New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-09
Read This and
Consider --- You
Who Would Act
les All Work and No Play,
but, So Far, IL Has Not
Made Hope a Dull Girl
By Hayriette Underhill

By Harriette Underhill
Fannie Hurst is not the only one who
sets out to write about one person and
winds up by writing about another, rs
she admits she did when she wrote
.Back Pay" We had allotted this
space and this time to teiiing the story
of the winner Of beauty contest, not
because she, interested US especially,
but because she was friend of a
friend and, besides, she was what might
be considered good copy" But the
story of Hope Hampton keeps intruding
itself, SO VIC shall write that first and
get 1t or our mind.
We have known Miss Hampton, casu-
ally, for some time, but we really never
had any idea that she is as she is.
That sounds rather involved, but what
we mean is this: Hope Hampton has a
purpose in life and she is only twenty
one years old. Recently we talked
TO her for an hour, and although we
we're convinced that she was absolutely
sincere in what she said we find it
tifficult to understand.
OF course, when we were twenty
one We had purpose in life also, but
our purpose was to have good time.
We took no thought for the morrow;
no, nor for the day after, either. Moth
ing mattered but fun. So it sounded
strange when Miss Hampton told US
about how she occupied her time when
she isn't working in front Of the
camera.
~ want to know everything there is
to know" said Miss Hampton, land
the only thing that worries me is that
it takes so long to learn just one
thing. From the time l was five years
old it has been the dream Of my life
to be able to dance on my toes, and
now Pm going to be able to. I'm tax
ing seven lessons a week from Alexis
Kosloff, and he is teaching me all
kinds of dancing. OF course, I'll never
be able to dance as we'll as I should
if had been allowed to learn when
my infant heart Ionged for it; but you
should have seen my grandmother
She was a Quakeress and she brought
me up"
Isadore Luckstone is the man who
is teaching Miss Hampton to sing, and
he tells her that if she studies hard
perhaps in four or five years she
might try for grand opera. After
few months study she has advanced
SO far that she is allowed to sing Mu-
settles song from "Boheme,' "My
Heart at Thy Sweet Voice" from "Sam-
son and Delilah" and 40, Hear the
Gentle Lark" when she makes public
appearances. That means study.
GAS soon as I began to sing realized
that never could amount to anything
unless / knew some of the languages
80 started with Italian, and now I'm
studying French, too. 1t is as easy
to learn two as one while you are about
it." Usually we resent people who
know SO much more than we do, but
Miss Hampton is just as sweet as
though she didn't know thing.
''Is that all you are studying?" we
asked with slight bitterness and try.
ing to think of ali Che fun Miss Hamp.
ton was missing. ooh, no." she
answered. W'm studying English liter
allure, il that can be called studying
Ye gods, il that could be called
studying! English literature was
what had driven US from high school
and made US q debutante before our
time. It isn't true that q prophet is
without honor in his own country, 70,
last season when Dallas, Tex, opened
big new movie palace 1t was called
the Hope Theater in honor OF the red
headed child who was protsstingly
born there in 1900 and christened Hope
May Hampton. Not only did they name
che theatre for Miss Hampton, blu,
their initial production was "Sta,
pust' and Miss Hampton WAS among
those present" at che opening. But we
rather '-'isve your native towns dc
like w AaIm you after you've become
famous.
Every one knows how Miss Hamp'
ton was chosen. while still student al
the Sargeant> Dramatic School, to make
. picture for Leonce Peret, sand
was bad, oh. very had" said Mis-,
Hampton sadly, shut was down.
hearted? MOI"
"But what would you have done Il
that director hadn't chosen you? How
would you have etarted?"
Done extra werk, Of course, or per.
haps gone in the chorus In the hope Of
becoming an understudy. Nothing
nothing could have prevented me from
trying to be an actressi 1t was all !
lived for"
Dan Frehman recently EXPRESSED a
wish to star Miss Hampton on the
legitimate stage. The offer was q fat.
tesing one. but she is in love with her
screen work and doesn't care for the
stage. To US this seems 4nexplicable
FOR Il we were in Mss Hampton's place
thers would be no hesitancy. And, too
Mas Hampton's beauty Is partly in he.
eolortng. On the screen we could name