Nita Naldi -- August 31, 2023

Picture Play, August, 1923

Nita Naldi played vamps in many movies. Here she graces the cover of Picture-Play Magazine in a painting by Henry Clive. When talkies arrived, she retired. 

Baby Peggy's First is Completed -- August 30, 2023

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

Baby Peggy moved on from appearing in short comedies for Century to feature films for Universal.

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

Whose Baby Are You? was the first Baby Peggy movie for Universal. King Baggott (whose name I have always liked) directed. 

Motion Picture News, 11-August-1923

Newspapers in twenty cities ran Baby Peggy lookalike contests. 

Vancouver Sun, 28-August-1923

A full page ad for the Vancouver Sun's Baby Peggy contest. Warning: Very large image. 

Motion Picture News, 18-August-1923

Erie Beach, a resort near Buffalo, had a Baby Peggy Day. 

Buffalo Times, 14-August-1923

Want to apply to the "Times Baby Peggy 'Double' Contest"?

Motion Picture News, 11-August-1923

Cameo Comedies offered "Wrecks," starring Cliff Bowes and Virginia Vance. 

Motion Picture News, 25-August-1923

Educational distributed the short films of several producers and stars. "Educational Pictures are proud to offer to exhibitors the splendid one and two-reel pictures outlined on the following pages. They constitute a bigger, better finer program of Short Subjects than we have ever offered before."

Pauline Garon -- August 29, 2023

Picture Play, August 1923

French-Canadian actress Pauline Garon appears to be holding a cat or a fur piece. Either one matches her hat. Alfred Cheney Johnston took the photo. When talkies came in, her career was restricted to French-language versions of American films. 

One Big Picture a Week -- August 28, 2023

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

Hearst's Cosmopolitan Productions and Goldwyn Pictures joined forces to form Goldwyn-Cosmopolitan. Distinctive Pictures was a company that produced films with George Arliss and others. Goldwyn-Cosmopolitan used this large and expensive trade ad to promote its upcoming series of big pictures, to be released one a week. 

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

King Vidor directed Three Wise Fools. I like the armored car. The Spoilers was based on a novel by Rex Beach. It was set during the Alaska Gold Rush. It was filmed many times, and the highlight was always knock-down drag-out fight between Glennister and McNamara.

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

I don't know a thing about Enemies of Women except that it was based on a novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, directed by Alan Crosland and starred Lionel Barrymore.  6 Days was based on another smutty book by Elinor Glyn. Someday I will write about a joke people made about her titles. 

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

The casually racist Green Goddess was based upon a stage play that George Arliss had played in for years. It was later remade as a talkie. It was a Distinctive Pictures production. The Eternal 3 was directed by Mickey Neilan. 

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

Clarence Badger was a short-legged omnivore with an incredibly strong bite. He directed Marie Prevost in Red Lights, a railroad story. The Steadfast Heart was a Distinctive Pictures production. 

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

The Magic Skin was based on a story by Honoré de Balzac. The Day of Faith was directed by Tod Browning.

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

In the Palace of the King was a melodrama. 

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

Flappers' Matinee -- August 27, 2023

Lancaster New Era, 18-August-1923

A theater owner in Texas offered a "flapper" matinee for a showing of The Beautiful and Damned, based on the novel by F Scott Fitzgerald. 

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

A Whole City Block for a Movie Set -- August 26, 2023

Photoplay, August, 1923

I see that I have neglected to write about the 100th anniversary of Erich von Stroheim shooting much of Greed, an adaption of McTeague by Frank Norris, in San Francisco. I will have to backtrack and post some more items. 

Photoplay, August, 1923

Director Stroheim greets Zasu Pitts and Gibson Gowland, Trina and McTeague, when they arrived in San Francisco.

Motion Picture News, 04-August-1923

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The Greed company was preparing to go on location, first to the Gold Country and then to Death Valley. 

Roscoe Arbuckle -- He Appears in Real Life 3 Times Daily -- August 25, 2023

Akron Beacon-Journal, 11-August-1923

Roscoe Arbuckle was blacklisted by the film industry even though he was acquitted of a charge of manslaughter. 100 years ago this month, he appeared in Akron Ohio and Lansing Michigan. He met some controversy in Lansing.

In Akron's Miles' Royal Theater, Roscoe Arbuckle joined the theater company of pioneer comedy team Weber and Fields. 

Akron Beacon-Journal, 11-August-1923

This article says that Roscoe had a featured role and implies that he may have taken the part of Joe Fields opposite Nat Fields, the son of Lew. 

Lansing State Journal, 16-August-1923

Roscoe moved on to Lansing, Michigan, where "He Appears in Real Life 3 Times Daily Upon the Stage at the Strand/In a Special Presentation." 

Lansing State Journal, 16-August-1923

This item says that Roscoe Arbuckle had been greeted warmly in Chicago. 

Lansing State Journal, 16-August-1923

This article for Roscoe's appearance at the Strand has an interesting set of letters exchanged between Roscoe and WS Butterfield, a theater owner. Arbuckle asked Butterfield to support him in his efforts to get back into the movie business. Butterfield invited him to perform at the Strand and said he thought Lansing moviegoers would accept Roscoe. 

Film Daily, 31-August-1923

This article says that Roscoe was playing the Regent and inspiring protests. "Many protests were made by ministers and church people."

Lansing State Journal, 17-August-1923

Members of the Rotary Club said they were compelled to fight against "allowing the minds and moral sensibilities of children to become deformed." 

Lansing State Journal, 17-August-1923

United clubwomen of Lansing were opposed to allowing Roscoe to appear. They protested "the reappearance of this man before the public, believing it to be an affront to all decent standards of living and thinking."

Film Daily, 13-August-1923 Film Daily, 15-August-1923

Roscoe made a cameo appearance in Hollywood, a comedy about the film industry. This anonymous reader did not approve. 

Perfect Illusion is Maintained -- August 24, 2023

Motion Picture News, 18-August-1923

Anthony Hope's Ruritanian romance novel The Prisoner of Zenda was a great success when it was published in 1894. Hope published a sequel, Rupert of Hentzau, in 1898. Rupert was the charming villain who had run away at the end of the first novel. 

Motion Picture News, 18-November-1922

In 1922, director Rex Ingram made an adaption of The Prisoner of Zenda, which was a great success. Ramon Novarro played the charismatic Rupert.

The following year, Myron Selznick produced an adaption of Rupert of Hentzau. Victor Heerman directed. Lew Cody, who often played charming rogues, was Rupert. The elaborate nine-page ad shows that this was a major production. 

Photographed DIRECTLY in the TRUE Colors of Nature -- August 23, 2023

Falls City Journal, 28-August-1923

100 years ago this month, Toll of the Sea with Anna May Wong, was being shown in Falls City, Nebraska. This was the second Technicolor film produced and the first to be widely released. 

Film Daily, 31-August-1923

Meanwhile Dr Lee De Forest was looking for people to invest in his Phonofilm a sound-on-film process.

Cool! Always Cool! -- August 22, 2023

Lubbock Avalanche, 03-August-1948

Bills at the Chief Theater in Lubbock, Texas appear to have combined burlesque and movies. O'Voutie O'Rooney starred Slim Gaillard and an "All Colored Cast." I notice that one of the dancers in the burlesque portion of the program was Asian. I guess that didn't mess with the color bar. 

Enid Daily Eagle, 03-August-1948

I find this ad confusing. It says "Kilroy was Here/All Colored Cast." Kilroy was Here appears to have been a mainstream picture starring Jackie Coogan and Jackie Cooper. 

Birmingham News, 05-August-1948

The B'Ham, Birmingham's "Largest and Best Negro Theater," was showing only mainstream movies on this bill. Note the emphases on "Cool! Always Cool!"

Munster Times, 12-August-1948

Louis Jordan, not the French guy, is one of my favorite musicians.

I couldn't find anything useful about race films in August 1923. That may be because many theaters shut down during the hottest months. 

Buster Keaton is Cleaning Up! -- August 21, 2023

Motion Picture News, 18-August-1923

Buster's first five reel feature was Three Ages. This elaborate ad emphasizes the stone age section.