The Washington herald., 1914-04-08
Who's Who
Among Women
OF Big
Accomplishment
sy sIARY D. MuLLETT.


II you should happen 70 see certain
moving picture play about Princess OF
Bagdad, don't imagine for one moment
trat the heroine is a genuine Oriental
In spite Of her ropes Of pearls. nef
Tourkish trousers. and her be-oangieo
feet, she Ii as entirely Americas as her
name-which happens to be Ruth Saro-
Ler.
That reel was never within thousand
miles OF any place like Bagdada II was
made at a moving picture studio at Tap
pan-on-the-H Hudson. What Is more Miss
Gardner not only acted the part OF the
heroine in the play, but she owns ana
runs the studio
she Is the only woman in America who
does own q movie factory. Probably
she IL the only one in the world; Tor i
Is the American women who ieaa IN an
these feminine enterprises
People Iaveling UP or down the huo-
SON at nisht often have their curiosity
aroused BY seeing the two letters. HI
q. !" picked out in electric lights against
the dArknexs The initials are so big
they can be seen at q distance OF several
miles.
II the 9raveler is journeying by daylight,
ia summer, he may notice the same pair
Of letters literally traced across the land
scape. In this case they are formed by
vast beds Of red begonias. And they are,
not cramped for room. either; Tor these
beronia initials have l6e acres IN Whicn
10 stretch themselves.
Nat many persons get more than thls
distant glimpse of Miss Gardner's estao-
lishment unless they have business Win
the owner. She bought the place because
Of It's secIusion.
One doesn't like 20 go romping around
a. C1eopatra or a Bagdad belle, or
spanish cigarette girl, in full view OF tne
populace. Hence, seclusion is a desirable
feature of moving picture studios
Miss Gardner's place Is an old New.iorh
farm In q picturesque secton- enc al al
get a great variety of scenery ior the
setting Of her picture plays without 60
ing OF her own land.
In the old stone farmhouse she and her
mother live together. The other mem
Der of the family doesn't reside IN tne
house. Domestic confinement doesn suit
his Temperament Nevertheless ne
right in the family circle. whenever salu
circle or any part Of il goes ont ooors-
He In a goat; and his appropriate name
As for the barn, it has burst its shell
and hfossoned into a great studio, win
lofts crammed. With the properties need
ed in giving the classical and oriehoal
plays in which Miss Gardner has spe-
been turned into dressing-rooms, stor-
age rooms, and SO forth. -
When Miss Gardner started out to De
an acrtess she did II in the most ap-
proved manner. She went hrst TO ara
matte school She graduated with creo-
Il and then PROCEEDED to try putting her
ideas and ideals Into practice TINS was
where me hitch came.
IRE ideas and IDEALS were not in the
least, vogue She knew. exactly, sEnet
she aspired 70 1de, was %, Play Z, y
.'classe7 dfaIhas sfor the remainder OF
long existence. That was, 6hat, she
wanted.
Alast she fourd that II she depended
on the classic drama to make her ex-
istence a lengthy one, she would be
ta5Iv mistaken She could starve 10
death devoting herself to classic dramas.
90 she teu1porar:ly side-stepped the prop
lem aOpportuniIles came for her to go
on in the regular theatrical hne' out
she continued TO side-step'
Finally the chance came Tor her 10
take Mary Turner'S place in the NOV
ing nicture field and she accepted. She
bardly knew why she was willing 10
DO this hut she had an instinct that
it was taking her in the right direc-
All the time. however. those ideals
befora mentioned. were lurking in the
back of her mind, prodding her TO gNs
them a chance. Finally they goadeo
her to-the point where she determines
that. although she might starve, she
would at least starye DOING lhe 'iii"
she wanted to do. .-..-.,
So she quit working for other peo-
pIe. She opened her own studio, sol
man TO write her own plays, ana Iorn-
ed her own company. She claims that
this company Is the only absofutely
independent one in America. She @ also
claims that she was the hrst prooueer
to bring out the long picture pay.
The ordinary moving picture MIN Is
about 900 feet In length. Cleopatra.
one of Miss Gardner's plays, is 5000.
foot hIrn. II takes about an hour ana
half To show a reel of this length.
.srhe princess of Bagdad." another OF
her plays, Is a s,o00-foot Aim
Miss Gardner has made careiu'
study, Of the technique OF moving PIC
ture Scting. She says that the reason
why sarah Bernhard made-in Miss
Gardner's opinion-a lamentable fail
ure m moving pictures was because
ike most of the actors and actresses
on our own stage" she belittled that
phase of the dramatic art.
s-Ts,n camera does not lie" declares
Miss Gardner Lie to yourself. lie
a. vouf audience, and the record oil
that ne is chronicled- Seek truth IN
vour work and the camera is ready
bein. Rumor says that Nine. Bernhard'
rsSpsed to rehearse. AS Queen Eliza
b.th and as Camille she overacted hor-
ribiy.
.sThe most perfect way Of expressing
dramatic art is by the moving picture
All that you lose is the voice AND
-. On, recalls the voices Of somt
- our stage favorites. can one con
sc,entiousIy say that is loss?"