Photoplay Magazine Cover — page 36: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Alas, Poor Hamlet As some producers would do it By ROBERT E. SHERWOOD og! ee Ophelia climbs out of the tub in a rage CECIL B. pe MILLE presents “UNDER THE BED” BY Jeanie Macruerson (Suggested by Shakespeare’s story) CAST J. Hamlet Frothingham...... WALLACE RED Ophelia, his wife.......... GLORIA SWANSON SUPPORTING CAST Charles S. Chaplin, Bebe Daniels, Nazimova, Ben Turpin, Mary Pickford, Charles Ray, Har- old Lloyd, Theodore Roberts, Jackie Coogan, ete. Settings designed by Eureka Plumbing and Bathroom Fixtures Co. Mr. de Mille’s megaphone by Tiffany The Story AMLET is a wealthy young New H sorter of the better sort, who lives in the residential district. His house (which he shares with his wife, among others) is full of trap-doors and bath-rooms, (Shot of Hamlet pressing button, which causes wall to shde away, revealing Ophelia in a tub full of opaque water. Close-up of Ophelia’s right knee.) Hamlet lectures Ophelia, telling her that she must stop going around with her father- in-law—his step-father. Ophelia pettishly tells him not to be so damned mid-Vic- torian. Hamlet, in a rage, extracts a tele- phone from a basket of fruit, and hurls it through a Louis XIV pier-glass. (For cost of pier-glass, see program.) Hamlet then 36 presses another button, and a Rolls-Royce rolls into the drawing-room, Ophelia climbs out of the tub in a rage. (Close-up of the rage.) The next scene is in the gentleman’s room of a gigantic cabaret. Hamlet stalks in dis- consolately, and produces a gem-studded pocket flask, from which he takes a sip. He immediately becomes uproariously in- toxicated, and reels into the main salon, where an orgy is under way, Everyone wears paper caps and throws confetti. All the men are insulting all the women, who are offering no argument, In the center of the place is a swimming pool filled with champagne. The various guests are execut- ing high and fancy dives into it. As the ladies emerge from the pool, their wet evening gowns cling to their bodies. This is too much for the susceptible Ham- let, who falls in an alcoholic stupor. He dreams that Ophelia is in trouble, wakes with a start, and dashes home to find that his wife is trying to drown herself in the bath-tub. He throws her a cake of Ivory Soap to which she clings, and is saved. They embrace. (Close-up of Ophelia’s left thigh.) FADE-OUT. WILLIAM S. HART IN “HELL-FOR-LEATHER HAMLET” Adapted from a story by W. SHAKESPEARE in the Argosy Magazine CAST Sergeant (‘Hell-for-Leather”) Size) eee toe Wim §S. Hart iy cle ted!) a Sik Magen ot eae WINIFRED WESTOVER (Note: Since the Danish production of ‘‘Hamlet”’ ap- peared, the suggestion has been made that one of our native film producers should attempt to reproduce Shakes peare’s im- mortal tragedy on the screen. The speculates on the manner in accompanying article which this task would be han- dled bya number of represent- ative American impresartos.) The Story sl ELL-FOR-LEATHER” HAMLET, as H the boys up Dawson way call him, is a sergeant in the Canadian North- west Mounted Police (close-up of a C. N. M. P. badge, with words, ‘Get Your Man,” superimposed). He is summoned by. his colonel and told that there is a bad man, named Windy Pete, operating the territory between Skull Gulch and Cut-throat Creek. “Tt may take ye a year t’ ketch him,” says the bluff old colonel, “an’ it may take ye ten, But yew go git him, Hell-fer-Leather, an’ don’t fergit t’ write.” Sgt. Hamlet squints, salutes, and exits. Close-up of Hamlet and his horse. (Hamlet is the one with the hat on.) Hamlet rides into Skull Gulch, which is full of mesas, arroyos, and the like, and the first object to meet his eye is something that shines brilliantly. “Can that thar be a nugget?” he inquires of the welkin. Upon closer examination, however, the object proves to be something more than a mere nugget; it is the golden head of a pure young girl, who is sobbing bitterly, mingling her salt tears with the alkali ot the desert, She tells Hamlet that they call her Ophelia, but that she “ain’t got no other name.” Hamlet winces, (Close-up of wince.) Ophelia then directs him to Windy Pete’s cabin, and as he enters the place, he starts back, horror-stricken, for Windy Pete is none other than his long-lost step-father. One of his own kin! But Hell-for-Leather Hamlet does not flinch. (Close-up of not flinching.) He proceeds to kill Windy Pete with his two fists in the third round of a scheduled ten-round bout. Then Hamlet goes after Ophelia, who is trying to drown herself in the Old Swim- min’ Hole in Cut-throat Creek, and seizes her in the nick of time. Purged in the holocaust of a mighty love, they saunter off together into the great, clean sunset, Eomicbooks. co