4
TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX. PORTLAND, DECEMBER 17, 1922
JUNE MATHIS, WRITER, WINS
j BIG POST IN STUDIQLAND
One of Greatest Photoplaywrightg Now Heads List as Editorial
Director for Goldwyn Spent Years in Preparation.
f' i
f l is
' x 'Si
June Wathis, who adapted "The Foot Horsemen" nnd "Blood and Sand"
and who has now completed acript for "Ben Hur."
BY JOSEPH A. JACKSON. i
WOMAN'S placa Is In the motion
picture Btudlo, It would seem.
The members of that sex are
not satisfied with being stars, but
they are also moving in as writers,
designers, executives and occasion
ally as directors.
The spotlight 19 lured toward the
feminine contingent by the recent
appointment of June Mathis as edi
torial director of the Goldwyn stu
dios the most Important position
ever held by a woman in this new
and magic Industry, which is also
an art. " r
Miss Mathis has won her cine
matio spurs' by hard work, a tre
mendous enthusiasm for the screen,
and the application of a keen and
sensitive mind. These things you
instinctively feel when you talk to
her.
i . In assuming her new duties, Miss
Mathis brings to- her work the ex
perience of notable achievement. DIB
she not adapt "The Four Horsemen
of th8 Apocalypse," "Blood and
Sand" and "The Conquering Power"?
For eight years she has been wrlt
- lng successfully for the screen, and
', before that sh8 spent two years in
.study and preparation before she
wrote a line.
"1 think the secret of making suc
, cessf ul pictures Is in co-operation
and understanding between director
t and writer," said Miss Mathis. "The
; author must feel that the director is
a fit person to translate his ideas
, to the screen, and the director must
' have confidence In the writer.
"For this reason I am a strong be
1 Ilever in well-known stories for the
; big feature directors. If they feel
. that they are handling the material
; of a master, they will approach it
with the confidence that they have
' something worthy of their best ef
, -forts. That feeling makes a lot of
difference In the completed picture."
', Although Miss Mathis has written
; many original stories, she has made
her greatest reputation as an adap
" tor of world-famous books. She
; modestly calls herself "the servant
of the great." With artistic fidelity
i) nd skill she has moulded famous
jjovels into famous photoplays. It is
no easy matter, this, to translate
Ideas from one medium into another.
It requires a thorough knowledge of
the new technique of the screen and
a fine loyalty to the original. In
fact, she first began to write for the
screen when ?he became annoyed by
the changes which scenario writers
made in great plays.
For ten years she had been on
,.tho stage, and it goes without say
' ing that she had studied the effects
that certain methods had on au
diences. Those early pictures had
a way of missing the climax, and
this irritated her. She decided then
that she would become a screen
translator and that she would sub
ject her own whims to the aftist
who had created.
J She was not a trained writer,
though she had read widely. She
t determined to 9tudy the people
'around her from the story angle.
She had a friend who was a well
j known magazine writer, and he
; helped her. For two years she
worked as hard as she does now.
! All of this was just preparation.
; During the latter part of the
' period she went away with a motion
! picture company and played slap-
stick comeay parts tor eigni or ten
weeks. When she came back she
' wrote her first scenario of feature
. length, a picturization of a play
that had not been produced. She
; took the adaptation to Edwin Ca
rewe, director, who did not like the
story because of its morbid theme,
but who liked the adaptation very
much. He sent for Miss Mathis and
she went to work for Metro. Within
a year she was put in charge of the
-department and stayed there for
eeven years.
Now, in addition to being made
Goldwyn editorial director, she is
elso the scenarist of "Ben Hur,"
which is expected to be the greatest
'motion picture ever made, dhe has
" M-
X"
t
about completed the script for the
Lew Wallace classic and she feels it
is the best thing she h$s ever done.
In making the screen version she
has drawn on both the book and the
play. It may be safely predicted
that the spirit and the letter of this
epic of the time of Christ have been
safely preserved.
Miss Mathis was born In Leadville,
Colo., on June 30. She comes from
nine generations of physicians, law
yers and college professors. Her
father was a doctor and druggist;
her mother was "a good mother."
Her great-uncle Is a professor and
dean of one of tlfe oldest colleges in
England.
She was educated in Salt Lake
City and San Francisco. She was
first on the stage in San Francisco,
dancing and doing imitations in
vaudeville, while still very young.
Later she was with Ezra Kendall in
"The Vinegar Buyer," with Liebler
& Co.; with James K. Hackett and
Pauline Frederick. She played the
lead for two years in "Brewster's
Millions." She was the lead for a
year in "Going Some" with the Shu
berts. and four seasons with Julian
Eltingle in "The Fascinating
Widow."
a
At last'4he real American woman
of the screen has been found. She
will be seen in Helen Jerome Eddy's
presentation of the role of Mary
Jane Anderson, the leading feminine
characterization in Harry Garson's
"An Old Sweetheart 'of Mine."
Firmness pentleness, beauty and
S 1
THE PICK O' THE PICTURES
3 . - TODAY
DAYS MONDAY jlj?
COME! TUESDAY Iglh
Charles Ray-
"A TAILOR-, mm
MADE MAN" fU
I A Great Nine-Reel Comedy Drama " ' -flL f
TIE was a lowly pants-prexser in a little fc J ' If.
bnsement tiiilor-shop. He was told he f' ImS)!,
j could makr"sld?-money" by working nights .'fjvS ''-' 'S'ntr
I as a caterer's helper. He replied) "I'm jp Jf" 'vv SIT
groins to receive refreshments, not serve 8 f II
thera." And it was shortly after that he h "j-:.'.'iiJI
llll dared to make a seemingly impossible if.'. jf
jjJI dream come true, by becoming ! ' '
J 'A TAILOR-MADE MAN' J;,
j ' also I rV1' J
I Screen Snapshots Pathe News rt J
I Mutt and Jeff g jJ
i f ms I l
; OISCIE 1 "-" II
llll Independently Owned Independently Operated
wit these are the qualities Mr. Gar
son wishes to portray and last, but
not least the guiding feminine In
fluence which plays so vital a part
in the life of every man.
In casting the part of Mary Jane
Mr. Garson interviewed nearly all
the feminine celebrities and finally
chose Helen Jerome Eddy as the one
best qualified to represent American
womanhood.
Miss Clara Kimball Toung has re
turned to the Garson studios after a
brief vacation following the com
pletion of "Enter Madame," for re
lease through Metro Exchanges.
Never has Miss Young been seen
to better advantage than in the
screen adaptation by Frank Beres
ford of this successful play which
created such a furore in New York
and London. To her characteriza
tion of Madame Lisa Delia Robbio
she brings that fine talent and per
sonality - which place her-as the
great emotional artist she is.
Viola Dana, in her new Metro pic
ture, "Calico and Romance," directed
by Harry Beaumont, bests a host of
up-to-date flappers and carries off
UNIVERSAL TO START 1923
WITH BIG AUTHOR PICTURES
Imposing List of Literary Celebrities Announced With Many Stories
Written Directly for the Screen and Popular Stars.
AN IMPOSING array of pictures,
adapted from well-known plays,
nnmilnl nnirlR and nfhAP nnh.
llshed stories is listed by Universal
is its forecast for the opening
months of 1923. The pictures form
the schedule of Universal attrac
tions to be released one each week
beginning on January 1. In the
list is included pictures written by
such well-known authors as Sin
clair Lewis. George Randolph Ches
ter, Richard Harding Davis, George
Barr McCutcheon and the interna
tionally heralded Norwegian author,
Johan Boje as well as pictures by
other writers of national promi
nence. The first Universal release of the
new year will be "The Flaming
Hour," a story by Mrs. George Ran
dolph Chester, in which Frank Mayo
is starred, and of which Edward
Sedgwick is the director. Follow
ing this will come a special cast
production. "The Ghost Patrol,"
adapted from Sinclair Lewis' cele
brated story of that name. Ralph
Graves, Bessie Love, Gorge Nichols
ara in tha cast, which was directed
by Nat Ross, maker of several hilari
ous Hoot Gibson dramas.
With mid-January release. "Kin
dled Courage," directed by William
Worthington from a story by Leet
Renick Brown, with Edward Hoot)
Gibson as the star, there will be re-
BEING FUNNY IN PICTURES
HARD TASK, SAYS AUTHOR
BeulahMarie Dix Declares Slap-Stick Stuff Easy, but Sublety or
Situation Comedy Difficult to Gauge.
W
HEN a character steps on a
banana peel and falls, the
majority of the public will
laugh.
"But when we get Into psycho
logical comedy or attempt to an
alyze the response to a subtle
situation, we are feeling our way
more or less in the dark."
So declares Beulah Marie Dix,
Paramount scenario writer, who
has just penned the screen adapta
tion of "A Daughter of Luxury," in
which Agnes Ayres is starring for
Paramount under the direction of
Paul Powell.
Miss Dix was asked to give an
advance tip on what would be some
of the comedy' situations in that
particular picture, and this gave
rise to her discussion of the phsy
chology of comedy and her above
statements.
"Purely comedy antics, such as
the banana peel Incident," continued
the writer, "are obviously comedy
and are generally sure for a laugh.
It Is almost an impossibility, how
ever, to guage a standard of pub
lic response to subtlety or situation
comedy. And this is one of the
great drawbacks under which
screen producers and writers work,
and Is perhaps a problem that will
never be entirely solved.' A book
or a play stands a better chance
to- succeed than a motion picture
because no matter what Us theme,
text or style, there is a . certain
class of people which will patronize
it, while the motion picture's ap
peal must be general and must
strike a responsive note in every
man, woman and child, or a large
majority thereof.
"In writing comedy or comedy
drama such as "A Daughter of
Luxury," we never can assure our
selves absolutely that a certain hu
the prize catch of the season by re- 1
verting to the styles of her grand- '
mother. Where her rivals' evening '
gowns are decollette, hers reach the j
ears; where their bathing suits arc j
abbreviated, hers could fit the grand j
piano. - I
"I'm sorry for the poor little flap- 1
pers," confided Miss Dana to Mr. j
Beaumont. "They catch it rouh in
this story. - To paraphrase the old
melodrama line, "it's a case with
them o belng 'more dressed against
than dressing.' "
-
Al Kaufman, former heavyweight
contender, has a part in the Metro
picturization of -the Ben Ames Will
lams' sea story, "All the Brothers
Were Valiant." Mr. Kaufman, dur
ing his ring career, fought such
heavyweights as Jess Wlllard, Jim
Flynn, Jack Johnson and others. The
other day he let fall a remark to the
effect that one of the crew, which
plays an Important part in the pic
ture, looked like Dempsey. But the
sailor was quick to deny It.
"I ain't," he made it clear, "so
don't forget yourself and think
you're goin' to win the heavyweight
championship by pickin' on me. No,
sir!"
leased a Herbert Rawlinson picture
adapted from "The-Scarlet Car," one
of the celebrated "Scarlet Car"
stories of Richard Harding Davis.
Stuart Paton directed it.
The last January release w-ill be a
special production adapted from
"The Power of a Lie," a world-famed
novel by Johan Bojer. This story
ranks as one of the strongest ever
penned In any tongue. It was
crowned by the French academy.
Universal has filmed it with a top
notch cast including Mabel Julienne
Scott, Earl Metcalf, June Elvidge
and Maude George and David Tor
rence. George Archalnbaud directed
it.
Among the February releases will
be "The First Degree," a Frank
Mayo picture adapted from "The
Summons," a story by George Pa
tullo, directed by Edward. Sedgwick;
"The Love Letter," a Gladys Walton
attraction directed by King Baggot
from a story by Bradley King, and
"The -Gentleman from America," a
side-splitting Hoot Gibson picture,
written by Raymond L. Schrock,
scenario editor at Universal City,
and directed by Edward Sedgwick.
. It is probable that the last Feb
ruary release will be "The Prisoner,"
an adaptation of George Barr Mo
Cutcheon's famous novel, "Castel
Cranycrow," with Herbert Rawlinson
as star.
morous situation is going to be
funny in the public eye. It might
seem funny to us, or funny to the
players, but that is no standard.
"I remember back In the days
when I was doing stage work, when
the people In the cast suddenly
burst out laughing at the comedy
of a subtle situation, the stage di
rector and producers Immediately
shook their heads and entertained
grave doubts as to the success of
the play.
"This gives us the license to
draw a conclusion: The public at
large is not as responsive to subtle
ty as the small group of profes
sionals. This might be explained
by. saying Wat comedy situations
and subtlety are the stock-in-trade
of professionals. They become
trained, by constant portrayals, to
more readily detect the meaning of
this element or subtlety or arrive
at an interpretation of the humor
behind a comedy situation and thus
are able to grasp things which 'go
over the heads' of the audience.
"The evolution of a comedy situa
tion, therefore, in a motion picture
might be compared to the mixing of
unknown chemical compounds. An
explosion might result, and then
again, there might be no explosion
at all, the explosion in this sense
coinciding figuratively with the re
sponse by laughter of the audience."
f,igi '.m!L,aw.'w'"'! " " smi
fciig.t;'ajiBAiiBrHii'' mi ' isiwm'iaai i
PICTURE GLYCERINE TEARS
ARE NOW DECLARED PASSE
Wheeler Oakman Says Over-production Is Responsible for Elimina
tion of Artificial "Sob Runners" in Many Screen Features.
Iv : V!
t , tf ' - , v - '-
Wheeler Oakman, who aver that "eye athletics and optic pinching;'' have
spilled their way out of motion pictures for the beat.
THE business of shedding tears
for the screen threatens to be
coma one of the lost arts with
thf dying popularity of wholesale
closeups. Distressing as it . is to
glycerine makers and film weepers,
eye-athletics are not being done as
they once were. he iear is losing
its novelty as a spectacle.
It wasn't many moons ago that
the story would be halted while the
persecuted heroine had a good close
up cry. It was considered not only
punchy emphasis of her extreme un
happiness, but also good acting.
However, they're turning off the
raucets now.
Crying a la film has been a pro
gressive piece of dramatic business,
according to Wheeler Oakman, who
vigorously fills the title roles of
Oliver Morosco's "The Half Breed"
and "Slippy McGee." In the earlter
t'uys of the films tear-shedding was
a genuine process, for that was be
fore the property glycerine bottle
snd handy dropper were waiting if
the director could not prime the dry
eyes with coaxings, mournings and
threatening.
"When tear-splashinff was intro
duced to the screen it was a very
t.;fty effect," says Oakman, whose
experience in the films takes him
Lack to the days before artificial
lighting, manufactured sets and all
latter-day artifices. "When they
cried in those days, they cried. There
was no glycerine. They had to pump
cut the tears by the innpr emotion
process.
"Crying became successful and
effective. Even the men of the films
got to doing it. It was passed on
down the line until even- the kids
of the films could do as neat a job
of tear-emitting as the Veteran.
"Often I saw a picture held up
vhile the director worked upon some
one who was to mug before the
camera all tear-streaked. In those
dtys we had no emotion-stirring
music, now an indispensable ad
junct in the studio. It was just,
'Here's where you do the tear Stuff.'
And it often was difficult. I have
seen a supposedly sorrowing heroine
laugh herself into hysterics while
the director danced around and tore
iianinmi ,
4 .if
wt
' s s
Ms hair because she would not sad
den up and roll out the tears.
"But now, when crying is easy,
out go the tears. That's the way of
it in pictures. In filming 'The Half
Breed' I spent four weeks learning
to use a lasso and just when I was
getting good Mr. Morosco changed
the script and I didn't have a chance
to use the rope at all."
Huntley Gordon, who has one of
the leading male roles opposite
Falre Dinney in Pyramid's "What
Fools Men Are," was duly astonished
when he received a letter from a
motion picture fan who told him he
was a wonderful double for Governor-elect
Alfred Smith of New York.
Mr. Gordon has been told many
things in his days, but this is the
most amazing, according to him.
Hobart Bosworth to Play
in "Vanity Fair."
Noted Artist Cast for Role of
Marquis at Steyne.
TTUGO BALLIN announces -that he
XjL bas engaged Hobart Bosworth
for the role of the Marquis of Steyne
in his production for Goldwyn re
lease of Thackeray's , masterpiece,
"Vanity Fair," in which he will star
his wife. Mabel Ballin. Mr. Bos
worth has recently completed a
striking characterization in Mar
shall Neilan's production of "The
Strangers' Banquet," made in asso
ciation with Goldwyn. The Mar
quis of Steyne is one of the most
picturesque roles In literature. On
the stage it has been played by
Gorge Arliss and Holbrook Bllnn
with Mrs. Fiske, and has always
captivated the imagination of play
goers. In photoplay form the role
should command even more interest.
Mr. Ballin has also engaged
George Walsh for the production.
He will signalize his re-entry Into
motion pictures, after a year's ab
sence in vaudeville and in making
personal appearance, by acting the
role of Rawden Crawley, the hus
band of Becky Sharpe. Walsh has
starred in many Universal and First
CECIL
TEAGUE
In Concert
at
1:30 P.M.
'-'ifhr-rsai.sWsi'giiaal'TJii
National productions. The role of
nawden Crawley will give him an
opportunity to get away from the
athletic drama. Other players en-
t'Bged for "Vanity Fair are Eieanor
Bardman, Wlllard Louis, Earle
Fox, Robert Mack, William Hum
phrey and Tempe Piggott. Mr. Louis,
remembered for his excellent work
in Goldwyn's "Mada'me X" and
"Roads of Destiny," will portray
the corpulent Joseph Sedley.
The "shooting" of scenes for
"Vanity Fair" will soon begin at the
Goldwyn studios under the personal
direction of Mr. Ballin.
Having Been that his wife has
been safely returned to the leading
role in "Sally." and having shaken
hands with Flo Ziegfeld and de
clared all hurt feelings if there
were any past and gone. Jack
Pickford has now come back to
Hollywood to resume his own pro
fessional activities.
Mr. Pickford was married to Marl
lynn Miller, the musical comedy
star, last summer, and recently ac
companied his. wife east on their
honeymoon trip. Miss Miller is un
der contract to Mr. Ziegfeld for the
life of the "Sally" show, which is
now in its third year, and conse
quently remained in New York.
Strong Players Cast in
"The Abysmal Brute."
Universal Give Reginald Denny
Big Support In Picture.
ON'E of the season's most note
worthy casts has been selected
at Universal City for "The Abysmal
Brute," a Universal production with
an all-star cast headed by Reginald
Denny.
The picture is being adapted from
a Jack London story of strong char
acter portrayal and vivid action.
Opposite Denny is Mabel Julienne
Scott, always a successful emotional
actress: Hayden Stevenson, the
whimsical, lovable "manager" of
"The Leather Pushers," plays an Im
portant part. Buddy Messenger, the
"kid" of Booth Tarkington's "The
Flirt," as Universal filmed it, has a
wonderful opportunity in "The
Abysmal Brute" to add to his suc
cess in the previous production.
Dorothea Wolbert, George Stew
art, Charles French, Mae Busch of
"The Devil's Pass-Key," "Foolish
Wives" and "The Christian"; Nell
Craig, Crawford Kent and other
notable selections have been made.
Hobart Henley, director of "The
Fiirt," which critics think will be
the heart-picture of the year, is di
recting "The Abysmal Brute." .
Metro Pictures corporation an
nounces the purchase of "Her Fatal
Millions," a story by the well-known
magazine writer, William Dudley
Pelley. This will be used as one of
the series of pictures starring Viola
Dana and directed by Harry Beau
mont. The story will appear soon
in a national magazine with wide
circulation.
1
WELCOME
ANOTHER GREAT
TRIUMPH BY
THE STAR OF
"THE
rtiU
MASQUERADER
ii t i n.
WELCOME ANOTHER
STAGE MASTERPIECE
TO THE SCREEN
Immortal is the ro
mance of Omar and
Shirccn, who loved
the poet, yet awoke
in the harem of the
shah.
, Glow to it in this
photomarvel athrob
with the subtle
magic of the Ru-
baiyat.
ZEL
COMEDY M
CARTOON h i I'
news fM ;:
V Q now i M
playing liL
DE LUXE CONCERT
- 12:00 Noon Today
Direction
SALVATORE SANTAELLA
.1
Dimick's Volume Proves
Big Aid to Writers.
Literary Art of Screen Instruct
ively Set Forth.
THE writing of photoplays has
come to be an important
part of the work of the general
writer. Many books dealing with
the subject have been printed and
offered as text-books, but until re
cently none were complete, correct
and practical In teaching the work
from the Inception of tne idea to Its
full development In finished manu
script form ready to be offered to
producers. -
The best and most complete book
on photoplay writing that the
writer has reviewed is- "Modern
Photoplay Writing Its Craftsman
ship," by Howard T. Dimiek, and
published by James Knapp Reeve in
Franklin, Ohio. This volume is In
dispensable to anybody contemplat
ing writing for the screen. It is
not technically dull. It is tremen--dously
instructive, helpful and In
spiring. Every step, from the in
troduction to the selling of the
scenario, is carefully, Intelligently
and lucidly set forth.
It' is a book for the beginner in
photoplay writing, and also for the
successful worker who is always
selling his scenarios; for the first,
it teaches the primary steps, and
each successive step up to the com
pleted play; for the latter there are
new lessons in technic, in the use
of material, problems of the play,
and in the business management
and selling of his work.
The author Is well known a on
of the earlier workers In the art
of production of screen plays. With
the training of a newspaper re
porter and general writer, contribu
tor to magazines and song writer,
Mr. Dlmick next took up play-writing,
studying with Mr., Price, for
merly instructor at the American
Academy of Dramatic Arts, New
York; and was later dramatlo critic
for a prominent metropolitan news
paper. Ma'colm McGregor's ability as a
swimmer and diver received a se
vere test during the filming of the
Metro production, "All the Brothers
Were Valiant," in which he enacts
the leading male role. While a stu
dent at Yale McGregor was a swim
ming star and held the Metropolitan
championship for the low board
fane- diving.
In one of the final scenes of "All
the Brothers" Joel Shore, which
part McGregor enacts, is called upon
to leap from the stern of a whaling
vessol into the water. Irvin V. Wil
lat, director, planned to have a pro
fessional swimmer take the leap,
but McGregor volunteered to make
the dive himself. The distance was
25 feet, and added to that was the
necessity of performing the feat In
rougl water, and then to swim 100
yards before being picked up.
All' - ,
f 4
1-4 N
A
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