New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-02-05
Plays and Players
of the Film World


possibility.
Several others are on the ragged
edge because of encouragement, dis
honesty. grating and Incompetence.
Quotations OF the stocks Of most Of the
film companies show that to-day they
are valued nj less than go per cent of
their par value. Some are worth far
less.
The trouble with the film market is
that il is infested with financial unde-
sirablcs, who are wrecking businesses
which should make handsome profits.
The only remedy is n financial thun-
derstorm to clear the atmosphere. The
men responsible for present conditions
must be eliminated and honesty replace
speculation of the wildcat type.
These thoughts are uppermost in the
minds Of many. If not mot, film men,
but few have the courage OF their con
victions. They are saying nething, IN
the hope that things viii adjust them
selves without crash. N,vertheless'
1t is only just TO public which mas
invested millions in an industry that
the truth be told.
Until the film house is cleaned by
some moderA Hercules, investment IN
film shares is utter folly.
When William Courtenay was tempo
rarily lured from the footlights 10 pose
under the calcium of the motion pct
ure studios, he was engaged by the
Nitacraph Company TO play the part
Of Robert Lowell in The Island of Sur
prise" South Sea Island thriller from
the rem Of Cyrus Townsend Br~dy. lie
did not al that time know that he was
due to battle with half-naked savages,
10 roll down n rocky cliff or to Gimp
through the broken window Of Pull
man car in train wreck lie had an
idea that motion picture acting was an
easy pastlme.
when Director Paul Soardon told
me that the final scene had been taken
in The Island of Surprise was de
cidedly relieved" admitted Mr. Courte-
nay the other day. Those were siren
nous weeks for me. started of as
the son Of iinancier. making love 10
charming Miss Woodruff, and even
marrying heron the screen.
81 received my first shock when !
was taken to Pennsylvania. near the
estate Of J. b. Duke, and saw two To-
comotives sent headlong at one another.
Hardly had the steam cleared away
than | entered one of the wrecked cars
and was told TO lift little Miss keefe
through the window. There was real
broken glass in the window frame, too,
and ! tore my clothes and scratched
my arms When ! complained TO Dir.
Scardon, he laughed and told me that
the worst was yet to come.
He was right. In the Nitagraph yard
they erected side OF a hill with trop-
ical plants and n cave IN which the
two girls and myself were supposed TO
seek refuge. Then they turned a fine
spray hose on US. and chilled US with the
wind from several huge electric fans.
To top that had 3 hand-to-spear nght
with lot of half-naked negroes.
what do think OF screen acting as
a profession? ] think it classes with
fighting in Europe, tanning wild mus
tangs, aeroplane loop-the-looping ana
other sedate avocatiOns. seriously
speaking. though. | was deeply. I'M
pressed with the possibilities OF the
art. Much more pantomlme Is re,
quired than on the speaking stage, ana
vet the dangers of too many gestures
and too pronounced registering Of eN-
pression arc great. Seeing myself on
the screen was q revelation 20 me, and.
although have had a successful stage
career, picked flaws in my own act
ing before the camera
II for no other reason than that New
York's Broadway is three thousand
miles away. Southern California Will
continue to be the centre Of the motion
picture producing industry. according
10 Jesse l.. Lasky. Returning TO New
York this week. Mr.. Laskv said that
i'm the controversy being carried on be
tween Eastern and Western producers
the West had the advantage.
ain the last few months" said Mr..
Iaskv. "since 50 many Broadway stars
Of the legitimate stage have entered
motion pictures, one of their dlihcultles
j. being able 10 adjust themselves 10
new working conditions. In the iegir-
mate theatre the actor works at nlght
or. 1T earliest. az the matinee. under
artificial light. In the MOTION picture
work the actor must submit has feat
urcs 10 the scruunzlng glare OF
bright sunlight. II rs small point put
ore the importance Of which cannot pc
overemphasized. Stage stars "hen IN
Los Angeles. far removed from the
foundations of Broadway and the de-
lghts Of its night life, retire earlier
GO, more sleep and look better in the
morning tut.
Mr.. Lasky also said that within one
day the Lasky studio had taken photo
graphs Of deserts. cotton fields, fruit
ranches, frontier scenes in small West
ern towns, Spanish missions, sunken
gardens. tropical foliage and exact re
productions Of Japanese palaces ana
tea gardens and an Italian villa.
But what would you do for New
York tenement street? ?" was asked.
"BuilJ one" replied the producer.
II. II. Van Loan, manager OF pup
licitv for the Universal Fllm manu-
featuring Company has delivered ms
ultimatum t. his staff OF writers. Al e,
ter today no writer on the nlVersai
publicitv staff will be allowed 10 use
The word "star" in any way In descrip-
ing any actor or actress IN the employ
Of the Universal. Last Saturday every
member of the staff received the ioi-
lowing note: -
word star in describing actors ana
actresses. that word will be barred
from the vocabulary OF the puDilciV
writer's Of the Universal Film Manu-
featuring Company.
TO obtain several big and exciting
scenes for "The Blindness OF Love
Metro production. the entire campus OF
the University of Florida and hundreds
of the students were used. The Metro
company. headed by Director Charles
Koran, was making the exterior scenes
I'm and around Jacksonville, Fla, ana
had intended using a small seminary
for the college scenes.