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Show WHY MOVING PICTURES HAVE KILLED MELODRAMA Tho July American Magazine contains con-tains a most Interesting discussion of tho moving picture business a discussion dis-cussion which contains many focts and Ideas not gennerally known. Following Fol-lowing Is an extract: "In tho motion picture tho actors are called upon to face, not mere technique, tech-nique, hairbreath escapes and rescues res-cues which tho oudlcnco know are feigned-, but tho actual crises of lire. This is ono reason why 'tho movies' havo driven off tho stago tho old-fashioned melodrama. In tho outdoor scenes they nctually do tho things that nro shown on tho screen; they ride tho horse, run tho automobile, row the boat. In biter winter weather tho actor leaps Into the ocean and drags to shore tho drowning heroine; or some young girl descends by rop ladder from tho fifth story of h tenement; tene-ment; or In tho battle scene soldiers fall from their charging horses and llo on the ground trusting tho other riders rid-ers not to trample them. Surely this takes courage This Is not melodrama In the old bciiso not acting: it is lite itself, ono of those rare cries that call out the unusual courngo courhgo of a heroine "Do not think for a moment, either that tho Inspiration of tho audience is wholly lacking. Not only nro there tho trado papers and theatrical Journ als which regularly crltlzo tho films, and prhlso or Damn tho actors; but if you were a moving picture fan (thoro are twenty million fans in this country alone) you would know what fnmo comes to actors. Ask the first department store girl you meet Just who her Idol Is, and she will promptly prompt-ly say: Costello." Who Is Costello? He is tho handsome man of tho Vltagraph company com-pany .".Ask tho office boy here nbout his favorlto comic actor. 'Bunny' 'Bun-ny' ho will say; Bunny, whoso amazing amaz-ing faco has penetrated farther this wilderness of earth than Pear's Soap. And doughtless tho poor woman who comes in for a day's scrubbing could tell off quickly such names as May Fuller, Mark McDermott, Florence' Turner, Rose Tapley, -Ruth Stone-' bouso and 'Broncho Billy' Anderson. I |