The New York herald., 1922-07-09
American Manu-
facturersSa from
Australian Com
petition Grif-
fths' 'NextFim;
Miss Minter''s
New Role
BY FRANK vREELAND.

~ need not worry about any COM
petition from Australian pro-
ducers, If indeed they were spending
much time turning pale at photoplay
rivalry from way down yonder. In
formation has just come from the un-
der side of the world that movie maxi
ing there has been practically aban-
doned, although the island continent
has the sunlight. the variety of loca-
tions and the steady persistence of
good weather that is all that the heart
of man could desire for films, outside
OF the proper quantity of gold curls
and slick masculine locks. At one
time 1T was thought that the Antipodes
might prove to be a new Golconda for
MIN makers, though Los Angeles did
not noticeably tremble to it's founda-
tions.
The information to the contrary
comes in the person of F. H. Day, one
of the censors established by the Aus
films in their place. He has just come
ASiC Oii q iiiiSolOn VI lOOhlIlS Tie I0e-
atrical field over generally and in
particular of tipping off photoplay
producers here how far they might be
overshooting the mark in shooting
film for the Australian market. He
says that just befoAe he left Australia
the e. j. Carroll Company, leading
producers there, told him they had
practically decided to give up produc-
ton. owing to the difficulty of getting
American and English distributors to
market their product in these movie
hungry lands, and leaving them with
only their own 100000 Australians to
batten upon.
The Carroll Company produced a
picture recently. called THE Sentimental
Bloke," which was shown here, but did
not lead to the renaissance of the
Australian movie. They have studio
outside Sydney. consisting Of an old
mansion. which calls to mind the early
days when the Vitagraph Company was
beginning to explore Flatbush. Lately
Yvonne PAWS has been appearing there,
having arrived in Australia with great
flourish OF front page stories as an
American actress come to lead the Anti
podean movies out OF the land Of dark
ness-though she did not set the film
there are no producing companies to
speak Of, except when few adventurous
souls get together sporadically and say,
Lets have a movie"
Some of the larger legitimate theaters
In Australia have been turned into film
hotbeds. But usually the better class OF
persons there decline to regard the
movies seriously. taking to them only
when the Illustration Of scheduled
bridge party leaves them prey to
ennui. to which even the pictures seem
preferable. The audiences seem largely
composed OF sixteen-year-old children,
or persons who have not yet graduated
from that frame Of mind. To them
Charlie Chaplin. Douglas Fairbanks and
Mary Pickford are just as essential as
to the vast majority Of Americans. The
standards OF censorship are about the
same as here barring obscene and Sc
ditious photoplays. and the censorship
act applies only to imported films, be-
cause its drafters had only a suspicion
that there was any native production Of
pictures.
The trip of Samuel L. Rothafel of the
Capitol to Chicago last week was some
what similar to the journey abroad OF
Hugo Riesenfeld reported in these coll
umns last Sunday--for the purpose OF
chain Of film houses. Rothafel went with |
F. ]. Godsol. president Of Goldwyn Pic |
lures Corporation, to give a new lease
OF life to the theaters in and around |
the Windy City controlled by Goldwyn. |
and to show them how they run pictures |
through the film mill on Broadway. He |
came back still smiling.
The Capitol seems to be the prize
cinema palace as target for the pro- |
fessional foolish questioner. The fa-
vorite superfluous query fred at the
publicity department is whether the |
Capitol Is really the largest theater in |
the country. some OF the inquirers show
ing an optimistic belief that the Capitol |
stsff will deny this
Again. some one will call up on the |
telephone to find out II Miss Bright |
Eyes, who played In the feature at the
Capitol last week. is related to Miss
Dimple Cheeks and is she going to play |
in that picture UP at our neighborhood
house next week? Another earnest seek
er after knowledge, woman who was
evidently bearing in. mind the collapse
OF the theater at Washington. p. c..
wanted to know IL the Capitol would |
make II point Of seating her in the
last row OF the orchestra. near the door.
so she could get away quickly in case
the worst happened. She seemed COM
forted by the assurance that the worst
never could happen, as the theater had
been pronounced fireproof and accident |
proof by authorities who earned their |
pay by such utterances.
TO all such inquiries Miss Bessie |