| Show R mow now 1 I 1 I 1 broke wo into in 0 the movies L copyright by hal C eiferman by REGINALD DENNY M MY Y Hlin AKINO into tho the mo monies V les was ia due to a series ot of circumstances over which I 1 can lay no claim to inning having arranged in the language or of the sporting world I 1 sot got tile breaks nt at the time thue they were most needed and I 1 took them I 1 came into the industry that lias has treated me so mildly kindly from a long and varied stage career and it was ft as to the experience I 1 gained us its a legitimate actor that I 1 owe whatever success I 1 have made on the stiver silver screen and this experience has proven even more valuable with the development of the alie talking picture I 1 was born in surrey england and made mada my first appearance on the stage when w lion I 1 wits was seven years old nt at the old court theater london in a play called the royal loyal family my father was W 11 II denny of gilbert and sullivan fame and as my grandmother was vas also an actress of considerable note it Is evident that I 1 was slated for a professional life from the start after leaving the st francis xavier college in sussex I 1 turned seriously I 1 Y SZ Z W R ME ln bitsi A LM lod reginald denny to stage work I 1 played london india the orient nud and new york in everything from musical comedy to grand opera with the bandman opera company I 1 also spent some time learning to be a prizefighter prize fighter under the tutelage of harry preston famous english sportsman but I 1 soon tired tire of this and welco welcomed nicil an opportunity to betm to the stage I 1 had married itene ilene halsman an actress with the bandman opera company while we were playing in calcutta and the close of the world war found us in new york where we signed a contract to appear tn in one of Shu berts shows hardly had we started rehearsing when the famous actors strike was called and being one of the first members of the equity I 1 was forced to obey the summons mr lee shubert knowing of my financial loaned me money to live on at ai this time the actors strike seemed about the most terrible tiling thing in the world but it brought about in an ini ina it t way my mv entry into the movies I 1 not happened I 1 might never lid hii i c tile sta stage stagers geas ay I 1 had never give motion pictures a second thought in fact I 1 had always considered them too artificial however one afternoon with a party of friends I 1 did visit the world film studios on long island evelyn greely was to be featured in two pictures and more to pass the time than anything else I 1 signed to play the lead opposite miss greely As soon as the strike was settled I 1 returned to Shu berts management and at the close of his run he loaned me to arthur Il to play with john barrymore Darry more but the day after rehearsal began barrymore had a nervous breakdown and I 1 was again at leisure in the meantime the motion pictures that I 1 had played in were being shown throughout the country and as actors were not nearly so plentiful then as they are now I 1 received several offers to continue my screen career at length I 1 signed to play a heavy in a picture and followed follo ned by playing numerous leads in feature productions then things came better I 1 was approached by ila an independent film producer who had purchased the screen rights to the hie 11 0 witwer stories the leather pushers and after considerable financial stress they were completed nod and I 1 was signed to a contract on the spot the rest Is more or less known I 1 was made a star booi after the leather pushers were released and since sanco that time have appeared in countless other features recently I 1 married an actress betsy lee both of us now appearing in universal pictures pictures haye have constantly been improving and I 1 have striven conscientiously to keep abreast with them the things that stand out oa as the most important in what success I 1 have gained are my trip to the orient the patience and endurance endi trance of my father a and ad the actors strike in VW service |
