OCR Text |
Show H "nN eak dave WeI1 Davc H rT what do you think 7 J. H J. Murphy waa not H joking: v.'hen he told h J that woman thai was coins to work In H Z- n picture where 1 H , s would have to kiss a H ot of gills. He meant It, Davo, but I hope Mn- H bel don't seo that picture, because even if it Is H only a movie play ehc might not like It, and H eo when that play comes to the Dreamland H Theater, you tell her It Is not a very ort H pictuio, and she would be just wasting; her H tlmo to look at It But you bo sure to go and Hj sc it Dave, because It Is suie some picture, H and Ml Lafo and Thorn to be sure and hco It, H too. but tell them not to tell Mabel. H 1 got your letter whoro you said that Mabel H bad given her picture and 5 to a man that was H golnp to get her a placo to bo a movie actress, A H ''She said Adonis was a iady-killer." Hl and honest, Dave, I didn't think Mabel was H such a bonchqad as to let them grafters fool B her that way. That man couldn't no more get H a Job from showing her pictures to tho studio MK managers than he could fly, for there are about H 600 or 600 girls out here now trying to get H Jobs as movie actresses, and they can bring H their faces right around to the studio. H That's what them Sunday school people that H had the picnic done. They came to tho studio H and said: mt "We'd like to act in a picture, and you can Hj have our work for nothing. All we want Is to MM show tho picture once in a entertainment we UM are getting up for tho benefit of our Sunday H school, and you can have the picture to make MK a lot of money out of it after wo aro through, H because some of our members are big society H women." J. J. says: "I would feel like I was robbing MM the Sunday school to do that, and It would be MM better If you paid us to make the picture and MM then you can have It yourself to make all that MtM money." j And ho said after they went away that If MM he'd 'make them a plcturo with the kind of UM acting they could do. he'd get fired If he tried H to put it on the market. H They decided they didn't want the picture B made when they found out It would cost them UM about $400 or maybo $-150. but they bald MM wouldn't It be nice If they could get a picture MM from our studio to show at their entertaln- mB ment, and have one of the actors in it make a 1 Bpecch and tell all about movie acting? And H 7. J. Bays: 1 "Mr. BoggB Would be pleased to do that." 1 winked at him that I didn't want to make no speech, but he didn't pay any attention to UM me, and one of the women looked at mo through M eome of them little specs on a stick, and said H "Oh, that Adonis! He'll do splendid." H I asked Bennle Stelnbush what she meant j when she said, Oh, that Adonis, and ho said UM that was Latin for Jackass, and I told J. 3 X m Tjouldn't eo and make them no speech whoa Mtt etib called me that, and be said: UM "Btnnie Is kidding you. Adonis was a Greek UM guy, that was so good looking they had to m fence him off to keep all the girls from going H crazy over him. and they've staiutos of him MM ' snll over the country." m I asked Lucy if Adonis was a good looking m man, or was that the Latin name for a mule UM l and she said no, Adonis was a lady killer7 and H mT"?0" KcrrSan or F'8 X. Bushman H fc r qidn t havo nothing on him for looks, and I WWm thought maybe I hadn't ought to disappoint H them people, seeing it was for a good cause m vI sent them uord I'a come to their enter- H r ta inment if I didn't have to buy no Ions-tailed m r suit to wear, and the woman phoned and Eald B It was to be very informal. iH ?e.n?ie say6' "r you want to tn you m what that means?" And I said. "You tend to ' m t your own business." I asked Mr. Strongheart, H and she said why, that meano you can Just H como with your everyday clothes, but I said m I wouldn't do that, because there was a button H - oft my vest, and I bought a now huU because j I neoded ono anyway, and It cost ;i4, and l H bought a tlo too, and the girl that sold It to 1 ' " ii says: "I'll bet you are a movie actor." B n 4 And I said: "How coujd you toll?" B She eald: "Oh, they ate all so good looking." B and there was a woman como In the store sell- H lng flowers, and J bought her a littlo bunch H and gave tho woman a dime, and she said ' H I them was orchard flowers, and they cost a7 H cents, and I said I couldn't see why them grow- H lng In an orchard would inako them .so dear, but H y X paid hor 75 ccpUi for them, you know how i H am when I get started. Daw. HBBBW That girl says she wants to get in the movien, and I am going to sec if I can get hor a Job. You see If n girl has somo movie actor to boost her she may get In that way. but Mabel wouldn't have any chance and her way back there and all the movie studios here, unless oho would como here and have me ooost for hor like I am going to do for that tie girl. I guess majbe that Is the roason why Mabel quit writing me, bccaU&a she w,ib going to try to get in the movies, and didn't want mo to know, because when she wrote to me and asked mo If she could get In 1 told her thore was no chance because she had never took no courso front a correspondence school that tenches rnovic acting by mall. But J sure thought she had more sense than to pay that man 45 when he told her ho could get her In the movies Just by sending her picture pic-ture around to tho studios, and besides, that man Is a grafter. Look how he tried to beat me out of $15 telling tell-ing mo I was of a noble family in London, and if I hadn't made him give it bjck I would bo Jlfi out. But them grafters can't fool me. I'm' too slick for 'm. I toll you, you get pretty wise when you travel around a lot like 1 have done slnco I have become a movie actor e started to work on the picture whero l kiss them girls J. J Murphy got the Idoa for tho comedy from reading a piece In the paper about a town In Florida called Klaslmce There are a lot of girls and two or three old maids that want to go to thlB town to spend their vacation, and J. J had a close-up of a map made with a gill pointing hor flngei at tha town, to show people that there Is such a town on the map. All of them gills go and buy tlckots to that town and get on the train and I am a brakc-inari brakc-inari that has Just got a Job and don't know muchand I aEk them girls where they ara going, and the sa, "Klsslmee," and 1 klsj them, and stuff llko that There was a lot of extra girls In the picture, and one of them says to me. "Til wager you don't remember me." and 1 said: "Yes, I do. You're one of them Sunday-school girls that had that picnic that I busted into." She said: "Yes. that Is mo. And don't you forget to come to our entertainment, bec3uso I am going to be In It." And I said I wouldn't miss It for nothing iucy seen mo talking to her, and she said "Don't try to kiss hor, Tom." but I said "Sho'B , a klnda pretty girl; I'd like to kiss her." And Lucy saja "She's got false teeth and they aro awful sharp, she might bite jou " None of the regular movie girls liked that girl; she acted like she was better than they was, and wouldn't talk to thorn, but talked to us men all tho lime. J. J. made another scene and I hud to kiss that Sunday school girl and some more extras, . and J J. says "Put some action Into this." to the girl, "You don't resist enough. This la comedy, you'ro not pulling off farewell stuff." One of them girls Is supposed to fall In love ( with tho brakeman, and J. J. wanted a close- , up with her and me, with her head on my breast, and Lucy Baj s "Let Miss Sunday School do It. she Is mashed on Tom, anyway." But J J. says "Nix. she's , an xtro, and we've got to get some pep In 'Til bet you are a movie actor." this. It's going to be slow if we don't. You'll havo to take that part, Miss Macollini." Lucy whispered something to him and be said: "All right, you poso them." Lucy said to tho girl, "Now you Just lay your head on Mr. Boggs" manly chest and look up at him klnda soft, that won't be hard for you." I didn't know what Lucy- was up to or I wouldn't have let her do what aho done, but she got us all fixed up and J. J. hollered cam era, and after a little while he said: "Broal? away, now," and Bhe started to take her head away and it Btuck, and I gave a littlo Jerk, and what do you think, Dave, her hair was falso! Jt stuck to my vest, where Lucy had pinned it whon sho was posing us, her regular hair was right short and black, and the false hair was gold colored, and she got mad and tried to Bcratch my eyes out, and I had to hold her, and the camera man got It all. She called Lucy a hussy, and said: "Let me eet my things, I am going. I am not used to associating as-sociating with Buch people." Lucy said: "No, neither am I. Don't forget your -wig." I asked Lucy what mado her do that way, and eho said that girl had been tolling some of the men that all tho movie girls were bold creatures, and she was afraid to mix with them. Lucy said: "She wasn't afraid of the men, though, and sho would havo married you if I hadn't showed her up." But I wouldn;t marry no girl vith a wit. would you. Dave? J. J. Murphy Bays: "Wo'U have -o can this the Accidental Comedy Company, after alL All Tull' Helped Get Anita Stewart Stew-art Into Motion Picture Work but Without Ability and Hard Work, This Pretty Star Would Have Been a Failure. OR a girl who had no prc- y vlous otngo oxpcrlcncc. C e(' Anita Stewart has rlson to unusual heights In moving pictures. Miss Stewart was born In Brooklyn, on F'eb- I runrv 17, 1SI5, and was cdu- y catcd ot Ernsmu3 Hall, - J Brooklyn. She studied vocal r "nV music and the piano, unci f appeared In several amateur operas with success-, and no doubt could have made a name on the operatic stage If pictures had not claimed her attention. Miss Stewart entered the Vitagraph throush Ralph Ince, who married hor sister. Lucille, and this fact furnishestho text ror a motion picture ?ermon. Theic Is much said about nepotism In moving pictures. Many disgruntled would-be players, with nothing moro than a desire to win without work, will say that many of tho famous players now on tho photoplay stage got their placo through pull and influence, or through relatives. "Just glvo me a pull in a studio," they will say, "and watch what a big star I will become." be-come." There Is 'nothing In this kind of talk. Moving plctiuc playing, of all tho artistic callings, demands de-mands hard work and artistic ability tho most, becauso of tho sharp competition among tho plajers. and tho fickleness of the public. There arc many players, who, like Anita Stewart, Stew-art, have friends or relatives among tho directors direc-tors of tho studios, but when these friends or relatives unlock the door to tho studio and ehove tho aspirant for histrionic honors out Into tho great white light of publicity they havo done about all thev can do. Instead of mercjy pleasing the friend or relative, tho player has millions of people all over the world to please. The great critical public becomes their master, mas-ter, and unless this master can bo pleased, unless the player can thrill him touch tho tender heart chords of the public's sympathies or tickle his funnybonc. that player's record la short-lived rhere is no producer so" shoi t slghtei as to keep a player on the pay roll who cannot win tho heart of the public, and at the same tlmo win dividends for his company. A player may have a pull to start with, but It oon Iobck Its strength if tho player cannot make good and cannot got a pull with tho public When Anita Stewart started to work In the Vitagraph Studio, under the direction of her brother-in-law, Bhe was put through the usual courso of sprouts that every young player has to go through. For manj months she got only small and unimportant extra work to do" Her first real part was that of a slangy, gum-chewing stenographer, ste-nographer, in a comedy, but llko the true artist sho took the part and made the most of It and people all over the country laughed and began asking questions about her MIhr Stewart's first big success was In the leading role In A Million Bid, and since that lime she has scored ngaln and again. But tho greatoet pull this girl has Is talent, youth, beauty, writ and the willingness to work, and If she had never had a 'brothor-In-law' sho probably would have climbed just as swiftly and just as high. the good stuff wo get Is accidental " The next day a man camo to tho studio and said ho was a lawyer, and he told J. j that If he showed them pictures with that girl losing tier hair it would ruin her socially, and sho'd sue the company for 510,000. J. J says. "Go to it We are going to uso that scene all right." ind I was afraid to go to that entertainment, out the Sunday school girl wasn't there. I tell you, Davo, it looks funny to sec your-elf your-elf acting in a moviq play I had novcr seen ny of them pictures I acted In, only In the negative, and In them you don't look like yourself. your-self. Your hair looks white instead of black, nd your mustache is white, if you've got one'. I saw that plcturo al the entertainment, and It nearly scared me There r was walking right jut on tho screen, and I had to pinch myself :o see If I was setting there or somewhere ilse. You tell Mabel to keep her money and not ipend It with them grafters, and ask her why t was that she quit writing to me llko she did. TOM. "Lucy whispered something some-thing to him and he said: All right, you pose them.,,, |