Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-29

iytio. man with cauiihower ears, eiEht mod
els 10 society dsnesTs eassre, snSer; ;,,pnv Dnr
tmSst be n good eosditlonJ and 20 indians.
No. good reader. this is not meet
ing Of the ''Dopey Benny Association,
simply the requirement" sheet from Di-
rector r. Mason Hopper Of the Equitable
4 Motion Pictures Corporation, who was
staging a picture recently in which Gall
Kane makes love. through five reels, to
a clay image. Hence the mummy.
The list OF wants sounds rather grew
some. but II Is not unusual. One hour
after the wants are known along Screen
Row" as 46th street. New York, Is termed,
nearly every one can be filled from the
army of applicants.
Taking the wants individually, type Of
man. fondly associated in the American
mind as the typical plainsman and scout,
with a Buffalo Bill beard and long wav-
ing hair. can be gotten through the mys-
terlous wireless channels Of filmdom. A
stately gentleman stalks into the casting
room of the Equitable on the eighth floor
OF the Leavitt Building in West 46th
street. a building that houses number
OF big Aim concerns-the Equitable, Will
liam Fox, World Film, Peerless, Paragon,
Paramount, Premier and Ivan. Eight
thousand applicants day enter and leave
the building seeking positions from the
and-dollar-a-week stars to the two
dollar-a-day extras.
The stately gentleman Is equipped with
a flowing white beard. His wavy hair
blooms from beneath Stetson. He is
the recognized scout of New York's film
dom. Owing TO his beard and hair match
ing, he receives IS a day instead of
the customary S3--for Is not his beard
with hair to match an asset? He may
be used simply as local color, or atmos.
Al.
types--but his beard and hair are the es-
pecial qualifications of Providence.
Come ten young ladies of the musical
comedy chorus type
Have you all got small aprons and
white cuffs?" asks william Sheer, the cast.
ing director
aye, aye, SIR" comes the unanimous
reply, and forthwith the ten young women
are engaged at s3 day each to sit at
tables in fashionable hotel barbers shop,
while Gall Kane. as the abused heroine,
seeks her long lost god. They are simply
atmosphere and the director. who no mat.
ter what other faults he may have Is no
pllter. demands ten manicures. And gets
them.
Why burglar? you ask. Simply be
cause the film has reached that stage
where detail is the keynote of all pro-
ducers, and n man adept at using drill
and soup" as the dynamite Is called
must be employed, else the critical audi
ence will detect the bungling of an anna
teuE.
And whether you believe 1t or not. Will
liam Sheer can dig up a burglar.
Cocaine fends are known as Snow
birds" anv a dose of the deadly narcotic
Is called "a sleigh ride" Sheer is hard
put, but "snow bird is engaged. He
arrives at the studio a little late. His
eyes are CLASSY, his tread uneven and un-
certain but after a visit to the remoter
corners Of the big studio he becomes firm
and ambitious. Result-atmospher
The snow bird" receives So also, al
though he admits the work is a pleasure.
But his appearance and the undeniable
fact that he is dope fiend, without hav-
ing to resort TO the use OF smudgy cos
metics, is well worth the extra two.
Two of the saddest-looking people In all
New York, mother and her grown
daughter who reside in a small theatrical
boarding house in 39th street. control the
mourners' market. They are gloomy and
melancholy even when being paid of.
They appear throughout the five acts as
mythical mother and sister OF the mummy
True. they only appear on the screen as
indistinct and fitting shadows. but their
faces register their sadness, and again
the greatly desired local color. They re-
ceive $40 instead OF S3--their sad 4xpres-
sion being a qualification.
The man with the caulihower ear
doesn't care whether he gets S. or just
80 cents. He enjoys the rough house
that ensues every time the director tells
him that he Is supposed to bounce an
undesirable. The ornamented gentleman
works with Eest-end is in out OF the cold
Since the Equitable staged a scene, with
half a hundred toughs participating |
hardly day goes by that some former
boxing or wrestling favorite does not amply |
for extra work. This type is easily gotten
and receives the magnificent sum of 81 for
eight hours work.
Indians can be hFd by the dozen in lots |
a. high as $50. or N units-the price de- |
pending on the painting. Made up for |
Il