T
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THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: SEPTEMBER 19, 1920.
7 .
Scfence to Play
tixl In Productions
into the mys
Jfrooks witho
lur:tten and
V manifesting
hires' of psyc
V
Three Men and a Grl On "Ship of Blood" - -y
flay a Hard Game Against Cut-Throat Crew
Interest in peychio. nd psycho
logical problems today has reached
the point where all the world is de
bating various angles of the many
questions. Scientific. , investigators
of world-wide reputation are delving
into the mysteries of the after-life.
out number .ate Being
millions of ueoole are
g Tceen interest along all
Jji'cs of psychical resear. i
No other art in the world is as
keenly sensitive to thetmind of the
people as the, art of the;motion p.ic
ture. Because of , the far-reaching
effects of the motion picture and its
close relationship to the daily life
of its millions of adherents, if isJ
safe to say that the, world-wide in
terest m psychic and psychological
matters will be reflected in the type
of photoplay which the, near future
will bring into existence.
What will be the effect of this
vorld mental state upon the motion
picture? ' -. 'M ': '
Cecil B. DeMifle, admittedly one
of the most far-sighted producers in
tlje field today, believe that it wljl
have a two-fold temporary effect
and amgle great ettect upon potn , Th Jack toadon of rte hi h sea8 b p0rtrayed wlth the living repto.
ohotodramas and the people. ti,. m,,.:.. . .u. n.:
believes that the future w 1I see itpve, hate, fear and heroic endeavor with a fighting girl predominating
great argument for and plover a blood-thirsty crew, make up the thrills of the plot. J ' v .?
fought out in the motion picture. Be
lievers will make use of the motion
picture to carry their propaganda;
m vlX. ittf sx ill
Salesman Rfakes
Good as Director s.
y Of Screen Plays
iai.Ji-..i..J....A.W., ntSjf imiXti i'i iidiVm-""-fti i' nfti n)n
votke'r
I have
J -a
Vf resc
scoffers will be no less quick, to use
the photoplay for their own uses.
In other, words, we will see both
extremes of the problem threshd
out on the screen. And ultimately
he beliaves that the truth on these
aiestions will suri(3ve,xnot onlv as a
wr powertul element m Bnoiouramic
construction but as a vital force-in
the lives of the. people.
"Whenever a great problem arises
wt find people takig sides and go
frz to extremes in defence of their
, I .ewpoints." says Mr. De Mille. "The
1 .. f;rama, both. of the-atage and of the
orten, always -refleqts the will' aMd
the ideas of the people." , .
"This beirtg true, it is.saie 10 pre
dict that the present eep interest
in all things psychic will make iself
felt in the field of the motion pic
tures. , . 'V1 'ur -. ;
"We will have, both sides .of spir
itualism, of scientific thinking- ana
ptfce'r psychological problems pre-
ted on the screen.1. Ana we win
tfi. extremes 'In Jibth cases.1
Chaniipions of psychic power will
resent radical arguments lavoring
their beliefs. Doubters will swing
to tlje other extreme and attempt to
ridicule the belief ot their oponents.
1 Some of lje,greatesf film dramas of
he past year have been founded on
the doctrin eof faith healing, one
angle of the present day interest in
i' .psychic matters. Not only will we
.Jsee more of this same type of theme
but we will have many other angles
of the same great problem presented
in the affirmative or negative.
"Eventually, I believe that 'we
shall achieve the truth on many of
these points," continues the director
general of the Famous Players
Lasky corporation. "When that day
arrives, all of the'untrqjjis will pass
into dramatic oblivion. T"he drama
is always sensitive to the beliefs of
the public and the achievement of
thetruth bv th? oeople will see a
corresponding reflection on the art
the stage and the screen.
"What will all of this argument
mean to average theater-goer? Just
this: Whether the individual is in
terested in the problems before the
psyscho-analysis or not, he or she
will see interesting presentations of
vital ideas done in an. entertaining
and artistic way., The public is, as
sured of real entertainment the
producers will see to that plus, iff
many casc, interesting presentations (
of themes vital to the wprld."
Good Photoplays
Cannot be Greater 1
Than Their Themes
No photoplay .can be gVeater than
its iheme. .
In the age-old discussion as to the
comparative merits of story, acting
and direction, the story, has won Jts
rightful hrst place, but the time has
come when we are thinking back of
the story oi beyond it, as you
choos.
"Theme does not mean "sermon."
Dramas primarily intended as
ethical lessons usually fail, as tliev
should.- Unless an artistic work in
trigues the senses to put it more
plainly, unless it entertains-t is not
an artistic work at all.
The themes of the photoplay that
have been memorable, from "Stella
Maris" to "The Miracle Man," from
"Ihe Birth of a Nation" to
"Madame X, have been based on
tne aeep-aown things which ' are
every man's inhe"ritance: the simple
things which it takes neither book-
learning nor artttjl accomplishment
to nppreciate and aomprehend. i ,
American life, we adroit, was once
lived too: easily, too superficially.
But we arel'no longer a childishly
happy, siyigly contented nation; we
are a nation in manhood as resofute
as it is' restless, bearing our share of
the world's burdens and sorrows, as
well as partaking of its fruits , of
victory.
The day is past when we can con
sidffr as "good stories" many of the
mechanical contractions of youns
wove, hero and villain, small compli
cation, easy rtmph and happiness
forever, which were, quite honestly,
"gocd stories" fes'.erday.
We have, as we said, gone beyond
childish things, and as men and
women reaching maturity we see
that the fundamentals, the great-
(
X
wh
Fake Snow Storm Is
Too Much for Trained
Dog Sled Team of North
Gettinsr together in the north coun
try a team of dogs that will work to
gether on a sled in harness is no joke
in the first- place, but to get the team,
. .... J A. '.I J a.ttA ...At?IM
get ine aogs imiucu u nuinui
nicely and then.to ft'ave them blown
away byia fakSrtowstorm is scarce- ;
ly aifurftiy incident in the life. of aj
motion picture director although it
might strike the average movie fan
where his giggle starts.
Such was the experience ot Kaipn
Ince who directed and co-starred
with Zena Keefe in "Out of the
Snows.' which was mostly stagefd
around Lake Placid. One scene in
this picture required a sribw storm,
to drive the dog team through. Mr.
Ince held his company in readiness ;
for several days awaiting the storm
which didn t-tome. ijiere . wai
lenty of snow at Placid at the time
d it lay light and feathery so that
the only prooiem was a winusiorm.
As tne wind didn't come along
either, Mr. Ince finally created his
ownetorm by, taking the wings off
a big airplane, tieing the plane down
and starting the motor.1 The fans
started the finest snow storm any
one could wish. v
Then came the taking of the great
storm scene. Miss Keefe was bun
dled into a great sled, such as is
used in the Arctic regions, Mr. Ince
gathered the rawhide reins control
ling the dogs and they were off. The
scene had been staged near a small
lake for scenic effect. 'The ice on
the lake was like glass. When the
dogs got into the snow storm the
whirling of the great motor fright
ened them; they took things in their
own hands, tipped Miss Keefe out
and got away from their driver.
In trying to turn around to get
away from the noise and commotion
of the speeding motor fan,s the dogs
got too near the seat of action and
with wild yelps and howls of fear
the entire team, sled and blankets
were swept out and onto tho, ice with
a velocity of 175 mile an hour gale.
ine dogs were blown way across
:ie lake where several of the team
itlimerliatelv HisenontTerl tfiemelv
from' their trappings and motion
pictures at the same, time and went,!
speedily away from there. Mr, Ince
had to break in, a new team and
another scene was taken later which
was very satisfactory.". ...
nesses of life, are always simple, old
while we kicked them aside in our
search for new sensations. .
The trust of A child, the devotion
of 4 niother the faith of a wife, the
grim determination of honest ambi
tion these are things that have been
with us always, even among the
foundation stones of humanity,
which endure unchanged from age
to age," whil." the shallow 'waves of
society, luxury and fashion advance
and recede, and the clamor of war
dies and cqnie again and dies once
more. ' -
Women Permitted to
, Smoke in Chicago Jail
Chicago, 111., Sept. 18. Captain
George F. Lee, warden of Chicago's
famous Cook county ail, has sanc
tioned smoking' by women inmates
of the Jail, Captain Lee says: '
"The women prisoners are citizens
just like the men. I won't discrimi
nate. Just so long as the women fol
low -the army system of returning
their burned match ends -to their
match boxes and don't thDw then!
on the floor- they are welcome to
enjoy a nice little smoke like, the
men prisoners. 'We are living in an
age f 'women's rights,' and what's
good for the men must be good for
the women."
George Marshall, co-director with
Ruth Roland of "Ruth of the Rock
ies." the Patbe serial which ill be
released soon, owes his present suc
cess to his own patience. At thf
kmc of his father's death, Marshall,
Ine son of the well known Chicago
jeweler, took a trip, for the bene
fit of his mother's health, with 'her
to California. He had no difficulty
in obtaining an excellent position in
one of the city's leading jewelry
stores. An old friend called on
Marshall and invited him to accom
pany him to the motion picture
studio where he was employed. A
cordingly Marshall, on his first holi
day, accompanied his friend.
With a group of extras, Marshall
watched his friend' working in an
Al Christie serial at Universal City.
A casting director walked up to hfm
and said abruptly "you. .work tomor
row 8":30 for Christie. Name and
addaess?" and before Marshall could
recover from hi Jurprise, the cast-1
ing director had walked away. After
that the jewelry store was no longer
graced by Marshall s presence.
.His rise came rapidly. After a
Icyf weeks as an "extra". he was
made assistant Ifor McRaej at the
expiration of three.months with Mc
Rfe young Marshall was given the
directorship ot Harry Carey, who
Vas the first ma to star at Uni
jysal , City. Marshall directed a
number of the Helen Gibson rail
road pictures and also co-directed
with facques Jackard on "Liberty"
with Marie Wakamp and Jack Holt.
Mr. Marshall ' not only directed
but wrote a numberwof his produc
tion for Carey and Miss Gibson.
Entertaining a HanHy Man V Vv
"What Undertaker?"
Wally 'Asks Operator
Smith College Girl on Her
Way For Chinese Service
Boston. Sent. 18. Miss Bernice
Wheeler of Hudson, Sirrlth college
graduate and former assistant teach
er at Simmons college, is today on
her way to Nanking, China, after
having been officially adopted by1 the
ferment Methodist fepiscopal con
ference. As a ward of the confer
ence, she will spend a-yearin the
study of the several characters of
the Chinese language, and will then
become a teacher in the Girls' High
school at Nanking.
By JAMES J. MONTAGUE.
We've just had a visit frpm' a
handy man you "know the kind.
They understand all about plumb
ing, and furnaces, and locks, and
gas stoves And .they are pained
beyond expression to discover that
ycu let these things get out of Re
pair and don t do anythuig about
It. ., k s
He spent a hapov week fixmsr up
all the delinquent domestic machine
ery a happy week for him, that
is. He complained, a good deal
because we" bad so few tools, and
kept them in such bad condition.
But being a . handy man 'he knew
liow to fix the tools, too. He had
them in good working order in s
Sew days,and began -on his help
ful tack of making" our .household
what it ought to be.
He did it, too. We would have
been betteroff if we had moved
out in tie meantime. In fact when
he was fixing jhe bathroom ' hot
Water faucet, without ' shutting off
ine water, we suggested it DUt ne
wbuldn t hear of it.
"What's a -little falling plasfer,"
ne saia-caimiy as' rne cook in .tne
pantry below raised a wild yell of
despair. "I'll put it all back onthe
ceiling; and when it's done it will
stay there. I'll make it waterproof.
Jtiis tirst shock, as he went over
the house, was caused by a smoking
chimney.
When he spoke aboujt it we toll
him we had sent for a; chimney
sweep, who would be around in a
few days.
your money on
j
"Don't fool away yi
' ''You've been dead ao long,
thought I'd have ya buried," Wal
lace Reid tells the motionless and un
emotionless "Central" when he'a in
a hurry, in "What's Your Hurry?"
at the Strand theater this week.
To. overcome delays in wire com
munication Paraguay has arranged
for radio service to outside countries
through stations in Argentina.
chimney sweeps," he said. "They
don t know their business, anyway.
I'll attend to that In jig. time:"
He did. He got a ladder- out of
the cellar, lashed several scattlings
together as the handle for a swab,
tied a bunch of rags around one end,
and proceeded to climb to the roof
Hauling the swab up after him
he br&ke a couple of windows, but"
he said that could be easily fixed
Afterwards.
' , Plenty of Thrills.
THe family went, into the back
yard to" watch his operations. Sev-,
eral tiirfes, we suffered from heart
failure jjhen his feet slipped on the
stefp roof. But all the damage was
done to the shingles. The handy
man wasn't even disturbed" .
It was .quite a juggling feat to get'
the swab handle, which was 30 or
40 feet long; nicely poised over the
chimney. But he managed it at
last, after several failures, each rstJ
which precipitated the thing to the,
ground. , i
Then bracing' his feef on either
side of the chimney, he shot it down:
ward, while a-clotlid of soot soared
,into the air and quite, shut, him
off, from our -vision.
When the handle dame out again
there N was no swab on the end
of it. "
"Stuck some ple," he called to
us cheerfully. "But never miyd, I'll
burn it . out. The chimney's good
and clean anyway." .
So he went into the tellar. and
built a roaring fire in the furnace.
The reuTt was somewhat startling.-
Thick, black smoke. tJoured'
tout of-11 the windows. . Passers by
rusnea up tne street ana caner. tne
fire department. When it arrived
we had to use all .the firmness at
son
our command to keep them from
rushing into the house and flooding
it with water. - ... -
But the scheme- worked eventu
ally. -All his schemes worked, after
the harmihad been done. The rae
burned , out, and . the -ehimnev was
clean.
So was the house after we '-had
spent three days getting the smoke
out of it, and the handy man had fe-
kalsomtned all the ceilings on the
lower floor. ' ' ,
This triumph achieved, he found
that the front door refused to lock.
"That's a little job," he said, "notht!
ing messy auoui mat. uet me a
screw driver."
We fot the screw driver and he
Went to -work eagerly. In a few
minutes the lock was in 80 cr 90
pieces and he was explaining why
t didn t work. ,: v
"Rust.- full of it. I'll out a little
oil in it, put it together aEain. and
you'll have no more daiiger from
burglars." , !
We were all going out that even
ing, so we were glad -to have the
lock fixed. The bolt 'clicked - into
place as we slammed the door.'and
we had serise of securitv that had
beet? lackitsince the rust had don?
its evil work.
No Fear of Burglars.'
We returned that nieht in a -oour-
ing rain and quickly slipped th? key
into th lock. But it-wouldn't turn.
ihe handy man seemed elated,"
"When I fix a lock he -said," ''it
stays iixed." '
But how are we going to get into
the house?" ;
"Oh I'll take it down again. .
"But you can't take- it down again.
You're on the wrong side of the
door." , . '
That 'daunted him- for, the time
being. But he stoon cheered up. I'll
go in through one ot fthe windows,
he said.v
He might have' done, so except for
the -fact that he had previously been
over the windows and fixed all the
catches fixed them securely, too.
We got in eventually with an ax.
It idn't do the door any good, but
he said he would build another olie
in a couple of tiays. 4"V-
He'd have done it, too he coufd
do anything." But ?that nigTit he
caught a bad cold and w sent him
to a 'hospital. And we never in our
lives sent anybody .to a hospital
with such cheerfulness. '
Copyright, 1920, by IhS Bell Syndicate, Inc.
Are Alterations s 7
Of Classics for ,
Screen Justified?
' "Much criticism and rebuke have
been. poured upon the heads qf di
rectors and producers," says Joseph
de Grasse, director for Charles .Ray,
"who have taken famous classics of
FnclisVi , literature and in the Droo
ess of filming have changed them so
materially .that the original theme
has been largely dissipated. .
"A recent stunning example of.
this practice was evident in the film
version , of a famous' English play.
It pleased in America, but in Eng
land H called down upon itself the
execration of almost every critic
and newspaper. It seemed a viola
tion of the work of one of their most
beloved authors. , .
"Another example is the screen
mous books, in which the leading
ing of one of Stevenson's most fa
chpracter was changed from a man
of 50 odd years to a young Adpnis
ip, his. twenties, ah d the element of
romantic love, entirely .absent in the
criminal, was miroaucu.
"Can these changes be justified?
I think in a way that they can. Irt
the first place one must consider the
type ofemind of the average fan, the
.person whose attendance makes thej
Trade Review of
Photoplays Big
Event in London
An event of unusual importance in
the lives of hundreds of British ex
hibitors is the weekly trade show
of Paramount-Artcraft pictures held
at the Shaftesbury pavilion m Lon
don. This, in brief, is the opinion
entertained by Bioscope, one of the
leatiing trade journals of Great Brit
ain. Under the heading "Are You
Feeling Run Down?" a recent edi
torial note in Bioscope has the fol
lowing to say about these show
ings: Every Tuesday Famous-Lasky
give a trade show at the Shaftesbury
pavilion, and every Tuesday
Famous-Lasky go one better. Ex
hibitors, film. markers, reviewers and
all those people whose business it
is Jo see films (hundreds of them
irrthe course of a year) have coma
to regard the. Famous-Lasky trade
show as a known quantity, and a
tonic to jaded film nerves. 'It is
the one trade show about which
there, is no element of doubt what
ever.' The'' films are certain to be
good. It's always on the cards thpt
they'll be 'splendid.' Take ' next
Tuesday two pictures, a Paramount
and a Paramount-Artcraft. The
first1, entitled 'Sadie Love,',, is a witty
and altogether delightful vehicle for
the charming appearance and sur
passing ability of Billie Burke. The
second, 'The Knock-out Blow' (The
Egg Crate Wallop,) a thrilling story
leading to a fine ring contest featur
ing Charles Ray. Could you wish
for anything better?"
HOOVER
ELECTRIC
i
V th
tvo-Platoon System h
aougni oy oosion riremen
Roston.-ySept. 18. Boston firemen
ill again ask the voters to accept
the two-platoon lystem at the com
ing election, despite opposition by
Mayor Peters,-the Finance commis
sion and the defeat of the plan, last
year by a majority oX 5,399 voies, :
v Gleans Everywherer-fholoughiy v .
1 , . that's the beauty or the Hoover Electric Suction
Sweeper. , It gets into the corners under the f urni- ' 1 '
. , ture and beds behind the chairs all with hardly anj;
effort on your part.
' ." .. - - ' - ; , i
V And wherever it reaches it cleans 'thoroughly. , V ," ?
; . "V All embedded particles of dirt and lint are drawn into ' ; t
v 7 - the airtight bag none escapesinto the air. "
y -When your, rugs and carpets are. cjeaned with a : - 1
. - Hoover they take on a new, freshened appearance -, . v
' their rich colorings are restored they are given new , f
- , life anct vitality. " , ' ' ' ; "
Hoo ver E lec tr i c Sucti on Sweeper
$
ii i -
$0.oo p
own
Month
Have
V Making ihe ownership' of a Hoover easy for everyone. :N '-J
You Enrolled in the $100.00 Cash Contest?
Phone the Electric Shop about this Cash Offer.
- - - .
In the Smashing Saturday Evening Post Story,
" The Hippopotamus Parade' 'by Byron Morgan
if':-
1
Nebraskafi Power Go
L
, , f famam at FiftecntK
Farnam at Fifteenth
YOUR ELECTRIC
X1
Ahother sizzling auto thriller! By the author tof Wal
lace Reid's biggest hits, "The Roaring Road'! and "Ex
cuse My Dust',' - , . f '
A romance of lave, business and whizzing racers.
And of lumbering,' motor trucks that helped make a
speed-demon human.
See' the hair-raising motor race that opened the new
Los Angeles Speedway.
See the battle ii men with a raging storm to save a
sleeping valley from' death! . y - '
11
V See the breaking ofhe great Cabrillfi dam!
Then see an unforgettable climax that called for a
MAN and found him on the job!
. " A picture that fairly bursts with power and excitement !
"SeveiuBald ates," 2-Reel Christie Comedy of Merit
JfatheJNews V Mr. and Mrs. Andy Gump
; ;,,mc, c-,ugiJ. rvsi I,. week mcnwofAHBtmj week -. : - H
-I.''..... V "'' ' :''t: ''''' '- J jli ii ij i 'u i'i i i 'i immmmssmmjui J..BJ..-MI.W."" ' . ' . V i
' .' . ' . - -v -. r . . r - x - k'.,'v ' '', ' I - "' ' ' .- . - i'-.M
' t-
" I'
upkeep of the motion picture mdus
try possible. He or . she is not4 gen
erally well read or well educated,
and forsuch the movies are essen
tially recreation. Therefore to suc
cessfully present classics, which in
their original form would never be
read by many fans, one must sugar
coat them, so to speak, -with -a bit
of love interest, just enough to get
those who have not had educational
advantages "over the deepest places
without destroying their interest..
"It is unfortunate that this is so,
but truth, cannot be dodged. When
the public demands unadulterated
literature they will get it., But so
long as they continue to prefer the
diluted forms no producer is going,
to risk heavy investments to please
a few critics." 1
.....
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