Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-16

-tES+llts allAA--1lNAlN tA5sGz. ~
A decision on the constltutionality of
the censor law in Ohio will be handed
down by the United States Supreme Court
within the next few weeks. The decision
VIII undoubtedly be sweeping and far
reaching. It will establish finally whether
or not State has the right to censor pic
lures or whether phctoplays have the
same status as the newspaper. In the
appeal of the Mutual Film Company to
the highest court in the land It is con-
tended that the censor law places an un-
lawful burden on interstate COM
dnerce II interferes with the freedom Of
the press and of speech, It delegates the
powers of the Legislature to Individual
officers. Counsel for the company referred
to the opinion of the lower court, which
held that censorship OF motion pictures
was nothing more than an exercise of the
police power, and that the regulation of
theatres had from time immemorial been
considered n proper function of the police
powers Of the State He said he had no
intention Of disputlng this opinion, but
he pointed out that much more than the
regulation of theatres was involved in
the censorship question. "The motion
picture" he said, SERVED many other
purposes besides furnishing amusement.
"The motion picture is rapidly winning
It's way into the schools and universities
CT the country. In many instances the
motion picture has come to take the place
of the newspaper. The dissemination of
the worlds news upon the screen Is one
of the most important functions of the
motion picture. The motion picture,
therefore, ought to enjoy the same FREQ
dom of expression which is accorded TO
the press The press is not subject to
previous restraint, t. c., restraint before
the publication, though no one will deny
that newspapers often carry very unde
sirable matter from moral point of
view"
OSBOURNE'S NOVEL FILMED.
In the latest announcement from the
American Mutual studios at Santa Bar
bara lovers Of literature and readers OF
novels will find reason for rejoicing. For
the American company is to film for the
Mutual program a novel by Robert Louis
Stevenson's stepson, Lloyd Osbourne,
published several years ago and called
'Tnfatuation."
"Tnfatuation' Is to be produced in four
reels. 1t will be directed by Harry Pol
lard, who is to appear in the screen YER
sion as Cyril Adair. Margarita Fisher
will be the Phyllis Lane of the picture
and her father will be played by Joseph
Singleton. Others in the cast are Mrs
Chance Ward, William Carol, and.
strangely enough as all who have read
the book will agree, an actor named
Robyn Adair.
NEW LUBIN RECRUIT.
Lubin's has captured Dorothy Bernard,
an English girl born in South Africa in
1890 She was born in Port Elizabeth,
travelled from there to Pretoria, a four
days trip by coach, to be christened in
"Oom Paul" Krugers chapel, and came
home to England when l year old BY
her third birthday she had been i'm Aus
tralia and India and had come to America
with her parents. who were with Charles
Frohman. She played her first part then
with Roland Reed, went back to Australia
when years old with Nance O'Neilrs 8
company, then back to San Francisco to
the Grand Opera House stock company.
From there she went to Los Angeles and
Portland, playing child parts for the
famous old Belasco and Burbank stock
companies When II she played her first
grown-ups as ingenue at the Belasco The
atre in Los Angeles.
She went into pictures at the Biograph
for two years.
A MOVIE PLOT SUSPECTED.
They were hOlStlnS Sale 10 tne lentn
story window of n building on Market
street, San Francisco, recently by the
familiar block and fall method. A crowd
had gathered, and Vivian Rich, of the
American Mutual Company. making her
way through the dense mob of idly
curious people toward the shopping dis
trict, was seen by two men who stood
watching operations from across the
street Meanwhile the safe was slowly
climbing skyward.
Know who that pretty girl Is?" one
man asked the other
Nope"
what? Gee! ia know her among a
thousand just from her picture. That's
Vivian Rich"
Just as he said this there came from
high in the air snap and the rip of rope
fibre, and from below chorus of horri-
fed shrleks. With n crash the safe hit
the sidewalk. Concrete chips flew In
every direction, digging sharp, biting
paths through clothing and skin. The
safe burst open. Women tainted. Men
pushed away madly.
''HuhW exclaimed the man across the
street "They can't fool me! Just an
other one of those movie stunts"