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Show I Letters from a I Correspondence i I School Actor; HI By A. H. GIEBLER. DEAR DAVE Well. Dave, and I won't Jiavc to pay a big fine or inaybo lay It out in Jail Ilka I (.old you I might havo to on account ac-count of the campbell I was riding stepping on that fat man's stomach. Only I never was scared about that, becauso it wasn't my fault, but the campboll'a fault, becauso kk she wouldn't stop when I hollered whoa like H jou do to a horse or a mule. 1 Here's how it came out. Dave. When that mM campbell stepped on that fac man and he was H bellcrin' around about suing tho company, tho H director says: H ' "Here, what's tills all about?" H And tho fat man says: H "That thero campbell knocked mo down and H stepped onto my stomach and I'm going to H 6uc you for damages." H And tho director said: "How would you llko Hj to get into tho movies as an actor?" H And the fat man shut up his mouth and said: H "Oh, I could be an actor If I had tho chance." H And tho director said: H "I should say you could, becausi you are the H living Image of John Bunny when he was H alive, and that sceno of you getting tromped H on by tho drom will make good comedy stuff. H We'll make a few more scenes to it, and H you'll be a movlo actor beforo you .tnaw It." H And the fat man was awful pleased, and so H they will mako a picture, Davo, with that fat Hj man and mo In It, but tho fat man ain't no H ren'iar actor with a diploma from a corre- H Epondcnco school that teaches movie acting H by mall like 1'vo go(, and so I guess I'll be H tho star of that picture. H You tell Dixon to bo suro and get It down to H the Dreamland, Dave. H 1 went over to tho studio to see about when H they wanted to do tho rest of tho acting with H the fat man, and the director, the one that H ' give me the Job riding the campbell In thy H first place, not the regular one that bossed tho H picture, he said: Hj "Well, you've got somo nerve to come H around here after you tied that campbell up H in tho brush and run off the way you did." H ' And I told him what Lucy had told mo H about how It had turned out, and I guessed H there was no harm done, and ho said that tho H one scene with me and the fat man and the H campbell would be all of the picturd with us H; In it, as they'd havo to have their regular H actors do the rest of tho scenes. But ho said: H "You stick around; we may want somebody ' , O'Sjfjg TQ aTCH ME ? ' H to play the part of a buffalo or a moving van, H maybe. But better not let Mr. Crossland, the H I head director, see you, because ho wants to H shoot jou." H But I wasn't afraid, because he kJnda grinned H wheo ho said it So I stuck around, and they were planning a big railroad picture, and getting ready to act it out. It was where a girl has to bo hanging on to tho side of a box car and the train going at twenty miles an hour and tho hero of tho picture catches her when she Jumps oft tho train, because she is the tolegraph operator, and If sho don't got orf and send a telegram to tho other train that's coming there will be a bad wreck, because tho engineer on tho train that the girl is on has gone crazy and hasn't got senso enough to stop tho train and keep them from being wrecked. Tillie, tho Telegrapher, is tho namo of tho picture, Dave, and It's a dandy, and I am In It, and here's how I come to bo In. Mr. Crostland, tho head director, was telling them how to act it out, and the girl that was going to play TIlllc says: "You going to uso a dummy in that Jump scene?" And tho director paid: "Dummy nothing. Tho public has been dummied dum-mied to death. This Is going to be real stuff, and you Jump, soe?" "Who's going to catch me?" says Tillie. And the director says: "Who but tho brave Strong-heart Strong-heart over there " That's the fellow all the girls used to go crazy over down at tho Dreamland, Dave; he's tho one that has curly hair, and hardly ever has his shirt buttoned, so you can seo his' neck. They call him Stronghcart becauso he's always al-ways doing somo thrilling stunt. But ho don't do more than half of the things you think he docs. Dave When tho part is kinda dangerous they get somebody that ain't afraid and needs tho money to dress up like him and kinda stand with his back to the camera so hla face won't show and they do the stunt, becauso Mr. Stronghcart Is abig movie actor llko I will be somo tlay, and If ho was to got killed doing a stunt tho company would lose money on him, because the girls all over tho country are crazy about him. So when ho thinks ho doesn't want to do a dangerous part they got a stunter, that's what they call actors that aro nilling to take a chance. Stronghcart, ho ups and says he's not going to do it. "There's nothing in my contract that say3 for me to catch no hundred and fifty pound girl off a train going at twenty miles an hour, and maybo get kicked In the face with them feet of hers." And TIlllc, sho says: "To Judge by tho character of tho work you do, there isn't anything In your contract but, to stand around and look pretty." And Mr. Crossland says: "Why don't you two cut out that stun; how you can -go on acting together and hating TJBBBBF fJuNP.JUMp. BHr I'LL CATCH J each other the way you do gets my goat," Tilllo says: "If It wasn't that the public likes to see him support mo I wouldn't do It, and if he's too good to take a chance, so am I. You get a substitute for the Jump scene." I told the director about Lucy and her father, Mr. Macolllnl, both being show actors fiom a circus before they were vaudeville actors, and they could do the sceno fine by dressing up llko Strongheart and Tillie, and Mr. Crossland says: "Go get 'cm." Lucy was glad, becauso Mr. Macolllnl was Fobcr then and acting right by his family, and they needed tho money awful bad, and they would got $50 for doing It. I never thought that I t ould.be in tho picture then, Dave, but here's how It happened. When they were getting ready, Lucy says to me: "Tom, you've got to play a very important part In this picture." and I said all right, I could maybe play tho conductor on the train, or something like that, but she says: "No. You've got a silent part In this silent diama. You've got to watch father to sec that ho doesn't take on any booze and drop mo when I mrjko the Jump, llko ho did my sister, and let her fall when they wcro doing a double trapeze swing so that she hurt her back by falling on a seat in tho theater." But ho must a got a hold of somo booze, Dave, because when they were ready to mako that sceno his eyes looked just like a fish's eyes when It is dead. 1 thought maybo ho would bo all right, becauso some men can bo drinking a little bit and still be all right, and I Just watched him so that ho wouldn't get hold of any more booze. But when tho train was coming along, llcketty split, and Lucy was hanging on to tho eldo of the box car, folding on jto the HttHJlron ladder with ono ing picture stars is llazel Dawn. She &mg likes' Western plays, especially where yjBt & , -T ff WAZETL DAWN With a little danger adds zest to the making -r iigWom AfOUS' PLAYFPS FLM CO of the film. y - f'JW; , '$8&F hand, and waving her other hand for somebody to grab her so she could get off and go In tho 9 telegraph office and send a dispatch to the other train to get out of tho way. Mr. Macolllnl, all dressed up to look like Stronghcart, ran up, and he was staggering, and I saw It wouldn't do to let him catch her. At first I didn't know what to do, becauso If I told them he was drinking, they would stop tho picture, and tho Macollinl's wouldn't got the $50. I thought: "What are you an actor from a correspondence school that teaches movie act-' lng by mail for if you can't do thlB scene?" I wasn't drebscd up to look llko Stronghcart, but I thought maybo they could fix that some way, and I leave It to you, Dave, what could I do but what I did 7 I Just grabbed hold of Macolllnl and kinda throwed him to one s!do and took his place, and Lucy saw It and started to climb up on top of tho box car. and somebody says: "Kill that boob, he's spoiling the picture," but Mr. Crossland, he says to me, "Go to it. Young Buffalo." And the part of tho train with Lucy on It was almost past mo, and so I ran after It and hollered to Lucy. "Jump, Jump, I'll catch you," and she Jumped. Don't you over try to ever catch no girl Jumping off a train, Dave, and think It is a picnic. pic-nic. Of course, I know you won't ever have to, because you won't ever be a movlo actor like I am, but you might try to catch a glil Jumping off a barn or something. It was Just llko somebody had dropped a big rock onto me when aho lit in my arms, and everybody was hollering and applauding Just llko they was at a show, Dave, and Mr. Cross-land Cross-land says. "Thats great stuff. Hold that poso a minute, go on with tho love stuff, look up In his face, kid; hold her tight, Bogga, and register regis-ter love." But I wasn't registering love, Dave; I was Just kinda looking at her to see if maybo I'd hurt her when I grabbed her becauso I'm so big I'm kinda rough, u know. I ain't got no right to register loe for anybody but Mabel, have L Dave? But the director said It Tas great stuff, so you soe, Dave, that's what comes of being a good movie actor like I am. I Just up and worked in that scene without no practlco whatever, what-ever, and everybody was saying I was a fine .actor to do what I did, and the directors had a regular squabblo over it. The ono that gavc mo the Job riding on tho campbell says: "Yes, it's great stuff, but It won't do. Strongheart Is supposed to catch Tilllo, and this guy looks llko he'd Just arrived from Brown County, Indlann, with a load of hoop pole3." Mr. Crossland suys: "II f ' What do we care? Let him be Strongheart In disguise, or we'll fix the story to fit this stuff. What hao we got a scenario department for If they can't work up a storyaround stuff llko this?" And then wc had to do some mor scenes while thoy had the tialn hired, and 1 had to tell her good-by in ono scone, and me and Lucy had to hug, and then sho put her head on my breast and the director said to look- soft and rub her hair, and. she was supposed to be saying: say-ing: "Good-by, tho year that you arc gone from me will be the longest year of my life," because be-cause that Is how the sign on the screen will read when the picture Is shown, but ou don't havo to say the real words, Dave, becauso there ain't nobody that knows what you aro talking. about unless they aro deaf and dumb and can read your lips, and Lucy, she said: "This isn't very haid work, Is It. Tom?" And I said: "No, not to me, because I'm a regular actor that graduated from a correspondence school that teaches movie acting by mail." Lucy said: "Yes, and you aro a pretty big boob, too, sometimes," and people will never know but what we was telling each other good-by. Maybo this picture ain't going to be called Tilllo, tho Telegrapher, after all. Dave; they're going to write a lot moro scenes to It, and Lucy and me mil act some moro together, and I'll tell you what tho name of It Is so that when Dixon gets It at the Dreamland you and Mabel and Lafo and Thorn can go down thero and seo me acting in it. Yours truly, TOM. |