JPXW
AMUSEMENT SECTION
PHOTOPLAY
THEATRES
DANCING
MUSIC
itimtmg
IMiner
PHILADELPHIA, SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 8, 1916
jIERION'S model school
PUTTING THE ARTIST "ON TRIAL"
FIRST AID TO ANDROCLES
AND HIS FAMOUS LION
The Author of the Merry "Fable Play" at the
Adelphi Explains a Few Obvious
Matters for the Playgoer
TAjftjus ujf '4nJi MUVlHiO
TVC ONLY COOD
THlN AOOUT
TRASK 15 THAT
HE'S DCADBt-
. T5dE THE. TW
Begins.
DoJUi-Wwo
CAu&ts iorr& a
Tew seas in
The auoiencc
Saturday Morning Matinees of Photoplays in
f tne cnoojinouse mai'K an Advance tor tne
Films on Lines of Civic Betterment
I
By EDWARD BOK
mllB first carefully thought out plan to
tprcecnt trustworthy "movies" for chil-
'drcn In a rhlinueipnia suiiuro is nuoui 10
h tried out nt Merlon under the nusplccfl
let tho Merlon Civic Association. Com
mencing next snturuay morning, jnnu-
tt n. first ot a weekly series of
children's Snturday morning "movies"
fwlll be Bvtn ftt m:0 0'clocl at "le ,cr
(on Country "ay bciiuoi, wnicn is iour
minutes' wniK lTom me Pennsylvania
rullroad station nt Merlon. A specially
constructed fireproof booth, answering
every requirement of the flro laws, tins
nit been finished, and tho most modern
Equipped movlng-plcturo machine has
been Installed.
The films will consist of n humoious
reel, a reel of adventure, some of the
-nn'rf.rfiii naturo study reels and a com
plete play at each performance. Two
women rfiiw""o ..w..... .. .."'....-
tee of tne .uenun iviu AeBuvmuMu win
Mrsonany seo cncn reei umuiu u la nc
cented for public presentation, so that
tch performance will represent tho most
Intelligent order of censorship. The fixed
Idea In the minds of the women Inter
filed In these Saturday morning "movies"
m h that parents can feel perfectly
lifo In allowing their youngest children
lo go to these "movies" with tho full
.niilnn that they wilt see the best
Blm that are put out for children.
1 The prices of ndmlsslon 1 nvo been fixed
'ftt regular "movie" thentro prices: Ten
cents for children ueiongmg 10 1110 mmi
Jlei of the Merlon Civic Association, 15
.n( for other children, and 25 cents for
adults accompanying children.
It Is not expecicu iimt menu prices win
cover tho expense of tho performances;
a deficit Is looked for on each Saturday
morning, ecn If tho schoolhousc, which
BKJMaJ&Mi
fcV'11".'
A lovely set in Universal City
THE
il oUowina la by Itenrv Macmahon,
a trudlte and enterprising press agent.
on 0 the many who deserted the tcglt
imoi stage tor the movies. His judgment
U to eictllcnt that the .Vrw York Timis
rnsfmang signed articles such as this
t matters outside his own company, the
Trttnfllf.
rnilB lack of naequato Interpretation
Xand criticism must astonish the Ma
JjH or other visitor coming to theso
worts and noting tho predominant posi
tion rapidly being taken In 'tho nmuse
swnt world by the motion pictures. The
enema is a Topsy "dat Jes' growed."
There are no canons of the art, no rules
t criticism.
SThe assumntlon." sav tVnltr Prlch.
rd Eaton, "that we nan oro hack to what
:mouiits to sign language ut this stago
uvuiuuon is .ino of the most touch-
ciy naive examples of motlon-plcturo
ker' credulity."
I-How about the "sign language" of
pure muslcT Tho "sign languago" of
cwpture? The "sign language" of
untlngj The function of all art Is to
pwen the emotions Ideally, and It matters
EL ther tna "slsns" or media bo
'vroS Or tones nr pnrvlnfa nr nlrrmAYlta
J!wer facial and bodily attitudes and
Jtfno one seems to have sensed tho fact
'"1 IDA IIBW nrl In min.hnll.llA nl. BAh
to i " mHon picture Is closer akin
2J5 i . tno frequent recurrence of
fTr" nemes Is both agreeable and
"i ana the "constant shifting of
. Jnstead of being a blemish, Is
T6ry VlrtUA nt tta naii ilramaHp.
U-photographlo form, which is best
?Si " as "art by lightning flash."
; utUe series of pictures, contlnu-
i 10 a seconds, svmbollzea a
'f passion, or an emotion. Each
""i series, similar, yet different,
w emotion to the next higher
un at last, when both of the
' emotions ha.vn nttnlno.l tliA nth
!' ,0 "Peak, they meet in the final
I-' r u yiciory ana aereai.
1 Ktitt of pictures tiaa to bo swiftly
flw..awMawgtaAvaauawjiMAAfa;nirTTf ,hbbu.i,..milwy.m ti .wifcir i rawa nw .! , . , y .m ,an n ,
&.
35Vt - &&
iL v,
rsv
? "AVhy ii t nobody waits for
. LiL2w k., .,rLT.V7t3W5
i S.tPBBrwBir wf
can accommodate about 200 children, Is
crowded to tho doors. This deficit has
been underwritten by tho Merlon Civic
Association, which hopes to give two or
three evening performances for adults
and through theso raise sumclent money
to cover the deficits Incurred by the chil
dren's "movies."
Tho Saturday morning "movies," If suc
cessful, will bo followed by a "Sunday
Afternoon Story Hour," at which the
stories bt the lllble will bo told by a pro
fessional story teller, acompanled by
moving pictures. To this story hour It
Is planned to ask no price of admission.
Tho experiment nt Merlon Is both signifi
cant nnd Interesting, and wilt be watched
Willi the greatest Interest by parents who
have felt for a long tlmo tho need of Just
such "movies" ns tneso for their children.
All children along the Main Lino from
Overbroolc to nryii Mawr wilt bo permitted
to come, and this Is ono of the liberal
phases of the experiment, that It Will not
bo confined, ns It m'cht easily havo been,
to tho children of Merlon.
An Unruly Audience
It Is said of E. S. Wlllard, tho English
actor, whoso death was recontly an
nounced, that ho -was not reluctant nbout
rebuking his nudlcncu when tho occnslon
required It. During a fnrewcll perform
ance of "David Qarrlck," In Milwaukee,
tho audlcnco becamo somewhat Impa
tient a fow momenta beforo tho final cur
tain. Mr. Wlllard was standing near a
mantel on the Btnge, and ns he heard tho
bustle, stopped In tho middle of his
speech. Tho nudlcuce, of course, noted
It and Bat down again, In nbsoluto silence.
Waiting until ono could havo heard a
pin drop In tho theatre, Mr. Wlllard
turned his head and said, In very quiet,
even tones, "I beg your pardon; I thought
perhapi I was disturbing somo one."
Dramatic Mirror.
A MAGNIFICENT CAFE DE MOVIES
showing how a seemingly elaborate and
SYMBOLISM OF THE MOVIES
moving. Tho picture maker has to use
tho rapier of suggestion rather than the
bludgeon of logic Tho environment often
counts for more than the act. Tho fic
tion of the "removed fourth wall" of tho
stnged drama Is gone forover, and the
position of the motlon-plcturo spectator
la that of ono who looks out of doors
from an open window upon tho whole of
I.lfo spread as on a panorama, seeing
swiftly, understanding swiftly, because
tho eyo is so much swifter and more
understanding than tho car.
My point Is that the efforts at criticism
are neither truly analytical nor construc
tive. They do not lead anywhere, nor
show the direction tho next great step
forward will take. Often they belittle
the Now Art or deliberately Ignore Its
finest phases. Thus we are told by one
prominent New York reviewer that youth,
beauty and facial expressiveness are the
sole requisites of a great motion-picture
actress In other words. It's not art at
all, but merely a trick Imparted' to a
bright girl by a clever director. I won
der it that reviewer evor studied ths
career and achievements of Mae Marsh?
If he had, he would have found genius In
the film as well as In his Old Art.
The film play, compared with Its
rival, the stage play, has certain serious
defects, notably the 'absence of sound
and color. But on the other hand it has
certain compensating qualities ot Us own
and producers are very wisely laying
more stress on these Instead of imitating
what tho stage can always do better.
For Instance, the film playwright can
use all outdoors for his background In
stead of a painted and rumpled back
drop. He can chango the scene oftener
than the Elizabethan dramatist. He can
dip Into the future or the past as though
he were In Wells's time-machine. He
can use literally an army of supernum
eraries In place of a dozen attendants
with spears. He can reveal the mind of
his characters In two ways, neither of
them possible on the' stage, first by bring
ing the actor so close that the spectator
can read his facial expression, and sec
i f.
mf "
WRS.TRASK.
V
V
Cfc-r
I SHOULD
EVER COMMIT MuMJCR.
fa like to have lawyer
fcRBUCftLC DEFEND ME.
Mil. SAIjVINI Is a great nctor and a
great artist; ho has a magnificent
physlquo, a noblo volco nnd a splendid In
tellect. In certain lines ho Is simply In
comparable Hut wo do not wonder that
his performances nro not genornlty popu
lar In this country. lie plays his parts In
Italian; his company play their parts In
SBaxvm.TrwMria:
solid room is really but a shell.
ond, by visualizing his memories or Im
aginings, He can. If he so desires, wreck
a train, burn a house, sink a ship, or
blow up a fort, since he does not have to
repeat tho expense every night. It Is
natural that the new art should tend to
run to excess In those things which It
can do best. The film artist Is so tickled
nt tho Idea that he can portray motion
that he Is apt to put In too much motion.
Dut these aro the Inevitable ex
travagances of youth.
The motion plcturo has established
Itself, and In some form or other will be
come a permanent part of tho Intellectual
nnd esthetic life of the nation.
INTERVIEWING THE
WHY Is It that some actors and most
actresses have people running around
after them "lion hunters," they call
such people, I believe. Why Is it that
nobody waits at the stage door for me?
I would dearly enjoy an after-theatre
bite; but people seem to avoid lions as
dinner guests. Somehow, they distrust
me,
Yet I am sweet-tempered
enough, goodness knows. Ask
Androcles, if you don't believe
me, I adore young people. I
dance divinely. Ask Androcles
If I don't. I'm playful. Yet I
am lonely, at times.
Androcles Is all tight In his
way, but I set fed up with An
drocles. He la too meek. Noth
ing can ruffle him. A nice
chap, understand me, but
well, you know what I mean.
Nothing dashing.
I would like to see more
of that slangy little army
man, that Roman centurion
"1 ata playful,"
i
sftjy u&TaLtrf 'NtjIbjpIi ii(ii fir ssT
11 M.MAVtt Arf'.nL Si
v -. e ass -! m wm i
" ,i-a H " T
MM. AND MRS. 6TR.ICKt.ANr IN ,A
SCENE WHICH, AS VCU CAN
READILY SEE, li ViORANT
WlTH EMOTION 4
SALVINI IN POLYGLOT DRAMA
By EUGENE FIELD
English. Could anything In a dramatlo
way be moro preposterous?
To tho lover of good, round English tho
Italian Innguago Is tho most namhy-pnmby
In tho world ; It Is the vernacular of tenor
slrigcra; It Is composed of flvo vowels,
waxed mustaches and shiny Bilk trunks;
its lltcrnturo has come to consist of the
measly librettos of a dying operatic
school.
During the performance of "The Gladi
ator" last Monday night wo heard Itoman
matrons tho most austere representatives
of tho feminine sex wo know of ad
dressed bb "slgnorns." Wo would as soon
think of calling an Italian brigand a dudot
Tho dialogue of a Salvlnl tragedy Im
presses tho aorngo auditor much ns tho
subjoined dtnlogue will Impress you,
gentle render;
Viola Allen You sent for me, me lord?
Salvlnl (gloomily) SI. slgnora.
Viola Allen Wherefore, I prithee, tell
mo?
Salvlnl (polling her by the arm)
Questa Infcllce grazzlo gugllelmo si gta
como puolla leustra I
Viola Allen (deprecatlngly) Oh, me
lord!
Salvlnl (with suppressed rage) Sosplro,
ah 1 m'appnrl questa adagio banana rnd
rlgo plnno7
Viola Allen (eagerly) On me Boul, I
know not!
Snlvlnl (glaring at her) Che lo morto
sostenuto miserere piazza mllano presto
pattl?
Viola Allen (shuddering) Me lord, you
amaze mo I
Snlvlnl (dragging her L. U, B.) Spernto
hernanl gucstnto hnbanl vlgllo genoa co
lumbo guesta grnzla nouvello I
Vloln Allen Oh I
Salvlnl Descendo, crescendo ot diminu
endo plano-forto!
Viola Allen With a dogger, me lord?
Salvlnl Fortissimo I
Viola Allen When the pale moon shines
on yonder pallid copse?
Salvlnl (frownlngly and hoarsely) Laz
zaronl pianissimo?
Viola Allen Heaven's will bo done I
PROGRESS
The motlng pictures linvlnr nt length
totally rllmlnntrd the regular drama. It
no lonser becomes nrcrsAary for actors to
knotr how to use their voices. As the
stage was the only place where the aver
age person could Irani how to talk prop
erly, the art of talklnr properly, which,
even under these conditions, wan not
much of an iJrt, died out altogether.
Thus people used gesticulation to rontry
vrhat ldas they had. In the course of
time men became monkeys once more,
but experienced considerable Inconven
ience, as all the trees had been cut down.
There were, lion ever, the ruins of many
tall buildings left, upon the roofs of
which they did the best they could.
I.lfe.
PARTY OF THE SECOND
PART IN "ANDROCLES AND THE LION"
By SAMUEL McCOY
chap. I liked the look In his eye. He
had a sense ot humor, that chap. And
you couldn't scare him. Between you and
me, I was a bit afraid of him myself.
"Preparedness" was his middle name. If
you ask my opinion.
Hut, take It from every side, the the
atre has its good points. One does meet
such interesting people. Take that man
who married a dumb wife, for example.
"I daaca divpiajy,"
ii
AENTLtMtNOF "
THE. JUR.V
But what If he bear It not hither?
Salvlnl (raising his sword on high)
Questa padre nouvclle bella' donna troy
atore, Slgnora I Clio lo mozza7
Viola Allen Yes, my lord.
Salvlnl SI?
Vloln Allon Yes.
Snlvlnl (approvingly) SI. (Exeunt.)
(Eugene Field, In the Chicago N'aws,
January 14, 188(1.)
WARMING
:m;mVi'.y.""y.
wwWT'r'vv':MF
S3, Q
MR.
', ii iiiiii is sjii HiiimiiHin IIIIMtassssTTlaM w
A littlo Ratherinfj in celebration of tho openinp of tho new Vitapfraph
THE "AU REVOIR TOUR" OF WILLIAM GILLETTE
J?f!"l7 tlie gravely fttered words of a
curfolft speech spoken by U'llllom Ollletta
after the last act of "Sherlock Holmes,"
on MS present farewell tour.
I AM really very ashamed to appear be
fore you this evening, and especially to
como out hero and talk to you pleasantly
like this ncrosa tho footlights, for I have
been shamefully lazy and negligent tho
past threo years. With all that time ttt
my disposal this la only my Second Fare
well. It Is really shameful. I do not won
der that you feel as you do about It.
I must say It looks as If we Americans
I hear him roaring every night. Really
he roars better than I do.
Ills wife, too. Is a good sort. She bites
people on the buck of the neck. There Is
something I admire about that woman.
They don't let me bite anybody, you
know. Do you know, she's not so dumb.
My private opinion is that most talkative
wives whose chatter drives their hus
bands out of the house have method in
their madness.
Jolly chaps, all ot them
In that show the old
d o o t o r with the chin
whiskers, and his red-faced
medical friend. The red
faced one roars pretty well
for a human, tdo.
Well, here comes that
melancholy dingo that Is
keeper ot the menagerie. I'm
off, old chap. Drop In and
see me some evening. We'll
go out for a bite after the
show. What, you don't care
to? Oh. well, no hard teel
lngs. I'm always amiable.
Ask Androcles
"I adore
Dy BERNARD SHAW
. Th fotttnetna it n comptfoflon of fteo
forewords irrttfen tor "Androcl's and the
Lion," on for distribution to tho London
audience, one to tb New York:
THE author of "Androoles and tho
Lion" reoelved one of tho worst shocks
of his life when an American editor pub
lished Its text under tho heading "A
Comedy." It Is not a comedy; It Is pre
cisely what the author calls It, a fable
play; that Is. an entertainment for chil
dren on an old story from tho children's
books, whloh, nevertheless, contains mnt
tor for tho most maturo wisdom to pon
der. In England It proved a I ard tost
for tho flexibility of tho mind of the
British playgoer. Tho genuinely religious
people, the scholara nnd tho serious pub
lla generally wore Impressed nnil Intense
ly Interested. Tho children were delight
ed. Hut tho hardened playgoers did not
know what to make of it. At first they
sottlcd down to a Christmas pantomime,
with low comedlanB and a comic lion, and
began to lnugh Very good humoredly.
Then they suddenly found their tcoth BOt
on edgo by a sccno of the sort of satirical
comedy they most dread and dislike; that
Is, comedy that satirizes tho kind of
thing they nro accustomed to nccept ns
extremely correct, otllclal and high-toned.
When tho play was produced In Berlin
It wns reported that at this point tho
Crown 1'rlnco roso nnd left tho thcatro.
When It was produced In London nt tho
height of tho agitation by the militant
woman suffragists, the suffragists pres
ent wero so excited by tho satire on the
olllclnl point of vlow that tho sensation
In tho house, which wns felt without
being clearly understood, almost upset the
performance for a moment.
Hut worse remained behind. No sooner
had tho old playgoers readjusted them
selves, with a dlsagrecablo effort, to tho
episode of satirical comedy than they
found themselves plunged without a mo
ment's preparation Into tho deepest reall-
THE NEW HOUSE OF
TT
can't keep up with the seasoned Fare
wollers from abroad.
You may not havo noticed, but somo
littlo tlmo back I made quite a charming
and Impressive littlo address from this
same stage, and alter tho performance of
this same play, making a furewell for
myself and Sherlock mixing In somo
pathos nnd n few little things llko that
to help along. That was threo years ago,
and I haven't done a thing since. I am
ashamed!
There Isn't any reason In tho world why
wo can't do as well In tho fniewell busi
ness as any other country on the fnco of
tho globe. Wo havo the farowellcra and
we have tho people to say farewell to.
Now let's get together and see what we
can do about It. As I said, this is only
my Second Farewell, but If I can get back
here In tho spring that will be ono morn,
and nt that rnte If I can only keep It up,
I will be up even with my competitors by
tho spring of 1522, and by the winter sea
son of 1517 I'll bo well in the lead.
Hut, of course, you will realize that I
can't do all this by myself. There Is one
thing I need, and that Is you your sym
pathy! your affection, and all those
things, hut above all your co-operation.
These farewells would be very expensive
things to give all alone In an empty thea
tre, just for the fun of It. And for that
reason It seems to me that audiences
should do their part In the noble work of
putting our beloved country in the lead In
this respect, as she Is In so many others
of less Importance. I hate to talk to you
about duty, but there It Is this Is your
patriotic duty, and I have to tell you
about it. And now that I have called
your attention to the matter I am sure
you will do your share, which is merely to
come here and be farewelled to. It won't
be for long, and therefore It will cause
you very little Inconvenience to put every
thing else aside for the time being and
come here every night, until about the
end of this month. The nights are all
that are necessary; we can take care ot
young- people."
ties of religion, the most unbearable otV
all subjects for the purely theatrical pub
lic, as It Is the most enthralling for the
real national publlo at which tho author
nlwnys alms. And boforo the playgoer
had reoovorod from their consternation,
or decided whether they ought to be
scandalized or not, they wero back In
pantomime fun ngaln. And no It went
on, getting moro and moro bewlldorlnjr
(always except to tho serious people who
held the thread) until tho fun, tho satire;
tho historical study of manners and char
acter nnd the deadly deep earnest were
all on tho stago at the same moment,
many of tho nudence being so torn one
way by laughter and the other way by
horror, besides being quite upset by puro
shock, that they did not know where thoy
were, and left the theatre rending their
garments (metaphorically) and crylnff
blnsphemy, while the deeper peoplo for
whom tho play wns written proclaimed
that a great movement In religious drama
had been Inaugurated.
Nono of theso extravagances oro likely
to recur now that tho first shock Is over.
But It Is Btlll helpful to warn old play
goers that they must not expect "Andro
clcs nnd tho Lion" to fall Into any of
tho classifications to which they aro ac
customed, and that they will got fun and
earnest, history and satire, on the same
plate and at the same moment: so that
It behooves them to keep on tho alert
nnd not confuso these elements. If It
should seem to them that the author has
himself somotlmes confused them that,
for Instance, ho Is satirizing or making;
fun of tho truths of religion It will be
prudent for tho scandalized playgoer to
consider very carefully whether the
truths of religion havo not become as
sociated In his mind with tho mere cir
cumstances and ceremonials under which
religion Is professed, which is quite an
other matter. Tho lady who said. "Don't
Continued on rago Font
VITAGRAPH
studio over on Lonp Island.
the matinees. So It Is perfectly under
stood, nnd It Is very nice of you, I am
sure, and It will help us along a whole
lot.
As I said, It w(Jl soon be over, and then
perhaps next, spring, we'll give you an
other whack' nt It for my third. There
fore, as I shall see you so soon again, I
will only say au revolr until tomorrow
night.
Behind the Scenes
Some time when the world Is drear and
cheerless go to the advertising columns
of u. theatrical trade paper for mental
Bllmuluu. says the January Green Book.
For mstance:
FOIt SALE Mind-reading act. Mr orig
inal ami complete nut: something nsw;
a sclemltlc success: copyrighted.
Item ;a a mechanical doll," who want!
a partner; a "snako king" advertises
"dens" for JiO and up; u pony, dog and
goat trainer "at liberty"; two 10-foot
pythons "at liberty"; . glassblower, a
human fly, a freak with no legs and a
human fish all looking for work. Else
where one finds; "Freaks for sale or
trade," and a collection ot wild animals
to exchange for a small cylinder organ.
An "Al Hlackface, tramp and silly kid,"
will work tor J0 a week "and all." And
"That darnd old frawd, old Ituttn Hay.
sede, the kuntree sho-man. giving Suth
ern, Yanky & mlsserlanus reedlns & res
sertatlons. Price one hundred & titty dol
lers & car fare both wys; cash In ad
vance. He Isn't worth It."
To you Is discovered the secret of where
stage money comes from PXX) of it for
$3. Comedy monologue Is ottered for U
for each IS minutes of words. Then this
for a climax;
"Singing comedienne, who Is also con
tortionist and slack-wire performer, de
sires permanent position. Also has great
dramatic ability. Fifteen a week and all.'
What a rind for a Dillingham I
iMYI
am lojwely "
-. M--X