O. A. C. Lund, Photoplay Author, Director and Leading Man (1914) 🇺🇸

Of those holding a prominent place in pictures to-day there are mighty few who successfully write, direct and play leads at the same time. O. A. C. Lund, for the past year affiliated with the Éclair, is one of the very few.

And what is more, he stands at the top of his class. When one recalls such feature plays as The Trail of the Hanging Rock, The Devil Fox of the North, The Greater Call, The Beaten Path, and When God Wills, every one of them unusually from a sales standpoint and otherwise one can better appreciate his worth in the motion picture industry. Mr. Lund wrote them and directed them and many more of equal success. Later successes have been “In the Toils ot the Net,” When Pierre Met Pierrot, The Wolf, and Lady Lind.

To say in which line — directing, writing or playing leads — Mr. Lund excels would be difficult. As a director he has perfected himself in every detail of the work through years of training and study. The same thing holds true relative to his writing. He has travelled the world over, has sailed as a cabin boy, before the mast, has studied in the capitals of Europe and he knows life in every phase; in writing his photoplays he draws on his wide experience and insight into human emotion. As an actor perhaps his success is considerably due to his natural ability in this direction. True, he has had much experience before the camera, but he is a great believer in instinct for such work.

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, he went through the public schools and graduated from the Upsala University. Soon after, he went down into Russia and became a newspaper correspondent. Then he moved over into Germany where he studied historical paintings and music. Following this, he was a globe trotter for years. Eleven years ago he came to this country, and soon followed in the footsteps of his father, who was a stage director. Before joining the Éclair he was in the film producing business for himself.

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British Notes

(Special Correspondence to The World.)

After much twisting and twirling in the law courts and a chapter of correspondence in the press, a Danish dramatic picture bought up in this country by the Kinematograph Trading Company, has been satisfactorily christened. The trouble began a month or two ago when the English title of the film was announced as Sealed Orders.

Cecil Raleigh, the dramatist, has a play with the same name running in London and he objected, although the plot of the pictures differed from that of the play. After several weeks delay involving repeated reference to the matter in the Court, the case was compromised by the naming of the subject Orders Under Seal. This subject has been booked at upwards of 300 theaters for first run, but the advertisement it has received has cost the company very heavy litigation expenses.

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Roy Aitken is the visitor of the week to our metropolis and is making his temporary headquarters at the depot of the Western Import Company. Mr. Aitken has set renters talking enthusiastically over the forthcoming “Adventures of the ‘Mutual’ Girl.” to be portrayed over a year. Apropos of “Mutual” matters their London agents have issued an official denial to a rumor rampant in the trade that D. W. Griffith was to sever his connection as producer to the corporation.

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Ed. Durand, a photoplayer, who has won his spurs with Messrs. Pathé [Charles Pathé], is lying seriously injured in the Bingley Cottage Hospital. He was enacting a scene the other day swung from the jib of a crane overhanging a local quarry for the Capt. Cuttle Film Company, of Bradford. He was unable to retain a hold upon the chain and fell a distance of sixty feet.

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Mr. Roach, the publicity manager of the Trans-Atlantic Film Company (Universal), will shortly hand over the reins of his office to Mr. H. Z. Levine, formerly of the Solax Company, in America. Mr. Levine is expected in London almost any day now and there can be little doubt that his unassuming nature will establish him a favorite in the British film world.

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The recently established Neptune Film Company, the appearance of which I recorded a few weeks ago has commenced operations in film production upon a beautiful estate it has acquired in Hertfordshire. Mr. P. Nash, a former stage manager to the late Sir H. Irving, Sir H. Tree, and other notables, has been appointed director and states that the first subjects will be spectacular projects of an historical character. No releases are, however, expected until next fall.

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Surely this is the last straw. After employing a baby nine days old in one of their dramas the Hepworth Company recently added to its staff a veteran photoplayer aged 97.

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A. E. Hubsch, of 29 Charing Cross Road, London, announce to the trade this week that they are retaining the services of Fred Mace (One Round O’Brien) to produce for them an exclusive series of comedies. The first of these is dated for private exhibition in April.

J. B. Sutcliffe.

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The China Fakir Goes Merrily On.

El Paso, Texas, March 25, 1914.

Editor Moving Picture World.

Dear Sir: I noticed in your last issue that some exhibitor had been trimmed by a man calling himself E. A. Boehm and posing as a representative of the Royal China Company. This is probably the same man who worked me for $32.50. He gave the name of E. V. Wall and claimed to represent the National Importing Company, which really exists and does business in St. Louis. They disclaim any knowledge of him. He is a tall young German. He speaks English with a decided accent and has two stiff fingers on one hand and a big scar on one of his wrists. He claims to be a veteran of the Japanese-Russian war, the Boer conflict and the Spanish-American war. He says he is a soldier of fortune and is looking for another war. I think he will find it if any of his victims get hold of him and his order book showed a nice bunch of them, several of whom I know. The scheme is the same as outlined by “One of His Dupes for $30” on page 1666 of the March 28 World. We would like to have the chief of police here notified if he is caught in Texas and we will attend to the rest.

Another Victim.

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New York Eclectic Film Exchange Moves.

The Eclectic Film Company announces that the New York City branch of the Eclectic Feature Film Exchange, under the management of Jule Burnstein, has moved from the temporary quarters in the World’s Tower Building and henceforth will be located at 115 East 23rd Street, where all inquiries regarding the Eclectic features in New York City and vicinity should be directed.

Collection: Moving Picture World, May 1914

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see also Daniel Frohman Talks Pictures (1914)