The Washington times., 1915-06-18
THE BEST
Photopldy Department In
WASHINGTON
Accident Plays Big
Part In The Film
Career Of Mae
" Marsh.

There Is no branch Of art or COM
nerce In which accident has played
. bigger part than the motion pic
lures and 1t is no surprise there
fore to learn that Mae Marsh be-
came a motion picture actress by
accident.
That is. II Miss Marsh hadn't ac-
cidently followed her sister to the
Diograph studio one day; If she
hadn't accidently seated herself
where David w. Griffith could see
her while he was directing a par
ticularly difficult scene; II she hadn't
accidently looked dreamingly In the
general direction Of the blue sky
overhead without really looking at
the sky-if all these things hadn't
happened, accidently as set forth.
Mae Marsh would not have been a
motion picture star-at least, not so
soon.
The general belief is that Miss
Marsh would have been a star SOON
or or later. no matter what means
Fate took to bring about that end.
The facts are that Miss Marsh
started acting for pictures when she
Miss Marsh Is still little more than
a child. One of the things that
must be impressed upon all motion
picture patrons is that very few of
their favorite actresses have passed
their twenty-second year and Miss
Marsh hasn't reached that yet-nor
the twentieth either, for that matter.
Some three or four years ago one
Of the most popular actresses In
motion pictures was Marguerite
Loveridge. Almost every one who
has followed the general trend Of
motion pictures for very long knows
and appreciates the ability Of Miss
J.overidge. She has appeared in a
number Of the biggest sort of film
we'll in all of them. Miss Loverldge
was one Of David w. Grifflth's
earliest discoveries She lived
near the old Biograph studios and
worked hard to make herself a big
hsure on the screen.
She succeeded so we'll that her
little sister, Mae. thought she was
and implored her day after day to
take her to the studio. Big sister
Marguerite told Mae she would be
In the way: that the studio was a
most busy place: that Mr.. Griffith
was very cross when people came
being made, and. finally. that a
thin; pale little girl should remain
IN the open air as much as possible
to put flesh on her. bones and roses
In her cheeks. Besides. concluded
Big Sister Marguerite. Mae was too
shy to be used In pictures; she hadn't
anv. of the qualifications of an act
ress!
That settled 1t so far as Marguer-
ite was concerned. But 1t didn't
amount to very much to Mae. ex-
cent that Mae realized some violent
means must be adopted to break into
the studio. Mae had been writing
them at the Marsh home-Loveridge
being only a motion picture name for
Marguerite. by the .way-asisted by
the children In the neighborhood.
One day she followed Marguerite to
the studio without Marguerite know
her In the gate and then hid herself
In the big yard where pictures were
to be taken. Soon David Griffith and
group OF actors came out and
started making picture. Dorothy
Bernard, of the Columbia Players.
and remembers the incident per-
fectly. Griffith wanted a little glri
to take special part. None of the
trained actresses in his company
seemed to get his idea. He was raw
ing around the yard when he spied
Mae huddled in her hiding place.
Griffith stopped raving and called
her to him. He made her sit down
on stump and look up in the sky.
Then he made her lump up and run
away from the stump. After she
had done this two or three times he
told all the actors and actresses to
go home for the day. and that to-
morrow he wouldn't need anybody
but the leading man of the company
and the little girl he had just tried
out.
That is how Mae Marsh came to
be motion picture actress. She has
been doing all sorts of motion pic
ture things since then. She has es-