Edwin Forsberg (1914) 🇺🇸
“Forgiven, or the Jack o’ Diamonds,” the famous play, which ran two seasons on Broadway in the early nineties, and played from coast to coast by Frederic Bryton, and later by Edwin Forsberg, the well-known Broadway artist, has just been played by Mr. Forsberg’s own stock company at the Bijou Theater, “Home of the Arvine Players,” at Orange, N. J.
Great pressure was brought to bear upon Mr. Forsberg to appear in the role of Jack o’ Diamonds for the last time the week beginning May 25th.
Mr. Forsberg, supported by a notable cast, appeared in the photoplay which has recently been produced by the Stellar Photoplay Company, and for this reason Mr. Forsberg agreed by an arrangement made with the Stellar Photoplay company to appear in Forgiven on the speaking stage for one week before the screen release of this great melodrama.
Mr. Forsberg and William Robert Daly, the director of this photoplay, and the members of the Stellar Stock Company traveled through Florida and other states in order to get the proper locations for the scenes for this photoplay.
Within a very short time, Forgiven will appear at one of the prominent Broadway theaters. Mr. Forsberg is well known as an actor of great ability. He has been with many of Henry W. Savage’s productions.
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Doings at Los Angeles.
The Oz Film Manufacturing Company, headed by L. Frank Baum, an author of worldwide famous fairy stories, has started work on its big studio in Hollywood, on the city limits of Colegrove. The plant is to be one of the best on this coast, and no pains or money are being spared in an effort to make it the best. They have designed a composite studio, after visits to all the other plants around the country. They expect to begin actual production by June 12.
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The Los Angeles Movie League is creating much interest among local baseball fans, and the Sunday games are always well attended. At the session recently the Mutual players scored on the Universal studio team by 9 to 5, while the Keystone aggregation defeated the Universal ranchers by a score of 6 to 3. There are ten more games to be played, and at the present rime the Mutual men hold the high percentage of 800, seconded by the Keystone’s 750, and the Universal holds, with both teams, 600. It is too early in the season to foretell which will be the winner of the coveted prize cup. F. A. Kelsey is manager of the Mutual team, and is confident of carrying off the award.
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J. Barney Sherry, popular leading man with the N. Y. M. P. Company at Santa Monica, has again invested in a motor car, having purchased an elegant 7-passenger Packard. The car is the latest thing in benzine buggies, and Barney has a regular chauffeur. They all fall for the smooth-oiled roads around here.
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Hal Clements, directing for the U. S. Film Company at San Diego, has finished the first three-reeler, “The Flag of Destiny.” The film is full of many thrilling scenes, hundreds of people, horses, and topped by scenic wonders and a strong story. Leon Kent has joined this company as a director and has started on a three-reel feature. Natalie de Longtempts has also come to this company as leading woman. Larry Peyton, formerly of Kalem, played the lead in Clements’ picture.
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The Will o’ the Wisp, featuring Henry King and Miss Jackie Saunders, will extensively show the beauties of southern California, for it was taken at the time of the big floods here this spring, and a number of the players risked their lives in getting some fine action. Many of the scenes were laid in several of the beautiful parks here. The plant of the Balboa Company is being almost doubled. The laboratory forces are now working three shifts, and the dark room never gets “dark.” Efficiency seems to be the motto of Messrs. Horkheimer for their “Balboa Features.”
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Miss Violet MacMillan, who will be leading woman of the Oz Company, is going to purchase a pretty bungalow near the new studio. She is now negotiating with the reality men, and expects to be settled in time to go to work when the place begins operations. Property near this location has advanced materially since the company acquired the block of studio ground.
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During a chat with the inimitable Jack W. Kerrigan, the star told that he had never spent any money for publicity, but that in the last month he had sent out close to 800 pictures of himself on the requests of many admirers. While there, a stack of mail arrived, and the information was given that from 30 to 90 letters a day were received. His dressing-room is a veritable curio shop, for Jack has everything from moccasins to water color paintings, all sent by admirers. And with it all, he is not one bit “up stage.”
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F. A. Kelsey is directing now at the Winged Clock studio, having started on “A Girl from the Country,” in which Francelia Billington and Elmer Clifton play the leads. The little company visited Santa Monica for the purpose of getting a quiet police station. Up town there are always so many people around that the film maker has a hard time to get good scenes. When the police at this beach town captured two big blackmailers, the people on the strand thought the happening was the scene of movies, and not much of a crowd gathered. The place is always being invaded by film men and the natives no longer wonder at the murders and outrages committed for the screen.
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Down at San Diego the U. S. Film Company has built a large mission on its land and the 100 x 150 building is being finished in regular monastery style. A large corral has been finished for the many horses and burros.
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Everyone in local filmland seemed to be present on the occasion of the exhibitors’ ball, held in Shrine Auditorium. A large number of players were there and everyone enjoyed the dance until a late hour.
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St. Elmo, that interesting novel, has been filmed by the Balboa Company and will be released soon through the Box Office Attractions. William Jossey prepared the script, as well as acted the part of the young man in the title role. The film is a good one and will undoubtedly make quite a hit with the exhibitors. The entire forces of the company were used in this feature. Across the street from the studio a church was under construction, and was used in the film for the part where St. Elmo builds a church for the girl.
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At the American Studio in Santa Barbara, Harry Pollard is making The Dream Ship, which is a sort of fairy tale story, and Fred Gamble, of Beauty films, spent two days here selecting the trimmings and costumes for the film. Now comes from Long Beach, in strong contrast, The Cruise of the Hell Ship, being made by the Balboa.
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Word arrived by wire that Rollin S. Sturgeon, master director and for so long a time manager of the Santa Monica Vitagraph, had closed with that company and was on the train for the beach city to resume operations with that concern. He arrived May 31, and will immediately start work on features. Sturgeon went east a few weeks ago, presumably to look for another location, but he came back. He will be the managing director, while Ulysses Davis will direct also. Sturgeon will do only features of two reels and more. If his work in the past can be taken as an example of work to come, the Vitagraph will certainly release some films that are worth while.
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Richard Willis also took a trip, having been up at Santa Barbara for the week-end looking after news from the American. He reports a fine trip and a busy studio in the mountain city.
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(Camera) Wizard A. Vallet, happy Billie Leonard, his right hand man, Karl Formes Jr., well known character man, and scenario editor Daisy E. Smith, all for some time connected with Santa Monica Vitagraph, have joined the U. S. Company at San Diego, and are busy as bees. Manager A. R. Pelton, of this plant, is a busy man, and the place is taking on the aspect of a real and what’s more, lively film manufacturing plant. Mrs. Waller has charge of the wardrobe department, which is a feature of the studio.
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Miss Anne Schaefer, leading woman of the Vitagraph, and Jane Novak, also with that company, were attending a performance of The Dawn of a Tomorrow when some of the leading players recognized the film favorites and “shook hands” with themselves on the stage. Notes were exchanged later and the film people were surprised to find that the legitimate people knew them from seeing their faces on the screen. These two film folks are getting to be regular society ladies, having been present at all the women’s club dances. Miss Novak is now trying her hand at writing a photoplay. The script seems to be promising, so says the scenario editor, Miss Doris Schroeder.
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H. M. Horkheimer, one of the makers of Balboa films, tells that the London agents of the new films have fitted up an elegant office in that city where a projection room has been built for the use of exhibitors who wish to see the films run. The English representatives of the company are Bishop, Pessers & Co., Ltd.
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Tom Ricketts of the American has started on Jim, a story of real life, which is said to be a great one. The soul of the man is transported over a vista of time, revealing facts, which eventually lead him to do good deeds. Harry Pollard and Margarita Fischer have begun work on The Other Train, a film full of heart interest and with a moral lesson. Harry was here last week seeing old friends and selecting costumes for the new film play.
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Much excitement and amusement was caused at the Broncho studio when a woman with an unbalanced mind wandered into camp and started to create a little panic. She was locked up in the city bastille and later taken to the police station at Santa Monica.
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Edwin August of the Balboa Features has been given full command of his company and has as his leading woman Miss Neva Gerber, one of the noted stars of filmland. The company is busy on a big special story.
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Frank Montgomery offers a bona fide cash prize of $75 and a second one of $25 to the person sending in a song with music. The tunes and words must convey visions of Indian maids and braves. The song accepted will be published and the name of the winner will appear on the cover. Songs should be sent to the Kalem Indian director at his home, 5447 Russell Avenue, East Hollywood.
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A Broadway jewelry store has turned over one of its largest show windows for the display of California, and famous film stars. The window is well decorated and the shoppers crowd out to the curb to see the display. This firm evidently thinks photoplay stars are good for a little publicity.
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The first issue of “The Script,” the official paper of the P. A. L., has made its appearance. It is a neat little booklet and has some good sayings by several members who are authors. It is to be issued monthly. Only members receive copies. If any photoplay authors read this page, they will profit in postage by not sending scripts to the Oz Film Co. All films will be made from the twenty-eight books written by the fairy tale author, L. F. Baum.
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Henry Walthall, of Mutual fame, and pretty Miss Victoria Forde, of the Nestor Universal Fun Company, will lead the grand march at the ball to be given in Rutherford hall on the second of June. Many photoplay people will be there as the event is mainly for them.
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If anyone sees a weekly with the Empire Day celebration held at Ocean Park, Cal., notice the South Africa straw house representing the British holdings in that country. The float was built on an automobile by myself and a friend. We captured a prize with it, a silver cup.
Clarke Irvine.
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British Notes.
(Special Correspondence to The World.)
The advent of woman to responsible positions in the moving picture industry has not been long delayed. For several months now London has had a small contingent of female film reviewers, but it was left to Mrs. Renton, the manageress of the Standard Feature Film Co., of Shaftesbury Avenue, to be the first woman to assume absolute control of a modern renting establishment. Mrs. Renton appears from her methods to be quite as up-to-date and enthusiastic as most of her male competitors and this enthusiasm cannot be set down to inexperience for she reviewed films four years ago and has since been engaged for another firm in the renting business. Mrs. Renton has no praise for the English film. To quote her own words “they are not much good, chiefly on account of the uncertain climate.”
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The satirical cartoon, mostly of a topical character has forced its way into picture programmes with remarkable prominence during the past month. Until the introduction of “The Hungry Mosquito,” by the Vitagraph Co. last year, this type of film was unknown to the English audience. However, a few weeks ago the Barker Co. commenced to liberate a series of “Kine-Kartoons” from the pen of Frederick Gundolphi [Frederick Gandolphi | Will Barker]. Singularly two of the most noteworthy skits are at the expense of American personalities, being entitled “How I Killed My First Jaguar by Colonel Teddy” and “Broncho Billy Loops the Loop.” Only the other day Mr. Cherry Kearton, the famous nature photographer, announced his intention of producing a running supply of animated car He has named his humorous budget “Kine-Quips.”
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Edwin Thanhouser is at present in England and there is every probability of his remaining in Europe for at least a year. He expresses his intention of starting to make films again on his own account when he returns to the States. Mr. James McEnnery, of the syndicate that bears his name, left for New York recently. In America he is handling the British film The World, the Flesh and the Devil, a production considerably criticised on this side.
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An endeavor is being made to organize single show proprietors in England into a co-operative body. Among the benefits set forth to members is to establish small exhibitors on a similar footing, as regards programmes, to the large circuits. Obviously this is to be accomplished through the Cooperative Association making contracts with manufacturers and then conducting its own hiring department among its members.
J. B. Sutiliffe.
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The Importance of Pure Water.
Few of the devotees of the motion pictures have any idea what serious consequences would follow if a city water famine happened to prevent the large film manufacturing plants from turning out their products according to schedule time. An evidence of this was seen last week when the break in Philadelphia’s city supply main caused many manufacturing establishments in the northern part of the city to shut down.
For the development of the films only chemically pure water can be used. When Siegmund Lubin built his Philadelphia plant he had two large artesian wells drilled at 20th and Indiana Avenue so as to provide for just such an emergency. Despite his usual foresight the great expense was needless, for when the chemists tested the water it was found that it contained too much iron and that these wells could never be used to supply water for the development of films.
Mr. Lubin provided, however, for this condition in another way. When the Betzwood plant was constructed, seven artesian wells were drilled far and safe from the Schuylkill Valley watershed and from these wells it is possible to draw 810 gallons of the purest spring water, so cold that its temperature is constantly below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and this great supply can be hourly pumped into the vats in the Betzwood developing rooms.
When the break in the city’s plant at Torresdale occurred it was found necessary to shut down the Indiana Avenue plant for the unfiltered water would have ruined every film that was being developed. The entire factory force was switched to Betzwood. Eight automobiles left the Philadelphia plant on the hour for the 23-mile run to Betzwood, and a constant service was maintained, so that as fast as the films were printed in Philadelphia they were rushed to Betzwood to be developed and the Lubin Company manufactured without interruption that week two million feet of film on schedule the Betzwood plant.
Had these films not been delivered when they were scheduled for release it would have meant as great a loss as the failure of a newspaper to publish its Sunday edition. The Lubin Company would have lost $50,000 during the time the city water supply was curtailed had it not been possible to use the Betzwood plant.
Collection: Moving Picture World, June 1914