Arthur Ashley in Vaudeville (1915) 🇺🇸

During his long photo-play career Arthur Ashley, presently engaged as the creator of leading roles in Thanhouser productions, has played an exceedingly wide range of characters.

Coincident to the pursuance of his work as actor Ashley has been everything from an innocent country boy to a deep-dyed villain. In fact, he had reached the conclusion that he had run the gamut of histrionic villainy, but it seems there is still one kind of villain his art has not yet embraced, the vode-villain.

Since January 12, however, the juvenile hero of a hundred feature plays can consider his assortment of character portrayals of a villainous nature comprehensively complete, as he presented on that date at the Dyckman Theater what can be justly termed a genuine novelty in the way of a dramatic playlet.

The piece was entitled The Speed King, and Carroll Fleming personally prepared Mr. Ashley for his initial vaudeville bow, which will incidentally, largely in the nature of a first-night trial performance precedent to his appearance at Broadway’s most palatial variety playhouse.

Harry Schenck interpreted the role opposite that of Ashley in the sketch, which consisted of a motion picture which surprisingly finishes in a highly artistic fashion as a spoken play. The manner of transition from silent screen to spoken dramatic action in The Speed King is markedly different from the change effected in The Battle Cry and Life, and proving a success the idea in the sketch will be utilized as the basis for a contemplated three-act drama of contemporary life, in which Ashley threatens to star next season.

—

The Foiled Elopement (Thanhouser)

No. 8 of the Zudora Series. — Introducing Mr. Chang, a Chinese hypnotist, with whom Hassan conspires. John and Zudora plan an elopement and Chang is instrumental in frustrating the same. The scenes rather overdo the mystic atmosphere and the sliding of so many panel doors gives an artificial touch. This is not quite as strongly developed as some of the opening numbers of the series.

—

Vengeance is Mine (Majestic), Jan. 3

A two-reel number with Billie West, Elmer Clifton and W. E. Lawrence in the cast. The country girl is united with the city chap in a mock marriage. Later she follows him to the city and becomes a fast woman. Years pass and she meets him in a restaurant. He is married and she tries to blackmail him with the old certificate, but relents on seeing his wife and child. This makes use of many familiar stock situations, but the agreeable cast does much to make the picture enjoyable. The photography is also attractive.

—

In the Land of the Otter (Domino), Jan. 14

A very fine two-reel story of the great Northwest. It tells the story of a factor who promises the hand of his daughter to the trapper who brings in the most furs. The hero is a quarter-breed Indian. His catch is the largest but he sacrifices the girl because of his mixed blood. The husband turns out to be a bad one and some very dramatic scenes take place between him and Joe. This exerts a strong pull on the interest and contains some exquisite scenic effects.

—

The Cross of Fire (Kaybee), Jan. 15

A powerful two-reel religious story, in which Walter Edwards plays the leading role. Jacques prays God to spare his sick wife, but she dies in spite of all doctor or church can do. He becomes a blasphemer, caring for nothing but his little daughter. How the girl steals away to the festival of the virgin and the house is struck by lightning in her absence is vividly pictured. The storm scenes are realistic. Jacques rushes frantically to the burning house and finds the cross of fire on the bed; later he goes to the church and finds the child. A strong production.

—

The Fires of Affliction (Pathé), Jan.

This is an especially attractive three-reel offering, and evidently a product of the European Pathé studio. The story is not, however, out of the ordinary, and treats of the unhappy marriage of a young woman to a wealthy man with a grown-up son, who proceeds to fall in love with his pretty stepmother. After a series of events dealing with the young wife’s decision to leave home as a nurse, her unfortunate love affair with another, and the death of her husband from apoplexy, the son in an attempt to prove her guilty of the death of his father, shoots the butler who witnessed against him, and is arrested and imprisoned. The close of the picture is a trifle padded, but pleasantly so.

—

Creighton Hale Back with Pathé

Creighton Hale, the talented young actor who starred in the Pathé-Wharton picture The Warning, has been secured for the cast of the Exploits of Elaine.

Mr. Hale is only twenty-five years old, and claims Ireland as his birth place, his father being an actor well known in Great Britain. He went on the stage when only five years old, taking the part of “Little Willie” in East Lynne, and has been on the stage ever since. After playing Shakespearian repertoire in London and the provinces with Oscar Ashe and Lilly Brayton, he came to this country to support Gertrude Elliott in The Dawn of Tomorrow, and in that play toured nearly every state in the union. He also appeared in the leading theatres of London in the same play. Among other important engagements he has had in this country were those with Indian Summer, The Witching Hour, Rebellion and the Ben Greet players.

Young Mr. Hale is only young in years so far as his talents go. His long stage experience, combined with native ability, enables him to give an unusual charm to his work. In addition to The Warning he has appeared in the following Pathé features: The Stain and The Taint.

—

Henderson Produces Uncle John

Director Lucius Henderson, of the Eastern Universal studios has completed a two-reel love drama entitled Uncle John, to be released early in February. William Garwood and Violet Mesereau play the leads.

—

Calvert Fits the Part

E. H. Calvert is especially adapted by training for the leading role in The Crimson Wing, the Essanay six-reel photoplay from the novel of H. C. Chatfield-Taylor. He takes the part of the Count Ludwig von Leun Walram, a military officer, who is actively engaged on the field. Mr. Calvert is a graduate of West Point and was a captain in the U. S. Army for years, which accounts for the exactness with which he interprets the part.

—

Crimmins Engaged for Maternity

William Crimmins, who made such an impression on all who saw the Kinetophoto’s The Coming Power, because of his realistic presentation of the character of “The Vulture,” has been engaged to do two character parts in Richard Bennett’s production of Eugene Brieux’s Maternity, which is soon to open at the Princess Theater.

—

There Is a Faker Amongst Us

Look out for Frank Hordon, alias Bill Jury, and other aliases. Manufacturers as well as all others in the film trade are warned to beware of a tall, well-built, blonde individual who may walk into your office any moment, introducing himself as Frank Hordon, Bill Jury, C. A. Ruffles, or any other foreign film magnate, that he may be able to think of. If he gets away with the story, he will leave you poorer, but wiser.

The gentleman in question called upon Edward M. Roskam, president of the Life Photo Film Corporation, introducing himself as Mr. Jury of London. Mr. Roskam, who had become intimate with William Jury on his last visit to London, immediately became suspicious. Alias Jury, quick to see this, explained to Roskam that he was Harry, brother to Bill Jury.

Almost at the same moment Mr. Werthheimer of London, and Mr. Taylor, also of London, walked into the Life Photo offices. Roskam, expecting to see an affectionate old-home-town meeting, was surprised to see that Werthheimer failed to recognize Jury. Taylor, however, knew the gentleman immediately.

After Roskam introduced him as Mr. Jury, he gently informed him that this was not Mr. Jury, but was known to him as Frank Hordon, of Australia.

Alias Hordon, seeing that he was in bad, begged to be excused, dragging Taylor along with him, until he was outside of the offices. As Taylor stood by the elevator with the visitor, a faint hope burned within him that the “fiver” that he had loaned Hordon was coming back to him, but no such luck. He only wanted to make another touch.

The last seen of the new film faker was a hasty exit down the elevator. The only thing he took with him was his breath which would have made the strongest whiskey advertisement on the market today.

Collection: Moving Picture World, January 1915