Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-30
BELASCO PROMISED
STARDOM TO LILA
TO STOP HER TEARS

ONE evening about eleven years ago
" David Belasco. the famous stage
producer, gave his watch. his stickpjn
and his diamond ring to q young lady.
The gift was bribe. but 1t DIDN'T
work. She kept on crying.
Now the reason for her now Of tears.
tears that disturbed the great Belasco
and gave him a dramatic situation he
couldn't control, was just this: The
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Children had refused to let her per-
form on n stage In Rochester that eve
ming, Just because she was only seven
years old. Prevention OF cruelty. in
deed PerpetratiOn Of cruelty. rather,
for the young lady could have rccci, ed
no more heartless blow.
When she was informed that she
could not appear in the Temple The
atre she refused to eat her supper.
Shortly afterward her tenchcr- nurse,
who accompanied her on her travels,
could not find her. A general alarm
was sent out and she was discovered
in an unfrequented dressing room, sob
bling as though her heart would break;
1t no happened tina. Mr.. Belasco was
In Rochester that evening rehearsing n
try -out for new production. His
secretary informed him. He had met
the young girl. ETe was interested in
her, SO he dropped his work and trie'l
TO comfort her.
The diamond ring didn't stop the
tears; the watch and the stickpin we're
equally futile. so he tried something else.
Don't cry, little one he told her,
"I will make you a star the day you
are sixteen years old
The effect was magical She was
content.
That was back in 1911. The stardom
came even before Mr.. BelascO had prom
iscd. Jesse Lasky discovered her before
! her sixteenth birthday rolled around
and sent for her, and from "Cuddlcs"
! Lee she became Lila lee.
/ That incident Of the ring and the
stickpin was not the first dramatic
scene in the life Of Lila Lee. The first
one came when she was only Ave years
old. On the rough cobblestones of Union
Hill. y. j.. she used to play, her big
eyes and her childish beauty making her
conspicuous among her playmates. She
had Just learned to play Ring Around
the Rosie y and was absorbed in it IN
front of her humble home across tho
river from New York when Gus Ed
wards. song writer and vaudeville man
ager. rode by in his automobile.
He needed new child type for his
latest song revue. His songs. School
Days" and when We Were a Couple
Of Kids were at their height. He
knew he had made find when he saw
Lila.
''Do you want to 90 on the STAGE
he asked her.
"Yeth.' she answered. TASK mamma.
Mamma was willing and it was shortly
after that that "Cuddles" Lee came
into fame She became more beautiful
as she grew. Tall. faultlessly built
vigorous and athletic, she became q
favorite.
II was in 1917 that Mr.. Lasky sen,
for her. She was success in the chii,
play, kThe Cruise of the Make BE
lieve. Then there followed "Suck Il
Little Pirate. THE Secret Garden.
Puppy Love" and many others.
Next fall she is to appear IN one ol
the biggest Lasky pictures of the yea,
} Blood and Sand" with Rodolph Val.
entino. She will play the beautiful
convent bred wife of the bull-hghter in
, the Vicente Blasco Ibanez story.