The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-20
Dolly Pronounces "The Combat" the Best Piece OF
Work Anita Stewart Has Done Since 'rThe Juggernaut
By DOLLY DALR YMPLE

V1GSHERE'S pretty little story that is
told about Anita Stewart and her
supreme modesty.
1t seems that. like the poet, Byron, this
attractive screen actress awoke one
morning to find herself famous!
The jump of a short skirted schoolgirl
to the dizzy heights of fame. however,
didn't turn her head a bit. and when
some deadly interviewer" asked her
once what it was due to- she modestly
and sweetIy said
Entirely to the dictatorship of my sis
ter's husband, Mr.. Ralph Ince!"
Now, isn't that superlatively modest?
Most of the actresses 1 have ever
known and interviewed" have a nice
little way of RECALLING you with their
climb of fame, giving little or no credit
to those who have directed. managed OF
promoted their career.
Anita Stewart is probably considered
the prettiest actress on the screen today;
certainly she is one of the most popular.
When l saw her. the only time L ever
saw her off of the screen-in New
York last spring at the moving pictuh2
exposition at the Madison Square Gar
den, 1 wondered how she'd ever get home
alive; the men, women and children all
but tore her to pieces m an effort to
speak to her or get glimpse of her;
she and Harold Lockwood were by long
ODDS the greatest favoriteS who attended
the show and everybody was at the ex-
position from little Mary Miles Minter
and Mary Plckford to Carlyle Blackwell
and Stuart Holmes.
I11i1 o,,fv rot ar. hof IL
caps an actress when it comes to being
considered an artist in her work; usually
a beautiful woman has nothing to do but
just keep on being beautiful!
Witness Maxine Elliott always beauti-
full, but never an artist: the Jersey
Lily Mrs. Langrty) famed the world
over as a beauty and equally famous
as a very mediocre actress.
Anita Stewart is different; she not only
has beauty, but she has tremendous tai
ent; her biographers tell us that she has
an opera loving soul, and when she
found herself in the movies instead OF
warbling Carmen or Marguerite's tune
fu notes in Faust" she felt that she
was casting her pearls before swine;
however, her sister, Lucille Lee Stewart,
YOU know; you saw her in The Conflict"
and lot of other good plays, has nus
band whose name spells magic in movie
land and when Mr. Ince said pose
Anita obeyed the command
The result is that today she stands in
a peerless position in film history, hav-
ing as many successes to her credit and
as few failures as any other dozen ac-
tresses.
Anita Stewart somehow will always be
associated in the minds of Movie fans
with Earle Williams; it seems a pity
that he isn't still playing opposite her;
the fans miss hinl-miss him terribly;
he's a splendid artist but then this
story is about Anita Stewart, not Earle
Williams.
In THE Suspect" Anita Stewart did
some finished work. in leads of other
plays she has scored triumphantly, but
not since her work in that masterpiece
of melodrama, The Juggernaut," in
which she is playing round at the Ralto
In the first place. 1.-THE Combat is
remarkably good play; it has color and
it calls for a large amount of emotional
acting which Anita Stewart accomplishes
with agreeable repression.
There are beautiful opportunities for
over-acting in 1.-THE Combat" which a
less clever and talented actress would
promptly take advantage of. but Anita
Stewart knows the art of repression,
and she has not succumbed to the temp
tation of ranting and 'meller-draw
| ing and as a result there is not the
slightest suggestion of "staginess,'' while
| the convincing qualities of the produc-
| ton are greatly heightened thereby
The story is a good one; there is an
abundance of plot which is consistently
developed and holds the interest all
through. The direction has been ad-