New-York tribune., 1918-11-10

Lila Lee was not born on an oasis in
the middle of the Sahara Desert on the
back of camel. Her father and mother
were not wild, artistic persons, of Rus
sian or Tartar extraction. Her educa-
tion was not completed in a convent
after she had been torn from the bosom
of pack of gypsies who sought to
annex her.
And yet Lila, at the age of fourteen,
is star, star without any of these
starlike appendages, and for this Lila
may be truly thankful. 1t makes living
SO simple. She may talk just plain
American and never have to remember
not to forget her accent. For Lila was
born in Jersey City. And furthermore
she is proud of it. She told US so her
self, sitting in perfectly modern chair
in the we'll appointed drawing room of
Mr.. and Mrs. Gus Edwards.
Now, Lila happens to be endowed by
nature with a face which suggests all
sorts Of wild notions in the mind OF
the beholder, and had the publicity di-
rector who holds her past and her fut-
ure in his hands declared that she was
the daughter of French countess who
fell madly in love with Sioux chief,
or beautiful Creole from Louisiana
who married an East Indian prince, no
one would have contradicted him. Be-
Tf1o 10
have had romantic prenatal influence.
She has perfectly straight jet black
hair-yards and yards of it--and the
largest, peculiar, gray-green eyes, with
long, black eyelashes, and her skin is
the color of ivory. Once upon time,
long ago, "The Duchess" was our
favorite author, and as we read over
| our description of Miss Lee it seems to
US that The Duchess once wrote some
thing like it of one Of her heroines.
However, ours is true.
Although we knew for a certainty
when we went to interview Lila that
she was the original Cuddles, still
we could not reconcile in our mind the
memory which we carried of the young
vaudeville star and the picture which
we had seen Of the same young person
on the screen.
Perhaps the real Lila would prove te
be happy medium which would draw
together the plump little pink-frocked d
bare-kneed child whom we had seen OF
the stage two seasons ago and tn,
slender, grown-up young lady who il
appearing in Aircraft pictures.
She was Cuddles then. Now she i
Lila Lee, neither of which names is he
own. However, by any other she woul,
be as sweet, and she is sweet--jus
that.
Lila is tall, slender young persol
who bears faint resemblance to tn
Cuddles OF two years ago and VIII,
looks very little older She also bear
a strong resemblance to the Lila O
the screen, only she looks a littl
younger.
The screen Lila has lovers and get
married and everything just as a sta
should, but the real Lila is not quit
fourteen and, while the plump knee
are now covered, the dresses reacl
only q few inches below them. Yes
there is no doubt when you see Lils
in real life that she is still a little
girl.
But you should see 'Georgie,' sait
Lila, full Of enthusiasm for her erst
while partner prodigy. "He is a young
man now-seventeen, and he is going
to go with Ziegfeld on the Roof. Bu
II like pictures better, oh, much
better!"
Alas for the lack of fidelity in the
female of the species. Since Cuddles
had been three years old the stage
had been her home and now. at the
call of the camera. she ruthlessly re-
nounces it and says that if she has
her way she viii remain in pictures
forever.
Miss Lee has already finished fou,
pictures. She showed us the stills O
the last ones and said with a nixtuy,