davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1923-12-16

None Of these lines of endeavor
seemed quite to fill the bill. SO, at
thirty years OF age, he started a
theological course at Barkeley, Calf,
and for seven years after his grad
uation he was pastor of a small
church at Alameda. Calf
Taking his clerical calling serious
ly enough. and militant at that. he
waged such a relentless war on local
wrongdoers that a pair of prize
fighters were engaged to beat him up.
His six feet of height and 240 pounds
Of Drawn. however. saved him.
Shortly afterward, the lawless ele-
ment of the town tried to have him
shot. but he saved himself by a laugh.
MacFarlane thought the whole thing
a joke when the man poked a pistol
at him and his laugh so dinconcerted
the would be assassin that he couldn't
go through with the crime.
BY this time he decided to start
on q writing career in earnest. He
wrote a story that was promptly re-
jected by one magazine and as
promptly accepted by another. When
1t got into print he received many
bids for stories for other magazines.
Then he read Rex Beach's "The
Ne'er-Do-W Well' and trip to Panama
resulted Here he interviewed Gen.
GoethalS. in charge of the Canal
Zone construction work, and this in
terYiew was sold to two magazines.
MacFarIane is now SO years old, and
he expects to write many more nov
In Held to Answer" he has told
almost as much of his own colorful
story as Jack London did in Martin
EIDE
Evening star., 1923-12-16
Historians Involved IN
+. The Covered Wagon

-FOUR generations of writer's and
constructors are represented on
the way to The Covered Wagon"
First. representatives of the actual
pioneers. freakish souls who prefer
cribbling to hunting gold or digging
for the riches of the wheat-men of
types like Bret Harte, Joaquin Miller.
the youthful Samuel L. Clemens
mark Twain), etc.
Another generation. partly CO.
temporaneous. but entirely different
from the crude spirit of the west.
was that of the journalistic historians,
the Parkmans and others who wrote
the summed-up narratives of the
waves of successive migrations.
The third generation is represented
by the late President Roosevelt in
the winning of the west, and by
other writer's of like spirit. who saw
the meanings of the migrations far
better than they could have been un-
derstood thirty years previous.
1t still remains to translate the his
torical epic into fiction form. Strange
ly enough. this task has been re-
served for a school of writer's follow
ing the great European war. Some
how the vivid experiences abroad set
writers like Emerson Hough, Herbert
Quick and others boring into the life
of their own ancestors and the stir
ring times when the rough American
conditions were compare BILE to a de-
gree with the many circles of hell
that the American expeditionary
forces traversed in 1917-19lS
Somehow or other the war cast
off the cataracts that dimmed mems
eyes concerning the history of their
own land, Now that America was the
greatest of the nations, it was meet
to inquire why?
The answer was not American
Evening star., 1923-12-16

revolution merely, nor reunion after
civil struggle. but the actual painful.
sOrdid and often tragic hike involved
in extending the borders of the oc-
cupied United States from the Mis-
sissippi and Missouri valleys TO the
Pacific coast.
OF course, all causes are compleXes.
The Louisiana purchase of Thomas
jefferson. the Monroe doctrine, the
Lewis and Clark expedition. the
west in 1922 as far as Walla Walla,
the note of Secretary Webster to
Ashburnham refusing to give up
American claims to the Pacific north
west. and the patriotic determination
expressed in the cry of Fifty -Four
Forty or Fight" and finally the con-
quests of the Mexican war were un-
doubtedly the causes of our political
possession. But that was not made
actual until Yanks and southerncrs
went out and actually occupied the
lands. The lure OF gold in California
and the lure of freelandS in Oregon
started the biggest wave that began
in lS4S and did not Subside until both
the regions named became American
states. so strongly organized as to
resist all disunion efforts in 1S61-lS65.
The romance. travail, massacre,
fire. animal enemies. drought, starva-
ton and thirst and all the human
clements of pickering. quarreling
and yet upstriving beings were not
welded into great fiction or great
after the events. Such is the usual
course of literary history and not 1T
all the exceptional thing. 1t will be
remembered that the title of the
initial Scott novel was 'Waverley," or
"'Tis Sixty Years Since The ma
terial was there, but it required the
vision of later events to set it in
perSpectiVe.
Evening star., 1923-12-16
Wrote a Story Like His Own

DETER CLARK MACFARLANE' )
story, Held to Answer" which
is scheduled in this weeks photoplay
attractions. is a story which reveals,
in certain respects, the peculiarly
checkered and Fascinating career of
it's author, for MacFarlane's hero de-
serted the stage for a career in the
ministry, just as MacFarlane himself
deserted the footlights to become
small-town preacher.
MacFarlane's whole early career
seems to have been a succession of
changes from one line of endeavor
have had in mind an early ambition
to write, which first fared up as
yound man when he sold a story to
a Los Angeles newspaper for s11.
Bent at the time on a political career,
MS success as an author SO fired his
ambition tina: he ground out, in a
single month, a novel of $50, 900 words
called THE Old MN Sue in order
to compete for a $4,000 prize offered
by Chicago editor for the best
mystery story.
When this novel was finished Mac
Farlane realized he had no mystery
story at all. But what he had con-
vinced him he could write, provided
he first acquired a sufficient know
ledge of life. In those days he held
a clerk ship in San Francisco rail-
ROAD office andf whenever he could
slip away from his work he was
teaching elocution, conducting Y. NJ.
-. A classes in public speaking and
playing small parts in L local the
atrlcal stock company.
Evening star., 1923-12-16
News andComment
By w. H. Landvo;qt.

@OOD common people, breezed during
from HOLLYWOOD The United Producers and Distributors an
~ the pictures "o and for
the people which be shown admission rates as low as Is
cents without sacrificing anything the cinema quality This hopes
accomplish by making distributing limiting the expenditure
single uength S5CO maximum and by keeping
down. as nearly as possible to s5oO Mr. W. F. Wood vice
president and dc
tors and authors fact the best of everything but adds I'VE are going
only what these and will be able
to pass great saving on to the public
COUPLED with tidng that the critics
and the public OF Los Angeles exog Cecil De Miles latest
production The pndor in photog
rapy theatrical wonder hitherto unrevad and the
piece thus far pictorial Thus just the dear old
public itself the producers
and distributors that worthwhile pictures being made and will be
distributed for exhibition within reach along the big
shout thoughts
are scattered to the tour winds and the seven seas But there is both
and the the cheaper
Both however should be The danger
hnds all the real value the costly picture and but mediocry the
cheaper picture That believed would work the indus
try well the public would probably
which would be good for either the producer the exhibitor
VINO IS the salesman tor the producer
THROUGH courtesy d Mr. slas E Snyder
Film Company The makes the pub
son is to have its world premier in New York January after which
road shows OF the will
on TO OF those booked early showing The Dramatic
Lie Abraham Lincoln the serial
what might strictly be
unfolding e entire life OF the President running through
nearly thousand from the birth of Lincoln fghtfu
blizzard February passing
house. what then
j does the civil
perhaps the wonderful life history
is sympathy its homey virtue its inspiration Victory
years ago its producers Messr All and Rov Rocket
two but dcac Americans
duccrs to film 200 two-rec subjects OF American history the
boys and girls and American ideals by popuang
history This ambitious failed because the which
@ screen production had not yet reached the of development
needed for the enterprise Two still following their dream
the producers began the task life
greatest celebrity and that task also includes the OF
all the the world The being
Canada will be all the English
Italy Belgium ugoava and Czechosovaka
Siberia India and Japan all OF which publishers
OF the United
for
people OF that On the OF this
Mesr Al Rocket and Snyder. showing
of
the highest The
Washington
neius California 10l
Lincoln
Evening star., 1923-12-16
Metropolitan-"T -"Thunder-
gate and Kidding Katie .

"Thundergate." First Nationals
screen version of Sidney Herschel
Smalrs novel, THE Lord of Thunder
first time this afternoon at Crandalrs
Metropolitan Theater. In it Owen
Moore offers a dual impersonation of
Robert Wells, American born in
China, and Kong Sue. the young Lord
or Thundergate. dissolute heir pre-
sumptive TO the leadership of the
old Chinese regime. Others include
Sylvia Dreamer, Virginia Browne
Faire, Tully Marshall and Robert Nc
Kim
'"Thundergate" concerns the at
tempts of the Chinese royalistS to de-
feat the republican government in its
attempt to introduce into China COM
mercial enterprises of the western
world. Robert Wells is sent to su-
perintend railroad activities which
the Lord of Thundergate has bribed
his foreman to delay. Wells Is given
= drug that slowly destroys his men
tality. When the young Lord of
fhundergate. having been condemned
;ls a traitor by his father. meets him,
each is amazed at the remarkable re-
Semblancc of one to the other. Thun-
dcrgate exchanges clothes with Wells
and the American Is returned to the
palace, after the sudden death of the
cider lord, to assume the response
btlities of high~position with which
he is totally Unfamiliar. From this
situation is built a fascinating screen
entertainment.
christie's two-reel laughmaker,
kidding Katie" featuring Dorothy
Devore: the Metropolitan World Sur
Ney, minor films and a fine musical
program arranged for the orchestra
will complete the BILL
Evening star., 1923-12-16
High-Salaried Officers.

Emphasizing the Importance of a
general reduction in expenditures
in the picture production branch of
the film industry, w. f Wood, vice
president and general manager of
the United Producers and Distribu-
tors, urges that there be a decided
decrease in the salaries paid to high
executives. He expresses the belief
that there will be no genuine economy
until those high in authority in the
of industrial patriotism which will
cause them to begin the house clean
ing of extravaganza within their own
domiciles.
There can be no question that
many executive salaries are abnormal
and all out of proportion to sound
business principles, especially the
excessive wage to some executives,
who are productive and who in
no way benefit directly the output
which shows itself on the screen"
Mr.. Wood says. There is more than
one s150,000-a-year salary when
should be reduced to $4,000, and there
are numerous $4,000 salaries which
should be cut to less than half that
amount"
1t is claimed the United Producers
and Distributors Corporation was or
ganized exclusively by Los Angeles
and Hollywood business men and
bankers, with the idea of eliminating
all waste in the making and dfstrib-
uting of motion pictures, the u!ti-
mate purpose being to thus bring
about an economic condition conduc-
tive to the actual reduction of the
prices Of the theater admissions.
Evening star., 1923-12-16
Mary's Ten Commandments

As special concession to the Holly
wood and Los Angeles Chambers
OF Commerce Mary Pickford is trying to
help solve the riddle OF What to do
with the movie struck"
The mayor of Les Angeles recently
set aside a Mary Pickford day" and
enough 10 act as the city's guest
of honor and chief speaker at a mass
meeting attended by $4,000 persons.
The main points of Mary's talk
We're summed up in the following
Ten COMMANDMENT:
l. Don't come to Hollywood TO try
the movies unless you have money
enough to carry you year.
:. Be sure to have some profession
to fall back on in case you fail
stenography or salesmanship, for ex-
ample.
3. If you are a girl be sure to
bring your mother. She will be an
unfailing inspiration and help.
4. Try to gain some stage expert
ence before coming.
,. Have a screen test made first.
When YOU See il you may change
your mind.
g. Make every effort to find out if
you have camera features. A pretty
face is not always a camera face
:. Bring a large and varied selec-
tion of photographs.
s. Bring a large and diversified
wardrobe.
g. Be prepared to spend FIVE years
in trying.
10. Be tactful. be resourceful. be
patient and persistent and above all
be intelligent. Only one in every
thousand wins-but perhaps you are
that one.
1t is estimated that 10000 persons
invade Hollywood every month seek
ing work in pictures.
Evening star., 1923-12-16
Defends Three Weeks

HN the eve of her departure for
England recently Elinor Glyn
made a vigorous and interesting de-
tense of her novel. Three Weeks"
The immed cause was a letter
attacking Three Weeks written to
her by a citizen of Los Angeles. The
letter, in part, ran:
Ever since reading of your return
to Los Angeles and the announcement
that you are to assist in the filming
of Three Weeks have been won
derlng if it would be possible TO dis
suade you from further aiding and
abetting the generalization of hu-
manity.
LAS one who has read Three
Weeks L ask you, don't you think
you have already done aplenty to
emphasize the fact that we are a
race of accidents? I think you have.
so why be a party to an enter
prise that can be 1000 per cent more
damning than your book? Even in
the name of education?
Think IL over.
Nine. Glyn said in reply:
Your letter is sincere and so /
take pleasure in answering it be-
cause it will give me an opportunity
you and to those who think as you
do.
IF you will try to control all
prejudice in YOUR mind and re-read
Three Weeks with no settled opinion
beforehand you will find that there
is not a single sentence or imputa-
tion in the book. taken with it's text.
which could degrade any one, unless
there should be a prurient twist in
his own subconscious mind.
1T is a deep study of great love.
the influence of which Illuminated
the spirit of a man and inspired him
to be Il worthy citizen and of use to
his country.
THE book was written to show
that human beings pay the price of
any law they break. be it of God or
of man.
people living narrow gray lives of
their own, without knowledge of the
world or the characteristics of other
nations or an understanding of any
vast aim, are so apt to paint tigers
as spaniels because they themSelves
prefer spaniels. An authors busines.
is to portray accurately the psyche
logical meaning of each character
while proving that, no matter wha
the character may be, the laws of III
Almighty scheme of things cannot
be broken with impunity.''
Evening star., 1923-12-16
An Old Art.

THE art of the motion picture play
er is almost two thousand years
old.
Motion pictures were bound to
captivate the popular faEcy because
they were simply an elaboration of a
form of entertainment which man.
kind had patronized for more than
nineteen hundred years." says Pola
Negri.
"The drama was the invention of
the Greeks and had held sway for
more than five hundred years before
the first pantomine was added to the
list of human entertainments.
TWENTY-FIVE years before the
birth of Christ, two Roman actors
gave the first performance of the
kind. Like SO many movements
which have had worldwide influence,
it's origin was accidental. An au
diance assembled to witness one of
the dramas popular at the time One
of the players discovered his throat
was too sore to permit him to speak
his lines. In desperation, he and his
companion attempted to convey the
sense of their drama by sheer
pantomime. The effort was a great
success and pantomime has never
since been allowed to die, but it
waited nearly two thousand years
for the invention of the instrument
whereby it might reach its greatest
popular favor"
Evening star., 1923-12-16

THOSE who had the pleasure Of see
ing Enter Madame" that de-
lightful comedy of operate tempera-
ment, may recall the beautiful cas-
cades of coloratura trills with which
Madame, in the person of Gilda
Varesi, regaled her adoring house
hold. They may recall also, if they
jog their memories a bit, that the
trills always occurred off-stage.
And there was a reason, Mss Va
resi-, though a fine actress, happens
not to have a voice of operate cali
ber, SO ii was necessary to provide
d voice off-stage to impersonate the
operat star. The voice off-stage which
sang with such artistic perfection,
belonged to Miss Helen Slower, the
brilliant young soprano who is at
present making a tour of the Keith
circuit and who appears in Wash
ington for this week.
And, says Miss Stover, the engage
ment, during which she was "a voice
in the dark was one of the most
amusing experiences of her brief but
crowded career. II had lots of fun
that season, and ! learned lots about
the stage. although 1 never set foot
on it, actually. Once in a while if
/ wanted to go to the opera or the
ater. I'd send around substitute to
Evening star., 1923-12-16
BY HALLETT ABEND.

Los ANGELES. December 14.-Nor-
ma Talmadge's next picture made as
Dust of Desire and then renamed
"The Song Of Love-" was run for me
in the projection room at the studio.
It will be released in the theaters
late in December or early in January.
Though it is not so costly a produc-
tion as her ASHES Of Vengeance" !
like her own warm and vivacious
work in the new film better than 1
liked her handling of the rather cold
part of the heroine of ASHES of
Vengeance" There is nothing cold
about Norma Talmadge in The Song
of Love" She takes the part of Moor
mahal, an Arabian dancing girl of the
Sahara-and takes it very we'll This
is, happily, a Saharan play without
sheik lover. There's sheik in 1T who
wants to be her lover. but he is re-
jected and becomes the villain Of the
piece.
Miss Talmadge's leading man, Jo-
seph H. Schildkraut, is not so good on
the screen as he is on the stage,
where he made pronounced success
in the title part of Iiliom." He
screens like romantic hero, but his
acting is not finer than that of the
average leading man of filmdom. Ar
thur Edmund Carew, who made a sue
cess as Svengali in '"Trilby," released
early last fall is the ablest of the
men of the cast He il is who plays
the villainous sheill, and it is a great
relief to see him without a beard.
The plot centers around conspir-
acy to overthrow the French rule IN
northern Africa. Noormahal dances
spirators meet, and there comes VAL
verde, played by Schildkraut. Val
verde is a government spy. an adept
at all the desert tongues, and his
Arab disguise is so realistic that even
Noormahal is deceived and falls des-
perately in love with him. From
then on the plot moves with great ra-
pidity and gives Miss Talmadge
range of situations that include COM
edy her sister Constance might envy.
AS a photoplay The Song of Love"
would not have a wide vogue without
Miss Talmadge, because the story is
not striking or strong. The star
saves it from banality and makes IL
enjoyable entertainment.
New Sterescopic Camera.
James Young has been selected to
make the first motion picture for
Spoor sterescopic camera will be
used. Mr.. Young and the inventor
declare the new camera will give
the screen depth and perspective.
John Griffith Wray has begun
directing the next Thomas P.
Ince special, which will be a film
version of Frank Adams story.
Leatrice Joy and Percy Marmont will
, have the leading parts. Adolphe
Menjou also will have a prominent
role.
Danny Shay, Marshall Neilan's as
sistant, is to marry Elsie Bambr1ck
of the Artists and Models" review
now in New York.
! Lloyd Hughes has never been east
| of the Rocky mountains. but he and
| his wife are going TO New York for
| the Yuletide holidays.
Laurence Trimmell, producer of
| Strongheart films, says he has found
| a new star. Not dog this time but
| q young Dartmouth student, Allen
| Vincent, only twenty years of age
Evening star., 1923-12-16
Norma Talmadee Is Sahara Dancing Girl in Song of
Love;-James Young to Make Picture With
Camera Said to Give Depth to Screen.

H He Is the son of a banker in Spokane.
w WASH. Mr.. Trimmell has signed him
ior nVe years after screen test.
Fox Studio Busy,
ui,f. There Is no production lull at the
w iiiiam Fox Studios here 'I,oyaI-
IIes, The Fool" and "The Man From
nome are stories just purchased
"nicn enter production at once
JACK Gilbert is starting work on a
new play by the Hattons called "Just
Off Broadway"
Edmund Lowe has signed a long
@ terfh contract and will open his series
/ with The Plundercr"
Maurice Tourneur, who departed fo,.
New York after completing TOR
ment, announces that he is going
70 hnd a play or book with his next
FIRST National production. and that
tom story"
Australia's Claims.
Australia has more theaters for fiIrr
rams than any other country i'm the
world in proportion to population.
says George L. Dickerson. a Mel
bourne theater owner, who is here
TO visit the Hollywood studios and
make contracts for releases. There
are nearly 1000 theaters in Aus
tIalla and less than 5000 900 people
he says: Film theaters are found
at every crossroad and in every little
hamlet, and furnish our principal
source of amusement. Norma Tai
madge. Charlie Chaplin and Douglas
Fairbanks are our sure-fire hits, and
almost all our films are American
made, though occa sionally a film made
IN England is shown with success
There are no Australian producers.
although several attempts have been
made at production in a small way
Climate and scenery would lend
themselves to production, but 1t will
be difficult TO overcome the lead III
popularity Of American made motion
pictures"
What Others Are Doing.
Bob Wagner, writer and director,
has been signed by Roach to direct
the next series of Will Rogers com
edieS.
When Lila Lee and James Kirkwood
have completed the two pictures
called for by their Ince contract they
will appear together on the stage ia
New York.
Florence O'Denishawn. for the las;
two years d dancer in the New York
Music Box Revue. has signed with
Grand Asher to appear opposite Ell
lott Dexter.
Clair Adams will play the lead in
Hunt Stromberg's High Dawn"
The Jack Hoxie Company has gone
to Sonora for exteriors for Drifting"
Robert McKim will play the heavy
and Robert North Bradbury will di-
rect.
Erich Won Stroheim will complet"
cutting and titling of Greed" within
three weeks.
Rupert Hughes play based upor
the conflict of state divorce laws will
soon be released in seven reels. II
is called Reno"
Alan Crosland, director OF Conrad
Nagel and Aileen Percy in Elinor
GIyns Three Weeks" used his own
son, Alan Crosland. Jr.. five years or
age. for the part of the son of the
Balkan queen.
Emory johnson, producer Of "The
Mail Man" has signed Nary Carr and
Johnnie Walker for parts in his next
production. not yet titled.
downright 1923, in United States and Great
Britain by North American Newspaper
Alliance. All rights reserved.)
Evening star., 1923-12-16
Rialto-Betty Compson
In Woman to Woman

All this week. beginning today, Moore's
Rialto will offer Woman to Woman"
starring Betty CompSon, and made
while she was in Europe. 1t is described
as "a throbbing, fast moving, gorgeous
~ staged photoplay. perturbation Of
Michael Morton's stage play"
The story, set amid the night life of
Paris and London, deals with the great
sacrifice of a dainty little French
dancer, the man she loves and from
whom she is separated on the eve of
their wedding. and for their son.
Give Brook. Josephine Earle and
Marie Ault are other members of the
east. Scenes in the Moulin Rouge are
shown.
The program includes special musical
offerings in addition to an interpreta-
tive score, arranged by Director George
Wild, with selection by Ray Hart,
saxophone soloist, including Weidoft's
''Saxophobia," and Chauncey Olcott's
Mother Machree." Short filnf features
VIII include the Fox News.