Evening star., 1927-04-03
Motion Picture
Album
EY ROBERT f. SHERWOOD.

HIS Is the Eou1on age pt LIN
character actor in Hollywood
Cncouth. uncomely fellows. lik'
L Lon Chaney. the Becry broth
ers and Chester Conklin, whc
lex that additionally successful Qual
known as at" are occupying the
enter OF the screen, while the hand
me. appealing young leading men
IRE compelled to hover apologetically
IN The background
In virtually every important picture
taat has been presented recently. the
sp-called character actors have been
he whole show. The love interest
las been relegated to position OF
secondary importance; 1t is thrown IN
l-,erelv as a SOP to the incurably ro-
ntic old codgers who still believe
It every movie. every play and
very novel must end with A view or
s description of an attractive youth
Nissing beautiful maiden.
All this started with THE Covered
"a agon,'' in which Ernest Terrence
snd Tully Marshall usurped the glory
aid made the handsome hero look
very foolish, indeed.
The results of "The Covered Wag-
on influence are evidenced in the fol
lowing notable films:
In Beau Geste," the outstanding
performances are contributed by Noah
Faery and William Powell, both of
Whom may be rated as heavy vii
ms: in "Old Ironsides." Wallace
Eeery and George Bancroft hold the
ssntt r OF interest; in The Big Pa
aie." Karl Dane and Tom O'Brien;
"a Tell 1t to the Marines, Lon
Chaney; in THE Fire Brigade" Tom
O Rriel. Warner Richmond and Bert
Woodruff: in The Iron Horse" j.
Farrell Macdonald, and in What
Price Glory?" Victor McLaglen and
Edmund Lowe (the latter on this
rccasion having departed long. long
distance from his usual heroic style>.
In THE Rough Riders" it is George
Bancroft and Noah Beery.
Even the character actresses have
come into their own. as evidenced by
stella Dallas and Louise Dresser
in "The Goose Woman" and other
pictures.
The heroes and the heroines them
selves are developing possibly in self
defensel into interpreters of character.
Examine the performances of John
Gilbert in THE Merry Widow THE
Big Parade" and THE show; of Ron
aid Colman in Her Night of Ro-
NANCE" 1.-The Dark Angel and Beau
,;este"; of Norma Shearer in The
and "The Demi- Bride: of William
Haines in Memory Lane" Brown
of Harvard and ''Slide, Kelly, Slide.
You will observe that all these
Younger stars are doing their utmost
10 achieve variety in the parts they
play. They are making a desperate
and well advised attempt to escape
rom the blighting curse of types
-
Bernard Shaw once defined a char
acter actor as "a clever stage per
former who cannot act. and therefore
makes an elaborate study of the dis
Guises and stage tricks by which act
ing can be srotesquely simulated"
That Shavian definition does not /
apply in thesmovieS, where so great
premium is placed upon perfection in
physical appearance. A man who
isn't sufficiently handsome to play
heroic roles has to be able to act or |
he Is compelled to look elsewhere for
employment.
Ever since Lon CLANCY made
great hit as the Frog in The
Mira Gle Man" there has been a sus-
picion that he is a master of make
up and contortion, but not an actor.
Mr.. CLANCY has effectually silenced
such doubters by his superb charac
;erizations in THE Unholy Three"
and Tell 1t to the Marines" in
which he scored triumphs without aid
of nose putty, grease paint or
straightjackets.
X **
Here is a list of the character
actors who are now enjoying un-
precedented wealth and fame in the
movies:
- .Nbaro,- Wallace poar,- Charlie
Murray, Raymond Hatton, Ford Ster-
ling, Karl Dane, George X. Arthur,
Noah Beery, Chester Conklin, Andre /
Beranger, Bert Roach, George Sid
ney. George Bancroft, Tom O'Brien,
j. Farrell Macdonald. Hank Mann
and Victor McLaglen.
These men-once fillers-in-are
now sitting pretty in Hollywood. Con-
stantly in demand, they can dictate
though they appear in pictures in
which some one else is technically
featured" they have the satisfac-
ton of knowing that the critics |
praise and the public's applause is all !
for them.
Bulletins.
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.-There will |
probably be serious shortage of war /
pictures III Tue lotoIO as q
The United States Governments de- i
cision to allow no more or its sol |
d;ers to work as movie extras. The
Army and Navy have been almost as
busy in Hollywood in the past two
years as they were in France in
1918. Richard Dix is said to
have offered 100000 for a release
from his Famous Players contract
This. il true, is a record. NO
more visitors are to be allowed in the
Metro-Goldwyn Studios, which is bad
news for Ford owners in the Mldole
West The ayerag ge number of visitors
al this one plant has been about 500
a day. Of whom 49S came from Iowa.