The Washington times., 1915-11-10
THE BEST
Photoplay Department in
WASHINGTON
Bdggott Falls Back
ON Baseball Talk
In Exposing His
Picture Ideals

coming the only competitor Of base
ball as a, topic of general CONVERSE
tion In almost all classes Of society;
and since the motion picture ac-
tresses and actors are talked Of in
terms Of past performances and null
tiplc reels. much M the batting and
fieldins averages and slumps and
hitting streaks OF baseball players
are discussed, II is not strange to
hear one actor speak OF himself as
a photoplay version Of the Federal
League. as compared to the stage.
and assert that he aspires to be the
Hans Wagner instead Of the Henry
Irving OF motion pictures.
Or course the fact that the early
ambition Of King Baggott was to be
a baseball player and that he comes
from Pittsburgh where tho trinity
Of American greatness in the picture
gallery Of fame IL represented by
portraits Of BENJAMIN Franklin. An
drew Carnegie and a certain bow
legged shortstop. with a perpotual
joint debate as to whether Wagner
should always be mentioned first--of
course In view OF all this It Is not
really strange that Baggott should
speak of himself and his ambition in
baseball terms.
That Is the way he thinks OF him.
self and everything else. A ono
reeler Ii a single. a two-reeier q
double. a three-reel film q three-
bagser and a big feature a circuit
smash. In Boggottese. When he
makes up he says he gets into his
spangles, and rehearsing no calls
warming up.
The reason Baggott calls himself
Federal League Is because he 10
really the original matinee idol Of
the motion pictures-the first actor
to jump from big league dramatics--
as represented by the stage. to the
motion pictures. For five years ho
has been leading man. In fact he
has never been anything else. Is
jumped from the stage to the Imp
Company when motion pictures were
first class curiosity to the public.
He has remained with them and,
curiously enough. has been, with the
same company throughout that time.
d. w. Griffith. Mary Pickford.
Marion Leonard. Henry Walthali,
Mack Sennett. Arthur johnson. and
large number of famous people
"hh VIC CoIIpdHy IH6
time Baggott first played with II.
He was Its leading man-the hero
OF the original melodramas. Walt
hall came later to help him out,
and Arthur johnson was a come
dian. heavy and Juvenile. as the case
might be. Carl Iaemmle, the pres
ent head Of the Universal Company,
Is the only man whose name was ON
the pay roll Of the Imp outfit when
BasEott toined II that 10 stiil thers
Ba.gott has q grievance. He wants
to play character parts instead Of
the parts Of handsome heroes. He
has done one or two that have been
we'll received. and he desires to 20
after others. He 10 a close student
constantly striving to improve condi-
tions.
Ever since went into the ma
tion pictures" said Mr. BsSgot re-
Gently. II have been meeting now
problems and trying to solve them.
Back in the early days the crude
methods by which We worked an
for using a baseball term to Express
my ideas. ] am baseball fan and
my first great ambition was to be q
hallplayer. can exDress myself
best by saying that I am q federal
Lacquer When I.jumped from the
stage into motion pictures I had coz
mitted professional suicide. accord
ing tn my friends who tried to keep
me from II. But here am ]. and
where are the friends who advised
me not to stake my future on tho
movies'
"hs 7 said before. found studio
conditions unsvatema'ic and made
ouate. There were not enough re-
cviits from the theater to give tho
motion picture business anv stand
ing ap q part Of the dramatic art.
Having made my jumn and become
- 'Te"ero, Lacquer which. in base
bail parlan"e st'lI means an out
law. rerli7ed that II was up to
the fcw thco'rical man IN moving
nictures 10 null crr their coats and
irmp In and max" something out
OF n.
.There were new elements 70 ~
considered Hove werc actors and
photooraphc-s thrown together in a
condition that seemed temporary.
hut which was really permanent.
They did not searn to come together
realized that ~ mov'n~ r'ctures
were to hn prominert or pcrrra-
mont a-+ the nhoto7rapher and the
ncto- ahou'd know ench other ana
become hrc'herIv.
"T nm constnrt'v - the lookout
for row possibilities In a dramatic
md photorraphi~ wnv. In Ave Yrars'
t'rn have Icnrned lot about
rhotoera"hv md have taken II up
ns a special study"