Show N El the little village De Mille Mr U in Bavaria where the Passion Play which he so 64 miles eagerly desired to film xs about from Munich The presentation each Play is the ten years of 'the Passion the made vow villagers by result of a to then swore present 1633 in They if God the life of Christ each ten years a from plague them deliver would which was depopulating the village and wit-ness- " ed X v V 1 ee ft Si adjacent country the and out The plague was stamped each tenth been presented play has year from that time "Madonna A 4 ' t li if ! w ii art So the Courts Liberated De Mille s Wistful Star Whose "Spotless Contract torbade tier to ne Divorced While "King w o ivrngs is Passion Play's Origin ABERAMMERGAU ri lw Mr3 fi v'J x 1 - ! 14 onDisplay in Whose Life Movie Contracts Play No i dt v At Right: Martha Veit of the Oberammergau Players Whom Mr Part De Mille Vainly H Tried to Sign Ip for His Biblical Photodrama Director Above: Cecil B De Mille Celebrated Movie Writer with Jeanie McPherson His Scenario Snapped on Their Arrival in New York City j for the Premiere'of "King of Kings' : -- hVH if "aitriiliirii'i live not only as a quiet unobtrusive member of the community but as a 6hining example of the gtdly Ufel For seven years this was to be That was presumed to be the lengtbj After that! of the picture's vogue sv t n "- jandl :il Dorothy could do as she liked 11 KT y ra Milla wnnlHn't film A hair But for seven years Dorothy wad do nied personal liberty—dedicated to of the life of a saint TheJ reason ! course was to proieci tiTf iving 4 Kings " irom any onus wao iiugxn fall upon it by virtue of gossip at taching to the star Mr De Mille realized that! In Film Star Charges Mate Ricked tier handling the Christian theme neswas getting very close to the hearts bf a public great mass of the American tie knew the drama would- be a huge success if it measured up to their conceotions of Christianity He also ' A knew it would be a dismal flop if I In some way the public was turned V r 4 against it and the photoplay put in me iigm oi a eacruigiuua or uaiwuruiy f nflT ri n tr L the Millions of dollars were spent upon "King cf Kings" The photographic effect of the Star of Bethlehem alone cost $50000 and othei! settings were on a similarly elaborate scale Biblical experts were employed for research $ the "miracles" oi Holy writ were penormea con- - movie the Virgin Mary in the photo- drama "King of Kings" and the first actress to be professionally bound to a life of rigid Christian precept has found the strain of tho obligation too great She recently secured a divorce from her husband Frank Dakin English actor and thereby broke one of the strangest contracts that ever came out of Hollywood to protect the future of a photoplay Dorothy claims that she was "kicked" out of love "nagged" out of love and finally starved out of love It was too much she says for her to stand After striking and kicking her Dakin ' is alleged to have told her that hes did not consider himself married to ' her because he is a ' " i 10 Dec tn J 4L A ANGELES iri nnrntliv Cumminga playejf picture actrcM It King 'it j s CUMMING — ii 11 - it vh - r ! yjt:: r : M DOROTHY ry ! ? V Si divcrc-- i the greatest story of all jtime raphy and finally was the life of Christ ready for the public j Mille De wanted to surround his Mr Naturally creation with every possible safeguard for its success And so the De Mille "lawyers drew the strange contract which bound the star to: "Conduct herself with due regard for publio ! and at convention and morals entire accord with Christian 1 con- - and finally to have refused to to have deserted her ' a Christian do under the cirthe question "Get a divorce" replies Dorothy with convic' tion B De Mille Cecil the sort" says "Nothing of and of signer of of joint Kings" "King producer Mr De Mille who the contract with Dorothy knows his Bible proceeds to cite exhortations about returning good for evil and a lot of other f m British subject support her and "What would cumstances?" i3 IVk V"YUq' vrse duct ll V: ilia liiiiiiiii liiiPlliili i ni ' 5 : It i3 Cinema Luminary Dorothy Camming Beautiful in the Garb of the Madonna Inserted is a Newspaper Clipping Divulging Her Domestic Difficulties true to the vagaries of fortune that a n or on dispute over holy ethics should be carried this In of Hollywood a background against same Hollywood Mr De Mille wanted his star to c T° "7 7 XiV nil fTW r ki Vl s I w ' of Kings" mediately decided to produce "King There were about 700 people in the cast of the the Passion Play and Mr De Mille offeredsame leaders fabulous salaries to interpret the i Anton Lang who for roles in his production three decades has played the part of the Christus Mr De Mille was particularly anxious to secure But when the offer was made the reply waa instantaneous and in the negative "No sirl Never! If I became rich I fear I would no longer be worthy to appear in the role L of the Saviour" For his There Mr De Mille was stopped three performances as Christ Lang has received a total of only $625 yet Ire refused thousands to do the same thing before the camera The population of Oberammergau Is only 1 400 hardly as many people as :Mr De Mille has used from time to time in some of his mightier productions But however intensive an American actor's training might be it hardly could approximate the background which the producer found In Bavaria For aside from the fact that the natives of Oberammergau are trained for their Passion Play parts almost from childhood" most of the adults of the town gain their livelihood through religious occupations The chief industry of the There village is the carving of sacred images is some traffic in toys but this is far overshadowed by the religious work When his first offer failed Mr De Mille made a second He would pay a flat price of $1000000 for the 'privilege of bringing his technicians to Oberammergau' setting up the cameras and filming the Passion Play as it was presented by the villagers This offer also 'was flatly refused and Mr De Mille was powerless The thing he wanted the spirit of the play could not he felt be purchased at any price Ilis millions were impotent his tremendous to Hollywood power powerless and he returned not But he was still willing to in a quandarv of of idea Kings" and went "King give up the forward with production using the best materials that came to hand Being unable to secure' the spirit of the Bavarian mountains he sought-tmake it grow in Hollywood by artificial means But the experiment has failed and the Issue has split on the rock of Christian interpretation ? Mr De Mille thinks it Is divorce Miss But Curaming views the is apparently She doesn t matter in an entirely different light contracts or and love" of out like being "kicked Vt& (ncieta nn individual free-hr dom which the courts have finally granted this doleful "movie filaaonna i A 1 - - ? C4"M ' few! - - "V Ai - ''n of n u Ar a'PtnirranH UDOiea iruiu efnnon rnntract Drawn aj UtM at fa gnature for Miss Cumming's Attorneys V Film l?alirfnil — tirt EltVl ma me lime f"— tj' r- i 4 tVisiS ihh Was in : the DiaKing r Vr'V f scandal Involved In any Incident or REFRAIN To character her against FROM BEING DIVORCED FROM IIER HUSBAND regardless of any act whether or thing done or regardless of to do so she considered herself entitled from anything doing "To refrain which might give her husband crounds for divorce to fight any jCecij possible suit and to allowtothedefend B De Mille Corporation j her in such action" ftlpu-lat- e to on went contract The that only the written copsent of Mr De Mille couia release me - nS-arou- star from these obligations and secured to him her the right to seek an injunction restraining a indicate should from a divorce suit if she one undertake desire to Mr De After Dorothy signed the contract forward went work The Mille breathed easier was ready tor rapidly and finally the picture a generous recepIt was accorded Broadway Ue tion and critics generally accepted Mr Mille's attempt to depict the life of the Saviour as a considerable improvement over former In that direction While the photoplay was yet young and still rumblings came enjoying its run on Broadway restricted of Tired uving and from Hollywood Madonna the her with fed spouse up particularly was The prodivorce considering of the picture in the scandal involve to not were any ceedings to be were and word the of accepted sense based upon alleged cruelty But Mr De Mille objected strenuously His objections however did not swerve the determined Dorothy from her course There was considerable indecision in legal circles conof the De Mille the water-tightnedrawn was lawyers agreed correctly tract It as personalbe limiting interpreted but it might if concourt of out be thrown thus and liberty Mr swayed This probably tested argument divorce her fox De Mille for Dorothy applied and there is no record to date to show that he secured the Injunction mentioned In the original el-for- 1 ' VS Iff AkN "-- - V V5 J if ? ts ss imivTMfln ofilinf1 from the Dei Mille At Photoplay Showing Miss uuranung as us Mother of the baviour an M lie still ground for argument For If the De bound is contract stands Dorothy professionally bfte to the producer for another six years and one Picture worked for him in only this since that time has been frnply she must Her contract stipulates during the not work for any other companymentions that and seven-yeparticularly period she must not undertake to portray the character of a "vamp" The difficulties of producing and safeguarding by Mr "King of Kings" were appreciated into went prepDe Mille long before the picture It with a do to want not did He aration he did not even "typical Hollywood cast" and done the have to filming want Instead his choice wandered to the little as Oberammergaa a Bavarian mountain vulage the ideal site Here Mr De Mille found a genuinely holy The Passion Play is presented in atmosphere a great the town every ten years It constitutes is festival and between presentations the event Here it the of minds people constantly in the the of idea the conceived Mille De Mr was that contract which be later signed with MissinCumthe For the villagers taking part ming Bavarian Passion Play must live their parts lor years before the enactment possible earthly It is considered the highest of Christ Likerole the for selected be to honor can fall on a vilthat wise the greatest disgrace some wrongfor cast the from exclusion la lager been has presented every doing The spectacle and are handed the 1633 parts since ten years son and dowri from fatherland mother to contract And even with the divorce granted there Kwnpapet Tutor Swrle u nd" ar LJf i daMr?De Mille and some of his experts nessed this world-famou- s production and witim-- - ! ! un-Christ- UM 4Jt |