Show DAVID ADVENTURER BELASCO BELASCO AD CHILD ACTORS AND THE STAGE TODAY I 0 f y Continued from yesterday But the summer brought her a wondrous popularity The public hailed her as a find and I was not surprised one day when my friend David Wark Griffith came to metor me mo for tor a frank talk taUt about the childs child's future She was born for tor pictures he told me earnestly and ant if It you can convince her she should continue with me I will send her to the top Vh What t could I say Her Hel worth as asa asa a screen actress was and while I could see where she ultimately would reach the top In stage work the fact remained that her fitness for or the screen was ob ob- ob b- b So I told Mr Griffith to send her to me me mc next day It was the same sweet and unaffected unaffected unaffected un un- un- un affected Mary who kept the appointment appointment ap ap- ap- ap uncertain as to what she should do yet plainly determined to continue with me if It I gave her herthe herthe herthe the least encouragement I congratulated her het on th the progress progress progress ress she had made chatted with her for awhile about motion picture direction and purposely led the talk away from our Joint affairs Finally after a moments moment's silence she asked d Will Vill you ou have a place for tOli me methis methis methis this tall fall Governor dear I smiled and shook my head In negation Not this fall all I replied and possibly never Mar Mary flinched as though from a ablow ablow ablow blow and her vol voice voie e was tremulous as she asked But why why what why what have I Idone Idone Idone done that you ou should say that Done I repeated What haven't you done dono Go my dear child and see yourself on the screen Youre You're winning your jour our public public pub pub- lic lie in a thousand cities and towns each day It will take you years to gro v ro v up and to do the tho same thing in the drama and in those years you will have earned incredible success in pictures That is why I sent for you today today today-to to advise you to le let the movies do for you ou what I r had Intended to do For a n moment her eyes lighted with intense gratification that Mr Griffith and I had expressed the same thought as to her future Then her great affection for me and remembrance of our plans for the future came to her mind and over her mobile countenance spread an expression of ot regret But But I but I wanted so J l badly adly adl to toco togo togo go co to the heights with you you you- she began sorrowfully And I want so badly to see you on the heights heights- I rejoined that I am willing to forego nil all of ot the plans I have made in order that my little Ittle friend may come to the high place quickly Run along now now now- and when you yoi have ha achieved all there is is to achieve come to me some day and we will talk talle of ot a stage career for you jou Xo No one may peer into the future nit hut that day Mary Iary Pickford walked from Tom rom m my studio and thence through the portals of ot a screen fame such as ag no other girl ever has achieved Our farewell was affecting The child had a real love hove fo tot for me as has been proved pro by the Interchange of ot friendly little notes between us durin during the intervening years ears It is surprising how often otten I seek for or particular lItte hittle Juvenile types for Tor weeks and th then n some morning morning- I open onen my studio door and find Just the I had In mind waiting to see me Ruth St. St Denis the classic dancer came to me thus in 1899 in those days das she was Dennis the the- child of ot poor parents residing in Brooklyn She was but buta a slip of ot a a. girl freckled big eyed yet et even In her girlish awkwardness was a trace of ot the sinuous grace she loT developed ed aa so perfectly later I 1 called her in and chatted with her herand and instantly I was Impressed b by the burning light of at ambition In her eyes by the almost insistence of her r words She in insisted insisted in- in slated that she wanted to go on the stage But my dear I said Mill to her I Ido Ido 1 do not believe you ever will be an actress I sense something else for which you are better fitted Would It It not be better for me to know what it is you really want to do She stared at me for tor a moment In amazement before she he replied 1 I dont don't know how you know it but what I lave wanted to do po is Ia to dance why dance why Ive I've danced over since I saw my first h gurdy hurdy So I took her liei to the stage and asked her to shoW v me what she could do Instantly the child was transformed and despite the lack of ot music she sIte throw threw herself herselt into the dance with an abandon almost tragic in its determination It was apparent to me that she had original original original nal talent As she danced those great eyes kept burning their appeal appeal appeal ap ap- ap- ap peal into mine mine and and without rhyme 01 or reason I had the part of ot AIl e written into my new play Zaza Zoza for tor her I wondered why after she had gone gone gono it b t know It was the subconscious appeal of ot genius which had crushed my resistance The audiences liked her little dance and their applause encouraged encouraged encouraged aged her greatly but never did she lose lobe her humility Once established she gave me an example of Insistent Insistent insistent Insist insist- ent ambition past anything I had imagined possible She had no place for practicing and aid I gave her permission to use the stage of my theatre whenever it was not In use for tor rehearsals Every morning after that she came early and practiced practiced practiced alone Again it was the rec recognition of or her burning ambition which caused me to take her to London with the tho company and often otten I would excuse her from a performance that she might watch some sonic talented dancer work worle in some other theatre She was tas careful with her salary and at atthe atthe atthe the end of ot our London run had earned enough to take her to Paris for a few weeks of instruction During the following season when I produced Du Barry I gave Ruthie Dennis the role ioie of ot Mile l le Ie leGrand Grand the dancer and ar arranged arranged ar- ar ranged so that she might have a a. asolo solo golo dance for an added incentive to her ambition By now she is quite a finished performer and the audiences were lavish with their applause Not a day pass passed d without the tile girl devoting several hours of ot her time timeto to practice dance-practice until at tho the close of ot the season seaon she was the talk of ot the company b because cause of ot her Us lis some grace When the season closed I had a chat with her and told her hel again that she would bett better better bet bet- t ter r herself herselt and her future by turnIng turning turning turn turn- ing wholly to dancing r I am sure y you u are right she told me and I am hm grateful for your advice I really believe I 1 am prepared to do something for tor myself myself my my- I self now thanks to your our kindnesses to me Later in iii the summer she site asked me to set Bet an m hour in which she might rehearse for tor me a dancing act she had to perfected and for which she had provided costumes and scenery Thus it befell betell that I 1 Iwas Iwas was among the first to see her celebrated celebrated cele cele- Radia dance the dance the number which brought her lieI first great fame tame as an Independent artiste Likewise she became Ruth StDenis St St. Denis and andas I as the years ears pass passed d I had more than a bit of ot cause caus e for tor happiness that it had hall fallen tallen to my mylot mylot lot to give this hearted brave-hearted girl her first encouragement Ruth St. St Denis to my mind presents presents presents pre pre- the most beautiful example of ot what the taught self girl may achieve if she will viiI be satisfied to submerge everything e thing else elso in her pursuit o of a career Had she felt elt and ind responded to the social lure and found other interests had she spent her afternoons in tearooms and her evenings at parties she never would have achieved the fame and wealth that have come to her Few not Few not one In a thousand thousand thousand-of of those who be besiege ge the offices of ot producers producers producers pro pro- have her moral courage and ami determination She had every physical physical phys phys- ical leal disadvantage antage to contend with pith at the start her sole sote woo weapons pons be beIng being being be- be ing natural talent and ambition In the beginning I had told her that success would come only to the artist content to work eight eight- ten ten hours hours daily dally She acquiesced and added two hours to the maxi mast mum Also I told her that little girls girts should be seen and not heard and never do I r recall that she spoke unless unless first spoken to She simply simp squared her brave little shoulders shoulder I and drove e stubbornly ahead until the merited success came to her There is a reason for tor my willing willing- 1 oJ ness to see ace and hold ad the tho young n a reason aside from i my constant search for talent I feel it Is an op obligation imposed on mo 11 by the past for tor durin during my own early days of ot youthful struggle Joseph Murphy John McCullough Dio Frank Merit Mark Bates Dates and his talented wife wite and many others had given me Instruction suggestion and advice of ot Incalculable value salue in my may later career Many 1 of ot toda today's s screen players have at one time or oi an another ther come under my direction but of t them all there thero rises constantly before my ray raymind's minds mind's eye that funniest of of all screen en John comics John Bunn Bunny Back Bacle in 1883 after atter Charles Frohman Froh- Froh man had Induced Hyde Ihde Behman to remodel for him what eventually became the Herald Square theatre he asked me to rewrite my play The Stranglers ol ot Paris for his opening We Ve made of ot It nn n elaborate elaborate elaborate rate production and I paid particular lar attention to the rehearsals rehearsals- with special reference comedy bits which I r had written In while modernizing the offering As was customary in those days das we had a number of ot supernumeraries supernumeraries one of ot whom must be se selected selected so- so for tor the solitary occupant nt oia ofa of oi a n. boat in one of ot the scenes Casting Casting Casting Cast Cast- ing my eye eje about the stage I noted a fat tat youth with a comically solemn countenance who seemed to have some possibilities for or the part I Instructed him to seat himself In the boat and nearly collapsed d with laughter at his awkward ef efforts efforts et- et forts to bestow his weight evenly on n the narrow seat Finally he was settled but we wo roared anew at nt his popeyed expression of ot startled wonderment Our guffaws elicited no answerIng answering answering answer answer- ing smile from the solemn youth who after at us a moment in wonderment drew a n. sack of ot candy from his pocket and began munching contentedly on a a. caramel Resumption of ot the rehearsal distracted distracted dis dis- dis- dis our attention for tor a time but the fat tat boy was recalled to o r minds when a a- a series at-series I. I series of ot agonized wheezes came from the vicinity of the boat We Ve turned to discover him in difficulties Somehow his sack of or candy had fallen to the floor and half halt In an and I half IC out of the boat he was attempting to retrieve It His Ilis pudgy fingers rs Just brushed the precious precious precious pre pre- cious package and he was lurching and stretching in a n. like behemoth regain It it As he heaved ponderously over o the side the swinging base bascon on which the boat was mounted gave way and with a n howl of ot unutterable surprise surprise surprise sur sur- prise he ho fell overboard arms and legs flying In a n. series of ot most surprising surprising surprising sur sur- contortions The rehearsal stopped toPPed automatically automatically automatically cally In as everyone Joined In the merriment Bunny still owl-eyed owl and solemn struggled to hi his his' feet and then scrambled 1 back to his place In a n. manner even more ludicrous than han the first attempt At tn my side aide I of ot met mer- an and 1 turned to find Charles Charl's Frohman wiping the tire tears from his face I think well we'll make th that t bit a apart apart apart part of ot regular business I r said Keep it in in Frohman sobbed Ill murder him if he ever docs does anything else in this act And so it was that John Bunny the funniest seriocomic of ot his day was Introduced to the stage In after atter years he brought merriment to millions millions but but none I venture to say more spontaneous p than his ac acc accidental ac- ac of ot otIa c dental hit in The he Stranglers Ia Paris j |