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sb! J . - - pM if LKkm Feattuir SdtS.dm1 1 1 . - - - . , - - " IH , 'l- . - pswfTirfft TrMR?WT?5T ftlTWWF 5? Little Alary Charleson jr SaysSomeDay in Trials II for Alurder, Films 'Will. II Be Used in Arguments OME day," says Mary Charle son, the Essanay star, "somo brilliant lawyer 13 going o Introduce moving pictures Into legal trials. Just think what a hit he would mako with Juries, If, Instead of go ing through usual tlrcsomo H Eueechmaklng, he would present hla argument H In pictures." , . 9 ' I "Seeing Is bollevfng." Is the secret of tho I . great power and popularity of tho pictures. I ' Narratlvo In speech or print never convinces fl h- as clearly as action I Thoro nro several reasons for this. Ono of tho greatest Is that many people, most peo ple, lacl. Imagination. They hear only tho speaker's words, or heed only the printed letter of a page, and unless tho speaker or the wrltor draws wonderful and accurate word pictures their minds absorb nothing but tho ourface of the narrative." Tho moving pictures not only tell the story, but they supply Imagination to those who look at them. Tho spoken or written story tells you that John Smith went down tho street ond met a gray-whiskered man at tho cor ner, who presented him with a bouquet of car nations and a black cat in a bird cago; and you, If you have no Imagination, got no more than that. But when you see a plcturo of tho same thing your mind travels beyond tho action, and what sccmod perfectly Insane In tho telling looks logical In tho pictures, because seeing tho thing dono starts your thinking apparatus. Tho man with gray whiskers stimulates the Imagination. You figure out that he Is cither Wpy a lunatic or that he is paying an election bet or something llko that, and you are right up I on your mental toes wondering what Is going HI to happen next. You wonder why there la no If bird In tho cago. Did the cot eat tho bird, or If do somo people always keep their cats In bird II f cages? It If Building Your Own Story. If You think your mind races ahead of tho If picture; you build a little story of your own, If while lr tho reading or listening jour mind l utops at the end of each aentenco and jou II wait for tho thing to bo explained to you. If That Is tho reason that many peoplo who If Dover read books and cannot "abide" fiction If otorles go to tho plcturo shows and revol in If the most absurd and Illogical plots of the It Boreen. What would have no appeal to thorn II on a printed pngo appeals to them greatly II when they see the characters doing tho things If In tho films. If Illogical action Is clothed with reality; tho If most unreasonable steps taken by the char It actors becomo plausible because they aro seen m? doing tho things that their 'magJnauon tells It1 them they might havo done or would do under II the samo circumstances. If You can seo yourself gravely accepting tho If caxnatlonn and cat In tho bird cage from the If gentleman with gray whiskers, becauao your If Imagination has already figured out a solu- If tlon. and your awakened romance Is crying If with curiosity for what is going to happon II next. If Merchants aro using plcturo cameras and If projection machines to exploit goods, becausa II the pictures speak louder than any words or set speech the salesman might recite to his prospective customer. In many of tho salesrooms of the big cities customers aro shown moving pictures of factory processes, taken through every detail of the making of merchandise, and tho futuro will, no doubt, see traveling salesmen equipped with a movie machlno, that will bo packed in with their samples, and when a salesman gets to a town the first thing he will do, after spreading o'lt his wares In tho hotel display room, will b to rig up his movlo machlno, and then ho wm Invite tho merchants of the town In to soo a stronger argument as to the merits of his goods than ho could over hope to give thorn with mero speech Moving Pictures at a Trial. It Is not at all unreasonable to supposo that Miss Charleson's prediction of motion pictures in court trials will bo fulfilled. And to anyone who has been on a Jury and sat through tho long-winded speeches that follow long-winded trials, an early fulfillment will be most earnestly dcalred. , Imagine youraelf ono of twelve peers who have been kept away from your business, and your family, and your baseball, and everything else worth living for, listening to counsel for tho dofenBo and counsel for the prosecution wrangle over obscure points of tho law until you havo come to wish It were tho attorneys Instead of the prisoner at the bar, that you hav,j the privilege of hanging or sending up for life. What a relief It would be to know that when tho speech-making time camo you were to be argued with by pictures Instead of tho hateful voices of tho two learned gentlemen of the bar! What a rellof It would be for tho bailiff to darken the room and show you tho early and blameless lifo of the accused depleted on the screen. You could seo him. aa a llttlo boy, bolng kind to other bojs and refraining from pulling tho hair ribbons from the pigtails of little girls, seo him robuko the bad boys for throwing snowballs at the elderly gentleman, eeo him raise a protesting hand whon the other lads wero about to docorato tho stray dog'3 tall with a tin can; seo his whole llfo laid out before you In masterfully acted plcturea that showed nothing but goodness and purity up to the day he was falbely accused of putting a figurative spider in his rich uncle's biscuit for his Insurance money. Wouldn't that bo more forcible and convinc ing than any words hie lawyer could utter especially If the room wero so dark that you could not Bee tho accused's face whllo the pic tures wero going on? Pictures by the Prosecution, Or, on tho other hand, what a skulking scoundrel ho could be mado to seem whon tho other side got Its whack at him. The prosecu tion could get ono of the well-known screen villains to enact that part, and any Jury would be willing to hang tho accused without leaving their scats Think how Invaluable pictures would be for tho lawyers to strengthon a woak alibi, how tho accused could bo shown returning homo when he was supposed to havo been clsewhoro You could seo him weaving hlo uncertain wav down tho street, which could account for hla walking two miles to cover one; 300 IiIb efforts to And tho keyhole to his front door for ten long minutes. That would explain tho discrep ancy between tho tlmo he Bald he got homo and the time his wife said ho got thero, and provo conclusively that he could not havo been In Simpson's barroom when tho fatal shot was flrcd that demolished tho plate-glass mirrors and othorwlao created hob with the decorations and an all-around rough house. Think of what pictures would mean In a f ia rs 'IBIP W --'A. '"(( ' m f ) eSCSSoSv 'M . -J I I divorce trial; what jars of spiced pictorial evi dence could bo unreeled and how tho public would revol In It! If tho contestants were rich enough, ono of tho well-known vampires of tho screen could be employed to take the part of tho other woman In tho caso; or in breach of promise cases, tho fair and broken-hearted auer could enact the part herself with some handsome horo of tho 'movies taking the part of tho sueo. What Jury would fail to award damages on tho spot when thoy saw tho lovomaklng and billing and cooing workod out befoio their oyes In place of listening to tho summing up of the samo testimony from a lawyer who was may bo 56 years old and had tho Influenza and chin whiskers Of couise, pictures cannot be used for direct testimony, because peoplo aro not in tho habit of committing misdemeanors In tho bright light neceasarv for the taking of a movio film, but some day some genius may Invent a machlno that can bo sot up In tho spot where crimes aro about to bo committed that will silently record tho damning ovldcnco of misdeeds Husbands might have thorn hid away In obscuro corners of the house, and when no sues hl3, wlfo for separate maintenance ho could show tho Judgo and jury th'e movies of tho day his mother-in-law visited them, and how hl.'i life waa a burden from that day on What Jury would fall to find for the plalntlK In tho face of such action? f Mary Charleson, who predicts legal films, waa born in Dungannon, Iroland. which fact probably accounts for hor habit and power of prophecy, and If she, proves Ho bo as good a prophet as aho la a film player all that she says about movies In coui trooms will eoon come to pass. Miss Charleson comos from a theatrical fam ily; hor father was at ono tlmo a well-known actor of tho English stage. Tho family camo to Amcilca a few years after Mary's birth, which occurred In 1S93. They settled In Cali fornia, and their small daughter was placed m a convent school to bo educated. As soon as she was old enough to talk about what sho was going to do when 6ho grow up, llttlo Mary Charleson announced her Intention of living up to the family traditions and becoming an actress. As soon as she left school sho set ?bout carrying out her plans, and her voice, which was ery strong and sweet, and the nat ural ability she had Inherited from her parents, made It an easy matter for her to find a placo on the atnge. Miss Charleson's first appearance was with tho Grand Opera Stock Company in Los An geles, In Ingenue parts She played with a number of Pacific Coast dramatic organiza tions an then took up moving-picture work, at which she was an almost Immediate success. Miss Charleson Is of medium stature, haa dark hair that curls In natural ringlets with out having a thing dono to it or having a thing put on it. It la Just tho kind of Irish hair that ha; tho habit of falling into curls of Its own accord. Sho has Celtic gray eyes, a wcll doflned senso of humor and an unnssumlng disposition, likes emotional parts, und aays sho Just revels In roles where sho can be a fioor scrubblnp. down-trodden sort of horolno that always comes out on top in tho end MIbs Charleson's next film play, which will no called tho Salnta' Adventure, will be re leased on tho Kllcno-Kdlson-Sollg-Essanny program. In tho near luture. j AMSWERS TO FAMS j H Sign your name It will not appear In the IH column and give a title so that you will H recognize your answer. Address the Photo- H play Editor, care of this paper. IH IH .RELAND-Fandor In "Fantomas" waa Loula i Melchlor, That picture was made In Franco H and tho players wore all French. The Fair- H banks twins aro not related to Douglas Fair- banks. They aro 10. H l DICK D. Warner Oland, who plays the part ' l of the Japancro baron, Hurokl in Patrla, is a Swede. Addre-3 Milton Sills at Fathe. IH 2." West Forty-fifth street. New York, Bessie lf Eyton, Sollg, Los Angeles, Cal. Douglas Fair- IH banks carries the key to his own studio now ' H and will lease his futuro productions through H Artcraft, tho samo exchange that handles th9 iH Mary Plckford productions. IH p H BRIGHT EYES George Le Guere has been H acting for more than a dozen years and has been In pictures about two years. Ho Is IH really around 30, but looks much younger, and H always plays Juvenllo leads. jH IH JAY The American Film Company Is at 6227 H Broadway, Chicago, III. The Essanay la IH at 1333 Argylc Btreet. and the SeHg studio ia IH at Western and Irving Park boulovard Just IH now the Essanay Is tho only one of theso mo- H tlon picture companios making photoplays Ip IH Chicago, the othor two having transported all Wk theirayors to their California studios several H months ago. IH IH 5 C The fans arc now writing to Douglan M . Fairbanks in caro of Artcraft. 729 Seventh H avenue. Now York Give him the Impression tH that it will add materially to your happiness to IH come Into tho possession of ono of his plcturea IH and he will probably instruct his necrctary to H send you one H IH ,-, HAS. ELTON Mary Miles Mlnter Is 15. is H C still single, and gets her letters at the H American Fllni Company, Santa Barbara, Cal. H K you ask her in a real nice way, Charles. H wc think she would send you her picture. H IH t-i D1TH HOPWOOD Maurice Costello Is in H E his -JOs and is r-arrlcd. Ethel Grandln is m Mrs Ray Smallwood In private Ufe and Is H about 23 Letters will be forwarded to them H from th Metro Pictures Corporation. !. IH Broadway. New York. Il .miH F B.-A detalfed synopsis of a photoplay H L. Is nlmost a short story, except that thcra tM Is no dialogue; tho story is developed by aeon H alone If you havo your plot well in mind H and can see your characters going through H tnrtr parts as if they were on the screen be- H fore you. von will have no trouble in writ.nff H out your story Begin at the beginning. Just H as the play should appear on the screen, and H bring It to a logical conclusion You may ha H to go over It several times to put In tho llttlo H nctalls. but It will all bo good practice, and K trill make it easier for you to write your next H .HHH ' vLLMO-If you can write Ptorlea it should H Iot be hard for you to write photoplay- So H many people would like to write, but tlW H STve nothing to write about. o u a Jortu- H nato In knowing what goes Into the maklnB H of a story. The synopsis of a photoplay 13 H l1TnS Say the skeleton of a story. You H CrJt. olo idea and plot, but no frills no H now ery language, no conversation-nothing H but action. M ,nLOOR-Whoever spread the rumor that H F Francis X. Bushman ana jjbvw., .- m werelng to stop playing toother after Tho H Great Secret was finished was mlstak en They H are even now at work on tho llrst of a series of H flvo-rcol features in which they are to co-star. H Thov both answer letters. Their address is. H Mtro. H7C Broadway. New; York. H fc s A. A photoplay, more than a story, H A. must have a well-deQned plot to It. A story H is often nothing but a character sketch with a H verv weak plot to hold It together but a pho- H topiay must bo nearly all plot-w th. plent of H opportunities for "close up" pictures of the H IsBBsl ,-, K. Alma Reuben was tho Uttlo Pata- H G. gonlan girl in American Aristocracy, op- H poslto Douglas Fairbanks. Toto Dc Crow Is the H name of the actor who played the part of Sonor H do Castile. H H ,-;,rlLDFLOWER-Hclen Holmes Is with the H VV Signal Film Corporation, Los Angeles. H California, M I Here Are the New Films to Be Released Tla J I l im" RIANGLE: Hands Up Wil li . yf jh frccl Luca3 takes the part of If f a reformed bandit in tho Fine It Art mystery story callod If I j Hand3 Up. Tho man, who 111 X has committed many deeds Jfi, V of outlawry, has paid the r penalty of hla wrongs to no clety and has becomo a successful business man and president of a railroad. Believing that hla past 1b safely burled, ho takes a long Journey with hla daughter, but, as If to give him a doso of his own mcdiclno, tho private car In which ho travols is held up by robbers and new com plications arise which tho rcspcctablo bank president and railroad builder could not possibly havo foreseen. Bluebird: Tho Clock Frankly n Farnum and Agnes Vornon play tho leading roles In thin featuro. "Jack Tempest" (Farnum) has novor I learned the meaning of the word "punctuality." H Ho iB late in all his appointments, at work and I on all occasions, until his awoetheart taken it I upon horsclf to correct his fault, Sho toachos I him the valuo of tho clock and a clook playo a I iost Important part in the development of the H story. Marc Fonton, Frank Whltaon, Frederick H Montagu and Wlllla MarkB lend their support WK to- tho atars In an able- and convlnoimy mannor. m 1 Fox: A Small-Town Girl June Caprice takes the part of tho small town girl In this now fea ture, and she Is undoubtedly the proper person to bo intrusted with the part, for she herself has onco called a small town her homo and knows all about tho ways of Bmall-town peoplo Tho play la wholosomo, and has both romance and adventure In it. In tho supporting cast aro Sort Dolanoy, who plays opposlto Mlna Caprice; Inez Mai eel, Tom Brooke, Lucia Moore, N. D. Southard and John Borkel. Art Dramas: The Adventurer Upton Sin clair's novel, "The Adventurer," In tho story depicted in this film, which Is decidedly enter taining, with its mystery and melodrama and quick action. Marlon Swayno plays tho part of a girl trying to mako a living honestly In a cruel city. Poll Trenton plajs the opposite lead, and for a time It seems that he la a crook, but aa tho Plot develops hlB actions aro ex plained and tho reasona for hla mysterious per formances nre made clear. Charleu Halton and Kirk Brown are tho real villains. Ethel Stan nard, Yolande Doquetto and Martin Haydcn all have prominent parta in the plcturo. Pathe Sunshine and Gold How a llttlo child won her way with emlles Into tho heart of a crabbed and cranky old man and brought hap plnena to him, aa well as the othor charaoteru of the play. In delightfully set forth in this film. Baby Morlo Oaborno, the 6-yoar-old Bcroen star, has tho leading part. She la kidnaped by band of strolling gypsies, and after escaping from them finds her way to tho houso of an old man who had becomo a mlsanthropo because his son had married against his wishes. Tho baby turns out to be tho old man's grandchild, a reconciliation between father and son la nf fectod, and every one Is happy. Henry Klni; has the part of tho son, nnd tho veteran char actor actor, Daniol Gllfothor, la tho grandfa ther. L C. F.: Tho Groat Stroke This play deala with a young army officer who has been out off by hla rich undo in consoouonco of hav ing contracted many dobta. He becomes a robber of aafos, and when his sweetheart gives him her monoy to pay off his debts ho prom ises to roform. Ills promises aro forgotten later when ho falls In with a gang of unscrupu lous men who aro planning to ateal some val uablo pearls. Tho officer becomes tho leader of the gang, but at tho last minute, Just when tho crlmn la about to bo committed, ho is struck with tho ovll of hla ways, repents and returns the Jewela to tholr owner at tho risk of being killed by tho band of robbers. . Selznlck: Tho Sllont Mastor The Sllont Mas ter 1h a film adaptation of E. Phillips Opon heim'o novol. "The Court of St. Simon," wherein a young man of wealth adopts tho naroo of Valentine Simon and entabllnheo a socrot tribu nal, where wealthy opproQBoro of the poor aro punlohod in a aumraary, if, not entlroly a logal, manner. Thoso aro men who cannot bo reached by law, and are mado to atono for their mis deeds by moans of tho lash and other punish ment The mysterious "Mr. Simon" meets a young American who becomes lnvblvcd In a crime, -and whom ho tries unsuccessfully to savo from hl3 captorb. Later ho" meets the sister of tho Amorlcan and falls In lovo with her. Ollvo Toll and Anna Llttlo havo tho principal sup porting rolos In tho plcturo. and othors In tho cast aro Donald Galahcr, Goorgo Clarko and Juliette Moore. Mutual: High Plav William Russell takes tho part 'of tho vlco president of a bank In this film, who la taken to task by tho other directors of the institution because of continu ing his friendship with a woman who runn a gambling hall Tho woman does not become vindictive until she realizes that a girl much younger than hersolf la lniluoncing and win ning tho young financier away from hor. Sho )3 Instrumental In bringing nuout a craBh In tho young man's life that ho Is enabled to over come only through almost Buporhuman Btrength. Francella BUlington Ib tho fomlnlno load. Vltagraph: Tho Hawk Tho Hawk, ono of the moat notable speaklnir atago playa of tho last docado, waB produced originally in Parlo, whore It mado Buch a sensation that an Englloh trano lation wan1 mado of it for William Favorfiimm, who, together with Mile. Dazien, tho Fronoh actress, mado a great success of It on the regu lar stage hero. Tho Hawk haa been trana ferrcd to tho screen with no loss of Its dia matlc power, and makes splendid entoitaln ment. Eurle Williams has tho principal part of "The Hawk." Ethel Gray Terry Is his lead ing, fomlnlno support, and Julia Swayne Gor don, Kathciine Lewis and Denton Vano mako up the cast. o Metro: Tho Power of Decision Francos Nol son plays the heroine of this photoplay, which la based on the themo that "Every mortal has within himself tho God-given power of deci sion " By his own decision each man must act for hlmsolf In every crisis. Richard Tuck er, who plays opposlto Miss Nelson, takes the part of tho novelist, "Austin BlanA" and writes a story with that thomo uppermoBt. He has a chance to teat his' theory when an instance, almost identical with that deplotoJ In his novel, happens to him and his wife. John Dovldson and Sally Crute havo impor tant parts, and Fullor Melllsh and Hugh Jef frey are also Boon to advantago. Fox Spoolal: Amorlcan Mothods Thla la tho third of tho eight euporproductlona starring William Farnum which tho William Fox Com pany la now producing annually. Tho thomo of thla play lo an AmorlcaniJiod vornion of tho novol, "Tho IronmnHtor," by Ooorrro Ohnot. Mr. Farnum glvon a nplomlld portrayal of Ohnol'a horo In this film, and Jewel Carmen, who played with him In a rate 01 -lwu v..,. j again has- the feminine lead. Ono of tho most tH spectacular scenes In tho production Is the iH wedding, which takes place In an elaborate fH church set with all tho accompanying realism, PH oven to real altar tos borrowed from a Los H Angeles church. Bortram Grassbj, Wlllard H Louie, Alan Forrest. Josof Swlckard, Lillian H West. Genevlove Bllnn. Florence Vldor and H Marc Robblns aro notable namos In tho cast. B SBBsfl Universal: Tho Birth of Patriotism This Is H a war film, and. whllo thoro aro many battlo H ecenos and much carnage In It, the Btory really fJH deals with those who serve at homo, tho-wives H and swoethearta of tho soldiers. Leo Pierson ffH takos tho part of a man, who. whllo he is a 'H slacker aa far aa morale is concorned, is any- H thing but r coward whon he hears tho coun- H try's call to arms. H Plorson, finding life at homo too hura-druia IjjH for hla high oplrta, haa deserted his wlfo for H the barmaid of an English publlo house. After H ho is gone to the front these two women moot H and are drawn togother with common prld3 fJH for tho man who la away fighting for thelf ;H country. When news of hla death on the bat- H tlelleld rcaohes them tho two are firmer friend H than ovor, and thon comos word that he has JjH not boon killed, but Is on his way to London. H Tho Btory takos a now twlat here that Beta 11 JJH apart fiom tho usual run of Alms. Irono Hunt ,H nlay. oppoolto to Mr. Pieroon, and tho Been jH of the story Is laid In England and Franoe. ;H :ssssssl I'-bbbbbb!