New-York tribune., 1922-01-22
Thrills i'm Movies?
Ask Actors in Cast
OF Saturday Night


Motion picture actors get Just as
much "thrill" out OF a picture that !,
full Of action as do the millions of pho
toplay patrons who sec the picture on
the screens all over the country later
The old d-fashioncd sensational serials
haven't all the excitement to them
selves by any means. Sometimes A
picture like Saturday Night" Cecil y.
De Miles latest production, has as
many thrills as serial and, because
they are part Of quicter and moro re-
fined story, they are more effective.
Several members Of the cast of "Sat-
urday Night" can tell stories Of real
adventure while acting in certain
scenes, and even De Mile himself had
one experience which came close to the
danger line. Motion picture directors
are supposed to be always in the safety
zone, but De Mile wasn't while making
trestle scene in Saturday Night"
When the picture was completed De
Mile packed his hunting and fishing
paraphernalia and took q trip to Eu-
rope to rest.
Tho story and scenario OF Saturday
Night" were written by Jeanie Mac
pherson, and one of the scenes called
for daring exploit on q railroad tres
tie which ran across gulch 100 feet
below. Leatrice Joy, who plays the
part OF an heiress in the picture, was
TO run her car into ditch and then
drive it across the trestle, against the
protestations Of her chauffeur, played
by Jack Mower. The auto was to stall
IN the center OF the trcstlc and the two
players were to swing below the struc-
ture whilo the train rushes by, smas h
ing the auto. De Mile rehearsed the
scene with the two players on the tres
tie. All three were unaware of the ap-
proach OF a train. The rehearsal sud
denly became real life and Miss Joy
and Mower ran to the nearest enlbank-
ment. But De Mile was too far from
the bank to reach it safely, so he swung
himself out on the stringpiece and hung
there whlle tho train rolled past. De
Mile had been called to do in real life
what he was trying to rehearse with
the two players.
But in enacting the scene another
accident occurred. While Miss Jov was
running along the ties on the trestlc
with Mower-after the auto had been
abandoned-she stumbled and fell, roll.
Ing within few inches of the edge Of
the trestle. Dizzy from work at sucf
great height and surprised by he,
fall, she was powerless to rise Mower
turned and raised her so that she coulc
swing over the side with him to escape
the approaching train. Although the
stumble was accidental it was bit ol
uncalcuated realism, and De Mile left
it in the film.
Conrad Nagel, who plays one of the
four leading roles, not only exposed
; himself to danger but repeated the
stunt. Usually one trip through 4
burning building is enough for any &C
tor, but Nagcl didn't think so. The &C.
tion in the story required that he feel
his way through room with flames all
about him. To insure thrilling fire
De Mile saturated the setting with
kerosene, and Nagcls only protection
was host Of trained fire fighters sta
toned just outside the camera lines
The heat was SO intense that the near
est cameras had to be moved back. but
Nagcl had to fight his way through
smoke and flames across tho room
Unable to hear orders because of the
roaring Of the flames. and feeling that
a second taking Of tho scene was mecca
sary, he clrcled around the fro and
plunged through the scene again. lie
was severely scorched, but he made one
Of the most exciting fire scenes ever
shown in a film.
Saturday Night will be the fourth
special production of which Hugo Rie-
senfeld will give dual presentation at
tho Rivoli and Rialto theaters this
ueet