The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-05-01
SEEING AMERICA FIRST.
~ FRED c. KELLY
Copyright. 1915. By Fred C. KeIly.)

Imagine q place where nothing ever happens
except the unusual
Imagine a community. whose Inhabitants all
wear strange costumes, grease paint. penciled
eyelids. or false whiskers.
Imagine place where scarcely anybody In bis
real self-where everybody Is playing part
Just such place Is one Of the moving picture
studios at the edge Of Los Angeles. This studio
covers more than $50 picturesque acres of hills
and dales. More thrilling things, more astonish-
Ing things. occur on those $50 acres than occur
on any corresponding BIT Of territory anywhere.
IL II IL Interesting TO peek behind the scenes
OF a big theater, Il ID . thousandfold more inter.
esting TO spend day or so as an innocent by
stander al this big movie studio. which IL a hun
dred theaters. dozen wild west shows. couple
OF Wild animal shows, and a number OF other
things all rolled into one.
1ss place Is a little makebelieve world unto
itself A day there IL a page from a sort of
modern Alice in Wonderland
From early morn 10 starry eve you see strange
folk strolling about ready for the call 20 duty
that Is. with costumes and grease paint on Com
edy. tragedy and meiodrama are being produced
all az once. side by side.
Being 10 world Of their own. the actors do
not dash into their dressing rooms TO remove
their makeup the moment they have played a
Ii occasion TO be somebody else. You walk about
seeming 70 find yourself face 70 face with people
from every Land and every cline
Go TO lunch In the cafe and you find there
harem favorites. society queens. cowboys. bandits
and grand duke or two. sitting together on a
basis Of perfect amity and accord. Go back at
dinner time and the same people may be al the
same table. only now everybody Il somebody
else. The cowboy has become. mayhap, a tired
business man or a railroad magnate and the
grand duke Is made up for a village blacksmith
No matter how funny anybody looks he IL so
accustomed TO looking that way that he gives
no sign OF sehconsciousness. any more than the
average Indian sees the humorous side of deco
rating himself with lot of five and ten-cent
store pocket mirrors.
Walk back over one Of the hills and you find
like as not, q dog leading an elephant TO rescue
girl from a tiger or a force OF Indians ahor,t
TO food town By blowing up a reservoir. or
perhaps desperate battle II in progress between
two ferocious film forces Of mimic war.
On the first day Visited this trick community
there was some horrible affair taking place In
Cairo They had built street in cairo and filled
" with natives, camels. cavalry and tourists
The man who sees that film and suspects with.
out being told, that IL was not made right No
Cairo. would be suspicious Of his own mother
Carpenters are an important part of the biz
working force In this little magic world They
are prepared TO build quaint little village stree;
or an African jungle with almost equal dispatch
IL tho director needs castle 70 storm they build
him a notwithstanding big painted canvas
castle.
After watching the exciting doings IN the Cairo
street walked TO stage a few yards distan,
and saw the production OF calm little domestic
drama In New York fiat There are two i'm
mense stages at this studio and each one T.
divided into dozens Of scenes which are changed
from day TO day TO fit scenario demands One
may walk three feet from scene In an Alaskan
mining camp and step into the saloon OF an At
lantic liner
The things that occur In these various setiinKs
IN one average forenoon. II they really happened
would furnish city all the gossip needed for ten
years.