The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-10-30
Actor Of Tomorrow Has IRE
mendous Advantage.
VIII Be AbIezto Study Work of
Today's Stars.
IMMORTALIzED BY SCREEN
Producers of Silent Drama Go
to Stage for Artists.
Hundreds of Successes Con.
tracted by One Corporation.
By WAYNE wINGART


1 From Shakespeare's day to this
dramatic art has defended upon tickle
memory for its preservation to poster
ity. Unlike the artist, whose work can
be studied and copied from vantage
points in the museums of fine arts;
unlike the composer whose music can
be played by generation after genera
ton; the actor has had to depend upon
the memory of man to deliver his
message to the children of Tomorrow
and memory plays many treacherous
tricks
In this day and age of the motion
picture, however, the old order of
students have to seek their knowledge
from musty books alone. The art of
the actor will be preserved for them.
In the development of the motion play
! erring medium for reproducing the art
| of acting.
Show Foremost Players.
Already many, of the foremost actors
| of today have appeared IN screen YER
sions of their dramatic successes and
| thus their work can be made a part
| OF historical record which will show
the dramatic art of the twentieth CEN
| fury to coming generations. These
| have been commercial enterprises. but
a development in another direction is
! bskng considered by stage and film
Iproducers-that of making a record of
famous scenes by leading actors thru
| motion pictures for historical and
educational purposes.
1t will not be long until producers of
fstage productions will make it a regu-
| lar part of their business to have mo-
ton pictures of their plays taken, not
for commercial purposes exactly, hut
l hn hE nnfn NHTiif dnriN
from seeing1themselves screened and
for the benefit of the younger school,
/ according to Frank Reicher, who is
/ now directing pictures for Paramount.
He was an actor and later stage di-
rector for Henry B. Harris before go
| ing into pictures.
Purchase Many Stage Rights.
| With the announcement from the
executive offices of the Famous Play
ers-Lasky Corporation recently that
| the stage and film rights for hundreds
of foreign and domestic plays are to
| be purchased, the possibilities Of re-
producing scenes from great plays.
acted by leading actors of the modern
school, will be unlimited.
What a wonderful thing it would
be for the stage today if we could have
pictures showing the dramatic powers
of such actors as Edwin Booth, Henry
Irving, Richard Mansfield and Joseph
Jefferson" said Mr.. Reicher. eff we
could study the mannerisms of the
famous stars of centuries ago thru
pictures we would have splendid means
of teaching the young actor the things
| to do and not to do.
For Actors of Tomorrow.
"Those who come after us, how
ever. will have such privileges. Before
| long producers will have their actors
go thru scenes and speak lines just
as in the play and the camera will
record action, stage presence and
characteristic poses Altho there is
drama and that of the silver sheet, the
mannerisms tricks and sHbtleties of
the actor play an important part in
both, and it is these which add to an
actors work, that the motion picture
camera will hand down to the students
of tomorrow for thought and study.
''Altho at present there are no films
showing the ability of E. II. Sothern
and Julia Marlowe in their Shake
Ispearian repertoire triumphs, for in
stance. or of Minnie Madden Fiske in
I"Becky Sharpe" or of Maude Adams
lin "Peter Pan" there is, however, a
striking example of this new trend IN
John Barrymore's work in Or. Jekyl
and Mr.. Hyde The consummate are
| of actor is clearly shown In this pic
Iture, and when John Barrymore is a
pleasant memory to theatergoers, the
ipicture can be taken from the archives
| of the Famous Players studio and
Ishown as a picture of historical record
Iof one of the prominent actors OF the
twentieth century
| Gives Public Greater Appreciation.
| Not only will the motion picture
Ipreserve the work of American actors
but it will also show the histrionlc
| ability of foreign stage celebrities. 1t
would have meant a great deal to the
present generation Of actors lt the
/