Evening star., 1919-10-05

~ Mrs. Fiske in her successful
stage play, ''Erstwhile Susan"
"Can YOU imagine says Edna s.
Michaels. "a tiny bit of feminine
loveliness, with great big sparkling
gray-blue eyes and mass Of wavy
brown hair, which looks as if heavy
pieces of dull gold were hidden in it's
folds when the sun strikes it. in Law
ender and old lace? Not the proverb-
ial lavender and old lace that Myrtle
Reid wrote about, but a really; truly
frock of pale lavender taffeta trim
med with black lace-the real stuff.
No picture was ever more charm
ing. more realistically fatastical.
more adorably naive than diminutive
Constance Binney in the oldfash-
loned lacy beruff1ed clothes she
wears in her first Realart picture,
'Erstwhile Susan
Miss Binney, always a believer in
realities, determined she was going
to do all in her power to make her
picture as realistic. vital and living
as possible. Fhe first thing she did
was to go to Mrs. Fiske and ask that
accomplished actress to lend her the
clothes she wore in 'Erstwhile
Susan the play from which this pic
ture was adapted. Mrs. Fiske gladly
loaned her all of the quaint old-fash
ioned dresses as well as all the other
little accessories necessary
And Constance Binney plus Mrs.
Fiske's clothes makes a most de-
lightful combination The little star
is just as delighted over her ador
ably quaint film clothes as she would
be over the very latest model fur coat
or new duvetyne dress. (Silk is out
of date.)
Isn't this the loveliest dress?' said
the vivacious little star as she
smoothed its silky surface and
pirouetted around to let me have
rear view Of the fun skirt and basque
waist. She had on the lavender dress
trimmed with black lace and had just
come off the set where she had been
doing her best in the role of Barna-
BETA to initiate the mannerisms Of
Ler refined stepmother.
I think it was perfectly great of
Mrs. Fiske to lend them to me, and
want to take especial care that they
are returned In good condition. She
even loaned me this bag and chain
fectly with the dEess,. don't they?'
said she.
isn't it queer the way styles have
changed? Look how wide the skirt
is! I'll wager it's most five yards
wide. You know, it feels great to get
into one of these skirts after the
tight ones we wear today. Look. how
in it.
But stopping short with a little
gasp, she suddenly exclaimed: There's
one drawback to this costume-the
waist is too tight. While the skirt
gives you plenty of room to move
about in the wafst-line doesn't allow
you to take deep enough breaths.'"
The Evolution Of the Movfes.-The
growth of photoplay entertainment in
popular favor can be traced almost
exactly by the evolution of the most
successful types of picture. While the
synchronized orchestral accompani-
ment, the erection OF magnificent
Tenement Of HsH Environment rne oa haus had had
their part in the tremendous flare of
the movie" 1t is to the Improvement
in the quality of the pictured play it
sell that the expanding popularity Of
pictures is due.
The high points of attainment are
generally conceded to have been
touched upon by Mary Pickford,
Douglas Fairbanks. Charlie Chaplin
and William S. Hart Miss Pickford's
unequaled success has been due to
Americas love of the ingenious spec
tacle of budding young girlhood in
all of its manifestations, and Mr..
Chaplin's to a distinctive brand of
buffoonery that defies successful fmi-
tation.
Fairbanks and Hart on the speak
ing stage devoted their talents to
portrayals- which in only small
measure depended for effectiveness
upon physical prowess or manual dex-
terity. By a gradual process, how
ever, actuated by a shrewd sense Of
appreciation Of their activities before
the camera, to which the public most
heartily and most quickly responded.
each developed a distinct Specialize
tion- Fairbanks became the premier
gymnast of the serio-comic screen:
Hart the de luxe plainsman. And each
stuck closely to his last.
But times progress. So do forms of
dramatic structure. There comes now
a new form of comedy drama which
must. perforce. remain novel until
a greater number of daredevils are
produced upon the movie lots. Tom
Mix in his latest picture is said to
have devised a combination Of draw
ing-room comedy, hazardous athletics.
amazing horsemanship and digital
dexterity that battles any one with
penchant for accurate and immediate
classification.
Whether Mr.. Mix has evolved a per-
manent new variation of tue conven-
tional dramatic form will remain to
be seen, but in his newest picture he
has at least demonstrated that there
is something new under the Cooper
Hewitt lights, IL not under the well
lrp nd Tts0Y cd