The Washington times., 1915-11-22
PHOTOPLAYS AND
PHOTOPLAYERS
Pets of the Picture
Players That Have
Played Parts
in Films
BY GARDNER MACK.

Though there has been much COM
mont. favorable and otherwise. OF the
photoplays with wild animals that
have been made from time to time
and are being made now with
such profusion. very little Is
heard nowadays about the domestic
animals who have become regular
actors In Aim dramas who are called
upon to play special parts. In the
early days Of the film the horse was
the principal actor In most Of the
plays that were produced. While the
mon mounted on the horses thought
they were the whole thing. II was
largely the action OF the horse In
chase or a wild dash to rescue the
heroine that drew the people to the
theater. The running horses demon
strated the actuality Of motion pic
tures better than anything that could
be secured. Hence the prevalence OF
the many Western plays on the old
programs.
The domestic animal continues to
play an important part In photopiay
production. Sometimes most I'M
portant part. Sometimes. In fact.
the real important part. The story
Of Griffith. Dorothy Gish and the
cat has become a classic. 1t was
necessary to have a cat walk on the
stage, stretch before hr". ana Nc
down. Anyone who has attempted 10
make q cat do anything OF the kind
can realize what a Job Griffith had
before him.
~ uirk about tine
cat scene and was finally about 10
cut II out-although II was Important
when Miss Gish. who played the
human lead In the piece. solved the
difficulty. Three hours before the
taking Of the scene was started MISS
Gish shut her favorite angora In
ono of the chambers OF a refrigerat-
or which was we'll filled with ice.
When the time came for the cat to
'.go on Miss Gish simply opened tho
door. The cat Immediately walked
toward the fireplace. stretched and
lay down before the warming flames.
All the actresses who appear In
films have pet animals Of some sort
they like to pring into the pictures
with them. And these animals arc
usually very well-trained In their
parts. The little shaggy dog that
Mary Pickford used in Rags,
which was so much part OF the
play, was a favorite pet Of the young
photoplay star. The dog. by the way,
died shortly after the picture was
taken. Miss Pickford srieve4 over
the pup, and even tho present Of the
Girl Of YESTERDAY" couldn't appease
her for the loss Of the shaggy little
terrier.
Belgian hares and white rabbits are
tho particular pets Of Lenore U!r!ch.
In "Kilmeny" the young star IL seen
with several OF these animals In her
home. and very happy. Tho reason
is. as Miss Ulrich explains It. that
she was singing some OF those wierd
Hawaiian things she learned while
starring in "A Bird Of Paradise"
on the stage. Miss Clrich declares
that rabbits have a distinct taste for
music; that 1t soothes and comforts
them. and that the Belgian hares she
owns are particularly fond of Ha-
waiian melodies.
Hazel Dawn's particular pet ls a
large chestnut horse she calls 'MiZ-
pah.' which has mott yet appeared
in a motion picture. but which will
probably be used sometime soon.
Miss Dawn Is particularly fond OF
the horse. and Is a trim believer in
tne anlTlhl lnteHlsenCc.
Horses. II seems, have been cred
tied with striking intelligence" was
Miss Dawn's comment. apropos OF
my praise OF "Mizpah." because II
they fairly appreciated their own
strength. they'd never submit to be
beaten and knocked about by the
human brutes who cSntrol them. The
entente cordiale existing between a
beautiful horse and his sympathetic
rider shows that they possess a sixth.
sense not developed in the other ami
mails. Horses have often been known
to find the way home when a rider
was hope lessly lost In the mountains.
and could relate many instances Of
the c!everness and discretion which
my MiZpah shows. upon occasion.
Once. for example. he paused right
on the middle of a bridgeyat night.
and no urging could make him pro-
coed. When we investigated. we
found two boards had been broken
out bv the storm. so that we should
have been precipitated into a raging
torrent. II he had gone ahead"