New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-06-01
Settling the Question
Of the Happy Ending
By Harriet Underhill


musici he likes to dance; he wears a
plaid overcoat with belt; he likes to
go to the theatre to see musical come
dies. He is gregarious; he is Irish
and he has sense Of humor that
would be quite sufficient to endow ten
ordinary men and nobody would miss
anything.
And all Of this is 50 different from
what we expected. Now, wouldn't you
think that George Beban would take
his art seriously, and be unhappy and
perhaps q vegetarian and believe in
remuneration and inhibition and all
that sort Of thing?
We had gained that impression from
seeing him on the screen, and, as he
chooses the Western coast as his habi-
tat and We have chosen the East and
never the twain shall meet, we had no
means Of knowing that he enjoys his
own comedy characters as much as
we do.
When Mr.. Beban came East his press
representative told US that he wanted
US to have luncheon with him, and we
promised, sadly, because the press rep
resentative is an old friend of ours.
But we do hate being elevated, and we
suspected Mr.. Beban of being one Of
those men who think noble thoughts.
But is he? He is not. He seems to
get more fun out Of life than any one
wo know-that Is, any one who doesn't
live IN New York. In spite of the fact
that Beban gives those marvellous Ital-
ian representations. he isn't Italian at
all, and doesn't even know how to
speak the language. 1t was some time
before we discovered that fact, for he
was jabbering away at US, telling us
about joke which he had perpetrated
at The Friars Club the previous night.
"But what If some one had under
stood what you were saying?" we
asked, aghast.
"How could they? I wasn't saying
anything."
Isn't that Italian?"
ut is not. It's jibberish. My own
italian. You know, Pm Irish"
"Oh, thou iconoclast!" we murmured.
And then, "What do you think Of the
happy ending for the movies?"
"Not so good" said Mr.. Beban,
thoughtfully. "But that isn't 80 impor-
tant as what you think Of them-what
the average public thinks of them. Do
you think that mavie fans demand love
interest in a story, and do you think
they are satisfied always with a happy
ending?"
eyes to both Of those questions" we
answered. look at the success Of
your picture His Sweetheart That
ought to answer you"
III know, but it has always been
question in my mind whether the sue
cess Of that picture was not due to the
fact that His Sweetheart was really
only his mother and the romantic in
terest was q side issue. At any rate I
am going to try 1t out In my next
picture" and Mr.. Beban outlined the
plot to US.
1T does sound fascinating" we said,
but-well-oh, please let him marry
Maria's sister and live happy ever after.
OF course we all know that it is i'm
possible, but we like to be fooled for q
hour and a quarter or however long it
takes to run flve-reel feature"
'Ill think over what you say, for I
do believe you are right about the
average fan. And now here is one
moro thing I want you to settle for
me. Shall I, In my return to the
screen, do the same sort Of characteri-
zation which I have been doing, or
shall return In q brand-new guise.
What would you say to a romantic
Frenchman or just straight lover?"
"Bravol" we cried '<The latter idea
appeals to US as being something quite
out of the ordinary, if you know what
we mean. But, seriously-and we have
considered it seriously-our advice is
this: Come back in your first picture
in your old familiar guise which we
all knew and loved-a pathetic, big
hearted Italian-and then do something
different-as different as you can find.
For, while the public isn't really as
tickle Us some people believe, when
your followers do tire there is no re-
calling them. Nothing can ever rise
Ph@nix-like from the ashes of dead
interest You have seen other stars
lose their satellites. We do not need
to tell you"
"For instance 2".said Mr.. Beban.
eyes, said we sadly, as succession
OF smiling, frowning, athletic, aesthetic,
tall and short ex-hcroes crossed our |
mental vision, "for instance"
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