The sun., 1919-07-06

1HERE is q mystery at the
George NJ. Cohan Theatre.
Albert L. Grey general man
ager for D. w. Griffith, cannot solve
IT, John Powers, the company man
sger, has become haggard over It,
and even the rotund songbook boy
who sells copies of Broken Blossoms"
has been losing weight trying to TN
riddle it.
II you happen to stop long enough
before the Buddhist shrine in the lob
by OF the theatre you will see on the
embroidered table covering coins and
SOLAR bills. The money has come to
The feet Of Buddha in some mysterious
TANNER and no one has yet seen the
person or persons who are responsible
Tor the placing OF the tribute before
The image.
During the weeks that Grifith's
Broken Blossoms has been playing
1t the theatre the money has been
pouring in to the feet OF BudGha. At
i,st it was but a few pennies. then
L grew to silver coins, and nov paper
money re.ts in the upturned hands
81 the image.
What influence the Buddha In
Broken Blossoms" may have on
Christian peoples is hard to under
stand. No one has been able to tell
what motive has inspired the giving
Of the tributes, but whether 1t Is su-
perstition, reverence, artistic appre-
.iation or fear of the god. the fact
remains that from day to day the
money piles up and not even the
,olored porter at the George Conan
has the temerity TO touch it.
A. II. Fischer Features, Inc. Is the
corporate title of a new firm formed
IN New York by 4. II. Fischer, B. A.
Role and Charles 4. Logue to produce
series OF special features. Mr..
Fischer and Mr.. Rolfe were associated
In the Houdini serial THE Master
Mystery" which was produced by Oc-
tagon Films, Inc, and are the pro-
6ucers Of an unannounced big feature
which has just been completed. For
the new series q contract has been
signed whereby the corporation OBJ
tains a number OF stories written by a
widely read novelist. These will be
put on at the Thanhouser studios in
New Rochelle, n. Y, acquired by pur-
chase a few days ago by Mr.. Fischer.
Work will be started Immediately upon
the completion OF certain improve
nlents at the studio. Two companies
will be operated, which are now being
formed.
A subject OF much interest IN the
motion picture industry during the
past few months has been the organ
lzation OF producing companies who
will feature authors and give first con-
sideration to the story. Benjamin B
Hampton announced that he would
film the novels OF Stewart Edward
White, Emerson Hough, Irving Bach
eller and Winston Churchill for Great
Authors Pictures, Inc, and that an
pther company had been formed, Zane
Grey Pictures, Inc, for which he would
produce the novels of Zane Grey.
Naturally. stars who had minimized
the story and glorfied personality de-
Tended the star system. Producers who
had glorified the star and discouraged
authors OF repute in writing for the
screen or in selling their product for
screen consumption because the stories
we're butchered to fit the star, either
defended the star system or went in
for authors themselves.
When THE Westerners" was shown
before its distribution in Los An
geles Mr.. Hampton presented to the
public evidence more potent than
words that the play is the thing. Stew
Lrt Edward White wrote THE West
srners," and In transferring 1t to the
screen Mr.. Hampton has followed the
story so closely IN action and in spirit
that the author himself declared the
picture is the book.
Secondly, rather than subordinatins
the star Mr.. Hampton has emphasized
The necessity for stars-not one star