The Washington times., 1928-06-05


FOR that; besides there Il no
point III e. All nice Americans
70 to England and then come
STRAIGHT 10 see me. 4 believe Mr..
Chaplin called on me but. having
rung the bell. he got frightened
ana went away.
Mr.. MeniOu Mr.. Chaplin rs the
0,,Iy genius On the film stage. II
was Mr.. Kn0block who first dis
covered mo when I was playing
the part 81 3 doctor years ago in
film called The Faith Healer.
But It was Chaplin who gave me
my first big chance II A Woman
Of Paris.
Mr.. Shawl agree. Mr.. Chaplin
Is the only genius In films today.
Mr.. Menjo He is absolutely
sincere. And he is q 24-hour man:
he works all day and all night and
he never loses his temper. have
had to 70 through the same scene
with him SIS Or 40 times before he
rot il right. Today \ can get
through q finn In rs days and sci
dom take more than = month.
Mr.. Shaw That III the great
point about films. When am re-
hearsing & play / so and see It 20
Or 40 times not once do they ever
ret IL All right, but each time there
arA one or two bits which feel
are Just right, but It never happens
that everything ID right At the
same performance. / can keep in
nv minds eye each separate bit
that has been right at the various
rehearsals, and so I very seldom
20 to see my own plays. But in
films. Il suppose that with . suffi-
cient number Of trials You can ger
It all right.
Mr.. Menjou goluitely.
Mr.. shaw But then I suppose
you do not always have good di-
rectors some directors may like
all the bad bits and cut out all the
good bits? That cannot happen
on the stage and so you can never
have q real atrocity as YOU can in
film with bad director.
Mr.. Menjou-I am very greatly
interested In the new talking film
process. In New York q few days
ago ] saw a film called The
Tenderloin. = In which both the
two big dramatic noments-par'
tfcularIy where the heroine il
subjected to a third degree exam
! nation by. the police-were done
in talking films. 1t was tre-
mendOus and after that all the
captions seemed dull and flat.
Mr.. ShaW-That interests me
very great deal. Two or three
days ago a huge wagon with bat.
a. ~ f~A -
ci1anism arrived at my front door
Movietone process and they want
ed me to talk and act in front
OF Il, Well, made an experiment
to zee what 1t could do. 1 TOM
fooled around the lawns and said
all sorts Of things.
These American camera IAen,
full OF punch and go, then told
me that instead OF being able to
see 1.-THE result, mean-within
twenty-four !. hours, they had to
send Il all the way back to Amer
lea to get II developed.
Once before was interviewed
on talking film. I behaved just
as though 1t was on the stage
(Mr. Shaw then got UP, walked to
LnG END VI bAAS AOOAAAS pOLA~u OuS
his chest, STROBE round the room,
raising his arm and lowering it).
That was what it looked like
when it came out on the film.
Everything was exaggerated to q
ludicrous degree. They ought to
have told me that before.
Mrs. Patrick Campbell has had
a film test, but she says that she
was no good in it at all. The
reason, OF course, was that she
had not been told to minimize
every movement, because it comes
out in so emphatic q way on the
screen. BY the way, would you
like to come to lunch? My wife
is q very great admirer OF yours
and IL would be delightful sur
prise for her.
Mr.. Menjou-What a shame! I
have got long engagement
which ] can't break.
Mr.. Shaw-Yes, my wife is a
great admirer OF yours. 4
fortnight ago / was in Llandudno,
and 1t was advertised in the
papers that your film. ''The Ace
OF Cads'-
Mr.. Menjou-A very bad film
Mr.. Shaw-Was going to be
shown. I knew 1t was all up
then, and that my wife would
force me to go with her. When
we arrived the manager showed
us into our seats. I looked
around for d moment. I thought
that we were the only people In
Z a. ssam.M~mm. Ahmn y -. $780,