New-York tribune. [volume], July 29, 1917, Page 2, Image 28

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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irora?ING OFT??E NEW SEASON BUT A WEEK DISTANT]
Wand? Lyon, who i? decidedly among those present in the current Winter Laura Walker, who is at present appearing as Marcelle in "The Man Who
Garden ahow Came 3ack"
PERCY BURTON ON SIR HERBERT TREE^
Percy Burton,, the author c?' tbt ft*
Inning article, un- Sir Hrrbm
manager on hi? vo*-lous American tour;
and undoubtedly ??!*?* better acquaintt
mjtm >>i"? than any other man in ?
By PERCY BIRTON
THREE -weeks to the very day.
fact to the very hour, after ?
Herbert Tree died, I received in Ame
ica o letter from him in his own hut;
writing, written on the day he died.
quot? it here because it ia significai
of his humor and his practicality to
of Tree'? mo?t** striking charactcri
tics:
2 July, WIT.
"My Dear Burton.
"I am writing from a nursing home
I bent my knee on English soil! I ai
sending you my 'Chronicle' articles
I may have them reprinted and woul
send you a lot. They ?-ent me a chequ
for ? - (very hand?ome>. I wi
write you fully about affairs. It is, <
course, difficult to make decisions ur
til peace hoves In sight. I hope yoi
affairs are going well.
"Yours sincerely.
"HERBERT B. TREE."
Tree war? never tired of ?ayinc, V
wa? "an opportunist." He boasted ar
gloried in this title, which covered
multitude of procrastinations when )
did not feel like making up his min
a* he rarely did. And Tree was util
tarian, too. He was fond of askir
ererybody'? opinion, and then, if it d
not coincide with his own, he did as 1
thought be?t. Tree cultivated "consu
tatlon" to the degree of a fine art. 1
knew by experience the best people 1
turn to for advice.
It wa? Otto Kahn who decided ft
Tret that he ?hould return to En
land via Spain. Jt seemed to me tht
Mr. Kahn did so diplomatically, be
cause he was wise and alert enough t
see when w? called at his office in Men
York that that waa. the route Sir Hei
bert himself preferred to take. At thi
same interview, incidentally, which too
place about a week befo'o Sir Il"i
bert ?ailed, Mr. Kahn said he woul
be pleased to take an into*
Tree's production sf "Richard II,
which I took the opportunity of pro
po?lng to him then and there. Ml
Kahn has, of course, a genuine fl?i
for the theatre, which Tree was th<
first to recognize, having received si
much encouragement from him in hi
production of "Henry VIII" in Nei
York. When Mr. Kahn was inclined ti
veto "Drake" in favor sf "Richard II1
Tre? listened respectfully to hi? judg
ment and looked at him wistfully whei
he suggested also a revival of "Capta;!
Swift," for which romantic bucc;ir.<tr
however. Tree thought he was too old
When w? left Mr. Kahn's office Sii
Herbert ?aid to me, "I hope he did no(
think I came to his office to inter?s?
him in 'Richard II.' It was vt f*
naughty of you to suggest it." Tree
always spoke appreciatively of Mr
Kahn'? kindness and had a real respect
for his judgment as a cosmopolitan
man of affairs. Tree was himself a
cosmopolite, far more Continental in
his views than he was English.
Another of Tree's city and social ac?
quaintances was Clarence Mackny,
v ho he wa? always pleased to ?ee.
Bat Tree'? botom friend?, "if he had
m bosom," as he would have said, were
George T. Wilson, vice-president of
the Equitable, and I'atr.ck Eranc:?
Murphy. Tht former'* energy, high
?pirit? and irresistible humor delighted
Trte, while ths quiet wit ar,?i per?
sonal magnetism of the latter were o
constant and unfailing charm
Herbert, who loved nothing better than
S t?te 4-t?te lunch or supper with
either of these men of the world. "May
I not call you 'Bertie'7" Wilson in?
quired tf Tree.
Tree was as ubiquitous as he was
restless, and would sometimes have
taxi waiting1 for him all day, and ofte
two or three turned up at night.
have frequently known him to come t
the theatre for tho matinee and foi
get to pay or discharge the chauffeu
at the end of the performance goin
out at the front of th'e theatre, an
find the taxi still waiting for him s
night. This hsppeaed both at the Ne?
Lam and in Brooklyn when h
playetd there. Generally he had n
money about his person to pay them o
even for a gratuity.
On another occasion, in going t
a.**ar Billy Sunday at Buffalo with
member of hit company, Miss Alie
r Herbert by mi?
take hailed a somewhat shabby auto
mobile, thinking it was for hire, an
the owner drove up. Tree apologizec
but the latter insisted on driving hir
some three miles to th? Tabernacl
without knowing who he was till Si
Herbert gave him his card, and eve
then was not much the wiser. "M
hick again!" said Tree, as they go
out. "No," replied Miss Butler, "i
was yo-ir charming personality.
"Well," r. tortea! Tree, "it is lucky t
have a charming personality." .Trr
was not impressed by Billy Sunda*
I man who 'stars' the devil," h
I called him. He was amazed by hi
, antics, but conceded him personal mat
netism. He would have liked the Tabei
naele for a theatre.!
Sir Herbert also took Miss Butler t
. ara Falls, and was very much im
pressed by the volume of water, thoug'
i he "didn't see anything to stop it." II
was too nervous to go near the edge
! and a great height always made hir
Once on the train Miss Butle
i asked him if he ever played cardi
; "No," said Sir Herbert, "it takes u
so much time that might be spent ii
more alluring wickedness."
On the way bark from addressini
the university at Philadelphia, fo
! which he received a substantial fee
; which he gave to the Red Cross, ha
ad to look at some paintings
| and said, "The trouble with thesa
rn painters is that they try si
i hard to be original. If one is original
one doesn't huve to try." He mnde th<
same remark often also about acting
In Chicago, at rehearsal one day, Si:
?ft was sitting in front, and sud
! denly, to emphasize a point, he climbec
, up from the orchestra pit onto thi
' stage, but missed his footing and fel
j backward almost on top of the 'cello
| which was standing in the corner, anc
, neaily hurt himself neriously. Thai
? night one of the stagehands was over
henni saying to another, "That wa!
a narrow escape the old man had thin
'morning!" "Yes!" said the other, "he
| only just escap? d breaking a $,">0(]
i fiddle nota, to speak of his neck." i It
was probably that incident or accident
'which (aspired Tree's aphorism at an
j other rehearsal of "Colonel Newcome"
at the New Amsterdam Theatie in New
' York. "I can't make love to that
| rqueaky fiddle," he complained "Let
I me have the matronly yearning of a
! 'cello!" he continued, to his own artis
I tic satisfaction.
In spite of a losing week before, with
| his terribly heavy expenses, Sir Her
i b?rt generously entertained his entire
1 compsny to supper at Christmas, and
gave each one an individual present
he had chusi-n, himself being the life
end soul of the party. He was slways
a most g?nerous and unostentatious
hoat.
],-e was v?ry fond of sweets and
flowers. A lady of his company put
a ros? in a little vase on his dress?
ing table, and he paid her the compli
of taVing it, vn?r ?nd all, on the
?tag? in the banquet icen? of "Henry
VIII." Tree loved flower? and womer
alike, and would have liked to plai
Tennyson"*, "Decket" (which Irvins
did J, and rei-choed the poetical sayini
of that monk. "'Men are God's trees an?
women are God's flowers." I rei.
how particular he was in el OC in*** /?
best and most beautiful flowers te taki
to Mme. Bernhardt when aha l?*y MI.
ously ill at Mount Sinai Hospital, ii
New York, and was about to be oper
ated op. We drove from one florist t(
another on Fifth Avenue, us we couldn'
got what he considered mitable, nr.d a
last had them tied in ribbon of the tri
color as a compliment to Bernhardt.
accompanied him to the hospital un?
she expressed a with te lee hint Hi
"found her full of vitality, coura{y? am
enthusiasm." He asked her If hi
give the public a message, ns he wax t?
address an audience fat the close of hii
own performance! at a concert in th?
Metropolitan Opera House for the bene
fit of the Mutilated Soldiers of the Al
lies. With a fine gesture Bernhard'
said, "Tell them" -and then she ?
. him on the cheek. At the close of th?
concert Tree respectfully threw to tin
i audience "the kl?s of the p:
! woman I have ever known." m
at the conclusion ?t his tpttch Tree
! dressed in the uniform of Colonel New
', come, dinlomatically reached a climaj
I
by saying, "Colonel Ntweotnt h? p re
! spectfully to salute the Star-Sp;.iij,-lei
? Banner," and brought the house down
It may be recalled, in reply to ciiti
Icisms that Tree was essentially an arti
j ficial actor, that he alway? shed rea
| tears at every performance on thi
! of Colonel Newcome. I believe, how
! ever, he did use a little glycerine* in hii
make-up for Marc Antony's oration ovei
the dead body of Oiesar, and was vcrj
fond of quoting the line, "Oh, pardor
me, thou bleeding piece of earth!" the
la3t said sotto voce frequently when h?
was apologizing to somebody. There
was a good deal of Antony about Tree
! and he was never tired of telling t*B<
story, especially at ladies' n
! the two old ladies who were sitting
i knitting in the dreai eircli ?
sion of his first producti?m of "Al tonj
and Cleopatra" at his then H
esty's Theatre, when QatCO \
was still alive. During tht |
thi? somewhat erotic play one ?>f the
old ladies looked up at the othi r und
j saidi "How unlike the lift ef our own
?dear Queen!" And Tree aperad no
' pains or expense in the elaboration of
! this, as he did all other of Shake*
; spearc's plays he produced, averring
' that Shakespeare would h ?
himself to the fullest advanv
ever-thing that was available hud he
been alive. And so Tree
himself with the best pair '
ers and archaeologists. I*i thil particu?
lar play of "Antony and Cleopatra,"
while elaborating the Meat I f Marc
Antony's return, Tree diluted it
on all thit he required, froal tl
color of the desert to the purple awn?
ing over Cleopatra's throne, nnd then
! turned his attention to the crowd in
l general and Cleopatra's retient in par?
ticular. He thought it appropri?t?
the Queen should be inrrounded by
four or five i or was it six?) of 1
Antony's little children grouped around
Cleopatru to greet the return of their
father, in whose absence they had pre?
sumably been born. But the it
ble respectabilities of Tree's !
lady were shocked at such I
and she refused to be surround 1 by a
group of natural offspring, which she
claimed wa? "indecent," to Tn l
wilderment and dismay. It was "the
most natural thing in the world" to him!
He argued and rearguol an?! "tre
argued" | as he put it) in vain, but with
the ultimate result that his 1? tding lady
at last consented to being arc m,.
by a couple of tot*, a boy and a girl, eat
'on each ?ide of her, to Tree'? apparent
and expressed relief. "Life," he said,
"is full of compromises."
As for his manner of producing
ire, to Tree it was a question
be or not to be!" Shakespeare,
'he claimed, was "a humanist, not a
symbolist," and he thought Shakespeare
should lie ?nit upon the stage "as worth.
;ly and as munificently as the manager
'".:'" That he had "the ace of
public opinion up his sleeve" could be
"d by the fact that over a million
..a?rs paid to see but four of hi.s
I ian productions, to wit,
"Julius C*>*sar," "King John," "A Mid?
summer Kifht'l Dream" and "Henry
VIH." And there were many others.
Tree was always a bad first-nighter,
imetimei .lid not know his lines,
but v.h?n he did, and got used to them,
s'Han grew tired of the part.
After "The Eternal City," by Hall
i sine, bad been running some time,
Constance Collier told me that
' Tree, who played Baron Bonelli, one
night made his appearance at each cue
with a portmanteau, which he de
ted in a corner, and at every exit
toqk it away with him, to the amuse
: ment of the other actors in the scene.
, When rehearsing the samo play, the
author was anxious to get a particu
: Iarly striking and even violent effect
', in the scene between the hero and the
i heroine when he found that she had
been anfaithfol to him and proposed
that Robert Taber should throw Miss
, Collier over his shoulder. "That re
! minds me, Caine," said Tree seriously,
"of a scene I once saw in which the
i hero cuugat hold of the heroino and
? i hew head on the floor." "Fine,"
'aine, "what play was that?"
: "Punch and Judy, I think it was," said
Tree, as he calmly proceeded with the
rehearsal.
To some one who commented on Hall
i Caine's likeness to Shakespeare, par?
ticularly as to hair, Tree said: "Yes,
but the rest is damnably like Hall
'? it?"
Tree told me of his experiences with
. " Bernard Shaw, m ho would write
; him long critical letters, which Tree
would be careful to read and keep by
him, but would come to rchf-arsal and
nil ho had not had a chance to do
Shaw's discomfiture.
Another day Sir Herbert was watch?
ing s rebearssj from the orchestra,
.impatiently regarding* the unsuccessful
efforts of two of hi? leading actors. At
| last he got up in SSSpsiat, The stage
manager awaited Sir Herbert's appear
? anee behind the scenes with anxiety,
but only reached the stage door in
time to hear Tree hail a taxi and say,
"Drive me to the Garrick Club, quick!"
Tree's ebeentmiadeelniMS and abstrac?
tion were proverbial. One day he took
a ral. a:a! -gave the driver the address.
j Throughout the journey he was read
! ing letters, and when the house was
reached alighted, still reading, and
knockeai r.t the door. The servanVwho
i opened it was startled by the inquiry,
["Well, what do you want?" And, dis?
turbad in his reverie, Sir Herbert said
? still amazed servant, "Come in,
1 come in," as he walked back to the cab
and drove a
G. P. Huntley, the well-known
' comedian, told me the story of a young
i actor who approached Tree for his ad
Srith a view to making a hit in
mall vi-ry small?part allotted
and told the actor-manager that
; he proposed to make the character up
: as a man of forty-one. "No," replied
; Tri'i* meditatively, "I think I would
mike him up as a man of forty-t-.vo, if
I WON you."
Tree was sometimes a little caustic
le hesjianers, and once noticed a youth
from his dramatic school who had
I i himself to the front, all spick
with a handkerchief gently
I frees his sleeve. Tre?>
Fannie Brice, the comic spirit of the "Follies," on one of the rare occa*ions
when her face i? in repose
? went up to him, put the handkerchief
in the youth'? front pocket, >'
? back, drew his hand across his brow ob
i servingly and said: "Ah, I think that
looks much better!" But the tables
I w'-re turned on Tree by a young lady at
! an elocution contest, who, after doing
her bit, came up to tht table where
' Tree was sittint* in judgment with
Forbes-Robertson and other examiners
] and said: "I hope you'll pass me,
Sir Herbert, because if you don't I
' shan't love you!" And I forgot to ask
I ?ub >s-Robertson, who told me the
story, if he did.
Like all prominent r.ctors, an?! e?pe
cially manager?. Sir Herbert Tree waa
the recipient of many strange letters of
all kinds, but particularly, of course,
from those desirous of going on the
stage. Th? writer of one was a house
I decorator by trade, but WTOtt that, as
circumstances over which ho had no
' control had recently subjected him to
epileptic fits, he would be glad to take
a part in Tree's next production. Hi
i added that he had a strong taste for th--?
literary drama, of which, Indeed, he had
1 several samples on hand, and concluded
' his letter thus: "To prove to you that
I am not lacking in dramatic Instinct I
inclose a newspaper cutting, which
please return." Underlined In red ink
i were the words: "The prisoner, who
1 denied the assault, conducted his own
'case and defended himself in a Mm*
?what dramatic manner." Another wrote:
| "Veneered Sir: I wish to, go on the
1 stage and would like to Join your valu
1 able theatre. I have been a bricklayer
i for five years, but having failed In this
1 branch I have <|ecid?*?l to take on acting.
it being easier work. I am not young,
> but I em six feet tall without my boots.
? I havo studied Ball's system of Ellacu
' tion and I nm f< rid of reading."
Still another ran: "Dear Mr. Tree:
; I hear you want dark people for your
1 'Antony and Cleopatra.' I -hould like to
i come to yo*u. I am Mahometan. I have
1 great dramatic talent. Your? truly, Bar
: donapalus. P. 8, -I can lift any grand
! piano with my teeth."
Tree has no great love for sports,
1 though he enjoyed an occasional
game of golf and played last summer
when taking the cure at White Sulphur
i Springs. He was present ut the annupl
Army and Navy football match in Now
York, and could not under 'and the wild
: enthusiasm of thousands of people, on a
, wet day withal, "kicking a ball when it
down," as he deacribed it. i
He was more interested in work !
' play, and said: "Every man should
. have a pride in the particular work to
which he is ?ailed, [netted ?f thinking
| only of the reward which that work
, brings, a workman should learn to love
and to take a pride in his craft; it:
j should be to him even more important
1 than football."
i
Tree probably loved indoor life b? "er
than he did that in the open, though
always fond of a drive and, oc? .
i ally, a short walk. He only trusted
; himself to me once, however, on foot
1 in Central' Park.
Both at h'ime and abroad he loved to
? entertain. He was never happier than
' when host, and the dome at His Mnj
j esty's Theatre was a rendezvous of well
known public men, politician? an?!
I famous actors, English and foreign.
? Particularly generous to his fellow art- >
1 ist?, Tree wat !????*??! by all' being more :
Ceatlaental than English in his tastes.!
temperament and outlook, Tree un?ler
stood both the greatness and little '
weaknesses of the foreign artist, who i
understood him, too, often better than?
his own countrymen. And Tree was ul- i
way? In demand to take the leading I
part at a public function, especially at
those connected with his own profes
I renumber a certain Sicilian
actor, Signor Grasso, who had been
lionized throughout London society, and
- departure, entertained
by his English-speaking brother:; in art
at a banquet presided over by the Lu
callne-like Beerbohm Tree. It was mid?
night one Sunday evening before the
distinguished company parted from the
purlieus of n fashionable hotel, where
the principal participants came to the
door to bid goodby to their eminent
and emotional guest, who embraced
everybody within reach with more than
Gallic fervor. At last a tax I was hailed
and he jumped in reluctantly, telling
?he chauffeur to drive him to the the
| atre where he had been appearing. "But
irhy does he want to go to the theatre
? on Sunilay night?" inquired some one.
"Oh!" retorted the ever-ready Tree, "he
to kiss the fireman good night!"
One of Tree's favorite stories was
that of the inmate of a lunatic asylum,
: said to be a superannuated actor
manager. He was sane on every point
except that he imagined he was the
Almighty, and consequently liked to be
treated with every respect, amounting
almost to veneration. Visiting day fiad
come around and some of his friends
had called to see him, but they obV
served an obvious coolness on his part
to a certain lady in the party, and
suggested ."he should play up to his j
well-known weakness. Being a good
actress, she did so, and during a lull >
in the conversation she turned to him ?
and said, "Mr. So-and-so, do you think
I can be saved ?" "Pardon me, madame," ]
the Almighty actor-inmato replied with
e. lordly gesture, as he turned aside,
"but I never talk shou!"
Tree was intolerant of criticism,
which was like a red rag to a bull to
him, and ho did n*ot at all appr?ci?t"
a famous quip of Irving's. The latter
was choosing a horse for a certain
spectacular production of his own at
the ofcl Lyceum, and a variety of I
equinos were being put through their
paces by the man who supplied them
lor stage use. "H'm," muttered Sir
Henry, pointing to one of the quieter
lookir. ; before him and turn?
ing to the theatrical horse dealer,
"good retor that?" "Yes. sir!" replied
thi' man, "splendid actor, Sir 'Knry.
The only thing that's wrong with him
is when Mr. Beerbohm Tree gets on
' his back, he always jibs and kicks a
bit?*" "Ha!" said Irving, **critic, too,
eh!" and engaged the horse.
Miss Edith Wynne Matthison, who
was Sir Henry Irving's last leading
woman, as she was Sir Herbert Tree's
in his American proaluction of "Henry
VIII" (both she and I, incidentally,
joining Irving in England and Tree in
America at the same time', wrote to
me. apropos of the lattcr's decease: .
'**?' r Herbert's death was a great
shock to me. He had always seemed so
Strong and hearty. His powers of en-!
durance were marvellous, leaving us I
yojnger ones far behind. I have many
; !>? a? int mem'ories of his hospitality
and kindness. I had the greatest ad?
miration for his persistence in pursuit
.?I 'i!, and for his desire to pro
a!uce lovely things. I am very glad that
I had the opportunity of playing with
him. The stage will be poorer for his
absence." And, assuredly, such is the
case, in England especially, for America
hail not yet seen much of Tree's best
work and most indivulual art.
My own more personal reminiscences
an- ?mbodied is another article, which .
Karaite publication, and in this I can I
perhap- more fittingly pay tribute to
tha* versatility of Tree's genius ami the |
memory of a great artist. '
Elsie Jani?, who?? ?kill aa an imitator will bo di?clo?ed for a ?econd w?>-ek
0 at the Palace
?? ? MMMMMMMMMMsmMMMMMm ???' ? .? ? ?-?? ?? .? '? ? ?
SHADOWS ON THE SCREENS
THE first of the Fox "Kiddies'" feat?
ures, "Jack and the Beanstalk," will
i open at the Globe Theatre to-morrow
i night. It is one of a series of films of
, stories familiar to children, but equal?
ly interesting to their elders. "Jack
, and the Beanstalk" consumed a year
in its making and cost considerably
more than a half million dollars. There
are 1.300 children in the cast; also ..
giant who stands 8 feet 6 inches with?
out his shoes.
-
Florence Reed will be seen at the
Strand this week in a photo-dramatic
version of "To-day," George Broad
hurst's play. Alice Gale and Gus
Weinburg, both of whom were in the
original cast, will play in support of
fcfiss Reed. Lenore Harris and Kate
Lester are also in the cast. The pict?
ure was produced by Harry Rapf, un?
der the direction of Ralph Ince.
The overture will be from "Or
' pheus." Among the soloists are Mery
' Zentay, violinist, and Henry de Kalb,
who will sing "Agnus Del."
Bryant Washburn and Hazel Daly
will head the programme at the Ria!to
in "Skinner's Baby," a sequel to the
widely popular "Skinner's Dres? Suit,"
;n which they appeared on tho screen
a few months ago. The cast is prac?
tically the fame a? that of tho previ?
ous Skinner picture. The picture was
written and directed by Henry Beau?
mont,
S. L. Rothapfel will direct the or?
chestra during the week's absence of
Hugo Riesenfeld. The overture will
be Von Suppe's "Light Cavalry," with
selections from "The Singing Girl" as
an added number. M. Desere La Salle
will sing tho "Toreador Song" from
"Carmen" and "Kathleen Mavourneen"
will be ?ung by Helena Maschmedt.
There will be pictures of our troops
landing in France and a comedy by
Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew called
"Their Burglar."
Valeska Surratt, in "Wife Number
Two." a Fox production, will be seer,
at the Academy this week. In the ccst
are Eric Mayne, John Goldsworthy and
Mathilde Brundage.
Herbert Brenon's cinema play, "The
Lone Wolf," will enter upon its fifth
week at the Broadway to-night. Bert
Lytell and Hazel Dawn head the cazt.
The featured pictures at Loew's New
York Theatre and Roof the conrng
week will be "Hate," a drama based oi
pre-natal influence, on Monday and
Tuesday; Arthur Ashley, Gerda Holmes
ami Edward I/angford, in "The Iron
Ring" on Wednes?ay; Alice Joyce and
Harry Morcy, in "Richard the Brazen,"
on Thursday; Franklyn Famum and
Brownie Vemon, in "The' Clean-up,"
and Thelma Salter and G?orgie Itone,
in "Slumberland," on Friday; Miriam
Cooper, in "The Innoeent Sinner," on
Saturday.
The least two weeks of "The War?
rior" will begin to-morrow at the Cri?
terion. Maciste, the giant hero of the
Italian w?ar spectacle, is the featured
player.
The Screen Club will give iu "First
Reel," an entertainment along the
unes of the "Lambs' Gambols" and the
"Friars' Frolics," at the Casino thi?
evening. The proceeds will go to the
fund for a new clubhouse.
Among those who will take part are
Raymond Hitchcock, Julia Sanderson,
Thomas A. Wise, Fred Nihlo, James J.
Corbett, Alice Brady. Pearl White, Vir?
ginia Pearson, Clara Kimball Your-*,
Anita Stewart, Mabel Taliaferro, Edna '.
(?oodrieh, Norma Talmadge, -Flora
Finch, Lillian Walker, Montafrue Love
and others.
Mae Murray. 1st? atsr of Paramount
a
pictures, has signed a contract to b?
' come a star in Bluebird photoplay?.
' Robert Leonard, who was her director
with La sky, will have charge of her
future with the new company. Mr.
Leonard and Miss Murray have gone
to Los Angeles, where work will b*r?n
at once upon the first of twelve feat?
ures.
"We believe that th? American kin
; is the best on earth, and we can pro?l
it," is the stand that R. If. Cochrau
has taken in regard to the kiising con?
test which is to be launched by th?
I'niversal Film Company. The oitVr
made by Mr. Cochrane sound? allvr
ir.g, and may bring to light many unbe
tieven. The picture which w.11 ltunci
the campaign is called "The Kis? of
the Countries," and shows the different
1 nations face to face in a grave criii?.
'After the picture has been shown th?
innocent bystander is ask?,i to ?elect
his favorite brand and then writ? ?rd
say why it is his favorite. Five hun?
dred dollars will be the first prize *??
fered, ejf| the lecond, and $100 .h?
third.
Competent judgei, Including ?om? of
the best known members of the N?w
York press, will pass on the respective
merits of the answers.
Marian Daviei wanted to o* t
scenario writer,, bnt ?he didn't ttr.t
to be a "flllum actresi." So she wwt?
a scenario which she con?i?lered pwtt;
good and took it to a director, and b?
promised to purchase It on on? condi?
tion. The condition "a.-?.a thit ?Win
Davjes must appear In the stellar role.
She consented, and now the pictur? ii
finished and ready to be r??le???d. 1?
the cast an? Joseph Kilgour, Pedre A*
Cordoba, Matt Moore, Orrnl H?wl?y,
Gladden James and Boyce Combe.
Fatty Arbuckle reads ten pigei of
Marcus Aurelius each morning before
hii director calli "Camera!" l'Or io
the** say.) The old Roman his th?
comedian'? sincere admiration, al?
though Mr. Arbucklo ?aid sadly th/?t
so far he had not been able to use ?<7
of hi? idea? In his scenario?.
The companion pictures which Will?
iam Fox has made in the "Kiddiei"
series are "Babes In the Wood,"
"Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp,*"
"The Browr.iei," "Mikado," "Pit*?
fore," "Alice's Adventure? in Won?!?*
land" and "AM Baba and the Forty
Thieves."
Two additiona have been made t?
the Goldwyn scenario itah* in the per*
of Franklin B. Coates and Cath?
erin*? Sminck. Mr. Coate? is known M
the photo-play world for his adar**'"*
of "Poppy," "Pawns of Destiny" ?T*
more than a score of other atone?
His story "John Mainwari.ig" won th?
$1,000 grand prize in a recent picture
play contest. Mias Sminck i? thi firt?
member of the Columbia Cnivenity
class in photo-play writing to bieoo**
associated with a producing com pi"T
Alice Brady's next drama for World
Picture? is "Betsy Ross," founded on
the historic flag-making episode. Th?
story wa? written by H. A. du Sooehit
from hii novel of the ?am? mm?.
George M. Cohan'i iieond phott
play "Seven Keys to Baldpate" w?ll
be released by Artcraft on Augu?t 2?
Hugh Ford itaged th? new "?ohen
picture. In the ?upporting ca?t art
Anna N'ils?on. Bide Furry. Coren*
'"/.???11, Joieph Limley and Russell Bl?
eeet
Bes?ie Barriscale ha? completed her
photo drama based on Grace Mule*
White's novel, "Rose o' Paradise." Bid
hti begun work on Hirold McGrith'l
"Madam Who."