We are happy to be able to report to our members that most of the restrictions that descended upon us at our last meeting have new been removed, and that we will thus be able to continue using this location as a base of operations. Since this particular room is so centrally located, we are glad that no move has been necessary, and that the difficulties with the proprietors have been settled to our satisfaction. Only one minor restriction remains: the elevator service will still cease at 8.0. p.m. However, the obvious way to overcome this has been to bring our starting time forward to 7.30 p.m., leaving a 30-minute elevator service for late-comers. Should members arrive later than 8.0. p.m., the front stairway will remain open and illuminated, doing away with the back-stair explorations that were necessary at our last meeting.

During our short "close-clown" period, the committee has been active screening prints for future showings, and we can promise you good things for the future. Incidentally, it would have been possible to have re-started operations two weeks earlier, but we felt this undesirable since it would have clashed with the presentation of La Chienne during the MMA's Renoir festival.

Ever since we first announced this subject, our members have expressed tremendous interest in seeing it. We don't think it will disappoint them. The mint is in good physical condition, and is absolutely complete - in fact, it is more than complete since the final reel includes some additional footage that was incorporated into the film for a later release.

The film - which is one of several contenders for the "first feature" title - was begun in late March, 1912, in Egypt. When Bland (formerly an actor with Sir H. Beerbohm Tree, and well known too as a poet) joined the unit, production was moved to Jerusalem, in April. When the picture was completed in May, the Kalem players returned to Ireland to make a series of film there before leaving for America in September. Gene Gauntier preceded them with the negative, cut and titled the film, which was screened publicly for the first time at John Wannamaker's Auditorium in New York on October 14th. Civic leaders and members of the clergy attended the screening, which was introduced by the Rev. W.H. Jackson. During the screening itself, an organ and string ensemble and a mixed chorus, furnished the music.

Despite its age, FROM THE MANGER TO THE CROSS does not date over-much. It contains one or two moving shots, and frequently beautiful composition. Comparison with DeMille's much later THE KING OF KINGS is obviously unfair, but even when such comparison is made, the Olcott film can hold its own in many ways - certainly it has a curious sort of power which was quite absent amid DeMille's splendour and showmanship. It is worth noting that while THE KING OF KINGS was (quite pointlessly) banned in England, and has only recently been made available there to film societies through MGM's 16mm dept., FROM THE MANGER TO THE CROSS has been in constant release in England. Historians Lewis Jacobs and Leslie Wood assert that church opposition to the film in England was considerable, and yet in 1912, Dr. William Inge, Dean of St. Paul's, praised and recommended the film highly. The Bishop of London remarked "Nothing, not even the Passion Play of OberAmmergau, brought home to my mind the realities of the life and work of Jesus as did this great film." One critic did remark "This new development makes me shudder...I protest against the lowering of events in the life at our dear Lord to the level of interesting exhibitions. I wonder what the police authorities will do?" But, opposed to this, the London Times (April 15, 1922) praised a subsequent reissue and pointed out that it remained "surprisingly efficient." In fact, the British reacted much more violently when Kalem re-released Rory O'More in 1916 during the Irish rebellion under the title of The Irish Rebel. Today the film is still shown frequently in England, primarily of course at churches and film societies. (It is distributed by the Dawn Trust, a religious organisation which curiously releases many westerns and old classics such as M as well!) But as recently as 1946, the film still played occasionally in London cinemas.

The director: Sidney Olcott was born on January 20th., 1874 in Toronto. Coming to New York in his late twenties to try his luck as an actor, he appeared with Joseph Santley in From Rags to Riches and other plays before joining Biograph, also as an actor, in 1904. In 1907 he became the first director of the newly formed Kalem Company (K-L-M - the names of its founders - George Kleine, Samuel Long, Frank Marion). Among other activities, he made three film-making trips to Ireland before directing From the Manger to the Cross. Following the release of the film, Olcott left Kalem and remained consistently active until the late twenties, directing such films as Madame Butterfly (1915 - Mary Pickford and Marshall Neilan); The Green Goddess (1923 - George Arliss), Little Old New York (1923 - Marion Davies), The Only Woman (1924 - Norma Talmadge); Monsieur Beaucaire (1924 - Valentino); The Charmer (1925 - Negri); The Amateur Gentleman (1926 - Richard Barthelmess) and (his last film) The Claw (1927 - Norman Kerry). One of the most important of the early silent directors - and certainly a pioneer in every sense of the word - Olcott directed over 150 one and two reelers, and over 50 features. He died on December 16th., 1949, at the home of his life-long friend Robert Vignola. Olcott's wife, actress Valentine Grant, had died the year before. And Vignola - Judas in From the Manger to the Cross - who had likewise developed into a top-flight silent director (When Knighthood was in Flower with Marion Davies and others) but who was making programmers in the thirties (Broken Dreams) - died just a month or two ago.

Olcott, despite long inactivity, died a rich man and left an estate in excess of $250,000.00 to charity. One of the few survivors of the Manger team is the cameraman, George Hollister, who still lives in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Alice (an early screen vamp), received $5,000.00 each from Olcott's estate. Hollister's photography (with a British Moy camera) is all the more remarkable when one considers under what conditions he worked. All the trick scenes for example (the star in the East, Jesus walking on the water) had to be done in the camera, miles away from any laboratories. And despite heat which cracked the camera and ruined much of the raw stock, Hollister cane through with some really fine work.

One could fill pages with the fascinating story behind the shooting of From the Manger to the Cross, but, alas, space does not permit. However, we can recommend any interested members to look up the eight issues of Woman's Home Companion beginning in October 1928. These magazines contain an interesting serialised article, "Blazing the Trail", by Gene Gauntier, which is well worth reading despite some inexcusable errors. And Leslie Wood's The Miracle of the Movies, published in London in 1947, has several pages of valuable data on the shooting of the film. Apart from some worthless publicity trivia about weeping Nuns being overcome as they watched the shooting, and Olcott's alleged use of the original tomb of Lazarus (!), Wood offers much extremely interesting material - and since it is largely borrowed from the book From the Manger to the Cross by Robert H. Bland, published in London in 1922, it is presumably all quite accurate

In mood it very much resembles the recent French success, Fanfan la Tulipe - it is rollicking, Fairbanksian material, paced with zest and vigor, and combining a delightful tongue-in-cheek approach with all its full-blooded action.

The film was made by Cecil B. DeMille's short-lived production company, releasing through Pathe. DeMille set up his headquarters at the Ince Studio on Washington Boulevard in Culver City (now the Rko Pathe studio, it was also the centre of production of many Selznick films, including Gone With The Wind). Here DeMille turned out a fine group of productions, two of the most famous being The Volga Boatman and The King of Kings. Donald Crisp (formerly an actor, a student of Griffith, and later of course, exclusively an actor again) was regarded as a good, popular director during the twenties, and had made such films as Don Q, Son of Zorro, Young April and Dress Parade. Rod la Rocque had made his screen debut with Essanay in Chicago, later starring in The Ten Commandments and other DeMille epics prior to The Fighting Eagle. Lubitsch's Forbidden Paradise and of course Wolf's Clothing are two more of his best-known credits. He is still happily married to Vilma Banky. No longer active in films, he conducts a prosperous real estate business. The lovely Phyllis Haver needs no introduction to our members, who will remember her from The Fighting Coward and What Price Glory? last year.

C. Gardner Sullivan, the supervisor, was one of the screen's first real scenario writers and at one time, Ince's right-hand man. (See last month's notes for The Return of Draw Egan). Arthur Miller, the cameraman, had also been with the New York Motion Picture Company (the parent organisation that Ince belonged to) as assistant to Fred J. Balshofer. Now in semi-retirement, and dabbling in tv work, Miller has an interesting list of screen credits including Forever with Wallace Reid, The Perils of Pauline, The Purple Heart and three Academy Award winners - How Green Was My Valley, The Song of Bernadette and Anna and the King of Siam.

Sam de Grasse (who died a few weeks ago) was one of the best of the silent villains. His "Guy of Gisbourne" in Fairbanks’ Robin Hood is probably one of the best "heavy" performances that any player has ever given. He was, incidentally, the brother of director Joseph DeGrasse and the uncle of cameraman Robert DeGrasse.

OUR NEXT PROGRAM -- Tuesday, March 2nd., at 7.30 p.m. –

A unique program of American films from the twenties --

COLLEEN MOORE and JACK MULHALL in ORCHIDS AND ERMINE (First National, 1927) with Sam Hardy, Gwen Lee and Mickey Rooney. Produced and directed by Alfred Santell. Story and scenario by Carey Wilson; comedy construction - Mervyn LeRoy.

The names connected with this delightful item give some indication of its quality. A really charming comedy-drama, it features some fascinating location work in New York, and rates as one of Colleen Moore's most interesting subjects.

"BENSON AT CALFORD" - A Universal Junior Jewel Picture, presented by Carl Laemmle Jr., and directed by Harry Edwards. With George Lewis and Dorothy Gulliver.

One of Universals popular The Collegians series - a rare item, and a thoroughly enjoyable one.

THE LEATHERPUSHERS (Round Two) A Universal Jewel Picture, presented by Carl Laemmle jr., and directed by Harry Pollard. Based on the popular Colliers Magazine stories by H.C. Witwer, and filmed here in New York by the Knickerbocker Photoplay Co. Starring Reginald Denny.

We have beautiful toned prints on these subjects, and intend to add one more short comedy.