Laura De Cardi — Josh Binney Makes a Find (1918) 🇺🇸

It is Laura De Cardi, a leading woman of rare personality.

Josh Binney, the genial directing manager of the Florida Film Corporation, is wearing a smile that bespeaks contentment of mind and, incidentally it is saying a great deal, inasmuch as Josh is architecturally constructed upon lines of generous proportions and when he wears anything it must necessarily be a great deal. But then, Josh has every reason to smile, considering his present visit to New York has brought a realization of his every wish. After a strenuous several months of organizing his new producing company and the completion of the first three releases of a series of twelve two-reel comedies, Josh now may return to Jacksonville knowing that his efforts have received a recognition which insures success.

In two weeks of marketing this product, Josh returns to his field of operation with three bona fide contracts safely tucked away in his jeans and the assurance of his sales manager, Ernest Shipman, that the entire country will be disposed of in short order.

Mr. Binney is further pleased at having secured the services of a leading woman for his future productions whom he considers a positive “find,” and so sanguine is he of her success on the screen that a contract has been executed whereby he controls her services for a term of years.

Miss Laura De Cardi is the young woman in question, and while she had no motion picture training, Mr. Binney’s long experience as a director and producer qualifies him as a capable critic of screen possibilities, and he claims that Miss De Cardi possesses personality, charm and physical attractiveness that will quickly establish her as a prime favorite with the movie fans, and then, too, beyond all this, there is a hidden talent yet to be developed which, in his opinion, Miss De Cardi unquestionably possesses.

Miss De Cardi is of Italian birth and her early childhood was spent in Milan. Prominent in the attractive qualities which promise to carry her speedily to screen stardom are a pair of wondrously beautiful eyes, and Mr. Binney warns the many beauties of filmdom that they may now look well to their laurels.

—

Lasky Goes to West Coast Studios

Paramount-Artcraft executive will supervise plans for presenting additions to playing force.

Jesse L. Lasky, vice-president of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation in charge of productions, left New York Sunday, April 21, for the West Coast studios, where he will begin preparations for the handling of pictures presenting various new stars to appear in Paramount and Artcraft pictures.

Prior to his departure Mr. Lasky made public the fact that his company had just signed Shirley Mason to appear in John Emerson and Anita Loos Productions for Paramount release. Miss Mason is one of the youngest stars connected with the motion picture stage and has become widely prominent among followers of the screen during the past three years as a result of her work before the camera. She has appeared before the public the greater part of her seventeen years, having played in the “legitimate” since early childhood prior to her becoming associated with the film studio. The John Emerson and Anita Loos Productions starring Miss Mason will be produced in the East commencing the early part of June. Mr. Emerson and Miss Loos are already engaged on the initial story following their work on a number of scripts for Paramount and Artcraft stars, some of which have already been shown to the trade.

“Among the new stars who will begin work at the West Coast studios,” said Mr. Lasky, “are Fred Stone and Ethel Clayton, whose engagements with our organization were recently announced. By request from exhibitors Vivian Martin has been re-engaged to continue her appearance in Paramount Pictures. Other stars whose names cannot be announced at this time will also begin work in California for us early in June, their combined activities plus those of our present producing units comprising a gigantic summer drive which will considerably enlarge our stars series plan.

“Our contract with Lina Cavalieri has also been renewed. Madame Cavalieri’s new Paramount vehicle now being completed at Fort Lee, Gismonda, is the biggest production yet staged by the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation in the East and will mark another notable achievement for Paramount. Madame Cavalieri will continue to work in the East.

“Activities in our Eastern studios are running along at record pace and despite the unfavorable weather we have had here recently the New York and New Jersey companies are well ahead of their release schedule. Elsie Ferguson has just left for Montana, where she will appear in an Artcraft picture under the direction of Marshall Neilan, who has just finished the George M. Cohan picture for Artcraft release, Hit the Trail Holliday. Pauline Frederick has just completed Fedora and Marguerite Clark, after her triumphant Liberty Loan tour, has started on a picture taken from a famous subject.

“Although many of our stars have been working exclusively for the Government in connection with the Third Liberty Loan campaign their pictures are well in advance of release dates so that these engagements for Uncle Sam will not delay the usual presentation of their newest screen vehicles.”

Mr. Lasky will remain in California until the early part of June.

—

Edison Studio and Film Plant Sold

Lincoln & Parker Film Company of Worcester also purchase over a million feet of negative.

Thomas A. Edison, Inc., announces that the Edison Studio, at 2826 Decatur avenue, New York, its equipment and the equipment of the Edison positive film plant formerly located at Orange, N. J., have been sold to the Lincoln and Parker Film Company, Worcester, Mass. By the terms of the deal, the Lincoln and Parker Film Company also comes into possession of over a million feet of Edison negatives released prior to the beginning of the arrangement by which Edison pictures were distributed through the George Kleine System.

The Lincoln and Parker Film Company also acquired the right to reproduce Edison feature subjects and Edison Conquest Pictures on their narrow-width and non-standard film but all other rights in such subjects are retained for a period of years by the Edison Company and the George Kleine System, through which they will be available as before. All rights in the James Montgomery Flagg series “Girls You Know” are so retained.

Included in the Lincoln and Parker deal are the educational and scientific subjects upon which Mr. Edison was working a few years ago. It is announced that Mr. Edison will act in the capacity of a consulting editor to the new company, and that his son, Charles Edison, is to become a member of its board of directors.

The Edison Company promises a further announcement shortly as to its future activities in the motion picture field, but it is known that a number of new productions, including The Wall Invisible, with Shirley Mason, and several stories by O. Henry, Richard Harding Davis, Ralph Henry Barbour and other authors of prominence, are being made ready for early release.

—

Select Joins N. A. M. P. I.

Select Pictures Corporation has just joined the National Association of the Motion Pictures Industry as a distributor member. This classification gives Select a double membership in the N. A. M. P. I., since the producer-membership originally taken out by Lewis J. Selznick, now president of Select Pictures, has been transferred to the corporation. This puts Select on a par with the other big companies in the moving picture field which are represented in both the producer and distributor divisions of the national group. Morris Kohn, treasurer of Select Pictures, has been designated to represent the corporation in the two branches of the N. A. M. P. I.

Collection: Moving Picture World, May 1918