South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-04-22
Seeing America
First
BY Fred Kelly

thought in the motion picture in
dustry. so far as publicity Is con-
cerned One class Of men in the
business believe that the more the
public knows about the ways and
means of producing the pictures. the
more interest the public will take in
going 10 see them. on this theory,
one Of the big Los Angeles movie
concerns is planning 10 have studio
with big plate glass windows that
Will permit anybody TO walk up and
see the actors at work.
The other notion is that knowing
too much about how the thing is done
VIII spoil the public's zest for the
film drama. Many producers fear 10
take a chance on blasting the illusion.
They feel that while the public may
be well aware that the storming Of
big stone fort is not a real sure
enough battle, ii would be going too
far to show the public that the fort
is nothing but painted canvas.
But" YOU contend, doesn't the
regular human being drama consist
mostly Of illusions. and doesn't the
audience knows that what it sees is
not real?"
Yes" comes back the movie pro-
Queer. "and when you go TO see a
magician you know that the things
he does are just tricks. but If you
hlltW nOW Dt Nlu lAACAlAs gOu WOhAh
soon lose interest"
At that juncture the movie man
seems to have the better Of the argu-
ment. For many Of the more sensa-
tional films are made in way that
amounts almost is sleight of hand. At
one of the biggest studios liz Los An
geles. / saw them phOtOgraphing a
lion entering the tent of beautiful
young girl who was camping in the
wilds of Africa. In the picture as it
will be shown in the theaters the girl
is asleep on a cot and Mr.. Lion comes
rOmping in with an expression of hon.
icidal glee on his features. 1t opens
its mouth for a roar that awakens the
girl, who gives several carefully plan
ned screams of terror.
Those who see this picture will say
that the lion must in reality be
tOothless old drOne who never does
anything more serious than carry on
a well stimulated bluff But that is
not the idea at all. The answer is
that when the lion is roaming about
the tent roaring and seeking a tooth
some girl TO eat up. the girl Is not
there Just half the lens is exposed
while the lion is in the scene. In place
OF the girl is just a pillow stuffed
under the bed-clothes. The head of
the bed does not show in the picture.
Neither do the runways that fence
in the lion and prevent him from
roaming beyond the range of the eX-
posed half of the lens.
j took a lot OF patience and long
strip of film to get the lion in the
savage attitudes desired. out of per
haps 500 or 400 Feet of film. in this
instance not more than about Is feet
will be used
After the lion had shown his real
nature for a while. they shoOed him
back TO his cage. Then the operator
shifted the cover to the other half of
the lens, turned back his film to the
starting point, and photographed a
charming young woman named Marie
who lay on her cot. McRae, who pro-
duces the animal pictures. had kept
track of the number of turns of the
crank on the camera. Each turn Of
the crank was a picture. From his
note book McRae could tell at just
what turn the lion had been at his
best-or worse. When they reached
the bits Of good stuff" on the second
half of the exposures, the director
babe Marie to look especially terror
lied. Thus are the spine-chilling an
imal pictures CO-Ordinated to give the
movie fans their figurative pound Of
flesh.
Director McRae offered to prepare
me neat little souvenir of my visit.
ne SttlU he WOulU nave Ills men Jake
a picture Of me with a tame leopard
in my lap. The leopard, he explained,
was the only tame wild animal they
had. In proof that it was perfectly
tame and harmless. he showed me a
photograph of Marie, queen of the
movies with the leopard in her arms.
l would have posed for the souvenir
portrait except for one thing. The
trouble is 1 have never been much Of
a hn AC n a mn
leopard is not a thing that I ordin-
arily banker TO caress. So 1 thanked
McRae for his courtesy and explained
to him that If it was all the same
TO him l would a little rather pose
with a dog or a Belgian hare.
1 had caught the spirit Of wild ami
NAL movie photography, however, and
submitted to McRae a little scenario
for one reel picture that ought to
get the money. The scene is in the
heart of an Az, ican jungle. 4 hand
some blonde giri from some place in
New Jersey, WHO is visiting relatives
in Africa. is lying under a crabapple
tree reading a novel 1t is a nice,
balmy day in the late spring and she
falls asleep. Then a tiger comes
along ard sees her. 1t walks up and
places one paw on her chest with pro-
prietary air and looks about. licking
its chin. as if trying 10 make up its
mind whether to eat her now or wait
until luncheon time. Just then a nat
tily- dressed young New York society
man comes strOlling along looking at
a newspaper. He is spending some
time in Africa with the native tribes.
getting ideas for new dance steps to
introduce into the exclusive set Just
as he is lighting cigaret, something
causes him TO glance over his shout |
der I'm the direction of the PROSTATE
girl and the tiger. He sQuits at the
tiger in considerable surprise for a
moment. after which he walks over
and Indignantly kicks the animal on
the shins-first one shin and then an /
other With a yelp of annoyance and 1
disappointment the tiger limps off into 4
the jungle. licking its shins as il goes. +
The hero. with polite nod. picks up 4
the girls novel for her. then intro I
duces himself. takes her in his arms. /
and claims her for his own.
Wnmnn in War Time