The Washington times., 1916-03-14
Calls Actor Greatest Rough
and Tumble Fighter He Has
Ever Seen.
film STAR CANNOT FAKE
champion Declares the En-
counters in Photoplays Have
| Got To Be on the Level.

''ffIi Farnum In the greatest rough
ana tumble fighter for pictures or
for money! believe ever saw"
Being praise from Jess Willard
might be considered as praise from
Caesar willard, now training IN
New York for his forthcoming
championship battle with Frank
Moran utilized the motion pictures
Tor the vocal end of his training
yesterday and told thing or Two
about what he knew OF fights as
shown on the photoplay screen.
All OF this Is highly interesting.
especially in view OF q message
which Just came to the Photoplay
Editor of the Times from Mr.. Far
mum. In which he referred to MS
fighting ability as more or less OF
joke. III.
Farnum hasn't had a fight In his
life. shat he can remember, except
for stage or photoplay purposes! An
optimist personally who would rath-
or do a great many things than
fight, he has been very much sur
prised and not a little amused AT
the comments that have been MADE
on his various fights In the film
plays he has figured.
Regrets Fight Fame.
Farnum regrets most Of these
fights. He is a conscientious work.
or, and has rather high opinion
OF the artistic development OF the
drama as well as the films.
He regrets. therefore, that he
should be known to more people as
q rough and tumble fighter-and
appreciated as such-than as an
actor who is trying to put lot OF
real artistic work in his develop
ment of the parts assigned him.
However. Jess willard Is enthusi-
astic about 1t. He bubbles over
with his praise for Farnum. And as
cultivation Of the vocal chords have
become rather an important asset
for a prize fighter nowadays. he
utilities his opinion of Farnum to
get himself in proper condition for
' his fight with Moran. He trains his
voice thusly:
Most stage fights are just stage
fights that's all. The fighters
usually stall and swing wild. afraid
that they are going to hurt each
other or ruffle eac hother's clothes.
IN these days moving pictures are
too real for fake fighting. The au-
dience knows In a minute whether
or not the men are doing their best
or only stalling.
,Farnum No Faker.
II have seen some film fights that
were certainly not I'D to the stand
ard. but I have also seen some that
were more realistic and in which
there was more action than in many
q championship fight. l mean the
pictures in which l saw Bill Farnum
fight. He is the greatest rough and
tumble fighter. for pictures or for
do not mean that Farnum is a rowdy
or anything like that. l know that
he Is q very high class gentleman.
What I do mean is that he has dem
onstrated to my mind that he Is
more than able to take care of him
Fighting. even for the stage, Is
not like acting. There has got to be
an exchange Of punches and these
punches must hurt, II they are to be
realistic. The hardest work a fighter
has Is to go on the stage to meet
boxing. 1t Is very difficult to hold
back and not let some OF the blows
that are started land.
"Farnum and his sparring partners
put all they have behind their blows,
or at least seem to. and l used to
that made them so perfect. know
differently now know that they
really give and take the punches
that come their way. / saw Farnum
in The Spoilers Fighting Blood,
Soldiers OATH The PIunderer,'
The Bondman,' and "A Man of Sor-
row. and believe me 1 have seen
ring fights that did not touch these
for realism and action.
Take Long Chances.
They all took the longest kind Of
chances In these stage fights. They
slam each other around and you
never can tell when one or the
other is going to get up with a
broken leg or arm or head.
"Bill Farnum fights as though he
likes to fight, and, have no doubt
that he would have landed in the
ring II the stage had mot claimed
Ann in his earl:' youth. Anybody
can see how he likes a battle. The
men with whom he fights make their
own battles just as strong or Just
as weak as they want them, be-
cause no director can stand back
and make men pound and slam each
other like they do. Farnum always
seems to be the pacemaker. never
saw more realism shown in a film
play than in those fights In which
No. AL 49,