Evening star., 1923-03-25
Stage Laurels Have Permanency
OF Bubbles, Declares Movie Star

clearness. I sat huddled in my dress.
ing room until told the scene waS
about ready, and then / dressed. Mr.
Barthelmess did the same thing. And
we were neither of US at all angry OF
perturbed. We had gone through
just such circumstances hundreds oi
times before. | really was not tired
in spite of the fact that | had stood
for nearly five hours But, on the
other hand. didn't acquire that for.
titude in moment.
4 FTER all these physical things
"A are mastered. comes that most
necessary quality for the film star
sincerity. The camera allows 10
equivocation. You must give to il
all that you have. II seems fairly
10 define and photograph that in
tangible thing we call the soul. And
IL your soul gets so twentieth cen
turyized that II yearns for success,
then IL must be compiemented by
heart and mind and the greatest
strength. So when you play part
under all the burden Of delays, Of
not knowing the continuity of the
story, of the censors cutting your
best scenes, of the film editor maxi
ing you ridiculous with heaven
screaming titles. you must cxpend
your last bit of mental and physical
energy To create the character. n
you love the films--if you love act
ing-you do this automatically.
My sister went through the most
awful suffering to do Way Down
East" She would go out from the
studio for the ice scene, stay until
she tainted from exposure to the
cold, be dragged back to the studio,
wait until she thawed out again and
then return to the ice. She thought
up that bit of business of letting one
of her hands trail in the water beside
her unconscious body. It was very
effective on the screen, but she has
never recovered from the rheumatism
it gave her. For days after she had
done the scene where she went mad
in Broken Blossoms" she would
come home in wild Mysteries Yet
she doesn't regard herself as
heroine. Ii is all in a days work
If you love that work sufficiently.
fear that the girl who thinks of the
screen in relationship to salary and
fan letters will find that she doesn't.
IF you can stand the strain on your
l. health. if you possess screen fea-
lures, IL you have pluck and magma
tim and the answering intensity of
purpose of the artist, then it's the
greatest game in the world 1t never
has the glamour of the stage. You
never know the thrill of audible ap-
plause. At best you must imagine
the reaction of your audience
though often, for ones vanity, per-
haps that is disguised blessing
Nevertheless you can live in that
giddy, invigorating world of make
believe. You can be creative Your
vanity lives on a perpetual diet OF
| letters from Toxic, from Malay, from
Swedish peasant and from a little
crippled boy in Smithtown, Iowa.
There is only one thing to fear and
| that is your youth. / am afraid OF
| it. 1t confuses values and makes one
feel bigger than the Woolworth
| building. Constantly you have to
watch yourself and whisper. Care
full, careful After all. Du Barry and
Cleopatra were attractive, too"
The girls entering the studios today
! will find a new film world. More
and more producing units will be
come like Mary Pickford's in the
west and like Mr.. Barthelmess in
New York. Really, those of US who
are lucky enough to be our own pro-
ducing groups are very happy and
very hopeful. We drink to THE
| Day"-the day when the censors shall
have died of administration.