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A KU KLUX CAMERA RACE
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YOUR MASTERPIECE
MADE A MOVIE?
Would It Be Low-brow to Let
"Old Homestead" Be
Filmed?
By FRANK THOMPSON
(Em of Amman ?Jiom;onJ
rr WAS some time before I could see
my way clear to consent to the con
verting or "The Old Homestead" Into
a motion picture, as it seemed best from
sentimental and business reasons to pre
serve its unique status as a play. It
scarcely seems possible that any play
ever written could have quite the same
sentimental value to the family of the
author as Decman Thompson's has had
for his heirs. Particularly is this true
in my .own case, as I also had the pleas
use of appearing in the production with
him.
The very nature of -the subject, its as
sociation with the old home in Swanwy
and the fact that some of the characters
depicted in it were actually prototypes
of my father's own neighbors, make
the play much more than a mere success
ful theatrical enterprise and cive it a
truly hallowed association. The present
old home on the Kew Hampshire farm
was granted to the Thompson family as
one of the sixty to whom the township
mdsxxJmiB&l.
FRANK LOSEE
Coming to the Stanley in
Old Homestead."
'The
I - "' !
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wmmmm
' J'lligfSiTlBli "'''' JTnteSa'
Above may be seen the method by which the pictures of the Ku
Juux Klan racing along country roads in "The Birth of a Nation"
were taken by a camera placed on an automobile in front.
of Swaniey was deeded by the Massa
chusetts authorities in May, ITS. and
though my father was born near Girard.
Pa., he returned to the old family n&at
so early in his life that ho was essen
tially a New Hampshire youth. My
rxanafaUicr, in whom the love of old New
England was ever alive, despite the fart
that the paths of opportunity seemed
to point to the then n-wer en. ntry. never
failed to tneulcatr into hb boy the sturdy
and old-fashioned nobility of mind and
heart that were tradition:.! among the
people of New England.
"The Old Homestead" sn its final ver
sion was written while the whole "Joshua
Whltromb" eompan was on tour through
Pennsjlvania. in 1M5. U was in April.
1SSG, t'lat the second plav was presented
to Iioston at the Boston Tlieatre. Strange
ly enough, though the Hub City had not
taken limrilv to "Joshua Whitcomb" when
that play was hrst pi .rented in its ex
panded form. It was w-ann in itx praise of
the new j.laj. to which it never failed to
aeeord a cordial welcome upon each sue -eeedint;
visit
Firmly convinced of the fact that there
Is in "The Old Homestead" a certain uni
versal appeal which will make it just as
popular m ears to come as it u:i n
the day that it was first played, the idea
presented itscir of holding the play in
abeyance for several years until the gen
eration of theatre-goers who remember
the original Josh Whitcomb had passed
away. Then a good character corned, m
could be starred in the production and
STANLEY
MAItKITT Above lfith
11 A II to 11:15 P M
Fannin Ward
. In First Prosi-ntal ion of "THE CHEAT"
N-xl Urt Monl.o TuS'la i. Wednesday
S?r,,-n Arbuikle 1" "The K.-fortn Candidate'
Thura.. Fri Sat. "Till: H.U HOMESTEAD"
ACADEMY -Seats at Heppc'a. 1119 Cheetnut
Philadelphia
Tonight at 8:15
Urchestra
annual . ummo
lv t.OBurza. llarltone
UNIVERSITY MUSEUM -N "-
S , , . torium
af -0 ,'l"re hy II C Andres,
in ,s .. ..'K,Khtln,: Whale.. Seal.Walrua
In the Arctic with Movlns Ilcture Froe
Knickerboclfpr thcatiu: nyi;n.s
1 he Woman m the Case lut1 Tu -
Thura.. at.
peopix,st"ejt:
Next 1Veok-LA VENDER AND 5l.D MCU
j would undoubtedly prove successful in
I the role.
I I.Ike ever" one Interested in the amuse
ment business, my attention has been
called rather sharply tn the tremendous
growth of the motion-picture. Though
I witnessed some of the one-reel films
many years ago, their crudencss rather
disgusted me. and it was not until xery
recently that I again attended a motion
picture performance. This was at the
personal instigation of Adolph Zukor.
the president of the Famous Players
Company, whose suggestion that I tender
to him the rights to the play had Hrst
seemed, I am frank to say, almost an
insult to my father's memory.
But Mr. Zukor insisted and finally in
& NIXON'S GRAND A
jt BIMlAlt AM) MONTGOMKKY 2JK.
r l'.f.NUon-Nirdlil:rr, Grn.Mgr.r
Dallj Mat-.lOr. 9. 10c & :0- w
A Merry Christmas Bill!
MASTER GABRIEL
Oricinalor of lluhtrr Itmnn, Ir(r Viirr
ami I,itt!r Nrnw, nd Company, tn
"LITTLE KICK"
SKi: TUB MAMMOTH X.MAS TIlEi:
MEET THE I.IIJ STA CI.AIS
6 Great Acts and Pictures
GLOBE Thealre MA,-".srs
UWU1J VAI PI.MU.E Conunuoua 11
A M lo 11 !. M l(lc. I.V.. 25t
IIAIUtV VON TlIiElt I'reaenta
"SEASHORE FROLICS"
Featuring EAItl, r.W w i; Sumnrtnl hy
THE IIUMil f.llll"
OTiir.i; roi-i-i.Ai: ktaiiai:i acts
VFrritl"Tni.TT AJ rli-t a lini-CT
I Tues. Evg., Dec 21, at 8,Mf,rV,oil!f"
1 a ' ' tlra Co.. N Y
rilESENTS vnitBI S oI'EUA In Italian)
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA
Mmcp Kurt Dm hrne MaNtn MM ranio,
i Amain Securola. Itolhl-r. Bada. Au.llflo.
I fondudor Mr I'olaoro latit lln Chw-inut
lr-t Walnut 411'f . Itace (17.
TSAlrfa CHESTNfT Below 10th
1m,UU JULIA DEAN
In "MATItlilONY"
Next Week Monday. Tuetala and Wednesday
FllANK KKENAN in "THE COWAIlir'
TlirilKBAY. FlllDAY and SATl'HIJAY
HELEN WAHE In "CBOSS CL'HBBNTS"
duced me to attend the performance of
some of the productions of his own or
ganization, and told me of the millions
who are reached every day through the
wonderful Paramount plan. As I sat
and marveled at the progress which the
photoplay ha3 made, and realized the
possibility of reaching the whole world
through this great medium, my former
plans dwindled in significance and im
portance. Why wait for some nebulous
future to arrive which would be pro
pitious for the relaunching of the play
when there stood before me the oppor
tunity to immortalize it for all time by
means of the photoplay?
Consents to Production
Then, having given my consent to the
filming or the play, my interest in the
production grew rapidly as the enthu
siasm of the film men became contagious.
Accordingly, I was only too glad to offer
to the producers the facilities of the old
home in Swanzey as the setting for the
rural part of the drama. Thus, though
it will lack the presence of the author
whose name is linked with It. "The Old
Homestead" In film form will have the
advantage of the stage presentation in
the reality of the settings. For, instead
of a painted canvas representing the
farm, it will have as a setting the old
farm and homestead itself.
The Last Remaining Line
In In 8. Cobb attended the premiere of
"Mack Ilomr," his new play, written In
conjunction with Bayard Veiller, in Dot.
ton, say the December Green Book, lte
spondinc to Insistent rail from the audi
ence, he made a curtain speech between
the aerond and third acta.
"Won't blame me for all this," he said.
"But I ask Jon as a personal fat or to
stay for the third act. It contain the
only line that remains of my original
Play."
B. F. Keith's Theatre
Chestnut and Twelfth Sta.
,.,.. OWS DAILY 2
MATINEE. Z V. M, NIGHT. 8 P, M.
XKXT WKlili
JOYOUS CHRISTMAS
WEEK FESTIVAL!
B. A. ICoMe't .': rirst Mu.lcul Comedy
'THE iiRIDE SHOP'
With Andrew lambm & IIa Wentwnrth
Supported by a Broadway Beauty Chorus
Merry Men in a Jterrj .Medley
James C. flORT9N& MOORE Frank F.
Offering a Begular Wot of Kun
First Presentation ot a New Play
Homer Miles & Helen Ray
Presenting "An Innocent Bystander"
Jo for Youncstrni and ;ronups
Marshall Montgomery
An Extraordinary Ventriloquist
A Holiday Treat for Children
Thaleros' Dog & Pony Circus
llojdn. Borden llajdn; liimbrrt &
Tredrirhs; Thf Gladiator; Nu-an Tonm
Unj,; IlKAltoT-bKIJG I'lctorial INcnK.
FORREST Last Mat. & Night
GABY DESLYS
and Harry nicer In
CHAHI.ES DII.I.INCIIIAM'S
LATEST MUSICAL I'HOUl'CTIO.V
STOP! LOOK! LISTEN!
Joseph Santlej. Frank Iilor. Harry Fox.
Iojle & Dijim. Temi-st i. .Sunshine. Justlno
Johnstone. KIorelK-e Morrison. Hawaiian Oc
tette. Walter Wills. Charlea Tucker and 100
More.
Limited
..Xmas Night SE17cfw
Ensapement ,
Beeinnlnir
FIH.ST MATINEE WED . DKC 2!1
CHAItLES DILI.lNliHAM Presents
WATCH YOUR STEP
Mrs. Vernon Castle Frank Tinney
Bernard Granville
BMCEtKINU.HAIlltY KELLY 4. 100 Others.
BROAD Last Mat. and Night
FERGUSON OUT'CAST
S, One Week Only S!
C0r to J1 M at WeilnpIay Mat I lira
vL,ivi.ii u. iiaii.kv I'rrrnts
Her Price
A Three-Art
Urania of Twlxy
hy
with EMMA DUNN
Earle Browne. Ani-ll.i BlnEhnm. John Stokes,
Gertrude Dallas. Henr Harrison. 2'auline Dut
field Sta'rTT ! W,UJAM GILLETTE
MON.Oellst Week "SEritET SEllVICir'
DEC. fc'2.l Wk "HIIKHLOCK HOLMES"
CONCERT
dibection THADDEUS RICH
Mr- BOllOTHY JOIISSTOMMI SELEH.
HaiTiM NOAHH SWAY.SE. 2.1. Vocalist.
Strawbjidge & Clothier Chorus
ACADEMY OF Ml'SIC
. Monday i:C . December SOtli. S F. M.
Seats ft M. f 1 no. T.V. 50c,
Tltkela on Kale at
Bl'SINESS WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN LEAOUE
1104-XJ Ulrard St. and Oil Withersioon Bide
TVnfnrlpro T1IK CABAHET OIBI.S and
1 rOtaUCtU The alrl (n the cmccnt.
mgmggg,
ESSBS