The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-05-21
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NEW YORK, May 2o.-self-ap-
pointed censors sound the tocsin
every now and then to say the mo-
vies are skidding to the bow-wows.
The public, they say, is interested
only in custard pie comedies and
vampish ladies who ensnare mis-
guided millionaires. Even the re-
doubtabie Will Hays cannot save the
industry. gloom the pessimists.
Consequently the selection by
popular vote of the two most pop
ular stars in the moving pictures
in New York recently throws some
Interesting light on the progress of
the movies. 1t revealed that inter-
est in the movies is not confined to
the so-called middle class.
The Astors, the Vanderbilts. the
Goulds- and the Harrimans took
lively interest in the voting, as live
ly indeed as the shop girls and fac
tory workers. The contest was
conducted by the Association for
Improving the Condition of the
Poor.
The winners were not the YAM
pires nor the glacial celluloid la
dies who crack hearts, smoke Gig
reckless abandon on the screen or
of. Billie Burke was first and Miss
Mary Carr a mighty close second
Miss Burke is happily married
and is mother. She is seen very
rarely in the Broadway palaces Of
pleasure. Mrs. Carr is the mother
OF seven 'children-six of whom are
living. She Is one of the most in
teresting and best beloved women
on the screen.
Her big success was the patient
Ma" Benton in that excellent Aim
over the HILL" She is middle-aged.
home loving and keptsher home to-
gether through bitter years of
struggle. a struggle indeed cruel
enough to crush the most courag-
eous heart.
She is happiest when she is cook
ing dinner for party of friends in
her Riverside Drive home. Mrs.
Carr is now white haired. She was
graduated as a teacher from a Phil
adelphia normal school and when
she was forced to earn a living for
her big family she became a stock
actress. Her movie success came
when she was discovered by Will
liam Fox.
larity contest that Fatty Arbuckle
did not receive a single vote and
that Miss Bebe Daniels was at the
bottom of the list. She did not
show so much speed in the contest
as she has on the California high
ways recently In her high-powered
automobile.
The contest also showed that the
movies draw its patrons from the
humblest to the greatest. mong
those who proved to be devout
movie fans were Mrs W. X. VAN
derbilt I'd. Mrs. Ogden Reid. Mrs.
Harry Payne Whitney. Mr. and Mrs.
Vincent Aston. Miss Ruth Twombly.
Gen. T. Coleman DUPONT. Mr.. A. r.
Duke. Mr.. El5ridCe T. Gerry, and
Mr. Cornelius Bliss. jr.
In the mems division Tom Mix
was runner-up with Will Rogers
and Charley Chaplin close behind
all movie stars who have never been
touched by the breath of scandal.
1t is interesting to note also that
many of the men who were enthu-
siastic voters for the favorite stars
were those high in the financial
world-men who make history every
day. They went about the city So
Letting votes for this star and that
All are patrons of the movies and
know the histories Of the leading
players.
One of the most excited voters
was a poet noted for his classic
epics. His favorite player was Tom
Mix. All New York newspapers
agreed that the contest proved a
marked interest by all classes of
people In motion pictures.