The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-20
HENRY WALTHALL'S
 BROTHER WOPKSAT
 LOCAL POST0FF|CE
Was on Visit to Brother While Birth of a Nation" Was Being Made-Talks
 of Amazing Realism
Fly JACK BETHEA

If you want to get some real first hand information as to the vastness and amazing realism of "The Birth of Nation,' to be shown at the Jeff ferson theatre next week, go to the city postoffice and snatch a few min utes' conversation with that slight dark-haired young man at the main stamp window
 You may have to do it while you're waiting for change after purchasing your "six twos" or whatever it's go- ing to take to send that Christmas parcel to your distant friend; you may not learn all you'd like to on your first visit, or even your second, for these are busy days at the stamp win dow.
 So perhaps, after all, it would be best to catch that young man when he's off duty. His name is IT. P Wal thall, and he's on duty in the morn ing.
 Yes, that's enc of the Walthan boys. There's a whole bunch of them, and they hail from Wilsonville, over in Shelby county. In fact, they're Will sonvilIe's best excuse for a place in the postal guide--and on some maps. They're all good sturdy specimens of manhood and one of them Is known wherever theatres and picture houses make a bid for ones spare change that's Henry.
 Mr. Henry Walthall.
 Certainly you've heard of him, but if you haven't seen him in the movies H-,f "a r,io man or some other actor who wears long hair and far-away look as the one best bet. After you've seen him you'll change your mind. And Henry our Henry we might call him plays the little colonel" in "The Birth of Nation" It's the biggest part in the biggest picture play ever staged from which 1t can be gleaned that Henry is some actor.
 All of which is predatory to the fact that Fl. P. Walthall, stamp clerk, wis., ited Henry Walthall, actor, in East Hollywood, Cal, year ago last sum mer. Brother Henry was up to his ears in work at the time because D. w. Griffith, the most wizardly film director of this plant. was in the midst of his tremendous undertaking in re- producing the story of the reconstruc- tion and fighting certain wrongs of history from which his native south land had suffered Griffith had 1S,000 people and 5000 horses in his company and Brother Henry was the pivot of the whole works. One day when he was taken suddenly ill it looked as though "The Nation" film dream would never be born.
 So the tourist from Birmingham sat on the sidelines and watched Brother Henry, garbed in the gray of the Con- f1I Jno +H ,y,.,,,, t,, battle, ride proudly at the head of the dashing Ku Klux and make love to Elsie Stoncman, the pretty little northerner, as only Henry Walthall knows how to make love.
 'Tt wxs a wonderful experience" said MT. Walthall, ir +'on with an Age Herald man yesterday, "and I'll certainly enjoy seeing that picture when it comes to the Jefferson. The one scene that impressed me most was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. You know, Wilkes Booth leaped from an upper box after firing the shot and broke his leg, and in the picture MT. Griffith was very anxious to get the complete effect of Booths injury and the intense excitement of the audience in F'ord's theatre that night. Raoul Walsh was playing the part of Booth and I saw him make the leap four times. He ruined two pairs of trous- eds by tearing them when he landed on his knees on the stage and 1t was not until he actually did injure his left leg and the actors making up the audience realized that something real ly had happened that the effect was obtained. The realism of this scene will amaze you.'
 Mr. Walthall also witnessed some of the hair raising dashes of the Clans man, as well as the burning of At lanta, the meeting of Lee and Grant at Apponattox and other historical scenes that make "The Birth of Ma ton. the greatest of all film dramas.