Evening star., 1924-12-07

happy as a farmer paying for a dead
horse. Wilkie was looking 'em over
with a directors jaundiced eye
| Game to the core, the boss showed
him all we had-from the blue rib
bon winners down to the re-
versible-cuff and washbowl-la -laundress
| brigade, but Wilkie didn't do any
| cheering. In the boss office that
| afternoon he told US why.
| The man or men who picked this
aggregation of talent certainly didn't
get thing that was more than skin
| deep. Now l want people who have
brains and a sense of humor; people
| who have read the old book all the
way through and have laid 1t down
! to laugh / don't care whether they
| are stars or stage hands; If they've
| lived long and deep enough to learn
what a mess of ignorance, hypocrisy
| brutality and greed this world Is, and
still have saved enough of mans one
| divine attribute to laugh at 1t, they've
| got something to put over and l can
show them how to do it. And an
other thing-for principals | want peo-
pie who have personality that
kicks like live bird in your hands
If you've got any people like that
good! If you haven't got them
| get emf
But, Mr.. Warren. 1.-The boss cheeped,
people of that kind would be star
ring-under contracts to other pro-
| ducers."
! Would they?" Wilkie wanted &c
know. We'll, | knew quite a few
of that kind when 1 was shiverine
| on the lots here in Hollywood years
ago, and the few that got to be stars
| did it after ! had broken in and
| opened the gate for them. II they
[ were here 10 years ago, they're here
now. If you haven't got them in
! stock or under contract, rake the
lots for them. I'll wait for you tic
get them
The boss looked like he had just
seen a million dollars go down for
the third time. But Mr.. Warren
can't you be little more specifci
! Give us an idea of just what types
you want. Won't any OF our people
| do?"
Well. some OF your older men and
women may do. Life has hammered
them and they may be anxious to ge,
! back at 1t. But your younger WON
| en-your Paris dolls-pshaw Not
| one OF them is an inch deep at her
| mental flood-tide. Actresses-bunk
| | want a woman lead that was some
| thing real before she started acting
! Type? Types another thing that's
| only skin deep. What l want is
! character; and when / say character
| mean something in a woman that
! makes her be herself in spite of
! everything. Get me-
did. Yes-me! That "be her
SELF stuff was what did 1t. So UP
/ came-rising right up and waving
| a futtery hand at Wilkie.
Pardon me, Mr.. Warren, | think
! l know a woman who might interest
you"
Where is she?"
"Here-on the lot.
! Send her in-now.
WELL, that next hour was as long
w as Kansas Sunday. That rat
eyed little devil wanted TO know what
| she thought about everything from
Einsteins theory to the psyche 'ogicai
cause of short skirts. He made her
sore and he made her laugh. But
never once did he touch on anything q
connected with acting. Thinks i.
she's hivved," and just then he
leaned over and tapped her hand.
But. see here :" he says, you haven't
| any sense of humor.'
! Maybe not" she says. but / get a
smile out of the idea of you making the
dear public pay out good money to see
itself spanked, and another smile out OF
| the idea of a man like you making II
| his lifework to spank EN-
! He looked around at the rest of us,
! grinning like a dried monkey. did any
! of you fatheads ever think of that? OF
course not And that explains why
you've kept this girl on the lot here for
| three years. Now I'll show you what to
| do with her"
And they all grinned and tried to act
! like II was a good joke on somebody
else-me probably from the way they
| looked at me. But. just the same,
knew the joke wasn't on me or Mollie
| Not then-nor yet some weeks later
when I heard Warren tell the boss that
| he'd better tie Mollie up with long.
| term contract while he could get hel
| cheap. She isn't an actress yet" he
| said, but she's going to pass for one
pretty soon, and a good one. too. These
| other directors couldn't do anything
| with her because they had been used tc
working with putty. and she isn't putty
She's s.eel: steel already tempered. and
just waiting to be turned and polished
And I'm the craftsman that can turr
and polish her"
| At the time I thought a specia
providence had fixed 1t for me to over
hear that conversation. 1t gave me q
chance to put Moilie wise. / was paineo
| to see how she took it
| But, Mack she says, hes doing g
lot for me-writing this first part to III
me so I'll get by in it, and he's got tt
| spend so much time teaching me the
| things I've got to learn
And he's doing it just as favor tc
you, l suppose? Believe me, no! Besides
it's the boss that'll have to pay-no,
| little Wilkie."
'I know. But he won't like it
and this is my only chance. Therel
never be anybody else who will sec
~