New-York tribune., 1920-02-01
Fay Banter Is Seeking
For Something Missing
To Make Her Name Irish

Will some kind genealogist communi-
cate with Fay Banter? Ming 10y, tne
Gov Chinese maiden Of EAST Is West
at the Astor, is looking Tor an apos.ro-
phe and letter which she thinks
dropped out of her name some time IN
the past. All people who meet the ap-
proval of Mollie, Miss Bainter's fer
vent Sim Fein hairdresser. must
naturally be Irish and there is no con-
vincing her otherwise in this case.
Mollie is sure that Miss Baintcr's
middle name was O'Kelly. Miss Balm
ter admits that the middle name IS
Okell and since Mollie started delVing
among genealogical books and tables 10
md out where the 'y' and the apos-
trophe went to Miss BANTER Is also
irving to find out what happened to her
former Irish name.
The star of East Is West who
made the trip from Los Angeles, where
she was born. to success on Broa adway
by gradual advances which took her
into almost every state of the union
before she arrived here four years ago
in "Arms and the Girl is feei, z the
cumulative effects Of three years of
wigs As Q-rin in The Willow Tree"
and as Ming Toy in East Is West"
with her glistening black hair cut in
pretty bangs, she has had TO wear wigs
continually. Every day they have to be
dressed the dyes run and in time the
hair is injured.
"Oncc | had quite blond hair. Now
look at it. ! am disappointed blonde "
One must admit that Miss Banter IS
no longer a blonde, but her hair is far
from an unattractlve color
at is starting TO fall out, IT is turn
ing gray, and everything Imaginable
-, |, t, J.. y
it cut and now Mollie is taking heroic
measures to get it into good shape
again.
Il should have cut my hair she went
on, "and worn it like yours under the
wigs when | started to play these
parts.
When it was suggested that Miss
Banter would find il hard to keep up
her social activities with closely
cropped hair she declared expires essively:
well, | wouldn't 20 any place. I
can't play Chinese parts all my life"
For more than year in the Astor
Theater she has been giving delight
tul performance as the almond-eyed
lass of the East and the theater has
become almost home TO her. On
Wednesdays she arrives there shortly
! before o'clock and does not leave until
after the evening performance is over.
not even going out for her meals.
"Carolina brings them into me and 7
eat them here"
"Where does she get them %
AT saloon around the corner she
said. just as simply and unaffectedly
as she says and does everything.
Miss BANTER likes Chinese parts but
does not like the wig that goes with
them. Then she fears if she keeps on
with the baby talk much longer she
will not be able to talk in her natural
way.
SO she is planning for n long vaca-
ton this summer. She wants to go to
! Europe
~ have never been abroad and /
want TO go this year But if | do go,
| should like to go to France and stay
there throughout my vacation and go
to no other place. If l go to France,
( England. Switzerland and other Euro
pean countries, | am afraid would
become so confused that | would come
pack 10 America knowing even less Of
Europe than l did when left here.
That's the trouble with me- When
go to big thing | run around so
much that in the end I am usually all
IN and have missed most of the things
worth seeing. | went to the Panama
Pacltic Exposition, at San Francisco. in
1915, and spent three weeks trying
20 see it. | rushed about until was
away and people started 70 ask me if
had seen this and that I felt as if |
had not been there. | was shocked to
md how many things | had missed
Finally, 1t got so that | was afraid to
admit that | had even been there"
Whether Miss BANTER VIII be able to
san on June |, as she hopes. depends