The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-29
s}P FR E!,9
FROM Film FUN
TO FILM DRAMA
BY
OMmer)0Nuge

e~S AD6A~ A~uAU LILY IW0 VI lii &c years
ago, and settling herself in the Pull
the wistful eyes of youth.
She was travelling towards the Pa
cific Coast,-or to be exact. Los An
geles.
Yes, you guessed it. She was on her
way to be movie actress.
There are three ways that you can
tell the story Of the average girl who
starts ont to be a screen actress. First,
there is girl who just wants to make
money. Then there is the girl who is
willing to work, but wha has not ma
tural ability,
It was to the third class that the
little girl named Mary Thurman be-
Ionged. This class of girl has to be
good looking. and possess brains.
Then there's ambition. The girl who
succeeds in pictures has to know how
to be patient, she has to have that very
vital characteristic known as stick
to-it-iveness."
Mary Thurman went to Los Angeles
with the idea that she was going to
begin at the beginning, not at the
top.
She found that there seemed to be
two royal roads open to the girl who
wished to become an actress. She
might become one of the mob, play an
extra" or perhaps she might play a
maid.
The other way was to join a COM
pany making film comedies. Mack
Sonnet, through his bathing beauties
has proven to be the open door for
scores of girls Just as the chorus OF
musical comedy production has allow
ed dozens of girls to study how ac-'
tors and actresses work, and to step
into bigger and better roles.
Mary Thurman, weighing all the evil
dence she was able to collect, was glad
TO get the chance that she really want
ed a chance to play parts in Mack
Sennett's comedies
The time soon arrived when Mary
packed her bathing suit In moth balls,
and decided that she would hunt
more dignified position
The sands by the sea must nave
been a good teacher for in very snort
time she was engaged to play in sew
eral pictures made under the Patne
banner, and she played them SO Well
that whenaAllan Dwan saw her, ne de-
cided that she was just the girl he
wanted for one of his new pictures, IN
the Heart of a Fool" She had ar
rived
Then there's Betty Compson. another
Utah girl, who discovered that comedy
is..a good training school ana those
who sit In Judgment at the picture
shows admit that she Is one OF the
greatest Of screen actresses. and that.
wherever 1t was that she learned 70
act, it was a good place
Miss Compson was born in niue
mining town called Bever. There was
nothing very exciting, or at all funny
about her childhood. The big gay
came, however, whe the family Jour
neyed towards Salt Lake City, ana
Betty found that it was possible 70
take a few violin lessons.
.-The fiddle" had been her one
great love. and she learned SO quick
" that before long she was playing
in an orchestra at one of the local
theatres.
opportunity sure takes strange
methods OF knocking at the door, MISS
Compson admits, mine came because
= fellow who should have been anus
ing a vaudeville audience one aiter
noon. spent the time at the nospieai.
When I heard that we We're snort
handed, 1 walked up to the manager.
and suggested that could DO an act
with my violin. He said that cou'u
trv. / didn't have an evening Dress so
wa rigged out Tragedy BOY costume
ana went on. The act went over
Nth a bang-and found mysen
hooked to play in string OF coast
theatres
coles for an engagement, met Al
Christie. whom had met on otner
,,ts,ts. He asked me why ala not &C.
Tor the motion pictures the idea nau
lever occurred to me. but ne suggest
IA that / try. / did-and ne engaseu
me- ..1-ben followed four long years OF
rornning round the earth making 1901
~ ~ myself ia hopes that someDouy
..,o,,ld laugh at me. 1t Is naro WorA
- 40 good slapstick. especiaiiy When
s,ou don.t enjoy being the JOKE. ! cah
;arvb at a good story, put Sues
49, left all the custard pie nuiaor
80 If NV makeup. At any rate one
49, told myself and the Woriu me-
nvas going to be legitimate
.usss or was not going TO play.
= 49, ..,r chance at legitimate WORK
- o,,t TO be in western pictures
- .he old fashioned type. Flhahs'
OF 'ns ~. dav when they told me TO
ca!'is log and ride down stream.
gea - looking at the log. and at
the swift little river. and thinking now
ma Hack and blue spots wouiu
have when l was finished
Wen, anyway, / rode the iog' ana
when they helped me up over ene e VS.
of the stream there was a man ! nau