Evening star., 1915-02-28

~
NJ if her mother would let her l really believe
she would sit out the pictures five nights
week and keep it up indefinitely.
Margaret 1 asked her the other day, @why do you
love the movies so? You used to think Maude Adams
greater than the Gar Of all the Russas, yes greater
than the Kaiser but it's the Queen Of the Movies
for you. Why is this?'
@Oh Daddy" she exclaimed rapturously @its those
lovely thrills!'
When Pauline, chased by gipsies jumps wildly from
crag eighty feet sheer into Saranac Lake, Kathleen,
by almost superhuman quickness, eludes the leap of
the nfuriated leopard, Rose and Judith slide down
the human chain scant hafsecond ahead of the col
sion the treste above, then Margaret atains the
ecstasy of her emotion Of the ten to twenty million
persons said attend the motion picture theaters of
the United States and Canada each day. probably five
millions like Margaret, find excitement their chefest
reward Possibly half of all moviegoers under twenty
But the love of thrills knows age
That is why moving picture producers strain inven-
ton and expense accounts to the utmost crowd their
screens with exciting and dangerous climaxes why the
price of thrilling scenarios that also clever is
tnually rising, why actors and particularly actresses
WHO combine with high availability the physical
courage take Snowy risks priceless possessions.
T ASKED celebrated producer recently whether in
the rapid rise into the domain of art that is the
almost spectacular feature of motion picture progress,
the thriller was likely to disappear.
"Never," he replied, so long as man is man. The
excitement OF the tissue OF human nature.
Are exciting novels unpopular because their workman
ship has attained high degree of artistry? Do thrilling
melodramas lack patronage because nowadays they
better written and better acted? No; human nature
improves but never changes The most cultivated
people in America beginning to patronize motion
pictures; but do not notice any failure of enthusiasm
over the exciting spots. When Neptune's daughter
fights her mortal victim in the oceans Depths and the
defenders Of Cirta fling the attacking Romans headlong
from the lofty walls, the best audiences in America buzz
joyully, if not noisily the fvecent crowds
the verfront the murder Of Muggs in the
feters den."
There is gainsaying that the current very
swiftly toward better things. Three ago producers
successfully offered the public of them expressed
it. "any old thing; but they cannot do that The
public is getting exactng every day. Wonder has
given place to criticism The runaway balloon must
dangle its anchor not stuffed dummy, but the
actual hero. The lien really charge the heroine
The villain actually must fall from the really frightened
really plunging mustang.
ave still retain in contracts, said Jesse Lasky
sthe clause protecting the actor from anything danger
to life and limb; but it is seldom, almost never
nowadays that producing companies held liable.
There zest about the production of motion picture
play, community Of purpose, general desire to make
it artistic success that sweeps the actor along to self
forgetfulness The spirit of common accomplishment
possesses all, and find hero declining sug-
geston to have madeup cowboy do the wild ride for