Evening star., 1924-02-10

abruptly had, however, unserrated
Mr.. Tellegen's powers Of reeupera-
standing before mo with q. light in
his eyes very different from that
evoked by the abstract consideration
of beauty.
rI%t us say thousand dollars
a. week." said he. Certainly after
all my experience l ought TO be worth
that"
Mention of Mr.. Tellegen brings me
logically to one achievement OF my
life which | always survey with pride
The year and a half that had elapsed
since the production of The Squaw
Man" had brought almost incredible
improvements in both the manufac-
ture and presentation OF photoplaYs;
The modern system of lighting had
replaced our former reliance upon the
rays of the sun. More and more we
had substituted the carpenter for the
scene painter. AS TO the motion pic
ture theater itself, this, of course,
presented an aspect very di1erent
from the peanut-strewn area which
in 1918 had suggested my great en-
terprise.
However. in spite of orchestral ac-
compartments and high-priced seats.
in spite of the growing ascendancy OF
and Charlie Chaplin. the motion pic
lures were merely popular They
were not fashionable. How to make
them so, how to intrigue that shy
marginal group known as the car
riage trade"--here was the challenge
offered to the producer OF 1915.
1t vas about this time that Morris
Gest came to me and said: Il think
I've about got Geraldine Farrar tc
the point where she's willing to go
into motion pictures. What's more. |
believe she'll come with you instead
OF with Zukor, for the idea of Cali
fornia is attractive to her. especially
if she can go and come in Il private
car
After a smile Ut this approach to
the situation on the part OF Miss
Farrar, l asked him, But how does
the famous prima donna look these
days."
:'Wonderful" More beautiful than
ever" retorted Gest.
On the first evening When LashE
and I called at Miss Farrar's home We
found that Gest's enthusiasm was not
misplaced. AS she swept into the
drawing room to greet us we noth
thought we had never in our lives
seen any one so beautiful.
II did not take long to arrange mat
ters between US. Miss F'arrar agreed
to go to California for eight weeks to
make three pictures-'Maria Rosa,
Carmen" and Temptation For
fhese services shc was to receive
see. 900. and. in consideration of the
, modesty of the sum-Shc would have
realized moro for u concert tour OF
! the same length-we agreed TO sup
ply her with q special car to itnd
from Los Angeles, together WITH a
furnished house. servants and 1000
| during the period of her stay.
On all such minor points Miss Far
ror was Immediately reasonable Only
in one subject did she display any
vital curiositE
for my leading man." she asked.
Never mind. 1t will be somebody
that you'll like" we assured her.
But" she urged, you know its
very important that my Don Jose
should be right. Otherwise the per-
formance would be ruined"
| Again. we assured her that she was
sure to be satisfied with our provision
for this part.
! But who is he?' she insisted.
want to know his name
we eyaded this request. And we
kept on evading il throughout our
subsequent interviews. This was NOT
easy, for in every. spare moment the
prima donna would plead Win me
'rWrhy won't YOU tell me his name z
IT was almost the first question she
asked after she stepped from the spe-
l. ctat train bearing her to California
So mony people have asked me
for my first impression OF Coral :
Uln6 FaIGdT lldl SiiouiN
interpolate here my response TO that
frequent inquiry. If you can picture
a towering arbor and then picture
the subsequent surprise OF nnding IN
side of IL a perfectly good dynamo
Won will have conceived the full force
of Miss Farrar's personality. At the
time when / met her she was in her
early thirties and that beauty of
lucent gray eyes and curving lips
the towering vigour of look which
she doubtless inherited from some
ance stress of the Irish Seas-was then
at its height. Under this screen of
physical allure I felt from the very
first moment the pulse OF a mind
restless, eager, alert to every pos
sibility of learning.
Indeed, the figure with which L
started falls short, of conveying the
full effect of Miss Farrar's presence.
Not only does she charge the atmos- :
pHere with that mental vitality or
hers. she creates the impression al :
ways of. cutting--cutting straight
through, any given subject. If l had
said, therefore, that the arbor con-
cea ed one of those marvellous impie-
ments that cut, thrash and sack the
grain, all in a single operation, |
should have come nearer the ideal OF
description.
Miss Farrar is, like Mary Pickford,
captain of industry. She has the
same masculine grasp of business.
the same masculine approach to work.
The difference between them is con-
strued not ,alone by the immeaSur-
ably greater@culturaf equipment of
MISS EarraI.~ but; by many tempera-