The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1916-11-17
GRACE DARMOND, A
LITTLEEVA' GRADUATE
Like at Least Ninety Per Cent. of the
Motion Picture Actresses the Star
of GThe Shielding Shadow" Began
as an Uncle Tommer.


of %The Shielding Shadow" Began
as an Uncle Tommer.
There is one interesting question
which has escaped all the statisticians
They have been wandering up and
down the earth since it was young
computing the number Of strokes the
average man takes with razor in an
average lifetime; how many words
the average woman speaks in week
the length In miles OF the worlds
annual poetical output, ETC.. etc., but
no one has ever used pencil and paper
In computing how many little, flaxen.
haired girls ascend to the spotlight an.
nually on "Little Evas" cloud.
1t would be safe to wager that at
least ninety per cent. of the motion
picture stars began their ascent in that
cent. Of these having Outgrown little
t'va's wings and cloud, made their
next move as "Editha's Burglar"
Write to your favorite movie ac-
tress and ask her if this wasn't the
route she Travelled. Perhaps she skipped
'Editha's Burglar" but he is most
unusual If she did not begin her heart
racking career as Little Eva"
II was both Eva and 'Editha,'"
laughed Miss Grace Darmond, the pref.
ty little star who is featured in ''The
Shielding Shadow" new Pathe serial
"and 1 remember was SO little when
/ played Little Eva that 1 cried when
L did the translation scene for the
first time, because instead Of getting
off the cloud into heaven, as l had
ty old loft Of theatre.
"That was my first .disillusion. There
have been thousands since, but do you
know that whenever 1 have disap-
pOintment i remember how / cried
when they lifted me off the cloud and
how I have laughed at 1t since.
remember that and laugh at my lat
est disillusion. know 1 will laugh
about 1t some day, so why not now q!
81 think must subconsciously have
taken these words for my motto when
l began motion picture work. / was
getting forty dollars a week on the
Northumberland that's pretty good for
a girl Of sixteen-but / was ambitious
and wanted to do better, SO one day
/ applied to the manager Of a motion
picture company out West. He looked
me over critically. Had 1 ever acted
before the camera? I knew that If
said hadn't 1t would be fatal, so told
him little white one, and said had.
"He replied that this was very for
tunate. They were getting ready for
the first rehearsal of a play. The
scene was set, all the cast was there
except one Of the leading characters.
She had sent word she was too Ill to
come. He could not afford delay.
l was just her size, complexion and
build. I had had experience. Would
I take her part?
would / take her part? I jumped
Mt it. He paid me only forty dollars
a week, the same as 1 had been get
ting; but I would have taken it for
less because Of the opportunity 1t gave
me to begin movie work.
''He doesn't know it to this day, but
1 was so frightened during that days
work that my knees fairly shook, but
l never tried harder and made good.
"Of course, the work is hard, but
I love it. 1t is hardest when one is
engaged for serial, and / sometimes
wonder IL the public realizes the stu
pendous work In putting out serials.
The work In The Shielding Shadow,
In which there are only fifteen cpl
sodes, will take eight months.
There Is so little chance for self
deception In screen work that we are
never satisfied. You see, when an
actress receives the applause of her
audience, she makes her bow with the
satisfied feeling that she pleased them
that she has become success. But
when after weeks and weeks Of re-
hearsing for film with no one to ap-
plaud, she sits in q little dark room
and sees herself on the screen with
every imaginary fault Of gesture and
expression apparent and irremediable
before her eyes, she cannot escape a
feeling of dissatisfaction, with the
determination to do better next time.
II know that have done my best
work on the screen and that every
picture turned out leaves me ambi-
tiOus 10 do better work the next time.
That is one reason why love motion
picture work." ..
go ~. '--