Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-22

n the public is diverted from
NV its usual subjects of inter-
ests and is concentrated for
short time on politics. q
veritaele epidemic Of open letters
breaks out This Summer every news
paper ONCE is flooded with open letters
to Herbert Hoover. open letters to Al
Smith. open letters TO Senator Heflin,
oren letters to Mrs. Glen Shaver. open
letters 10 the world in general,
II is very seldom that any one takes
the trouble 10 read these open letters:
in fact. they might Just as well have re-
manned shut. But this consideration
doesn't feaze the writers n the slight
est degree Having views and opinions
that they want TO express. they incor-
porste them into open letters and feel
that oy doing so they have done their
part in working to reform the country.
Just To be average, I shall devote this
column this week to an open letter to
Douglas Fairbanks
This is it:
Dear Doug
Il have followed your career with the
greatest interest since the days when
YOU were known as the champion ALL
around athlete If the Lambs Club, /
saw you on the stage in Hawthorne Of
the u S. A. The Cub, He comes Up
Smiling. The Gentleman from Mis-
Sissippf and other good shows,
You were always great You knew
how To Jump around and you also knew
how 70 act. You possessed. to super
lative degree that rare quality that is
known as stage presence
Then you joined the first procession
Of famous players that moved from
Broadway to Hollywood, Unlike most
OF the other movers. you stuck.
II and many others felt pretty badly
about your going into the movies. and
hoped that your period Of perjury in the
silent drama would be short, We la
mented the fact that another good
actor had gone wrong,
But YOU surprised us. You didn't
allow the movies to degrade you; on the
contrary. you uplifted them. You
waded in. using all your muscles tin-
Guiding those above your ears and
proved that action on the screen could
be graceful, beautiful and even inspiring.
Your early pictures, such as Manhattan
Madness and The Americana we're
important events in the history OF the
moving picture as an art form,
You married Mary Piekford and
started. with her. reign the like of
which has never before been known
In this democracy. You and your wife
have become as close to royalty as is pos
sihle under existing laws. Furthermore,
your domain is not limited by any FROM
tiers. natural or political. No Prince OF
Wales returning from the wars could
be greeted in London with so much
whole hearted enthusiasm and genuine
alteration rs you and Mary have known
whenever you have travelled abroad.
you have been q veritable godsend
to those of us in the American Republic
who grow tired of the sour visages and
funeral garb of our governmental on
cisis. and who long for some Of the
pagentry. the ponp and the circum-
stance of European monarchy. You
represent the embodiment of the ro-
mantle glamour that we may read about
but never really know
Your career in the movies has been
glorious one. There have been no
other stars who have equaled your
record over period Of Il years. You
have been consistently progressive. You
have fallen below your own high stand
ard On no more than two occasions
which Is more than can be said for
any one else, Charlie Chaplin included
Starting with The Mark of Zorro
eight years ago. you expanded the scope
of your activities to an enormous ex-
tent. You wisely elected TO become
your own boss, which enabled you to
use your own money and your own
yaulting imagination in your own way,
and to take orders from no one.
You produced The Three Muske-
teers,' Robin Hood and The Thief of
Bsgdad' You pioneered in the use Of
color photography in The Black
Pirate You indicated that your ambi-
ton and your intelligence were as rest
iessly active and as nimble as were the
gay characters you portrayed on the
screen
Your last picture, The Gaucho.' was,
IN my estimation, something of dud
NOT because your ammunition was
faulty. or because your aim was poor,
but because you selected, for once In
your life, the wrong target at which
70 shoot.
up to nov, In this open letter,
have been telling you nothing that you
don't already know (even that last
paragraph about The Gaucho' being
o dud is probably no news to your.
That, however. is the rule govern
ing all open letters, to devote 80 per
cent Of the space to long-winded
recitation OF well known facts. Hav-
Xix GBf1EDEIuCO W ILLS 1EEdAdb&ul. dllQ
bored you thoroughly. shall now come
down to the main point OF this letter,
which is TO ask you question, 70 wit:
Where are you going from here?
II have been told that you plan to
produce sequel to The Three Muske-
teers, which sounds fine: the role Of
D'Artagnan is q veritable set-up for
you, and you could 60 on playing that
forever.
But I am not interested in your
Own performance. which can be con-
sidere6 a sure thing, so much as in
the picture itself.
What is it TO be like? Are you
going 10 make use OF the Movietone. or
viii you try TO prove that the talkie
Is only passing novelty, and that the
true, permanent virtue Of the silent
drama is silence?
Your industry has now come to the
end Of certain phase and is embark
d. CD