, 1923-08-19

where she first went hoping to
tune on the silver screen.
Fortunately. however. the tide of
screen struck girls who come from
: all parts of the country to Hollywood
fas been checked.
Despite reports from tourists that
everywhere girl mixers are ION their
way to Hollywood less of them are
arriving than ever before in the his
tory OF the movie game.
apparently the recent widespread
publicity given to the small chance
Z. It a girl has to win fame in the
mower and the starvation facts
which usually confront her on arriv-
ing in Hollywood. have taken effect.
Swamped With Girls
During the war and after the war
mp to the big movie slump of 1920.
: Haywood and Los Angeles were liter
ally swamped with would-be movie
! queens. New Companies were spring
ing up like mushrooms. and many
of these aspirants to film fame actual.
ly found places where they obtained
some degree of recognition. In some
cases they became stars.
But the roaring twenties' AVE
rome, and the movies are now on a diff
ferent and very much more efficient
basis.
Casting directors and welfare work
ers are unanimous in declaring that.
with the greatest talent and the best
of looks and the rarest of luck. no
. unknown girl nowadays can hope to
make even a small reputation in Hol
lywood inside of two years.
The Y. w. C. A. the city police
mothers. and similar organizations
obtained many of them Jobs in de
partment stores. IN stores n offices.
o. n trey knew typ,ng as stenosrnph-
ers. Others were rescued by friends or
parents who sent the price Of a return
ticket back home.
Since that time producers lay
aimed to spread h truth over the
country that the average. unknown
girl has only about one chance In a
thousand to make a living in the
movies.
"Our problems have greatly do
creased in the last two years. said
one police mother. Before that NOR
ais were more lax IN h movies. and
besides. SO many girls came who. un-
mile "a make 8 living in the movies.
took in desperation what Trey believed
to be an easier way. Now movie
morals have improved somewhat. and
the girls are arriving in smaller num-
hers and I believe arc OF a better
Hyre."
Waiting List Grows
II in estimated that about 500 flap
, pers a year desert their homes in
middle west and east nj come to
Z Hollywood, fiuttering like moths about
, a brilliant flame of movie fame.
At present about five a week apply
for work at '''Heartbreak House"
.sHeartbreak House is an old de-
eayed, bare-walled structure down
town in Los Angeles. which houses
, the powerful Service Bureau. Prac'
ttoalIy all Of the big producing COM
panies are members Of the Service
Bureau, and hire their extras through
n. Butterfly girls and handsome boys.
who apply for work at the studio wick
cts. are referred to the Service Blu
! reau.
But the Service Bureau limits the
, number OF extras it will register. At
, present the limitation is 1900. and this
must include all kinds of character
people and comedy freaks.
/ No matter how much ability q pref
J ~ girl or striking youth may have
/ ne or she doesn't get n chance II the
r~,sistration is filled up-as lt usually
81,
The idea Of the Service Bureau,
. which sends extras u on calls for
certain types or for certain scenes
from studios, is to give a decent Nv
ing TO a group Of established extras
by providing fairly steady work. The
service Bureau does the hiring. n
also does the paying. deductins a
commission from the extras pay for
placing them.
Girls who come TO Hollywood. hop
ing TO win recognition, sometimes
wait for months before there is an
opening on the registration books OF
the bureau.
Work Is Irregular
Wares range from IS to $40 a day,
" TN the average about $3.50. Some
character players get a much as SIS
a day. Work is very irregular. Some
times an extra will work In half n
I oozen pictures a week, at as many
studios, sometimes working at one
rtudio in the daytime and at another
at night. And again an extra Will
rometimes not get a single call for
three or four weeks.
Extras must at all times be pro-
yjded with n good wardrobe or street,
II. ,ort. and evening clothes in good
: condition. Only clothes for special
character parts or costume pictures
hre furnished by h studios. Charao-
ter actors and actresses obtain steadi-
or work than ordinary extras.
1.-THE least.wanted type in the movies
fs the jazz baby" one of the hiring
experts at the Service Bureau told
tho United Press. ''There is no cal
for them. Bobbed- haired girls also
barn a scant living in the movies.
Stars are the only ones who seem 10
have the prerogative of bobbing their
hair and getting away with IT,"
Leave the Movies
a. Some extras make a permanent