Gerda Holmes (1915) 🇺🇸

Gerda Holmes, whose work with Thanhouser, Essanay and other feature producers during the past few years, attracted the attention of numerous other concerns of equal importance, announces through her manager that she has contracted to appear under the management of the Equitable Motion Pictures Corporation and that within the next two weeks will leave the plant of Essanay for New York to assume her new duties.

Miss Holmes, who made her first big mark in Klaw and Erlanger’s production of The Round Up, in which she played the featured feminine role, was drafted from that production by the film field, because of her work.

Her appearance in films was the means of such rapid advancement, so unusual in itself, that Essanay contracted with her for appearance with the male stars on their roster and then, after a year with Essanay, during which she played leading business with Francis X. Bushman and Richard Travers, she starred in one picture, The Victory of Virtue, and her work in this picture was the direct reason for Equitable’s contracting for her.

Just what productions will have the personality of Miss Holmes as an asset have not been definitely settled by the powers that be of Equitable. Numerous male stars are under contract and option to that concern, including Robert Edeson, William Courtenay, Henry Kolker, Charles J. Ross, Robert T. Haines and William Courtleigh, and it is now thought Miss Holmes will be seen opposite one of these stars at no distant date.

Dark featured, slight of form, graceful, as the result of long tuition in dancing, of recognized histrionic ability, Miss Holmes’ personality and attractiveness will be more than a passing potency to the Equitable program.

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see also Rapley Holmes (Spouse)

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Gaumont Players Go South

Director William F. Haddock and party of screen favorites go by water to Jacksonville.

With the cheers of several hundred friends ringing in their ears, fifty actors and members of the producing staff of the Gaumont Company sailed from New York on Tuesday, October 26, for a winter in Florida. The last farewells to little old New York were said at one o’clock when the “Mohawk” cast off and the stubby little tugs pulled her out into the stream. The party was in charge of William F. Haddock, a director of one of the Gaumont photodramatic companies.

In South Jacksonville the Gaumont Company has leased the Dixieland theater property. Here the companies making the Rialto Star Features will begin work at once. A little later a comedy company will also share the studios, making Casino Star Comedies.

This first invasion by the Gaumont organization has been heralded to Jacksonville by the arrival there last Monday of John S. Martin, the New York representative of the company. Mr. Martin arranged the final details and took over the Dixieland theater property. He plans to return to New York shortly, as his time is well taken up with engaging Broadway stars for Gaumont productions.

George DuBois Proctor, Gaumont’s new scenario editor, has accepted several tense photodramas for immediate production, and an announcement of these features and the stars who will appear in them will be made as soon as the order in which they are to play has been arranged.

The party included Miss Lucille Taft, Miss Mathilde Baring, Miss Flavia Arcaro, Miss Madge Orlamond, Miss Martin, Fritz Orlamond, technical director, Charles W. Travis, Leonard Craske, Albert Macklin, Sidney Mason, Henry W. Pemberton, James Levering and John Reinhard. Among the unofficial members were Mrs. Haddock, Mrs. Mason and Mrs. Reinhard.

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Gaumont Directors Who Sailed for Jacksonville.

Left to right: Top line — Fritz Orlamond, Wm. P. Haddock, Richard Garrick, Edwin Middleton. Lower line — Wm. Chamberlain, Allan Robinson.

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Century Breaks Ground for Studio.

The Century Film Corporation, located at Roundup, Mont., broke ground for its studio Wednesday, October 20, and will commence building operations immediately so as to be ready to produce its first picture by the middle of November, if possible.

The studio is being located two miles east of the town proper, in the old or first town of Roundup, which stands just as it did forty years ago, with its log houses and typical frontier saloons, that can be used as they are in many western pictures — and who does not prefer the natural to the handicraft of the stage carpenter and scenic artist?

The company will feature western drama, comedy-dramas and snow pictures in their natural element; in fact, the studio is located in the midst of some of the most natural and beautiful scenery that is left to the west, and within a few miles of the studio are coal mines, lakes and rivers.

Some of the best cameramen and directors in the film world have been engaged, and the company will spare no reasonable expense to make the quality of their productions such as will create a demand for them.

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Director Richard Garrick Gone South.

Richard Garrick, director for Rialto Star Features of the Gaumont Company, left New York Monday, Oct. 25, for Jacksonville, Fla., to arrange for the reception of his Gaumont dramatic stock company which will, soon follow. Mr. Garrick has just completed the beautiful phantasy of disembodied souls, The New Adam and Eve, based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story of the name. Miss Grace Valentine will be starred in this Casino Star Feature, which is to be released Nov. 17 on the Mutual program.

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Devore Parmer with Triangle.

Devore Parmer [DeVore Palmer] has been engaged by John Emerson, who is producing films for the Triangle people in New York, as “heavy” in the support of Douglas Fairbanks [Douglas Fairbanks Sr.] in His Picture in the Papers.

Mr. Parmer recently returned from a hunting trip on the estates of Guy Hedlund, where his prowess as a hunter was proven by the bringing down of two fine bucks and numerous smaller game.

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Becky Bruce with Raver.

The Raver Film Corporation [Harry Raver] announces that the leading lady who will support James J. Corbett in its inaugural feature production is none other than the charming little Becky Bruce, lately seen on Broadway in the metropolitan casts of A Pair of Sixes, Prunella and The Show Shop. Miss Bruce plays the character of Catherine Foster, the other girl in Augustus Thomas’ drama, The Other Girl.

Collection: Moving Picture World, October 1915