The Washington times., 1916-01-19
Uncle Sam Is Tender
of the Stage Door
for Stars Of the
Motion Picture

The fact that Uncle Sam is the
stage dcUrkeeper Of the T1otl m PIC
ture, in n manner Gf sTeaklnc, miGh'
have something to do with the fact
mat there are very few stage door
Johnnies to annoy the photoplay ac-
tresses. And probably accounts for
the reversal of all tradition w III"
growing up OF n class that might he
called stage door Jennies." mas
much as women. young, OLD, anc
married women are TIE authors Of
the mash notes which, Uncle Sum,
as the doortcndcr afcrC said. hrihGS
in bundles. baskets. bags. ana carts
full to the actresses Of the photo
play.
In the days when Julia MGrl"wc
was playing JCliCt-bcfore hCI mar
riage to Robor! 1abor-w omen con-
stitutGd the major Tart Of the crowds
that assembled ut the stage door L.
see Miss Mnr;uWc make the o%citing
trip from the door to her carrhGr.
But Miss MarluNC was the cNCCp-
ton Il was Usually Grove Of
Yourg men vino CnnrregHtcd ABOUT
the entrance g. wait Tor tho pretty
Rirls Of the stage. Nnd magazine
story writer's, motion piCiur" seem
aTio cOmpoUudCrs and cthct" FtiN
stick to this idea. Now the motion
icture reverses the process and
makes the women the principal
writer's of mash notes.
Margaret COurtot, who is ono q
the pretty young women ~ he
screen. and who, by tire way. rc
ceived a contract as a star from the
the GaumOnt company as "A sorl OF
Christmas present after having 40
reared for three wears rs q leadinS
woman with the l[alem compcny. is
authority for the statement that ct
tors come to her NV the hundreds
from women and girls and very rev
from young men.
ITS a curious thing about these
letters" Miss Courtot comments.
They come mostly from alder
people--you know what | mean.
The writer's are not young folks
at all. And they are practically all
from women. Many school girls
write me. Some ask me for clothes.
I do not send them because / have
no way of knowing whether or not
they need them. II | knew they
were needy, | would be glad TO
send them"
Miss Courtot is one of the inter
esting personalities of the photo
play.
II am French. you know" she
told an interviewer. MY father
was born in France. and mother
came from French canton In
Switzerland. I was born in sum
nit, n. Y, i'm 1897, which makes
me nineteen years old, you see.
We lived both abroad and in this
country when was a kiddie. Then,
when I was about eight, my father
died, and mother. Jeanette and !
went back to Switzerland. | went
to school over there, such dear
quaint little school at Lausanne,
where I learned to speak French.
and forgot what little English |
knew almost entirely.
"After a time we came 10 New
York, and mother sent me to school
We were so happy and contented in
our home, the three of us. that
when friend Of ours suggested that
he believed ! would photograph we'll
and that mother take me TO the
studios, we laughed at it, and paid
no attention. I was too young 10
quit my lessons. and anyway. nei-
Their mother NOR ! had even dream
ed Of my acting.
"Our friend insisted. however. aud
at last mother and I went over To
the Kalem studio. The mon IN
charge seemed to like me. and OF
fercd me an immediate position.
But we refused if. BY the next spring
had become little more Interested.
and in response To a letter from the
company mother and | went to the