Lillian Cook (1915) 🇺🇸
Almost like a fairy tale runs the story of how dainty little Lillian Cook, the World Film Corporation ingénue who is at present working in Camille, came into the pictures.
Miss Cook (who boasts all of seventeen summers to her credit) has been an actress for some time. She started in as a child, playing stock for some time. Then she distinguished herself in a great pageant, in which, then a child of 13 years, she played a difficult role which it would have been hard even for a mature actress to play.
Later Miss Cook came to New York. She secured a position in the road company of Excuse Me, playing first the Bracelet girl and then the lead.
Last season she played in Potash and Perlmutter at the Cohan theater, and then went on the road with the company, scoring a great hit all over the country.
But it was last summer that the really exciting part of the romance of Lillian Cook’s career came.
She went out to Fort Lee to the World Film Corporation’s studio to see if there was not something she might do. She had managed to find time to play a part in Mother the summer before, and she asked to see Mr. Tourneur. While she was waiting in Mr. Tourneur’s office for him to arrive, a very nice appearing man — evidently connected with the firm — came into the office and asked her whom she wanted to see.
“I’m waiting for Mr. Tourneur,” she answered.
In a few minutes the man came back, and said, “Would you like a position in our stock company? If you would there is one for you.”
Miss Cook says that she was dumbfounded, and could not believe at first that it was true. She thought the man must have been playing a joke on her, but when she discovered that he was the president of the company, she knew that it was, and that her fondest dreams had been realized.
Lillian Cook has been at the World Film studio all summer. She first worked in The Cotton King, then in The Code of the Mountains, and is now engaged in Camille.
The young actress has light hair and blue eyes, and is exceedingly talented. Her intelligence and keen business ability is a wonderful asset in her work as a picture actress. She is clever and hard working and will be heard from in big things in the future.
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Rothapfel Talks in Philadelphia
Head of the new rialto tells exhibitors how he sought and got job as operator — speaks on theater management.
A hundred of Philadelphia’s prominent motion picture exhibitors gathered at the S. L. Rothapfel-Mutual Tour banquet held in that city Thursday night. Mr. Rothapfel was the guest of honor and principal speaker. “Not so many years ago I was walking the streets of Philadelphia looking for a job as an operator in one of your theaters,” Mr. Rothapfel said in opening his talk. “And I got the job,” he continued. He told of the steps by which he fought his way upward and the methods that had brought him success. He received the closest attention throughout his address, which lasted nearly two hours.
Among the subjects discussed by the speaker were the handling of music for the theater, the psychology of entertainment, the treatment of lights, the balance of a program, and the relation of the employer and employee.
Edward O’Keefe of Atlantic City was toastmaster. Among the speakers of the evening were Jay Emanuel, Marcus A. Senn, C. Stamper and Charles Goldstein.
The banquet got a touch of excitement from a short but warm debate between Mr. Rothapfel and an exhibitor. . Mr. Rothapfel had reached the conclusion of his address and invited questions. Edward J. Jeffries, the owner of two theaters, challenged the speaker’s statements on some points of theater policy. “I’ll be back here after this tour is over — I am coming at my own expense just to show you in your own theater what I mean, and I will demonstrate to you in person,” exclaimed Mr. Rothapfel. “That goes now, and I’ll be back.”
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Ovation to Valli Valli
Metro opening at Montreal a personal triumph for well known star.
The opening of Metro in Canada was signalized by the personal as well as the screen appearance of Valli Valli in The High Road at the Imperial theater, Montreal, Monday evening, Oct. 18.
The occasion was notable in the history of motion pictures in Montreal by reason of the fact that more people were turned away from the Imperial than had ever been accorded in the theatrical annals of the city. Police reserves had to be called out to handle the crowd as early as seven o’clock in the evening and before eight o’clock the entire street was blocked, so that cars had to be diverted to another route. Hundreds of people coming in carriages and automobiles waited for the second show, at which Miss Valli appeared in person and on the screen. She was presented with a gorgeous flower basket of sterling silver, nearly three feet high, filled with roses, the gift of the officials of Metro Pictures Limited, the Canadian distributors for Metro Pictures. Edward Brennan, who supported Miss Valli in The High Road, also appeared on the Imperial stage and was given almost as much of an ovation as the star herself.
Metro Pictures have already won a warm welcome in Canada, as was evidenced by the turn-out to greet Valli Valli.
The business management of the company is in the hands of Herbert Lubin, who as managing director is upsetting many established precedents in the film industry in Canada.
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Pete Schmid Scorns Office.
Pete Schmid, the Oliver Morosco Photoplay Company P. A., emphatically denies the report which has been spread to the effect that he has dabbled in politics to the extent of becoming a nominee for Sheriff.
P. J. S. states that his activities in connection with his duties in the Morosco offices would not allow him the time to select a shining badge, much less become mixed up in politics. Pete further deposes and says that the Sheriff story was the invention of an ambitious, though somewhat immature youth, who is trying to realize the dreams of his lifetime, namely, to become a press agent by trying out his ability on Pete.
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“Quo Vadis?” Does Extraordinary Business.
George Kleine’s Quo Vadis? first of the great film masterpieces and unquestionably the best known picture in the annals of the business, packed the Hamilton, Canada, Grand Opera House for three days last week. Quo Vadis? was given a modest billing throughout the city and played Oct. 14, 15 and 16 to almost $1,000 at popular admission prices. Quo Vadis? was released in the spring of 1913 and has played Hamilton return dates, as well as every other city of its size, in both the United States and Canada.
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Opie Read Will Write for Mirror.
Opie Read, the novelist, has signed contracts with the Mirror Films, Inc., whereby he will write original scenarios for that organization. The deal was closed here between the novelist and Captain Harry Lambart, who is in the west on business for the Mirror.
One of the Read novels have been done for the screen, but the author has never written anything for pictures. He will write human interest photoplays of every day American life for the Mirror.
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Edison to Make “The Destroying Angel.”
The Destroying Angel, Louis Joseph Vance’s famous novel, is now being filmed by the Edison Company for release on the Kleine-Edison Feature Service program Dec. 8. Mabel Trunnelle, Marc MacDermott, Walter Craven, George Wright, Fred Jones, John Sturgeon and William West will handle the various leads. The Destroying Angel is one of the most popular of Vance’s many noted stories.
Collection: Moving Picture World, October 1915