The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1921-09-03
Putting Pep in
the Pictures
BY X. RAY BAKER.

| Allen Wexford realized that three
persons were booked to lose their JOBS
il short time unless somebody put
pep into Pelton productions.
The three persons were Constance
Morton. Alfred tlldrdge and Allen
Wexford And the person whose duty
1t was to furnish the missing ingre-
dent was the last mentioned gentle
man
Something hnd gone wrong and old
Jarvis Pelton knew It. He watched
the pictures with microscope, fgura-
lively speaking. ever ready to pick
flaws, and he found flaws aplenty OF
late
There was no use talking. Felton's
famous heart plays" were not the
drawing card they once had been.
'They amt convincing; that's what's
the matter" grunted old jarvis. Con
stance and Alfred can't make love like
they used to. I'll give them little
longer to make good. and then
That meant only one thing. The
big three would be looking for new
employment, and jobs were scarce in
studios even for stars.
TINE was when the movie audiences
used to cry: they were so wrapped up
In the wonderful love-makng of Con
stance and Alfred. Now according
to old Jarvis. people were known to
laugh when the couple got into action
And II was Aliens fault. of course
He was the director. and when any
thing was not convincing he was TO
blame He was one of the best direc-
tors in The business. but he was fall
ing down miserably on the Job. He
had made Constance and Alfred, and
now he was unmaking them.
At first he couldn't understand It,
The heart throbhing scenes were so
.IistIess they We're pathetic, He sat up
several nights searching his worried
brain for the solution. and Mt last he
hit upon It.
1t suddenly came to Allen That the
cause of the trouble was love-regular
love. nos the screen variety. He was
VI
the love scenes were apathetic because
the director Just couldn't bring him
self TO coach the participants as he
should Directing frequently calls for
deal Of shouting through mega
phone and pleading and cajoling, and
Allen was finding II Impossible to be
earnest in urging Alfred Eldridge to
make realistic love to Constance.
It was gall and NORWOOD to the
director to have those two stand In
front Of him and utter endearing
terms. and embrace and even kiss. II
seemed like mockery Of thing d.
vine Allen was realizing why he
had made failure Of his own attempt
to become an actor. He simply
couldn't pretend: he had to have his
heart in whatever he was doing. and
that was why the Pelton pictures were
poor. He had lost heart In the love
making Of Constance and Alfred.
II only once he could get chance
to speak his mind to Constance. But
all his associations with her were on
business basis. He could stand on
the sidelines and direct her In her
love-making. but there was no Oppor-
tunity to speak I'm his own behalf.
She came to the studio in her motor
car Just in time for a scene to he
snapped, and she was gone as soon as
her duties of the day were done.
One afternoon, when distressingly
poor love scene had been filmed,
Alfred Eidridge approached Allen and
said:
"Wenford, something has got to be
done. Our pictures are rotten, and
we know It. and you know it-and
what's, more. old man Pelton knows It.
Maybe I'm Mt fault, perhaps It's Miss
Morton. but I'm afraid it's you. The
two of us did all right as long as we
had tho proper kind of directing, but
we're lost without It, We can't get
pep into n scene unless Won get pep
into your directing. Miss Morton and
| are losing our regulations as actors
and you're losing yours as director.
First thing we know we'll be down
and out and who will want to hire a
trio of hasbeensT"
Miss Morton was getting ready to
depart in her car. but Alfred called
to her and she approached.
miss Norton he said 1--WE We're
Just discussing the poor showing we
have been making of late. / thought
It was time a remedy was found. and
| spoke to Mr.. Wexford. The three
Of US have worked together so well
that It seems shame we can't put It
across now. But something's got to
be done"
"We're all ut fault. / think" said
Constance. II can't seem to get en-
thusasm into my acting any more.
for scme reason"
That's the way with me-" nodded
Alfred, "and to be frank, | think the
trouble is with Mr.. Wenford's direct
ing"
Allen realized the actor had hit the