The Washington times., 1915-12-22
PHOTOPLAYS AND.
PHOTOPLAYERS
Artistic Youn9Ster'
Is What Veteran
Actress Calls
Photoplay.
BY GARDNER MACK.

1.-THE photoplay? Perhaps! Let
us hope So"
Ordinarily it isn't polite to add to
such quotation that ii was the state
of "one of the veterans of the stage"
and attach a woman s name to t. Be-
cause the word veteran" indicates
certain number Of years, ard wears
and a woman are generally supposed
TO be strangers. lsut In tho case Of
Ada ,Boshell. who really msde use
Of THE quoted words in Just the way
theySare quoted, ii would be neither
irnpolite or IN the least bit sugCes-
tive of years to add the veteran part
OF the phrase. Anyone who saw
Mrs. Boshell in '',rhc Little Min
lister with Maui.s Adams last week
knows exactly what is mean.
And for those who were not go
fortunate II might er proper 20 state
that the actress Is one Of tbs whole
some, kindly. and altogether loN.
able mothers" OF the stage, who
has been one Of the reasons for the
faith and the trust of an enormous
number of PEOPLE in the dramatic
profession since the days of the aivil
war. Ada BoBhell was IN actress
during the civil war. She played
Dafts in plays that were acted be-
fore President Lincoln. And she has
been continuously and steadily on
the stage ever slnce-cxceptins only
FOR the time she has acted in motion
pictures
motion pictures hit the Young and
old Of the acting profession ,IliSe,
Mrs. Boshell declared on the occa-
sion Of her interview. ~ robs the
cradle and then comes along rs Wig
Oreusly after us old folks. Ard it
sets ns-it acts u.s." she nc dded. ard
her eyes tv'inkled humorously.
You know l used to say / hated
the motion pictures. ! did, really.
And had reason to. They were
very seriously interfering with our
business. They were getting every
body at greet big salaries and turn
i1g the heads Of our young folks.
Why, do you know they almost got
this child once" and she patted the
hand Of Florence Rittenhouse. OF
the Poll Players, whose guest she
was while in Washington last week.
But they didn't get her. That is
the reason she is here in Washing
ton
What do us old folks of the stage
think OF the pictures? Frankly, l
don't know. The photopylay--per-
haps! 1t may come to perfection.
about it because I have acted in it.
rather liked some of my work and
some of II l didn't like. don't be-
lieve there has yet been developed q
real photoplay although there isn't
any reason to believe 1t will not be
hanhouser company at New Rochelle
In several pictures. It was most in
teresting and fascinating.
There was no audience. of course.
And that made a big difference. But
l managed to get an idea OF what we
were trying TO DO and did it to the
best of my ability. l rather liked
that part of 1t. didn't like the
waits for work and the seemingly
Senseless way the things were heing
done-a scene from the end Of the
play here and from the middle next
and then from the beginning. There
was real reason for 1t, though,
which / soon understood and appre-
Ciated.
ut isn't easy for us Of the stage
who have lived so long with IL and
FOR it TO see this artistic youngSter
spring up so quickly and attain such
vigor. II required years for vaude-
vile to reach the stage where itrobbed
the legitimate OF the people who had
made it. But the motion pictures
seem to have accomplished the
thing quickly and finally. They have
done It'll was going to say complete
lY. but I guess I'd not make myself
quite clear. We who have worked
so hard and so long to make theater-
Soers laugh and cry feel just a bit
sad about the way they are being
made TO laugh and cry by a strip Of
celluloid pulled through a box.
The theater has meant a great
deal more to most Of US than just a
way to make a living. 1t has meant
something more than simply every
day work. To provide amusement
and recreation for a great houkeful
Of people, to know that 1t Is you who
are comforting on them the happi-
ness of laughter or the freedom OF
tears or are making them think of
something 1t is good for them to
think about-it is a great thing. as
great a thing as ] know anything
about. And that is probably why
we ancients and honorabIes feel a
bit re6entful Of the motion pictures.
But il the motion pictures carry
ON what we have been doing-and
there doesn't seem to be any reason
10 believe they will not--Why more
power to 'em. think maybe they
will. Certainly il men like Mr.. Than
houser ana some of the others I
will do It. But there Is one thing
haired MarY Pickford no matter
what 7 do tn always be the same
Ada Boshell." G. NJ.