The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-01-18

BtpQ091ly tesx0N4 10%H Wc00 70.
ward tie yest 10 kisG tie .sun-
beanS. adieu. She n the ssiSf yUul
used to know when sypn devoted I
h11f The Aight to writing ! love-
letter only to tar II up NAen you
aeEpke. She. 10 the giriSypu used
70 know when tAe !, m06nbe beams
drifted ke snow On the restless
waters. She u the girl Who haunts /
cur sfeEeries, ,arising liz : sweet
wrath from /th6 capricious, frag-!
rant wreaths. Of our. ptpes.
{ What child! What woman! |
Those dear. dead days all come
t4ck when aha l6oks ct Jon AL
the world is young again. and there
|issno thought Of the tomorrow. The
cheer audacity OF it all-that wild. |
reckless youth when all the world
was an enchanting melody, bestir-
ring strange and unknown fires;
kehoking, flooding, burning and
leaving shattered dreams behind!
Lila Lee ID the universal girl of
all 1ur young memories.
Protege Of Edwards.
/. Pardon D bit OF biography. About
nine years ago, Gus Edwards, CO.
author with viii Cobb Of School
Days." and scores OF other equally
as successful popular songs. was
on a still hunt for types. Gus had
abandoned song-writlng temporar-
lily to produce the frs kid revues"
known to the speaking stage.
| Edwards happened over IN Union
Hill, N. j., one summer afternoon
land CHANGED to spy q number of
little boys and girls playing Ring
/ Around a Rosy" in the middle of
the pavement His quest brought
him to the spot in jiffy and when
he beheld little 9-year-old Augusta
Appel he was willing to call it q
day right then and there.
i There followed the usual paren-
/ tai consent to a stage career and at
! the tender age of 8 Augusta Appel
was introduced to. the B. F. Keith
vaudeville circuit as Lila Lee, or
better still as "Cuddles." She be-
, icame Edwards. favorfte child &C
, tress In no time and remained with
hims and his kid revues" until
about two years ago..
Lila has retained much OF her
!, charm as a lisping, gingham-clad
|, little tot tripping across the stage
to the tune of one of Edwards
: tcatchy numbers. Her features, her
Eel ~ oh h.i vi q
=. little mannerisms are much the
same as then, although now, Of
) course, she has the height, round.
ness of figure and sophistication Of
y q lovely woman. Somehow, she
: cannot be forgotten as the wistfu
J, little girl, with a school bag labeled
= "Cuddles," shutting along while SHIT
. lisped a song between bites of al
} enormous apple.
FL Unfortunate Debut
Lila entered the movies under {
tcloud, SO to speak. The great sue
:. cess of Mary Pickford, the Gishe'
;, and many other film prodigies LEI
y to Violent competition among lessee
u producers. Little Lila, just cud
II dly kid, was selected by an eastern
a producer to out-Pickford Mary AM
II out-Gish the Gishes- \ One Of tn
IS greatest campaigns known to film
o com was inaugurated through ev
% cry possible channel Of publicity
L. heralding the arrival Of thi
g. prodigy.
It The public expected a pig-taile
u Maude Adams-and they didn't ge
d 1t. First Of all, Lila was q victim
70 Of over-advertising. Next, she wa
10 cast for the role Of very little gil
t. in productions written with a vie,
e, Of accentuating and developing tn
b. fact that she was only a child &C
e, tress. With her fine intelligence
t. her stage experience and nativ
ability. Lila might have overcom
even these handicaps, had not ns
20 lture and California conspired
NJ blast the hopes OF the little star.
A. Lila had reached the age whe
% it was time for her to grow. Sh
: should have been a head taller
.. but she wasn't. So they sent her
~ California to make pictures, a lit
= freckle-faced. understood kid,
= dresseNthat tapped at knee lengt
~ Then came the great change. y
" Begins to Blossom.
y. The climate tod kindly to Lii
She could live in one house. all Il
81 time, regular hours, regular meal
w. golden weather, pleasant wor
~ pleasant surroundings. Old natul
~ began sheaking up on the kid. HI
IN feet grew down to meet the sid
nc walk and her head began to strett
~ to meet the stars.
ne In few months, Lila was ju
'e exactly. by actual measurement,
or head taller than she was when 81
is fentered California That's why b
portrayal otfkid parts didn't con
'ss up TO the expectations Of the publ
Ter She was too busy growing.
X AccordingNto all rules, the youn
Ike ster should have been downhearte
n But she was determined that h
I've career in motion pictures should I
" lsuccessful.t She is we'll on her VI
he now to the success ne seeks. b
there must have been MANI da
and dismal days along the. route.
Ich One day Cecil de Mile cast h
, a for the role Of Tweepy and go
he LUCK returned to Lila. There a
- a few things you remember part
-. ulafly about 'Male and Femal
M One Of them is Tweeny. What sy
nathv the niece pOssessed, Lila C:
M. ried away. Then she realized.
Ia the first time, Jesse L. Lask
IN. IN dream Of her cinemic possibiliti
-. The Finished Actress.
ing In. "The Prince Chap. the pub
Y" looked upon a new Lila Lee,
lgirl who came back-only she ca
1l back D woman. But It was Twee
m that marked The turning point
the Lila's return. She has also ,
al I n