, 1923-04-08
Great Novel OF Hollywood Life

where he was supposed to leave tho
arms Of his sweetheart IN her de-
fenso
In the topsy-turvydom of film SON
struction the scene in which Mem
and Hobby were set upon by a pack
OF ruff.ans had not yet been taken.
though Mem had already almost COM
pleted tho scenes in which she ran
to call distant strangers to Toms
rescue.
After a long while OF pulling Kcn-
drick decided to make an effort to
photograph Hobby SO that his dam
aged jowl should be hidden by Mems
face or by shadows. 1t would be
hard to manage and the men who
had promised to beat Hobby up to tho
best OF their ability would hesitate
to pummel a nan already 10 hurt.
But to put the fight off till the
cheek was healed would cost tho com
pany a thousand dollars at least.
When Mem understood all the
trouble It had cost TO snatch her from
destruction. h said:
'I'm not worth IT,"
Kendrick was in no mood for po-
lite denials. but Tom Hobby gave her
a look that made the fishing worth
while.
Mem was blanketed like a race
horse and taken to her d-ressingroom
once more. slipped her wet
clothes of and dried them and her
self by tho fire while she waited
for the next foray into the storm.
After that was to come the attack
by the desperadoes and her flight
for help. She had seer many pio-
lures in which the heroine stood
about wrinGing her hands idly while
her lover fought for her with some
worthless brute. She had always des-
| pissed a heroine who would not take
up a chair or something and bash
in the head of her lovers opponent
instead of playing the wall paper.
She protested now against having
to run away from the scene but Ken
drick grew a trifle sarcastic:
The company doesn't require you
to rewrite the scenarios. Miss Sted'
Con: only to act in them. Besides,
there arc half a dozen villains here,
and ! really think you'd better run
out OF the Gene, seeing that we've
already spent half the night and all
of our nerves showing you going for
rescuers."
Mem was sufficiently snuubbed and
a~pologized so meekly that Kendrick
was still furious.
And for Gods sake don't play the
worml Tho story is rotten n your
criticism is perfectly Just. but we
directors and actors have to do our
best with the putrid stuff tho of
flee hands U.S."
Mem stood about and watched tn,
fight. 1t was magnificent. or
lonthsome spectacle. according to th'
critic. When Vergi! describes an OLD
fashioned battle with wooden boxing
gloves m~aceratng the opposing fea
lures It is accepted MS OF epic nobil
ity. The movies give the real BLOOD
instead of nouns and knock oul
teeth with primevsl dentistry.
The actors who assaulted Hob,
were tender of his raw cheek at first
but 10Th he and Kendr!ck demande,
action. and after Hobby had smash
ed a few noses with the effect o
knocking corks out of clhret bottles
there was anger enough.
The one caution Kendrick shrieket
through his megaphone was not t.
I hlDlN ilOib1 AAN ~ -
knock him out Of tho cameras
range
The camera men were fitting and
panning their machines to keep the
action within the picture, and they
were bowling contradictory mes
sages to the fighters.
There was none of tho arena ar
dor In Mems soul. She was mono OF
A. - 49, --.,.A zY,4E.1..
butchered. or thrilled TO Inquisitiona!
PROFESSIONS, or wont to modern prize
fights.
She was so sickened by the noise o:
the blows. and the squirt OF blood,
and that most desperate drama OF
all; when strong men batter each
other in rage. that she had to re
treat into the cold morning air out
OF sight and hearing Of tho buffets
that seemed to land on her own ten.
Ger flesh.
The dawn was just pinking the
sky whom the last OF the night work
was over. Everybody was dead.
beaten. The crews would have to re.
main after the actors la gone. and
the actors had finished a twenty-one.
hour day of grilling emotion and
physical toll.
Tho chauffeur who took Mem
home In an automobile told her that
he had already han t~wenty-four
hours of driving and would have four
or five hours more. She expected
him to collide with almost anything,
but his eyes still attended their of.
flee.
It was 7 o'clock when Mem crept
into her bed, an hour later than she
had usually Weakened. Her alarm
clock stared at her with rebuke, but
she CAV 1t a day off and slept tfll
niRhtfall.
The next day the company gath
cred to sec the rushes Of the night
stuff. Almost all of them were per
foct. vivid, dramatic with the chiaro-
scuro of lightning upon midnight
storm. and incredibly real.
"A strange feeling came over her
and over others when they saw the
various takes OF the scene in which
she c,ambered across the fallen tele-
phone pole. pushed through branches
OF the toppled tree, and pressed on
into the teeth OF the gale. For Just
beyond the point OF her exit from
a