sb!
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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!