The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-12-22
Copyright, 1926, by Upton sinciaIr)
x


XII.
There came another development.
to protect Wee from the possibility
of boredom. Schmolsky sent her up
the continuity of the new picture
upon which she was to start work
in the fall And then suddenly it
was revealed that the worlds dar
ling knew how to read! For a
whole hour she sat buried in it, and
then she leaped up, ready to start
rehearsing-a all the hurricanes
that ever swept the province of On
tario were as nothing to the one
that came now Clear the way for
"The Princess Of Patchouli!"
1t was a popular musical comedy
which was to be made into NOV
ing picture. "Patchouli" was one OF
the little Balkan kingdoms, tho it
looked and acted very much like
Vienna of the Strauss walt2es. A
young American engineer came In
TO build a railroad and found him
self mistaken for a conspirator, and
, presently he was rescuing the lovely
princess from a revolutionary band
no Bolsheviks, these. were aristo-
cratic army conspirators, so Bunny
wouldn't have his feelings hurt.
would he? OF course he carried
her off, and married her for love
only, and then got the kingdom
thrown in--the bankers who were
financing the railroad bought it for
him.
SO here was Wee, being princess
all over the place. 1t was amazing
to watch her work-Bunny suddenly
came to realize that her success
hadn't been all money and sex, after
ALL She bounced onto the role like
a tiger-cat, and when she got going
the rest of the world ceased to ex-
ist-except to the extent that she
needed it for a foil. "Now, Dad,
you're the king; you walk in here
no, no, for oGd's sake, kings don't
walk so fast! And | have to fall
at your feet and plead for his life,
oh, mercy, sire, and so-and-so, and
so-and-so, and so-and-son"
1t is one OF the peculiarities OF
motion picture acting, that it doesn't
matter what you say, so long as you
are saying something; so Wee would
weep, Sand so-and-so," and she
would Groom "And so-and-so" in pas
sionate love accents to either Bunny
or Apple, and she would shrek
"And so-and-so" in deadly terror to
an executioner with uplifted axe.
And if in the course of the scene the
other person didn't do it right,
then scolding, and commands would
serve equally well for love song,
Hold it, now, you idiot, l adore
you darling" or may be it might
be, take your hands off me, foul
beast-don't let go, you goose, grab!
That's better, you don't have to be
polite when you're murderer"
If Bunny had wanted to rehearse
tempestuous emotions, and shrek
and scream and tear his hair. he
would have sought refuge in the
woods. where only the chipmunks
could have heard him. But Wee was
utterly Indifferent to the existence
of other humans. That is something
one learns on "the lot" for there
will be camera men and scene-shift-
ers, and property boys, and carpen-
some visitors that have managed to
break in despite the strictest regu-
lations-and you just go on with
your work. The first time the exc
cutioner lifted his axe and Wee
started screaming the Indian guides
came running in alarm; but she
hardly stopped even for a laugh;
she went on with the scene, while
they stood staring with mouths wide
open. She and her two lovers would
come in from swimming, and sud
denly she would call for rehearsal
or some royal pageantry-she could
be princess just as well in scanty
bathing suit, with carpet of pine
needles under her bare feet.
Mr.. Appleton Laurence had never
met any princesses, but he had read
a great deal Of history and poetry.
and so he was an authority, and
must criticize her way Of walking,
her gestures. her attitudes, her reac-
ten to the love advances of hand
some young American engineer.
"Just imagine you're in love with
me yourself, Apple" she would say
and so his emotions became subll-
mated into art. and he could pour
out his soul to her, right before
Bunny and Dad and Dads secretary
and the Indians You're much bet
ter at It than Bunny" she would de-
clare. 81 believe he's got used to
me, it's as bad as II we were mar
ried"