Evening star., 1924-02-09

!
| of her play.
Say" said he. that guys giving
his friend on thc set right, and you
| can take what's left of the camera"
But what shall | do?" asked she
helplessly, 81 don't know how to
! stand or look"
You watch me-" rejoined the good
| Samaritan. III put you wise"
| Right then and there he arran ged
| a code by which to defeat the opera
! tionS of camcrIman who, according Z
! to report. did not administer his
| lens with impartial favor. If he
| put his finger 10 his left check it
! meant, Turn I" the left"; to the
! right, and the gesture WAS equally
! logical. From This point onward the
| system progressed to all the most
| minute provisions for securing some
| OF the coveted attention.
! How TO engross the most of the
! camera | regret TO say that here
on the roof of this ambition has been
! wrecked many lofty nature. The
| public does not realize, as IL watch es
! the beautiful feminine star look up
! at the handsome male star over the
! monnlft stile, the warfare that may
! possibly have occurred as to which
! should get the more advantageous
| focusing. Nor does it interpret the
! leave me- which may accompany this
scene. in its correct spirit of
| Promise me you'll leave me-a little
| of the camera l have known sweet
! hearts strangely impervious to the
| higher point of view when it came
| to this test. And l shall tell pres
| emily of Il husband who skirmished
hercely with his famous wife on this
| particular point.
Macs case was far from indicative
. of such indispensable appetite. Her
struggle was only for a just share
! of the camera. Indeed, she has too
| much respect for Il good story ever to
| offend by insiStence on an individual
! prominence. which often destroys the
, story.
/ She did insist on another director
and on claiming my promise of Sweet
! Kitty Bellairs.' Both wishes were
gratified. But perhaps, in spite of her
avowed admiration for the Workman
ship Of Jimmie Young. no director
ever really took with her until she
-. met Bobby Leonard.
Girls. girls" she cried on the even
! ing of the day after she had first
worked under Bobby, I've got great
| director at last
| She was radiant As she tripped
across the lot to her dressing room
| her blue eyes danced exactly like
those of the little girl who has finally
| drawn the gold ring at the merry
stop at the studio. For, as all mo-
| tion-picture fans know, she subse-
quently married Viking Leonard, and
they have been engaged in living
| happily ever since.
Again L realize that l seem to be
piping the honeyed lay of the press
agent. And once more l protest my
| innocence. Bobby Leonard and Mae
Murray have, like Doug and Mary,
one of those marriages based on an
intense common interest. They are
both absorbed in pictures, and to-
| gether they work out direction, busi-
ness, coStuming and all the minor
chores of creating picture. 1t is
undoubtedly due to this cooperation
! that Macs achievements have broad
| ened SO notably in the past few
| years.
/ have told of Macs early struggles
| with objective Observation-Disclosures. She
| herself recounts them today with a
But there is another more vital ap-
! proach to the subject. You must
, consider that every picture is tre-
mendously significant to the screen
! actor involved. If it succeeds, well
! and good If it is ':fop." the pro-
| reputation is infinitely greater. l
think l am safe in saying that if
| even such emphatic success as
Mary Pickford. Douglas Fairbanks,
| successive failures they would find
| the coming back somewhat difficult.
In fact. l have often heard Mr.. Grif-
| fifth remark. Il simply cannot afford
| to make a failure"
In the light of such knowledge, the
heartache of Macs first weeks on the
Lasky lot are instantly apparent.
Here she was, fully conscious of
what that first picture meant in her
career. And here at every step she
was met by circumstances pointing
to failure. And such heartaches. such
! beating of wings against barriers of
! prejudice and misunderstanding and
actual hostility - those palpitate
through many of the disputes record
ed in this volume.