Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-06
THE MOVIE FANS LE7TERBOX
By HENRY NJ. NEELY

d. H. F.: "I'm sorry haven't the
Asisht and weight of Jack Hoxie and
Lefty" Flynn. Flynn, should
gusss is very near to six feet tall and
probably $50 to 100 pounds. Hoxie is
not a big man, but he is heavy set and
muscular so that 115 would not be a
bad guess at his weight and perhaps
Eve feet nine for height. Elmo Lin
eoln Is FIVE eleven and half and 200
pounds Hoot Gibson, FIVE ten and 100:
William Russell six two and 2O3 ring
aide, and Charles Hutchinson five ten
and 1GO pounds of solid. wiry muscle.
'.Kiandra" wr1tes-"I liken you to
a expert fisherman No matter how
many fsh nibble at your bait and only
nibbls, sooner or later you Land catch.
II have been nbbling at the lure OF
wsiting to your department for some
tane, but have always been hesitant
about actually making the plunge.
HeWevef, letter IN today paper
written BY 'Juanita d and your re.
nE lnally decided me to swallow the
hit, hook, line and all. ! hope my
letter il answered. should bs very
disappointed IL 1t were neglected.
"Juanita D. is a very ardent admirer
q Thomas Meighan. In your reply you
dN not exactly entertain her exalted
oDtnion but you somewha agreed with
her In considering him q good actor.
my opinion has been divided. !
have liked him and have not liked
him. l began to wonder why. could
not decide whether It was the pictures
he wss given to act In or just what 1t
vas I did not like about him. The
realisation came when ! saw .CaPpy
Hieks.' In this picture consider him
unSatural and stiff In his movements.
His interpretations Of any action
vAorsin he 10 supposed to brawl are
an0teurish. consider his facial ex.
psSGoions good. What say you, H.; n?
"very few pictures come 10 Phila-
ds1ohia that l do not see. and IT 10
nFising how often my criticisms have
aGrssd with your own. The trouble with
tko notion picture business today is that
1ctures are ground out IN machine like
fsahion like 30 many sausages; so lchg
aO the ingredients are there. never mind
tie quality. I 60 to see picture afteT
ptcture in hopes of seeing one that WILL
inweess me one that will send me away
vi&h the feeling I have spent q most
sn|ovsble hour or two. It Is very sell
a. I leave a moving picture house IN
this frame Of mind. Perhaps l am too
critical.
"productions like The Little Min.
istsr' featuring Betty Compson; The
Four Horsemen' Connecticut Yankee
are not what you would call out OF the
ordinary as stories: yet they are so
ven handled, so we'll cast, they please
Sv@y minute they are on the screen.
5tby the way. don't you think Betty
CaWnson's acting was excellent in Tie
iItfie Minister? admire Bctty's
scfinG ability, also her beauty; but oh,
" rods. how they have wasted her and
hurt her popularity BY casting hsr IN
sueh utter trash as was Ladies MUST
"Why is Norma given such poor
storissY / consider her one OF tho
swsen's most splendid actresses. She Is
always so perfectly natural In any
thing In which she plays.
II have not noticed many sugges-
lions for the casting of the male char.
aetar of the two Farnol stories, The
HrcSd Highway and The Amateur
6mtleman.' Undoubtedly these two
stories would make fine pictures II they
were properly handled. Whoever di.
reetsd The Little Minister would
rake a good job Of the above named.
L an not sure whom ] should like In
tAe character of the Amateur Gentle
Dau. Possibly Wally Reid might do,
pryvidiug he acted as he did in Peter
fb6stsou.' II would have to be man
Of large stature. My selection for the
heroine would be Betty Compson. Who
would be your selection for both parts?
"S'nuff, SNUFF for this time. Now
have broken the ice so to speak, will
c61e again, that il, II my present letter
~ inter ssted you at all, my dear II.
(Yeu bet 1t has interested mo, and
= you know why? 1t Is because you
Eva reaction to Thomas Meighan than
Z could have given myself. ! have
vnAeAed him and almost thrilled for
nay minutes as he did some bang up
ned Niece of work that went straight
70 my heart and then, suddenly,
SeuDd myself feeling that his mind was
wandering from his acting and that he
wo0 amply going through the motions
n1chanically. That is, perhaps, due
TO one Of the greatest drawbacks in
mSt3en- picture production. Scenes are
~ photographed in the order IN which
vo 70 them on the screen. Well say
tAGos q big scene with Meighan and
sGVoesl others in a dramatic incident
Tkev will shoot the long shots Of that
- lsy, perhaps, and it may be n week
- R0re before it will be convenient
~ Tam to photograph the close ups
vAacH are interspersed throughout the
a in1oa. Now any man with volatile
4; ;Sc1pasament is likely to be in a totally
! dilSEgat frame of mind on the second
4, ~ rom the first And the photo
e 1SnShg Of close-ups is a peculiarly
u 1etAcbed routine which hardly
u go optDg = WORK himsslf vp y