San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-29

tc) Great Britain Rights Reserved
THE little motion picture stars in Hollywood are
having whale of time fighting off fat. On
one side are cream puffs, chocolate cellars,
beefsteaks lobster salads and long array of starchy
sweets On the other is ascause in their contracts
which reads
'Tf the party Of the second part (meaning
the little star, Of eourse) exceeds - pounds
in weight, this agreement shall be considered
terminated"
There it is, "in black and white"-a constant
menace, blunt warning-"Get fat and you lose
your job" There is no equivocation about it. No
"extenuating circumstances" No excuses permit
ted It's Just these horred eighteen words that stare
at the beauties whenever they unfold the bue-bound
document It's paragraph which conjures up dis
turbing impressions during wakeful hours of the
night,
II means the difference between a bank check
on Saturday night, for sum ranging somewhere
between 81, 500 and $4,000, and brief note saying,
ut has come to our attention that you are three
pounds overweight In conformity with the terms
of our agreement you are hereby advised that your
services will not be required following the termina
ton of your present picture We regret to take this
action but the public does not want to fat girls
endeavoring to play leading roles and most assuredy
does not want to see them starred"
And the stars do not want to get it. The result is
that oftentimes when other young women of Amer
lea are enjoying hearty meals lolling in ham.
mocks and easy chairs, the little motion picture
queens are working with the medicine ball, the
tennis racquet, the parallel bars or donning
track suits or swimming suits and are hitting it up
good and hard, pleading for the perspiration to
come.
Of course, every woman does not get fat and so
it is that few of the most important queens of the
film to have such perfect physical balance that
they have anXietes as to getting too thin too
heavy. Marion Davies quite naturally holds Just the
weight she ought to carry without the exacting self
denial to food the eXhausting exercises so many
Of the stars must follow Mary Pickford Also is one
Of the fortunate women in pictures who has no wor-
ries about taking weight. At the present time
she weighs only nnetyeight pounds, and she seldom
goes over one hundred.
81 have crawled into my bed so dog-tired at
night just cried says Carmel Myers. 81 haven't
been overweight and | am not going to be over
weight. So | sit by while other young women eat
chocolates and steaks and everything good and con-
tent myself with bit of fish and a little salad and
some dry-toasted whole-wheat bread. Then swim
jump the rope run play tennis, tackle the parallel
bars, besd over TO touch the palms of my hands on
the floor, do the 'stingup' exercises-anything
that will keep away the fat. It's grUeling, but il
must be done"
There is Joyce Compton, whose contract spec.
fies that If she gets to weigh than $50 pounds
she's out. And just few weeks ago she was horri-
fed when she stepped upon the scales to find thai
the beam registered 1873. In two weeks she was Il
start work in another production and she knew tha
when she weighed in" unless she reduced she was
out. Gone would be her contract gone her nositior