Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-05
little Bessie Love Finds Her Big Chance in the 7

WHEN BARRIE wrote Peter
a | Pan" he might have hal
wv in mind Bessie Love-today.
v leading figure in talking,
! singing, dancing pictures.
! Standing feet in her high heels,
weighing not quite 100 pounds, Lit !2
Bessie of the golden bob and big. child
like brown eyes, makes you believe in
fairies and all the alluring fantasies
of youth.
No one calls her Miss" It's Bes-
/ sic, from prop boy to president. For
| Bessie Love is one of those rare beings
| around picture StudioS-a good trouper.
| Her cyclonic comeback in the musical
extravaganza, Broadway Melody" and
all the adultation showered on her as
! filmland's latest dramatic sensation,
| hasn't turned her head. If you expect
/ this leading lady of the talkies to emotc
over her success you'll be disappointed.
1 was After waiting several weeks for
an appointment, I went to lunch with
| her at the studio cafe, anticipating
gladstone thrills.
| Honestly, I don't know how she
, achieves such nice modesty in the face
of SO much fulsome praise. Crossing
the studio to lunch, she was stopped
no less than ten times, while during
lunch a former director of Bessie's in
the old Vitagraph days came over t.
the table to squeeze both her hands and
say, II told them So" Of course, Bes-
sic Love adores all this. Otherwise,
she wouldn't be human. But she knows
how violently Hollywood takes on"
over the latest sensation. When 1
asked what her reaction was, this is
what she said:
at am very happy about it. Sounds
insane, but / always take things quietly
as they come. People are tickle. The
thing of the moment they grab at; to-
morrow it is something-or somebody
else. 1 feel that this is just my brief
moment 1 am not enjoying it any
less. Naturally, I appreciate sincere
things people say, but at the same
time I think many are swept off their
feet by emotion. Since I was a tiny
girl, I have been like this. When any,
body said my hair was pretty. that 1
had a lovely sash on, or I would STAY
men when I grew up. mother taught
me to take it with a grain of salt, not
to believe everything.
Opportunities come to us ALL" she
went on, lat one time or another.
Everybody gets breaks bad as we'll as
good, but they don't know how to treat
them. I hate people who go round
telling about the bad luck they've had.
Look at successful people; they have
taken advantage of their good breaks
and treated the bad breaks as just part
of the game. When good times come,
no one appreciates it more than I do.
1 believe in taking full advantage of
it because there is enough tragedy"
1t paid Bessie to practice what she
breaches. When she found herself slip
ping down from the top of the screen
ladder, where she miraculousiy started
as an unframed high-school girl, she
took dancing, singing and ukelele les
sons and went on vaudeville tour.
When her big break came with the
opportunity to play Hank in Broad,
way Melody" Bessie knew back-stage
life. Unconsciously, she already had
learned to be a good trouper, which is
the reason why she gave such a con-
vincing Interpretation of the little ac-
tress whose unselfish devotion to her
sister prompts her to give up the man