The Washington times., 1920-12-24
Clarence Burton Got Thin in
Time to Become Villain Again

Introducing Clarence Burton, by
his own statement the luckiest man
In pictures. And-whisper this--now
the porsessor of a fine manly figure.
Note the word Now" Because 1t was
not always so.
The connection between luck and
slender figure is not SO obvious on
the surface. But Burton sees a direct
connection.
1t all happened this way. Burton.
as all the Undergoing world knows.
Is one OF the best known veteran
character and heavy" actors on the
screen today. lie has been the main
stay OF vnlairy in scores OF recent
successes. There was The Fighting
Chance" Thou Art the Man" and
What's Your Hurry" as recent ex-
amples of his work.
But-and this is the tragic part
he began to get fat. Not merely
plump; just plain fat.
Now fat is great help to a
comedian. Ask Roscoe Arbuckle or
Walter Heirs If you doubt this. But
fat villains have gone out of style
except on the grand opera stage.
Things rapidly reached climax.
Unless Burton could shake the ever
growing surplus avoirdupois. it looked
as though he was doomed 10 comedy
or the opera.
So a little over six weeks ago. Bur
ton undertook the task of reducing.
Ask anyone who has battled with fat
how easy it Is. 1t isn't easy at all.
SO he found.
The first step in the anti-fat crusade
was the acquisition of a trainer.
Under the latter's tutelage, Burton
proceeded to work as he had not
worked for years. There were hours
of setting up exercises. There were
still more hours of hiking. And there
were painful moments three times a
day when Burton watched the most
delectable food in the world pass him
by.
All of which doesn't sound like evil
dence Of good fortune, does it? But
here's where the lucky part comes in.
Burton found himself cast in
George Melford's production of 1.-THE
Jucklins" and bound for the tiny
California town Of Truckee. In the
meantime, something like thirty-fve
pounds of fat vanished into thin air,
leaving the victim with a figure that
any leading man might envy.
Meanwhile Jeanne MACPHERSON com
pleted her original story for Cecil b.
de Miles next super-special produc-
ton. 1t contained a part built to order
for Clarence Burton, as he had been
before fat overlook him. But the
Clarence Burton Cecil Il. de Mile
remembered was rather too-well-
upholstered individual; the role re-
CURED man of normal figure.
Right here Burton's rabbits foot
took a hand in the game. Melford
finished his TruCkec scenes rather
sooner than was expected. Burton re-
turned to Los Angeles and the Lasky
studio. Cecil Il. dc Mile saw the
rejuvenated actor-and promptly as
signed him to the role in question.
Now Burton maintains that the
Goddess of Fortune smiled on him
just in time. Otherwise, why should
he have started his reducing measures
just at a time when the results would
give him the greatest role and the
greatest opportunity OF his career?
Burton plays with Agnes Ayres and
Forrest Stanley, two other recent ad.
Htions to the de Mile forces. With
them, he shares the central honors OF
the picture. For once, Burton is now
playing a sinister villain but his
villainy is none the less villainous
because IT has its roots In weakness
rather than in strength. Anyway, It's
great role-for a thin man such as
Clarence Burton is now.
The Jucklins" will be seen at Loew's
Palace Sunday.