Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-10-13
CONFESSIONS
OF 4 STAR
As Told to
IiNEZ KLUMPH
CHAPTER XIV


casionally-that one picture makes n
star. "The Miracle Man. is the big
example of that. Of course-both Betty
Compson and Thomas Meighnn were
made by that, though they'd done good
work before It was made. Dorothy GiSh
really hit her stride with her part as
the little Dsturber in Hearts of the
| World" And. Of course, it was her
first picture made under DE Mile
direction that made Gloria Swanson.
| learned from outsiders that Ma =
colin Sandy felt that | had deliberately
| humliated him in the eyes Of his friends.
He had thought that the newspaper an
nOuncemcnt of our engagement would
at "Undefeated' with him would be all
that was needed TO make people think
that we we're engaged. SO he set out
TO get even with me.
] didn't mind his neglecting me for
Phyllis Fairchild: I was rather glad
that he did. in fact. And I was work
ing so hard-thcy pushed my pictures
through as fast as they could, which
sometimes meant working all night as
we'll as all day--that | hadn't much
time to think about him.
But after six months Of that | be-
gan to see what he meant to do. was
established as a money maker and ]
, had finished four pictures. which were
all good ones. Released as specials,
they would last through the rest of the
time | was under contract to him. lie
could be reasonably sure that I would
receive offers from other producers when
my contract was up, and so he set out
| Inli ibprntplN in m
| making star.
For one thing he cut down the amount
of money allotted for my productions.
That would cheaper them. of course.
! He might have gone about II in another
way, as producer | know did when
he wished to ruin male star--by run
ring up the expenses Of his pictures so
fast and so high that the pictures
couldn't possibly make enough money to
meet them. Then, you see. the report
TO the owners of the company would be
that that stars pictures lost money for
| them-and how much chance would
! there be Of renewing the stars contract?
! And SO ! had unintercsting, cheap
| little sets. while for Phyllis FairChild
| Italian gardens, with sunkCn pools and
gorgeous interiors were built. | re-
member ono day when ! had to make
supposed to represent a drawing room.
which was merely q hodge podgc gath
cred together from the property room.
Of furniture and walls that had been
used in so many pictures that every fan
must have known them by heart. The
wall paper was the wrong color to shoot
me against. as il was so near the color
of my hair that the silhOucttes wouldn t
! be clean cut. and the furniture was
horrible stuff.
But on the next stage Phyllis Fair
child was working in restaurant
scene, which would show in Just flash
on the scronn. Yet for it a perfect dup
! licate Of one Of New Iork's big dance
clubs had been built. professional mu-
scians and entertainers had been en-
! gagged and 200 extras. at 81 a day. sat
, around at tables and drank stale ginger
ale, while Phyllis and Malcolm Sandy
I consulted with her director and wasted
| time that meant money for the com
! pany.
finally decided that I'd have to do
| something. and so. for my next picture.
| worked on the sets myself. The most
important one was living room, and
| over that I simply slavPd. | tried to
| make 1t look as I'd have liked the living
room of my home TO look il Derry and
l nau DP'n mhfFlcu, J llhu" SID covers
| for the best pieces of furniture that 7
could get from the property room. and
! got some material at II sale nj unc
Of the department stores and made tho
darlingest ruffly curtains mado sofa
cushions and bought a good looking
desk set and worked for hours over the
Arrangement Of the furniture to got an
offectiv" grouping that wouldn't inter
ierC with the action.
My director was Il young chap. Just
, out of college. who'd been working for
several months as assistant director: ::
he didn't know great deal about tho