El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-07-05

! since that OF Juanita in The Rose
OF the Rancho" for which have not
been profoundly grateful But this
does not alter the unique nature Of
my experience. When a producer rec
ognizes histrionic ability in an actress
II Is not his custom to rely upon
that ability alone. but rather to ex-
plot her personality for all that q is
worth To this end he selects plays
for her, not her for PLAYS He en-
eages playWrights TO build their
stories around her personal charm,
doing everything he can 10 cap
italize her womanly grace and beauty
so that the world will come TO speak
OF going to see his star rather than
Of going 10 see the play. or the star
IN the play
This is the common experience Of
nearly every player who rises into \
featured or stellar position. But Il
never has been mine In my entire
career ] never have had NY person
atty exploited / never have had
play written around me- I have not
even played a role in the theater
since the heroine o. The Rose OF
the Rancho that has been dominated
by anything Of that feminine beauty
and charm that so easily wins the
theatergOing heart I call attention
10 this unusual situation not be-
couse I resent Il but because K ex-
plains the insistelcy with which ]
have been asked two questions
throughout the engagement Of almost
every play IN which ] have appeared
questions that have been repeated
20 me so many hundreds OF times
that they have become. in their anal
ysis. singularly illuminating.
Prototypes In Real Lifes
DO sou believe that the women
you have portrayed in the theater
have their prototypes in real lifeT
is the leading query
ar-~r Hfa.r- ~ Il ~
dock Of The Easiest Way; Becky.
in The Case OF Becky" Gabrielle. in
The Secret" Marketable. in the play
OF the same title. and now Sally. in
Tiger, Tiger, With this clear in
thought. It will not be difficult 70
understand the second question. which /
is usually expressed in some such
manner as:
How DO you go about building
characters that are so foreign 70 Z
your own character and experience
As I see drama, Il Is divided into {
two ciasses=life as il is and life as i
We wish L was=the real and the 4
ideal The women have unprecedented /
in the world Of make-heiieve have (
been, in the main. in the class OF
life as IL Is They have been for the
most part sophisticated. worldly
wise women with VARYING kinds Of 7
character IN some instances they )
have been extremely foolish women B
tensely human. and the name Of their
prototype is legion.
Lots Like Her.
IN The Easiest Way" BIZ Eugene
Walter, Il Is my opinion that Mr.
Belasco produced the best play ever
IN It MI. Walter touched
a high water mark which neither he
nor any other has since been able TO
excel Laura Murdock was typical Of
thousands OF women in her inherent
tendencies and characteristics She
was a weak. vacillating girl who. in
other and better circumstances.
could have been as good as she WAS
bad. She was a universal type You'll
find her among our most Ntrtuous
wives and hon1emakers. the anly diff
ference between them and Laura be-
ng that they have been fortunate
enough to have that loving protection
which has shielded them from becom-
nC the victims Of their weakness
Like thousands Of her sisters Laura
luxury. OF the soft things Of life. was
80 absirbinE that she gave Il gratil-
,ation at any cost
Becky. in William LOcke's The
Ease Of Becky" represented a less
General type She was study in
,sychology. with splendid dramatic
opportunity but she must be put
nto a somewhat isolated class when
{ comes to finding her prototype IN
ife- She presented dual personality
n exaggerated and crystalized form,
Ind was not the woman we are apt
o rub elbows with very frequently.
Another Universal type.
But with Gabrielle. the central fig
Ire OF Henri Bernstein's The Sc
ret" I reverted again 10 a ty-pe that
s so universal that II was not in
frequently my experience to receive
10Th letters and calls from strangers
Who wanted TO tell me that they had
lee1 scarcely able TO sit through the
LAY because in Gabrielle they saw so
much Of themselves. She held the
mirror OF human nature up to Itself.
nd the picture reflected was such
s to send a thrill Of horror through Z
he fascinated onlooker The Sc
ret was a remarkable sermon. a
otent warning, even while being a
owerful drama It afforded me the 2
In Edward Knoblock's Marie
ldile" ] played 4 character 50 \