The New York herald., 1922-02-26
Mothers of the
Screen Stars Are
Their Biggest Aids
Pickf0rd and Minter Parents
Are Examples of Careful
Managers.

mother. AIrs. Charlotte Pick
ford Smith, has surrounded
her famous daughter with thoughtful
care and eagle eyes, not only during
the current litigation but in all her
business dealings, suggests that some
day the complete story will be written
of the mothers of tke screen-the
modern Amazons. who keep their
daughters bathed in the spotlight and
also spotless in the public view. Amid
tie two conflicting tendencies of the
present TO make Hollywood out as
either a plague spot or an unsullied
Garden of Eden one can be sure that
behind every oasis there at which in
vestigators are not pointing the finger
oe scorn hovers a screen mother
ready to pounce with loud pow.
Mary Pickford, Norma and Con-
stance Talmadge, Mildred Harris and
Bessie Love. to cite but few ex-
amples, owe their progress in large
part to mothers who guarded them
like the British crown jewels. They
shielded them from annoyance and
rom the customary cranks who thrive
on pestering any one who is achieving
distinction. They exercised a guiding
hand usually in their daughters busl-
ness arrangements, saving them from
pitfalls into which young heads might
..,yT ~
head was principally flied with the
thought. "Oh, let's go for ride in my
new car" Generally if 4 feminine
stars contract has been bad her case
has been an echo of the old melo-
drama. mo Mother to Guide Her"
Almost always the mother has been
q stage graduate herself, so she knew
when and where to throw smoke
screen about daughter. A hist OF the
primitive comes into the picture here. A
lioness defending her cubs IS in the
same fighting class with a screen moth
er battling for a daughter who is being
lionized. Mother has mental Kick suffi-
cient for both of them.
OF course there Is always something
IN IL for rlother--she usually locks well
Fed. But she always earns e,lly what
ever falls into her hands from bringing
home the bacon. Girls who aspire to
success on the Aims would Go we'll to
lay in a good. maternal guide even be-
fore getting their hair marcelied.
Another striking instance OF screen
motherhood Is that OF Mrs. Shelby. Mary
Miles Minter's ma. who is now endeav-
oring to pilot her daughter safely
through the waves of gossip inundating
los Angeles every time the sheriff and
the prosecutor dig up something that
looks like second cousin to . clew.
Previous to the current case she had
been so vigilant that searchlight
turned upon Mary couldn't have done
better. AS a result she had brought
up the little blond star more carefully.
On all sides it is believed that Mary
would remain innocent and unsophisti-
Gated no matter II Hollywood lived UP
% all the sensational stories printed
about Il.
It Is generally deplored in reputable
Aim circles that the winsome Mary was
brought into the case. as she was comirg
forward at a gallop in spite of having
10 drag some unwieldly screen stories
with her. Several towns have banned
her pictures since the Taylor murder.
and any marked reduction In her draw
ing power would probably mean a re-
vision OF her contract. recently signed.
which gave her more than s25o.0o0 a
year to worry along on. Her earning
power Is now said TO be second only 20
that OF Mary Picllford's among the
feminine stars, ard any diminution of t
would doubtless make Hollywood seem
hotter than ever for her.
Since the recent expose Of Holly wo IL
great solidarity has sprung up amovig
al the players. though probably many OF
them wouldn't recognize II under tha,
name. Various cliques who formerly
disparaged one another-for even a re-
zion 80 noble az Los Angeles, accord.
ing to some Aim directors, has its
cliques-are now firmly united in the
declarntion that its people are Just about
the Erandest little bipeds that ever
stepped on the gas.
Moreover. Il has been brought home
20 the celluiod denizens even more
forcefully than after the ArbucRle case
that hereafter they must walk a chalk
line without waving their arms wildly.
On the spoken stage little home gro vn
scandal has often been considered an
asset. But the clientele OF the screen ali
over the country are vastly different
from stage patrons: they include maay
persons who never went to r. theatrical
entertainment before and who alternate
church with the movies. They arc i'm.
bred with respectability and the big
drop in attendance all over that has
followed tho latest cause celebre of
filmdom shows how sensitively they re-
act whenever they believe the honor nf
the family Is bound up in the expendi-
ture OF their nickels.
s. L. Rothafel OF the Capitol has
Unique hobby-he goes fishing on the
screen. Though an ardent disciple of
fzaak Walton. he finds little time in
he midst OF his multifarous duties to
ease the finny tribe with real worms.
50 about every week he orders UP a
nature study to the Capitol projection
room and spends fifteen minutes having
= very exciting time landing n big one
rom a comfortable divan seat. He IL
also an invetcrate arm chair hunter.
and the other day sent back a short
reel of ducl;s after he'd asked 'em al!
When he went on his vacation las,
summer he Just ged to squeeze in
about four hours of shooting. and while
hc didn't bag single bird he caught
wailopinG big appetite.
Rothafei and Edward G.. Bowes, the
managing director. are also engaged In
friendly race 20 zee who can acquire
he most medals and badges. the coll
lection Of each being apparently limited
only by the size OF his chest. After
Bowes acquired the insignia OF "a
Deputy Sheriff Rothafcl got gold badgs
as an honorary member OF the Fire