The Washington times., 1915-10-04
THE BEST
Photoplay Department in
WASHINGTON
Another Contestant
for Times Beauty
Prize Becomes
Photopldyer

Another member Of The Times
beauty squad-the young women Of
the National Capital who were among
the contestants for the beauty prize
last spring-has gone into the acting
branch Of motion pictures. This
time It Is Miss Ethel Deans, the
daughter Of DR.. A. c. Deans. Of this
city and Hyattsville. Miss Deans
really preceded Miss Ruth Purcell.
the prize winning beauty. in the pro-
fession several weeks. but she has
Just been announced as q leading
Miss Deans 10 eighteen years Of
age, and has long been ambitious to
become an actress. Her parents
thought her too young to begin work
81 Shorty 5nf stae after TSe Times % beauty @ con-
test was finished and the winners an
nounced, Miss Deans became con-
nected with the Lubin company. and
her fresh young beauty soon made
her an attractive figure on the screen:
her services later. and now she has
become a member of the Jesse Lasky
forces, and Is In California WITH
them engaged In playing regular
parts in the Lacky feature produc-
tions.
Some months ago when Walter
Pritchard Eaton. the dramatic critic
and essayist. delivered a lecture In
Washington, he made a rather bitter
attack on the motion pictures. con-
fining himself to what he believed to
be their mission In educating people
In tho drama. At that time 1t seemed
to us that Mr.. Pritchard was a bit
unfair. and did not take into con-
sideration the possibilities Of the
film-onlv its actualities.
We know It Is rather tiresome for
people to be always urging the possi-
bilities of a thing-obvious possibles
they sometimes are-which nobody
makes an attempt to realize. We
have been getting a bit tired OF it
Of constantly urging II and seeing
the thing done In the same old way.
We are forced to admit having
seen but two motion picture plays
a sequence of dramatic moments and
a logical working out of a definite
p.ot-only two. And we have seen
our pet director fail miserably on
his second production which offered
him his opportunity. after having
most photoplay with his first at
tempt. But tired as the situation
makes us. and we believe we reflect
the sentiment Of most people inter-
ested In picture progress. we haven't
Consequently we welcome Mr..
'Eaton's latest attack on motion
pictures as constructive criticism
Of the best sort because he, too.
seems TO have at last realized tho
possibilities OF the nlm-although
he does not say so-and is keenly
alive to just how far the motion
picture producers come from realiz-
Ing these possibilities.
Mr.. Eaton Is right In his sum.
ming up OF what the motion picture
happens to be, without being at all
correct as to what motion pictures
might be with proper management. II
Is a penny-wise and pound-foolish
policy that makes II what Il is.
We believe that the advent OF the
81 picture will do much to improve
this condition because 1t means the
advent of a higher quality with the
higher price. Hence 1t Is that we
agree with Mr.. Eaton absolutely
when he writes:
THE rank and file OF pictures
which come to our town hall week
after week-pictures by the leading
producers. too-are today exactly
what they were some years ago
when we first began to go to them
they are the cheapest and most con-
ventional sort OF farcical or melo-
dramatic or sentimental trash. ex-
such papers as the old Fireside
use really good plays as a basis.
they emerge this trash on the
screen. With the vocal, and hence
the intellectual elements left out,
even a fine play becomes trash. from
Peer Gynt to 'Magda-"