Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-10-22
ADJUSTMENTS
AUGUSTA OPERA HOUSE

Douglas Fairbanks in "The Black
Pirate" Hundreds turned away
yesterday. Four complete shows
today. at two, four, six and eight
o'clock.
Douglas Fairbanks, who Is at the
height of outstanding fame on the
motion picture screen, has steadily
advanced to dominating proportions
in the film world. He has piled up
fame scarcely challenged, by any
other male screen star and at least
has no rivals in his own style of viz
lie, romantic comedy drama. He has
personality and accomplishments and
dynamic energy that make him one
of the remarkable men of the time.
Fairbanks was trained for the
films, unintentionally, on Shake
speare. He was reared, If not to be
an actor, at any rate to be qualified
to become one. His family was very
fond of dramatic art and had many
notable friends in the profession. AT
Denver, where he was born, FAIR
banks received a boyhood training
that included, fencing, dancing, Del
sarte, dramatic literature, and a
wide range of athletic exercises be-
sides regular academic studies. He
became proficient and enthusiastic
stage. His wish was gratitied at the
age Of II. An old friend of the
family, Frederick Warde, met him
and added Fairb a n ks to his
repertoire company in New York,
which was playing nearly the whole
gamut of Shakespeare. 1t was Won
derful valuable experience. After
that Fairbanks went in for some
more schooling, at Harvard, in a
special course. After a year or so of
this he returned to the stage, play
ing with one Broadway show after
another in modest roles, with casual
vacations and ventures into COM
mercial enterprises-for which he
did not very much care. But be-
fore long he was q Broadway star,
the youngest of his rank.
During this time the films had
been becoming important. Fair
banks yielded to their lure-at $4,000
a week to begin with. His stage
success was repeated tenfold on the
screen. His smiling, acrobatic man
ner caught on with the world. His
first production The Lamb" which
he had played as a stage star. was
followed progressively by others
even more popular. His first finn
work was with Triangle: followed by
an equally long period with Famous
Players. At the end of his contract
he allied himself and his own pro-
ducing company, with the Big
Four" the other members being
Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin, and
d. w. Griffith. AS his own producer
and his own star he made such films
as His Majesty the American;
The Mollycoddle" and THE Mark
of Zorro. He created a sensation
! above any made before by his pro-
duction of THE Three Musketeers"
which cost him 100000, and which
was a spectacular marvel. He spent
six months of work on a romantic
drama of twice the magnitude of the
Dumas picture-Douglas Fairbanks
/ in robin Hood. Since then he has
made The Thief of Bagdad," Don
@. Son of Zorro,' and now THE
Black Pirate
In addition to the Fairbanks pro-
duction the third episode of Strings
of Steel" the News Weekly and
Fables will be shown.
Coming next week, Monday and
| Tuesday, Douglas MacLean in Hold
That Lion; Lew Cody in 1.-THE Gay
Deceiver"; on Wednesday and
Thursday, the Paramount special
"Mantrap" and Harry Langdon in
"The Strong Man".-Adv.