Evening star., 1923-12-30
BEAUTY SECONDARY
NEED OF FILM STARS
Pretty Faces Alone Fail to Win
Places for Girls at
Hollywood.
BRAINS COUNT
LITTLE
Directors Make Selections for
Ability to Move.

special DlSndtcn 10 Inc star
LOS ANGELES, December 90
Something has simply got to be done
TO stop the rush of movie-mad girls
to Hollywood The year drawing to
a close has been one Of heartbreaks
for hundreds of girls who made their
way to the film capital in search Of
careers in the motion pictures, and
the price that many nave paid is
pitiful.
Repeated warnings telling of the
true situation and Of the negligible
chance an unframed and untried girl
has of winning her way In an
already overcrowded field, have been
given prominence in many pubic
prints.
1t had been hoped that the recent
tremendous slump in motion picture
production, throwing thousands q
trained motion picture people out of
work, would discourage seekers after
movie fame-but still they. come, to
the despair of all concerned.
The warnings have not gone home.
They have been too gentee!. oiscus-
sing the matter merely from the
esthetic angle-the CONFUSION OF
appear to have stirred. rather than
stilled. the desire to shine as stars
on the silver sheet. Now the time
has come to tear the ia on' 10 speak
in terms of stark truth.
There are usually two reasons why
girls or women of any age need nave
no hope of motion picture career, OF
even a tryout. Any girl or womah'
from a commonsense and unpre1u.
diced view, can convince herselt IN a
moment if she will. All that is re-
quired is full-length mirror.
Importance of Legs.
To be brutally frank. the two rea-
Straight. shapely legs. slim ankles
snd good feet are essential to mo-
tion picture career for woman. ~
is judgment from which there Is
no appeal The majority OF movie
struck girls undoubtedly have no
wish to play parts for which they
must qualify by the comeliness OF
their legs. But, unfortunately.
novices do not select their parts
They are selected for parts.
1t isn't that the motion picture di-
rectors are interested in undress.
They are interested in dress and the
way it is worn. Knock-kneed and
we'll, and do not photograph we'll,
even in stills"
And the motion pictures move. A
girl without good feet and legs can
not walk well. and it Is often nee
essary for her to run in the action
of play, particularly when the viii
lain is chasing her If girl is still
doubtful let her imagine the heroine
of a picture running away from the
villain and convulsing the specta-
tors with laughter by her lack OF
grace.
George Melford. director and pro-
ducer and ambitious to fault to
discover new stars for the screen.
became so weary Of bony arms, bow
legs, knock knees, big hands. awk-
ward feet and other shortcomings In
aSpirants for screen parts that he
started himself little list last
pointment.
Six Left Out of 3O7.
Since then 307 selected girls have
appeared before him. seeking movie
stardom. The great majority of
them had pretty faces. some very
pretty. But by the time Melford got
through eliminating those who had
corners in the wrong places there
were exactly six left. Five Of these,
he said. will probably drop out of
the race. One may become a star.
Here are the things that Melford
found wrong with the 301 unsuccess-
ful candidates for fame:
Bad legs. This Is the most common
defect and included everything-bow
legs. knock-knees. piano pillars and
pipe stems.
Scrawny necks. 1t is astonishing
how few really good necks there are
in the world, according to Melford
Ugly backs, bony arms, large and
iiioShdpSh hdHuS, anu liz uTeS TOO 1ull
or too thin eliminated many candi-
dates for all time.
Some of the foremost woman stars
of today were the screen comedy
bathing. beauties of a year or more
ago. They photograph well, wear
their clothes well and can walk and
run gracefully. And these appear to
he the chief requirements of the
movies. The director is supposed to
supply the rest-to do the heavy
thinking or brainwork, and he either
does or he does not. Beautiful but
dumb has no terrors for the average
director who is well acquainted with
his job.
The bathing beauties were out for a
while, but now they are coming back.
They are In the new comedies And 1t
IS in the ranks of these bathing
beauties that the wise directors are
looking now for the future stars
So there is no need at all to come
to Hollywood to find out The man
who first silvered the back Of a piece
OF glass made 1t possible for every
girl to Judge her own qualifications
for & movie career.