, 1923-04-01

Jus ~pretense.
He lay on his stomach on tho floor
md devised seductive wiles while the
cameramen and the light crew watch
ed for his signal to begin their record.
Par OF this picture was a domestic
comedy, and this baby vas supposed
20 escape from its nurse and its anx-
GUS mother; to find a loaded pistol.
play with it, look down the barre.
and bite the fatal muzzlc. OF course
the pistol was not really loaded, put
It was hoped that the effect would
give tho audience that bit Il blood
curdle for which 1t loves to pay its
best money.
Claymore would hand the baby a
morsel of candy. drop another down
the barrel for the child to peer after
would scuttle backward out of the
range of tho cameras. motion the
electricians to hit the lights and the
cameramen to crank.
He cooed to the baby in prattling
terms, struggling to keep it so alb.
sorbed In its task hat 1t would not
look out toward the camera and be-
tray to future audiences the presence
of a coach
Time after tlmo something diverted
the baby's mind. Just as the scene
"a rCs,ing perfectly the child would
look away and fling the pistol down,
or wave its hand and grin at some
one in front. Then tho task had to
be begun again. The child had an
impIsh gift giving the camera men
falso starts and then ruln.ng the
most promising take-offs.
The director. %groveling about the
floor. would not despair. but returned
to the TOT. with a persistence much
praised in spiders and ants and other
stubborn industrials.
The author OF the continuity had
to leave the set and tear his hair
and curse to get rid of his nerves.
The production manager. whose bust
ness it was to keep the picture go
ing at high speed and low cost, fumed
and figured the expense. He said to
the director, THAT damned brat
has cost the picture $4,000 so far
without a foot Of film to show for It"
Claymore. whose sympathy was in
exhaustible as long As there was an
honest effort, resented the insult to
n Of his cast. And eventually hi
won his point. decoyed the baby
through tlei scene. and caught it
with two cameras. The audience
would W. dream of the toll or the
cost as it smiled at the brief frivol.
(ny. But then it is the pride of the
true artist to conceal his toll as
something obscene. a disgrace II dis.
covered.
Terry Daclt had no such patience
for his bungling junior as the di-
rector showed. He was impatient to
get to his own genes. and when at
last they were reached he began life
anew.
He romped and whooped with
laughter during the long waits be.
tween the brief takes while the lights
were being brought up. the camera
angles discussed, the properties ar
ranged.
The moment the word Action
rang out he became tho earnest ar
tist. Already he knew that. while
tragic scenes may be played in a
cheerful atmosphere. comedy must
be approached solemnly. He agon
lied over his humor. but he did not
ioSc ocil-IoiitrOl III pdInOE.
Once, between the first AXE and
the second OF a pathetic scene, he
began to tell a funny story to the
camera man.
Claymore said: "Dont laugh in
this scene. now. It's very serious
II n super had told Edwin Booth
not to giggle when he went on in
The Soliloquy. he might have received
a glance of similar barb. C.aymore
apologized hastily.
But Terry's pride in his superiority
to tho bungling baby was doomed Ia
fall. There was q scene where he
and his brother painted each others
lips with their stage mothers rouge
stick. There was a scene where
they said their prayers at the actress
knes. In these he shone and in mo.
ments of childish pathos. But by
and by the crisis arrived when Terry
must play a lost and abandoned wa,f
freezing in a dark doorway and sob.
bling in lonely dismay as he CROPPED
blindly for his mother and called her
name.
He had responded TO al! tho de.
mands upon his armory of smiles
otA b4ScAAos OhA hletl LAY IIAOIo ap'
pealed for tears they would not flow.
Terry tried and tried. He squeezed
his eyes. He stared at the lights.
He tried TO think of sad things. but
y a bit OF brine responded.
Even the cropping OF his hands
was awkward and unreal.
C1aymore explained. 81 want you
to do just what you do when you are
sick or afraid at night and you reach
out in the dark n feel for your
mother"
"oh, but I never dor said Terry.
with a certain loftiness of demurrer.
This ended hat. claymore pond.
cred. Did you ever play blind.
mans bluff"
"You betr'
do o remember how you would
put your hands out when your eyes
were shut7'
"oh, yesl I see what you mean
now. Like thisaway."
And he cienched his eyes and pu,
his plump hands forth. stroking the
air to find his mothers check.
Great, Wen take itf' said Clay,
! more, The camera man called. "Hit
emf The glare poured from the