In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

28 Th~ D~vil Ston~ An Artcraft Picture. Director: Cecil B. DeMille. Scenario byJeanie Macpherson, from astory by Beatrice A. deMilie and Leighton Osmun. Art director: Wilfred Buckland. Photography: Alvin Wyckoff Picture started: August 18, 19 17. Picture finished: September 14, 1917. Length: 5,720 feet (six reels). Cost: $67,413.36. Released: December 31, 1917. Gross: $296,031.58 Cast: Geraldine Farrar (Marcia Manot), Wallace Reid (Guy Sterling), Tully Marshall (Silas Martin), Hobart Bosworth (Robert Judson), Lillian Leighton (Berthe), Horace B. Carpenter (fisherman), Burwell Mamrick (Pierre), Mary Wilkinson (grandmother), William Carroll, Mabel Van Buren, Ernest Joy, James Neill, and Gustav von Seyffertitz 'he Devil Stone, based on a story by DeMille's mother and Leighton 1 Osmun, was the last picture the director made with Geraldine Farrar. It is a story of mysticism and fate surrounding an emerald that once belonged to aViking queen and bears acurse for subsequent owners. The Viking angle provided ample excuse for an historical flashback, but some of the elements of the picture-especially the characterization of Tully Marshall as a greedy and seedy old man who marries Farrar only to gain possession ofthe Devil Stone-seem to anticipate the work ofErich von Stroheim.! As if to makeup for the high budget of The Woman God Forgot, The Devil Stone was completed for less than $68,000. It did not do as well at the box office as the previous Farrar picture, but the difference in gross rentals was virtually equal to the difference in production cost for the two films, and since costs for prints and advertising were probably identical, The Devil Stone was almost certainly a more profitable picture for Paramount than The Woman God Forgot. Geraldine Farrar was a great asset for the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, but the strained relations between the company and LouTellegen caused Farrar to sever her connection with Lasky and DeMille. "[T]he picture [Tellegen] directed was not satisfactory to the officials [of 116 Th~ D~vil Ston~ / tt7 Famous Players-Lasky]-whichis no crime orreflection on eitherparty," wrote Farrar. "However, Tellegen chose to get very upset about the whole matter. Naturally, my interest and support were his, and, whether right or wrong, I did not renew a further engagement with Lasky on his account, though my personal relations were ... without rancor. In this instance, wifely loyalty prevailed over professional discretion."2 At Goldwyn Pictures, Sam Goldfish tried to duplicate Farrar's success by signing opera star Mary Garden to appear in an adaptation ofthe opera Thais. Garden made virtually no impression on film audiences, however, and when Farrar failed to renew her contract with Famous Players-Lasky, Goldfish moved quickly to sign her. To help grease the deal, Goldfish also signed Lou-Tellegen to co-star with his wife. Farrar's name brought instant distinction to the Goldwyn program, but the producer and star were destined to clash over what she considered to be poor stories and Goldfish's lack of consideration. Her pictures slipped at the box office, and with them the fortunes of the Goldwyn company. When Goldfish asked Farrar for concessions on her long-term contract , she obliged him by tearing it up and returning to the opera and concert stage. Goldfish was grateful-Farrar's gesture saved him a lot of money; but Hollywood lost one of its most exciting screen personalities. Unfortunately, only two of the original six reels of The Devil Stone are known to survive in the American Film Institute Collection in the Library of Congress. ...

Share