Gunning Joins Olcott (1914) 🇺🇸
F. C. Gunning, the well known film editor and publicity man, has resigned his position as assistant general manager of Warner’s Features, Inc., to become actively engaged in the work of producing feature films.
After a week’s vacation at his home in Ohio, Mr. Gunning joins the well known producer of features in this country and abroad, Mr. Sid Olcott, as assistant director under Mr. Olcott. Although well known in the trade, Mr. Olcott’s modesty has kept him in the background for many years. He was the producer of the first five reel feature and the first three reel feature, From the Manger to the Cross and The Colleen Bawn, ever made by an American company.
The first of the year Mr. Olcott parted from the Gene Gauntier Co., which features he produced for years, and organized his own company with the charming Miss Valentine Grant, as leading lady. He and his company returned from a seventeen weeks’ season in Florida quite recently with eight splendid features to their credit. These are being released on the Warner program.
Mr. Gunning is better known to the exhibitors of the country as “ME,” the editor of the Éclair Bulletin. He served a year with the American Éclair Co. as advertising and sales manager. While with Warners, Mr. Gunning devoted his time to the purchasing and editing of films and the preparation of lithographs, not doing any publicity work. With Mr. Olcott, he will act as assistant director, thus gaining an intimate insight into the intricate mysteries of the producing “firing line.”
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Snitz Joins the Force (Sterling), June 4. — A Ford Sterling number, in which he appears as a police officer. He falls in love with the captain’s sweetheart and a chase ensues, over house tops, etc. This is a characteristic offering, but not quite as amusing as some.
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Heartstrings (Powers), June 5 — This is quite a strong offering, with Edna Maison appearing as a young girl whose father refuses to let her dance. She slips out of the house to go to a ball, is discovered and loses her home. Five years later the reconciliation follows and she and her child are taken in again. Not very new in plot, but well enacted and has some good human touches in it.
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Sophie of the Films (Series No. 1). (Nestor), June 5. — This is the first of a series of four numbers dealing with Victoria Forde as a moving picture heroine. The photography is very good and the piece abounds in action of a burlesque sort. The story itself does not catch the interest till toward the end of the reel, but looks rather hopeful for subsequent numbers. Eddie Lyons and Lee Moran are in the cast.
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The Girl and the Hobo (Frontier), June 7. — A quick-witted girl hides the payroll money left in her charge inside a pie, which she puts in the oven when the tramps come. This is the main feature of this Western film, which is very ordinary in its development otherwise.
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Nemesis (Rex), June 14. — A dramatic offering with a tragic ending. Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley appear. This is fragmentary in treatment, but the story is perfectly clear and one that holds the interest. The close is strongly dramatic. The scenic effects along the rugged sea coast are unusually good.
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A Wife on a Wager (Nestor), June 16. — This number, written by Calder Johnstone, features Wallace Reid and Dorothy Davenport. Wallace is a young club man from the East who makes good on a ranch and wins the love of the girl, whom he carries back home minus a hat and other formalities. A pleasing number of the conventional Western type.
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Swede Larson (Rex), June 4 — A first class three-reel offering, pictured in a lumber camp and featuring Robert Leonard as a big Swede who buys the saloon and falls in love with the gambler’s wife. Hazel Buckham plays this latter part. Leonard does some memorable work in his quiet, forceful presentation of the Swede. The settings, sub-titles and photography are excellent, and there is a wholesome out-door atmosphere throughout. The story is in keeping with the rest and holds the interest strongly. An unusually well-balanced offering and one that gets away from the ordinary.
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Tennessee (Kay-Bee), June 5. — So many loose ends are left in the yarn unfolded by this two-reeler which deals with the “moonshining” industry that there can be little claim that it nearly approaches the perfect. However, a thoroughly human treatment of unusual incidents resulting from an internal revenue officer’s pure entanglement with the pretty daughter of a law-breaker whom he has been sent to apprehend is worthy of commendation and will interest many who pay money to see the picture.
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On the Verge of War (Bison), June 6. — This three-reel number was written by James Dayton and produced by Otis Turner. Anna Little and Herbert Rawlinson play the leading roles. The story is one of international intrigue between agents of this country and Mexico. The girl is the supposed daughter of a hypnotist acting as a Mexican spy, but later it is learned he was not her father. Many of the situations are very intense and considerable ingenuity is employed in developing the plot. This holds the interest nicely and makes a good release.
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The Fallen Idol (Great Northern Preferred). — This addition to the program of Box Office Attractions features, in three reels, is another personal triumph for Betty Nansen as an emotional actress. In these days when wild melodrama is often resorted to in the unfolding of a human interest story, it is favorable criticism of The Fallen Idol to say that what faults it may have as an offering on current picture programs have resulted from an apparent desire on the part of the producer to handle all situations without sensationalism. There is plenty of action but no real thrill.
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Independent Specials
A Disenchantment (Victor), May 22. — A two-reel number, featuring Florence Lawrence and Matt Moore. The girl worships a musical genius and becomes his maid, only to have her illusions shattered. She is glad to accept her own lover again. This plot, whether because it is quite familiar or because it was not more complicated, did not seem to get over very strongly. It serves to entertain in a mild sort of way, but does not represent this company at its best.
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Was She Right in Forgiving Him? (Thanhouser), May 26. — This is an interesting two-reel picture featuring Maud Fealey [Maude Fealy]. It embraces many satisfying scenes. It is rather conventional in theme and the plot is far from being original, but the picture is well made in every respect and Miss Fealey is of course charming in the leading role and she is adequately supported by a splendid cast. The photography and accessories are above criticism. Recommend this to exhibitors.
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The Feud (Powers), May 29. — Cleo Madison and George Larkin appear in this two-reel drama of the moonshiners’ country. The story is one of a typical mountain feud and the scenic effects are pleasing throughout. There is a lot of fierce gun-fighting and the hero and heroine are the last of two families left alive at the close. The photography and atmosphere of the piece are good. This contains many familiar situations, but on the whole is very pleasing.
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His Last Chance (Imp), June 1. — A two-reel story, which we saw without subtitles. It has an attractive cast of performers, including Leah Baird, Alexander Gaden, Hobart Henley and David Lithgoe. The newspaper office was hardly characteristic in appearance, but the story follows through in quite an entertaining way. With the subtitles this should be a good dramatic offering, as there seemed to be a substantial story in it.
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Out of the Shadows (Thanhouser), June 2. — This two-part picture, pleasantly sentimental and poetic, is full of typically Thanhouser atmosphere and draws for us the trials and something of the triumphs of an actor’s life. Opening, it shows a young actor, with his wife and baby, en tour. The wife is growing “tired of it all” and soon has run away with the actor’s “friend.” It took skillful handling of this incident to keep us still in sympathy with the weary woman and yet to protect the actor from losing in our respect on account of it. It is at once natural and pretty in its humanity. Twenty years pass; the baby has grown up. She and her old father are poor. While she is out getting a job as an actress, he dreams of his old successes and we see him in the chief Shakespearean roles, as Hamlet, etc. These scenes give Irving Cummings a fine chance to show his versatility. Well acted and beautifully photographed, it makes an excellent offering that is likable with no greatness or originality in it.
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Lucille Love, Series No. 8 (Gold Seal), June 2. — In this two-reel number Lucille leaves the town in China as a stowaway in the hold of a vessel on which Hugo is a passenger. She is discovered and dressed as a cabin boy by the captain. Not much adventure in this number, but it continues the interest already established and winds up in San Francisco. The photography runs a little uneven.
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Shorty’s Trip to Mexico (Broncho), June 3. — It is quite evident that a dramatic chase was chosen as the feature of this two-reeler before its production was even begun; the plot has nothing to make the picture stand out. So well has the chase, in which rough riders and a daring crew of auto drivers take part, been done, however, that the release will be acclaimed in every house in which it is shown.
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The Latent Spark (Domino), June 4. — A very romantic two-part that will take strongly with simple-hearted audiences. It deals much with those two especially powerful themes: duty misunderstood in the beginning and courage highly rewarded in the end. It is, in fact, a pipe-dream picture for the young: we don’t get too many such and it will, we feel sure, be heartily welcome. There is stir in it and amusing acting of character. Thomas H. Ince and W. H. Clifford have the credit of it.
Collection: Moving Picture World, June 1914