Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-27
THEODORE ROBERTS
RECALLS EARLY
DAYS IN FILMS

sT'EN years ago." remarked Theo.
L dore. Roberts. veteran character
actor. rejecting on the movies tenth
anniversary celebration In March. ~
was stage director at the Davidson The.
atrc in Milwaukee.
~ worked very hard and every once
in while. needing relaxation and rest.
I would 60 out for an hour or two and
see movie. Thos. were the days of
the one, two and sometimes three-rcel-
ers.
principally. they consisted Of wild
chascs. of leaps Ov,r cliffs and such
mark. That's the best picture I ever
slept through had a practical applica-
ton In my case. ] would sleep peace
fully while the screen shadows---which
were really Pickering shadows then
achieved wild deeds and followed
harassed criminals ur lovely heroincs
over mountains. down deep sorges and
across endless plains.
But the crowning tragedy Of all was
when they put on Shakespearean drama.
condensed. with a boy who was in
tensoly ignorant actually engaged in
explaining the scenes ns they were
flashed on the screen. Imagine! They
played 'Othcllo' and the boy couldn't
Desdemona and Ingo. lie would at.
what the actors were supposed to be
saying-as for example: 'Igo is sayin'
to Desdemony: ] love YOU or. Now
Otelo is askin IgO to leave him alone,
etc.--yes. there were subtitlcs. but you
see, even with these and the extravogant
gesticulations and 'mugging.' they
still feared the public wouldn't get what
was meant.
THE pictures we're then novelty
it was a case of seeing something move
whether a kangaroo or n man. That
was the thing-pictures that moved.
The story was almost entirely lacking.
SO the great advance began when they
started producing real stories.'
They didn't want actors in the early
days supplemented James Neill. an.
other noted actor. now frequently seen
in Lasky pictures. 'at least not moro
than the leading people. Any one would
do for the other parts
They believed, you see, that it was
easier to handle totally unframed per-
sOns--,like puppets or marionettes, y
: chmed in Roberts.
"But that was proved n fallacy very
soon," continued Neill. at began to
be evident that even minor parts had Ia
he acted by persons knowing something
about acting, because so much time was
wasted that the saving in salary was
soon eaten up. and also because the pie
lures suffered as a result of thu uncoutl
movements and gestures Of the unskillc0
performers.
THE funniet thing" he went on
"were the pictures. such as some al
those depicting General Washington.
cxperiences-I recall the one whcl
showed the battle of Valley Forg,
,, where the army started out IN the snow
!, and fought the battle In the lovel,
: srringtime. 1t was easy to make on,
: snow scene. but to show n battlefield
, covered with snow was beyond them ii
those days
Yes" intericctrd Theodore Rob
/ crts. land the army consisted of .fou,
supers. General Washington came on
Of the house to meet his scouts an,
others because it was so much easier ant
=, cheaper TO take a scene out of door
than to build set representing an in
, terror.
when ! think Of what tho picture
- were ton years ago and compare then
y with tn" pictures Of today. caI
=, scarcely believe that this progress is tn
:. work Of but one decade.
J. Speaking Of sleeping through
:, picture. " added Mr.. Roberts. slnilin
over the reminisccnrc. II rencmbc
once several years ago entering Il pic
= tlrc theatre where n comedy was bcin
= run of. ] was arrested as ! cntcrc