The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-23

Angeles and stops at n big hOtei. sac goes shopping. Virginia returned from shopping trip with large wardrobe and depleted pocketbook. Tn the lobby of the hotel she got into conversation with a girl in the nov les. The girl praised her beauty, Virginia, by chance, meets a movie girl. Her new friend explains the pitfalls of moViedOm. She invites Virginia to share her apartment. Nir- ginin and her newly found friend ex- changed names. Gloria Summers was baptized Maggie smith, but that name was unknown in Los Angeles. GIOriR--Ria to her friends-wRs n jolly companion. Virginia and she checked out of the hotel to go to Ris's kitchcnette apartment. Ria In- troduced Virginia to charming tvo- room apartment with "buiIt-in fea- tures." Virginia found Ria fl splen- did companion who spoke Hollywood slang from habit, but she could drop 1t nt will. Ria had unique philos- Ophy born of hard knocks. IL vast To-day Is another day"
 Fruit toast and coffee! Oh, how good 1t tasted-this first breakfast had in Hollywood.
 Was ever girl more fortunate than I? l had & home, an incentive to work and a friend.
 The first thing you must do." in structed Ria, lis to have your picture taken. You can go and get some of those dinky postals and you better effect the sweet and simple pose. 1t Is good thing for you, kid, that vamps are out of fashion and your type of girl is coming into her own. | nradint ha dfraCfnrS will just snap at you"
 She scrutinized me carefully as I was eombing my hair trying vainly to make those "cootie cages" she ha l spoken about.
 Don't you do it, Virgie. Don t you do 1t. The longer you stay here the most overworked word you will find in Hollywood will be individ- ual.' And simply winding your hatr in those great braids of gold about your head is not only individuaf but different from any girl 1 know in moving pictures. Then. too, every director will know you have courag , for even l, who am considered very independent, would not dare to show my ears at this stage of the game. They tell us ears are coming in-er is it out-but are they?"
 Mine are already out" I put III with a laugh.
 You look like a million dollars. Virgie. Let's go."
 Down on Main street 1 had two or three postcard pictures taken that 1 thought looked more like the Witch of Endor than Virginia Winston. Ria liked them but l missed all the color ing which l had always seen in my mirror.
 50 that is the way 1 will look on the screen, is it?''
 T hope not"
 Well, what do you mean? 1 thought you said you liked them
 "Oh, they are good-for postal pie lures. But you, yourself, can see there is about as much expression in them as in your grandmother's tim type"
 Don't you thing I had better wait until l get my good ones?"
 No. The service bureau only wants these little ones for atmos- phere jobs. N hen you get your big ones you can leave one or two of them for the directors file."
 And what Is the directors file ?"
 There is tradition, kid, that when director can find no one to fill type that he has in view ne goes down to the service bureau and looks through that book of pictures. But 1 would like to bet my years pay that there are no directors thumb b prints on the leaves. However, II tlatters the officials at the bureau. and you can afford one good picture for them. Great Scottl We have got to hurry as you can only regis Ter between 12 and l."
 Why don't We walt until tomor- row?"
 Now look here, Virge. You will have to wait on the sweet will O.. every casting director in Hollywood. If he deigns to see you at all he will send out word that he is in confer euce and then you will have to wait while he smokes a cigarette or two, or tries to make himself solid with some Jane he intends to put in a small part if she Is nice to him. The one thing that you must learn right now is that you must never put ocf anything that you yourself can do immediately, for wait and waiting are the watchwords of this whole business. You wait and wait and wait for the promise of a job, and you wait until somebody has written
 
 wait till the director has given tho 0. k. to you for the part, You wait upon art directors, camera men and the temperamental furies of the star be that star man or woman-and the picture finished you start in waiting again for another job"
 l laughed, but l was grateful for the wisdom of Ria.
 There were no waits during the first part of our visit at the service bureau--at least they didn't seem waits to me. Ria and 1 joined a line of old men and young men, we'll dressed men and shabby men, white men and black men, pretty girls and ugly girls, fat girls and lean girls. old women and young women, we'll dressed women and shabby women, sweet-faced women and the other kind. It seemed to me that in this line one might find every type of human being that God had made or the devil had put his sign upon.
 There's a lot of them today. for the papers say that the movie busi- ness is picking up" Ria said, look ing at me. and then: Stop your trembling came her sharp command. And remember that with your ward robe and your looks it's $7.50 a day for you, nothing less. And you might tell them that you have got slt wardrobe, too"
 But, Ria, you know l have just paid out hundreds of dollars for my new clothes"
 'Of course, silly, that is what mean. A $10 wardrobe means that if they pay you $10 for days work you will trot out better duds thau you win for $7.50."
 Are you sure that will go, Ria?'
 Careful. Quiet! You're next"
 Ria suddenly stopped. l felt the hand that clasped mine grow cold. looked behind the man who was sitting at the table-fha man who