The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-10-08
Our Own Movie Queen

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star in after her for good luck. The
young man drew the robe over them and
they set off at full speed-but in less than
a block the long delayed traffic brought
them to another halt. When they Overcame
this obstacle, a quarter Of a mile of tight
packed cars still interpOsed between Oracle
and the procession ahead.
"Tel your chauffer to hORk!" said
Oracle Indignantly to the fat young man.
He isn't mine. They gave me this car.
! just got into town, you see. I'm Joe
Murphy, the assistant director"
1--WE got to get up to our place, amt
we?" shouted the queen. what do you
suppose everybOdy's going to say when
! they don't see me?"
The chauffer Obediently honked, but, as
everybody else was hOnking, too, it pro-
duced little effect. The other cars having
attained a place in line, were not disposed
to ~relinqu1sh 1t to an undecOrated ma
chine containing an obviously intoxicated
young woman who kept threatening them
with a long blue stick.
When the procession turned into the
fashionable avenue, Oracle began to bow
right and left to the crowds that should
have lined the way She bowed to groups
or individuals impartially, to babies, to
responsive dogs and even to several of the
houses, which answered her with cold
plate glass stares. Here and there some
one nodded back at her politely, and one
group gave her a short cheer-but they
obviously failed to connect her with the
cOlOrful display ahead.
Oracle bowed for over a mile. Then two
| young men on a corner Yelleu SOlueluiuS
that was perfectly audible to her. They
yelled it over and over again and several
small boys on the sidewalk took up the
S"Where'd you get the gin, sister?
Where'd you get the gin?"
Then Oracle gave up and burst into tears
and told Mr.. Murphy to take her home.
The movie, New Heidelberg, the Flow
cry City of the Middle West" was being
filmed in the outskirts of the city. On a
morning of February thaw Oracle step
ped g~ingerly from the street car at the
end of the line, and with the other city
queens navtgated the melted snow and
mud puddles that almost Obliterated the
ground. The lot was already crowded and
Oracle, as leading lady, tried to locate
those in charge. Some one pointed out
a platform in the center, and told her
that the active little man who was pacing
~nervOusly back and forth upon 1T was
the director, Mr.. Decoqrcey ONey. Oracle
elbOwed her way in that direction.
Mr.. DecOurcey O'Ney had come early in
to the pictures and back in 1916 had been
knOwn as a "big" director. Then, due
to one of those spasmS of hySteria which
periodically sieze upon the industry, he had
found himself suddenly out Of work. His
acquisition by the "Our Own Movie" com
mittee was especially played up by the
New Heidelberg Tribune.
He was commenting to his assistant dir
ectOr on the undeniably swampy condition
of the ground, when a plump young lady
with a big suit box under her arm ap-
| UGdIEu DEHluG Hill OM ~ D4dLLOL
What can 1 do for your" he asked
"I'm the movie queen announced Oracle;
Mr.. Joe Murphy, assistant director"
and man of all work, confirmed this fact.
"Why, sure he said warmly, this girl
: was elected the most popular girl in the
city. Don't you remember me, Miss Axel-
! rOd?"
"Yeah," said Oracle g~rudgingly. She had
no wish to be reminded of the late fiascO.
l "Have you had any experience in pic
tures?" inquired Mr.. O'Ney.
80, 1 seen a lot Of 'em and I know just
about how the leading lady ought to act"
well" murmured Mr.. O'Ney alarmingly.
. 81 think I'll have you gilded to start with"
"Mr. O'Ney means that he'll show you
how to do said Joe Murphy hastily:
"By the bye" said Mr.. O'Ney, politely,
"Can you scream?"
: "Have you ever done any screaming? ?"
d And then he added. in explanatory fashion
"Fhe only reason 1 ask you is because
5 want to know"
"Why-sure," answered Oracle hesitantly
I 81 guess I can scream good enough, if you
want somebody to scream"
"Al right" Mr.. O'Ney seemed greatly
pleased. "Then scream"
Before Oracle could believe her ears
much less open her mouth, Joe Murphy
n again interjected: "Mr. O'Ney means later
You go over to that house and put OF
your costume"
Somewhat bewildered, Oracle set out fO
the ladies' dressing roOms, and Joe Muir
- ply looked after her admiringly. He like
t. ! blondes as full blown as himself-and es
= p~ecially those who seemed to have mater
D. | ialized out Of the vapOr from warm milk
The picture, written by a local poetess
- cO-mmemOrated the settling Of New Held
W elberg by the brave pioneers. Three day
IT were spent in the rehearsal Of the mo-
& scenes. Oracle, relieved from work at tn
store, came every morning and sat shiv
= ering in the back Of a prairie schooner
1t was all very confusing, and she hGl
ID little idea Of what her part was TO be
When the day came for the actual shoot
le ing she acted as she had never acted be
fore. Entering the covered wagon, sh
violently elevated her eyebrows and crook
= ed her little fingers into grotesque hook:
During the Indian attack she rushed abou
t. in the center of a blank cartridge bedlan
waving her arms and pointing her an
there at the circling redskins as If to ind
cate startling tactical dispositions. At tn
? end of the second day Mr.. O'Ney announce
r that the shooting was done. He thanke
them all for their willingness, and toll
= them their services were no longer r6
=; quired. Not once during the whole pictuI
ne had Oracle been required to scream.
Since Oracle had been working days
Mr.. AxelrOd's business had fallen OF
n. He went to bed at midnight just when b
= should have been most alert. 1t was lionel
when Oracle wasn't there to fill the shac
IL with warm chicken smoke, and he ha
II: no one to read the newspaper at. But
nd / was vaguely proud of his daughter, an
Is, his drOwsy mind grasped the fact thu
o. something apart from him was going G
nd in her life.
Is. He was flattered when Oracle asked hi
to. accompany her one Thursday nigl
to the private showing of the picture. ON
an the people closely concerned were to
there. The real showing would take pla
in grand style at the city auditorium.
rty 7 The preliminary showing was at Il
rs. BijOu, and when the small red velvet Gu
Tot tains parted to show the screen, Grac
and her father, became rigid with excit
- ment. The frs titlA flashed suddenly o
NEW HEIDELBERG. THE FLOWER
lth CITY OF THE MIDDLE WEST
90 AN EPIC OF PAST AND PRESENT
Dr. GROWTH AND PROSPERITY
HARRIET DINWIDDIE HILLS GRAZ
- DIRECTED BY
s$S DECOURCEY O'NEY
III -