Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-11

~" aeram hGhva" y1u cry zaaen
I'M yen have Mztcaaed q very
!" yUmg nctsr give IN emotional
performance on the screen
You'd be surprisedi
Constance Bennetfs screen child in q recent
picture has attracted widespread comment, and
many are the letters received by the studio
predicting great future for 50 gifted an infant
Yet the fact is that Miss Benefits c0-w0rker
WAS not one baby but three.
Two OF the tiny Actresses sharing the h0nors
were twins. and they were engaged by Assistant
Director William TUNNEL to spell one another
for the two weeks work required. State laws
are rigid concerning the length OF time children
can work-for infants of this age two hours
day is permitted-so one twin was on hand In
the morning and the other in the afternoon.
doll of the same size as the twins and
dressed just as they were was used IN all re-
hearsals. Since lights are very hard On balaieS,
direct light on their eyes mast be avoided. so
Constance would take the doll into the rehear-
sal and held it just as she expected to hold
its living counterpart, while electricians stUOve
to spot their lights ON the back Of its head or
at the side. An instant before the some was
70 be shot the real baby was substituted.
But only for 90-sec0nd take" rs that Is
rs long Is the law permits q baby TO work
before cameras. Yen can imagine how many
~takes" are necessary before even enc scene
can be successfully shot
A LIZ went weH with the baby sequence until
the final day, the mast important 90 far
as haby-Acting was concerned. EVEN by using
the don IN long sl1gts &c became evident by the
middle of the afternoon fhst the twins time
limit W0uld expire hefue their roles were COM
pleted and reinforcement troops wguld be re-
quired.
TUNNEL used the telephnne 1ranticaHy, but
apparently that WAS . busy dEy for the young
est generation IN hollywood, fer every actor
or out Of town. At 1ength the assistant director
called his own house and ordered his daughter
Katherine Anne, aged months. to report to
the set In spite Of her inexpeFaence, tine young
lady saved the day
Word that balies mEe 10 be nsed In n picture
Is greeted by EroMnS from AL concerned In its
making, for great IN the grief rs well rs the
expense occasi0neA by fhgir employment.
In another picture the script called fer sight
newborn infauEs fur the hospital sequence.
TAese babies were snpplied by the welfare
Eesgne. were approximately weeks cid and
their mothers were WBmen In want. zach
infant had TO be paid SIS day, had % be
provided with ITS own trained nurse had to
have three hours uninterrupted sleep In
heated nursery, be transported to and from the
Studio and fed ~ formula supplied by Its own
doctor.
The studio also had 10 sign liability insurance
against injury to the babies' eyes. An young
children are required to report to playsician
Cor an eye examination within - hoJws after
being exposed 30 lights.
According to Miss M. Z. n. Gibsane, script
girl on this picture, the sweet disposition q
small actor was responsible Tor cutting out one
gG Douglas Fairbanks jr.'s, scenes The scene
directed that y Negro baby cry, that Doug
thinking the cry came from his baby, vail:
Don't you think I know my own cfild's
voice."
The director explained TO the mother OF the
tiny Negro lad chosen for the picture that he
must be guaranteed TO yell.