Evening star., 1924-02-26
CONTINUED from Yesterdays Starr

CONTINUED from Yesterdays Starr
Mr.. Lahr's information. may In
terpolate. is rooted In professional
fact. The screen adaptation of M.
Maeterlinck's most popular fairy tale
was, for example. not q success. As
for financial returns. 1t was certainly
not the blue bird" for happiness.
The foreign author thereupon set
himself to q less fanciful theme.
This time he submitted love story.
but, alas! the type was anything but
censorproof. When we called his at
tention to this flaw he looked at us
with a panied, bewildered, almost
shocked expression.
You ask me to write a love story"
he demonstrated, land then you OBJ
ject because my hero or my heroine Is
married. Yet how can you write
about love when you have no tri-
angle?"
And 1 don't think we were ever
quite successful in shaking him from
this continental orthodoxy. 1 dare
say he will always think of two
parallel lines as exceedingly provin-
cial.
While he was in Hollywood NJ.
Maeterlinck had a home with a ten
mis- court in the rear. To this court
clings one of the most cherished
memories of Hollywood. for on 1T
linck. and on Nine. Maeterlinck al
ways appeared. not skirt, but
bloomers. She Is charming lit
tie dark thing, years younger than
her husband. this Nine. Maeterlinck.
The pair seemed always very happy
together, but one day / heard some
thing which opened up an inevitable
vista before me. On that day the
American manager of the foreign
author came TO Mr.. Lehr and aske d
ment In the studio for Mime. Maeter-
linck.
why, no." responded Mr.. Lehr,
Il can't think Of thing she would
Not some little job?-it really
doesn't matter how small" urged the
other
But my dear fellow. why should
the wife Of NJ. Maeterlinck be want.
ing any kind of job?' questioned
my associate. still untouched by this
new plea for Belgian relief. Her
husband is far from poor, you know.
Hasn't he an estate and investments
abroadEthose and sll the royalties he
have given him an advance on his
contract with u.s."
The manager shrugged and then he
smiled-a sapient smile. ITO be
sure. But madame--weil. there. are
times perhaps when she longs for a
little money of her own so she can
snap her fingers at monsieur"
This dialogue. taken in connection
with other phases Of my association
with Maeterlinck, persuades me that
this creator of reverent prose and
mystic drama is afflicted with the
same economic fiXatfon-I borrow the
term from psychoanalysis - which
manif. ts itself SO often among those
stars and actresses, comedians and
tragedians. singers and writer's
often in thinking over those whom
have met / have been struck by
the number who would be capable of
instructing Benjamin Franklin in the
ways of thrift.
I remember that once 1 asked a
man who had long been associated
with Ben Turpin, the widely known
cross-syed comedian. what sort Of
Well" said he laughingly. "he's
this sort of a chap. He makes a lot
of money and he keeps almost as
much. He has an unpretentious little
home. manned with not more than
one servant. and in the home there Is
a suite of parlor furniture. It's gilt.
think-anyway it's quite snowy, and
the Turptns are very much concerned
over Its welfare. They keep 1t COW
cred up except when somebody calls,
For they say that when the doorbell
rings some one always peeps out OF
the window to see who is there. II
it's a stranger, OF come the furniture
insurance is kept on"
This amusing story is always link
ed in my mind with the one which
VIII Rogers is fond Of telling on
Chaplin. "A girl went riding up in the
was thrown and lost for two days. o
When 1t was thought they weren't
going to find her Charlie offered a
reward Of a thousand dollars in all
the papers. 1t looked at that time
to find her. But they did. SO the
people that found her offered $500 OF
Charlie
For me one of the most amazing
revelations regarding NJ. Maeterlinck
concerns his Indifference to music. II
was in this country and while he was
with the Goldwyn Company that he
heard for the first time rendition
Of the opera "Pelleas ct Melisande." :"
in his box at this performances. and he
reported that from the large placid
face those ethereal strains which
Debussy wove abous his own play
drew not sign of response. It was
quite evident that tho Belgian author
perhaps considered DR.. johnson some
what too broadminded when he said
that music was a sound more agree
able than other noises.
When I was in England several
years after the formation Of the
Goldwyn Company / made a memoir
able call upon another playwright
whose pen moves in different tempo
from that Of Maeterlinck had long
been an admfrer Of Mr.. Bernard Shaw
and in spite OF the fact that the
quality OF his plays rather repudiates
the suggestion OF screen adaptation
l was interested in conducting the
experiment
Mr.. and Mrs. Shaw entertained me
at their London apartment with much
brilliant talk and the inevitable tea
The playwrights wife, a very cor
dial hostess indeed. is one Of those
fresh colored, vigorous types Of wom-
anhood which You meet at every turn
of Hyde Park. She was deeply en-
crossed that day In the Irish question.
and her sympathies were brought
into relief by a call from Sir Horace
Plunkett. then just returned from a
visit to the United States
1 recall that during the Course Of