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Show Howl Broke Into j The Movies n Copyright by Hl C. Herman BY MONTE BLUE T NKYl-.'lt thought I'd break Into the 1 movies until actually I was In them! That's a funny statement to make but It's so. More or less Imbued with woinloiiust, I shipped from a northwest north-west camp on a lumber ship and arrived ar-rived at San Kraiuisi'ii with J 13 In my pocket. I wanted a good Job, and I wanted to make a good Impression on the men I talked to. I could not do It In overalls, so I went Into one of those stores where you "walk upstairs and save ten" and bought a suit. I was caught In the rain about half an hour later nnd when I dried out I had to cut the suit off. So 1 Jumped back Into overalls nnd started for Ixis Angeles. I landed a Job there "bucking lumber," lum-ber," but I was used to heavy work. One day some one told me to try the movies. I forgot all about It until un-til I was laid off n few weeks later during a slack period. I remembered I'd played the part of one of the hears In "Goldilocks" In an amateur performance, per-formance, so I walked up to the Griffiths Grif-fiths studio p nollywood and Joined a crowd of actors. Pretty soon a man came to the door and said: "I want a man." All the actors Jumped forward. But he said: "I want a man to work." and all the actors Jumped right back leaving me standing there wondering what it was all about. When I learned that It was a pick and a shover Job I took It Just the same it meant food. For two months L : t V v ' I : - P . j A Monte Blue. I chopped down fig trees and used a pick and shovel In digging the base for a new stage. One day, during lunch hour, the men decided to strike, and asked me what I thought of It. I got up on the speaker's speak-er's box and told 'era I thought we ought to stick on the Job. I must have said something that Impressed them, for we stayed. I had an insatiable in-satiable appetite. The next day the foreman called me out of the pit and told me Mr. Griffith Grif-fith wanted to see me. I thought It was a joke, but I went. He said: "Young man, are you an actor?" he asked. MNo sir," I answered. "Thank the Lord I've found an honest hon-est man," he laughed. He used me In "The Absentee" in a small part, doing just what I'd done the day before talking to a mob preparing pre-paring to strike. And he liked the work, so he built np the part to give me a chance. For three years because I didn't follow advice I played double to many stars because I could do hair-raising hair-raising stunts on horseback. Then I hid behind a beard and played henchman hench-man to vlllians, doing their dirty work. I worked with Miss Pickford and Tom Meighan in "M'liss" and with Miss Pickford In "Johanna Enlists," after which I went to work with Cecil B. DeMIIle, playing a bit. Mr. De Mille changed my whole career when he said : "Blue, you're too sympathetic a personality per-sonality to be playing heavies. Try and do male leads." Finally, through the help of Ethel Clayton, I played a part In "Private Pettigrew'g Girl." She realized that the part was Just suited to me, and let me have full rein. I was a success. suc-cess. I am, and always will be deeply deep-ly grateful to her for her efforts to aid me. Then Famous Players took me to New York where I worked with Mae Murray in "Peacock Alley" and "Broadway Rose." Following this, I played the part of D'Anton In "Orphans "Or-phans of the Storm" for Mr. Griffith and later I lost the part of the leaJ in "The Covered Wagon" because I was in Porto Rico on an eight weeks' engagement. More recently talking pictures have helped, especially "White Shadows o.f the South Seas." I have a library at home made up of books about Abraham Lincoln. He's my Ideal. His precepts are: Modesty Hum bleness and belief in the Right. To read these books and to think tf these precepts is an inspiration. (. By Hai C. Herman.) I |
