his long list, the most notable of
which is his Ben Letts in Mary
Pickford's new "Tess of the Storm
Country." The final scenes In Miss
Murray's latest feature will be en
acted In Europe, but only the star
and two other principals appear in
this episode.
.
Luclen Hubbard, one of the fore
most editors and scenario writers in
motion pictures, has been engaged
as one of a staff of four advisory
editors of production at Paramount's
west coast studio, according to an
nouncement by Jesse L. Lasky, first
vice-president in charge of produce
tion of the Famous Players-Lasky
corporation. The other three mem
bers of the staff are Ralph Block,
Julia Crawford Ivers and Walter
Woods. "
FILM EDITOR DETAILS TYPE
OF STORIES STUDIOS SEEK
Day of the Amateur Passed and One Must Get Into Professional
Class to Turn Out Acceptable Material for Production.
Marion Davles, star In Cosmopolitan productions, as she appears as Prin
cess Mary Tudor in the lllmisation of "When Knighthood Was in Flower."
"M'
OST people look as though
their features had just
been slapped together re-
garless of whether they match or
not. When you find some one whose
features are in absolute harmony
you have found a beauty."
Frank X Leyendecker, famous
artist, almost forgot the irritating
noise of the flat-wheel street car
that Is spoiling the quiet of his
nice studio and grew enthusiastic
over his subject.
Asked for an example of what
ho meant as to "harmony of fea
ture" he pointed to a portrait of
Marion Davies, celebrated screen
star, which he had just completed.
"Miss Davies is the perfect type of
blonde beauty," he said. "Her fea
tures are in absolute harmony. She
has what artists call 'a complete
personality'."
Asked how a famous screen star
behaved as a model, Leyendecker
had nothing but words of praise.
"Miss Davies is one of .the best
models I ever saw," he said. "She
has intelligence, concentration, re
pose and patience. She can sit for
half an hour scarcely without mov
ing." The artist's - brush had indeed
caught all the sumptuous elegance
of the royal wedding gown in which
Miss Davies as Princess Mary Tudor
Is married to old King Louis XII
of France In the screen version of
Charles Major's famous novel. The
costume, which weighs 50 pounds, is
of silver cloth richly trimmed in
ermine and has a long train em
broidered in pearls. The filigree
headdress is adorned with the same
jewels. The wedding scene in
"When Knighthood Was in Flower"
is one of the most impressive and
BY PAUL BERN, :
Editor In Charge of the Goldwyn
Studio.
THiu amateur who wants to sei
a story for motion-picture pro
. duction should cet out of the
amateur class. The day has gone
when the numerical demand for
stories is so great that any string
of incidents is acceptable. The
stories which we are trying to get
today must have some extraordinary
feature, and it is obvious that the
extraordinary does not, rise to the
surface of the strictly amateur
writer.
This was exemplified to me this
week when a so-called "amateur"
sent in a story the head of our read
ing department showed me. It
proved to be the synopsis of a really
great book which we bought a year
ago, very obviously stolen by this
amateur. But even with this great
piece of literature before him, the
novice wrote his theme, his facts,
his characters so poorly, with so
little skill and so little sincerity.
that the material as marshalled by
him had no interest or value to us,
even though we knew the source
from which It had been derived.
We want great stories, and if this
greatness is in any field, it is suffi
cient g reatness of characters,
greatness of dramatic situation,
greatness of physical thrill, great
ness of theme, of idea any one of
these is almost sufficient; a com
bination of more than one of them
is enougn to insure a saie.
This Information Is indefinite,
naturally, because great stuff can
not be labeled and pigeon-holed. It
must rise above the trade-mark. It
must be unusual and impressive, not
because it falls into the category
of "society drama," "melodrama,
etc., but because it is true, sincere,
big and Impressive through some
intangible quality in it.
. '
. Cesare Gravlna, who' plays one of
the leading roles with Jackie Coogan
In "Daddy," says he has never had
a more congenial part. He appears
as a violin virtuoso reduced by un
kind circumstances to the necessity
of playing on the street for the
stray pennies that are tossed Into
his hat by heedless passersby.
Gravina was formerly a well-known
Italian opera singer with wide
celebrity throughout the land of
Verdi. Among his recent picture
successes are Jahoda, the little
dancing master in . "Scratch My
Back" and the inkeeper, timid and
furtive, In "Madame X." Gravina
first appeared on the stage In his
natal town of Naples way back In
18S3 producing light opera with his
own company. After 40 years' ex
perience In opera, pantomime and
drama Gravina turned to motion
pictures, to which he brings the ripe
expression of a commanding and be
guiling artist.
Edmund Lowe, who is well known
on the speaking stage and has also
appeared in a number of screen
productions, has been added to the
cast of "The White Flower," and
will play opposite Betty Compson.
He was engaged by wire from the
west coast and departed immedi
ately in order to reach San Fran
cisco in time to catch the steamship
Wilhelmina for Honolulu.
"The White Flower" Is to be made
In and around Honolulu, on the
beach at WaiMki and at the brink
of the volcano, Kilauea. Others in
the cast include Edward Martindel,
Arline Pretty. Sylvia Ashton, Arthur
Hoyt, Leon Barry and Lily Phillips.
spectacular ever screened. The set
tings for the entire picture were
designed by that master artist,
Joseph Urban, and Sir Joseph Du
veen, famous art collector of Lon
don, has pronounced the court
scenes of King Henry VIII the most
accurate ever filmed. Robert G.
Vignola directed the picture.
- Howard Chandler Christy, too,
was enthusiastic over Miss Davies"
ability as a model. "Not only can
she hold the pose without moving,
but she shows extreme thoughtful
ness for others," he -declared. "There
was nothing of the temperamental
star about her. She was never late
for an appointment. These are
traits an artist most thoroughly
appreciates."
Talmadge Contest Greatly
Interests London.
"Fairest Girl in Britain" Sought
for Picture Work.
CONSIDERABLE excitement among
young women of London, partic
ularly in state and society circles, is
being aroused by a novel campaign
conducted by Norma and Constance
Talmadge, American film stars, for
the purpose of selecting "the fair.
est girl in Britain" to work In pic
tures with Norma.
According to information received
in New York, the Talmadges, with
Joseph Scheneck, husband of Norma,
attracted a gathering a few days
ago at the Savoy hotel in London
of 100 aspirants to the "fairest'
crown, and from them chose the 20
prettiest. Out of these the one girl
is to be picked, and she will have
a part in Norma's next picture.
NOW PLAYING
comprehensive campaign to master
the screen as a means of telling a
story. , Right now he is writing, di
recting and aditing and titling his
own photodramas. Rudyard Kipling,
according to newspaper announce
ments, is overseeing a project to
push his noteworthy fiction on the
silver sheet. Sir Hall Caine, at the
present writing, is at his own sug
gestion titling and editing the
screen version of his famous novel,
"The Christian."
Stage directors of renown, many
editors with "highbrow" ideals
enough to satisfy the fussiest resi
dent of Boston's back bay colony,
dramatists, scholars all have tried
and are trying their hands at mak
ing motion, pictures.
Naturally, to be successful, they
must make pictures . that make
money. No benevolent person with
millions in his wallet has yet been
discovered who is willing to make
"artistic" pictures that please scat
tered groups of, intellectuals, but
which have so little public appeal
that they do not pay for the cost of
their production.
And, in. this connection, It might
be mentioned that anyone who can
demonstrate that he can tell either
in script or on the screen before re
lease a picture that is "sure fire"
from a picture that is doomed to
failure might reasonably enough ex-
WW, 1
All Shows on Saturdays. ff , '3f
fffjt Hob days and Holidays fc 'r- .! t
, Y'fy, and Daily After 5 P. M. . g3 i ; j&K
tfft ? Rear balcony M 1 Iff ! P 'itfjA'
S Front balcony 75 1' fejXiw( A ' : -VV?
4 Lower floor - .75- 5 W ' r! :,
,. Balcony loftes 1.1ft . t 7far&& i-
lI'V V Lower floor loges. . 1.60 . 4SM JNftk. 5" 1 V J
' Matinees until 5 P. M. " $S$? t M
1 except Saturday, Sunday I J t J Jff
f , Holiday. M.)'- , i' A
A ' Balcony., $.55 . . f yTV' if -
, V Lower floor......... .13 "W1 ' -ff t Jft , &
" H, Balcony loees 1.10 U , ,V J4& V? A
y; Lower floor loses.. 1.60 - if ' v.--Mi 1 jr '" i Vj
'i STABTINO TIME OF i, t . . I
& SHOWS:- . l jv:? ' ' f ' .
Doors open at 10:35 It jiffi .8' f . ; . . .
- A. M. First show com- il t"i .r f f J ft,
i mencea at 10:45. - Sue- ''I AfiU6 . t V "H
. ceedtng performances at a 1K ' '
ft 12:50. 2:55. 5. 7:05. :10. 'f If f
The most
amazingly beautiful
picture ever made.
hi
Keates Concert Today at 12:30
v 1. POMP AND CIRCUMST.WCrc. Military
i March, 2o. 1, in D. HKQIF.ST
.EOWAllD KLUAll
2. WEDDING OF THE WINDS. Concert
. Waltz JOH.V T. HA LI,
8. CAROLINA IN THK MORNING. SonK.
K AHN AND DONALDSON
4. KKATBS CONTEST.
5. LIBERTY GRAND CHORl'S.
SINGING OLD TINES. ,
ON OUR MIGHTY ORGAN
f J Mf 0 1 "zS&Ksr gp SJ
1
uaomn v aienuno
4The Young Rajah"
Never has Valentino been given such wonderful opportunities as in this
'picture. First as an American college hero, then as a jeweled prince of
India, he offers his greatest performance to date.
In a . story vibrant with passionate love scenes, dazzling with gorgeous
settings and costumes, thrill-swept with adventure and mystery. Sup
porting cast includes Wanda Hawley and Charles Ogle. '
EDUCATIONAL COMEDY
LIBERTY NEWS
THIS WEEK' ONLY!
it-
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