The Washington times., 1938-04-30
Doug, Jr., Got His
Biggest Thrill
From Chaplin
By ED SULLIVAN
Take the Stand, Doug, Jr.
HOLLYWOOD, April 80.

Q.-1 don't get what you're driving at.
A.-Well, Harry Meyers is an extra in this
picture; in the first picture ever made he
was costarred with Theodore Roberts and
Noah Berry. That was stephen Steps Out"
back in 1923. There's human interest
yarn for you.
Q.-Sort of case of the wheel completing
the full turnH
A.-Yessir, in those days he was getting
what was terrific money, $3.50 week. You
must have seen him in "a Connecticut
Yankee at King Arthur's Court" He was
marvellous. He sort of watched out for me
in that first picture, showed me the ropes
He even told me how to steal a scene from
Theodore Roberts. Nobody thought he could
do it, because Roberts always smoked a
cigar. Whenever he wanted to grab a scene.
he d just roll the cigar from one corner Of
his mouth to the other, and any other actor
in the scene was dead pigeon.
Q.-How did you do it?
A.-Harry told me- when it came to a
certain piece of business, to step on Roberts
foot. l was scared to death to do it, but the
crew kept urging me on, and I did i'll
stepped right on his foot and then, when he
looked down at the ground, smiled right
into the camera
GLOW did you get away with it?
A.-Meyers and all the crowd 'on the set
started laughing and Roberts thought that
they were laughing because of something
funny he'd done. When he saw the rushes
a couple of days later, he really hit the roof,
but by that time the set had been dis.
mantled, so they couldn't take the scene
over. But nothing could have helped me in
that first picture. Soon as it was over they
fired me. They just wanted to use the Fair
banks name.
n THEN it hasn't been all beer and
6GS skittles for youH
Al should say not. I've had more ups
and downs than the stock market. No fool
ing, just as I'd get started they'd fire me.
Once I got to be star at Warmers, and an
argument started about something. So they
didn't even list my name in the cast of
marrow Shoulders" I'm the only star who
made a picture and didn't even get men,
toned. I've been kicked around, Edward
In between, a good picture would come
along and give me new lease on life.
Q.-For instance?
A.-The first one was "The Barker" Then
there was lull. Along came dawn Pa
troll" and picked me up again. In between
them did young Woodleigh" at the Ma
jestic Theater in Los Angeles and it clicked
Then there was long downward dip, and
Morning Glory" served as the pickup. Had
1 stayed here then, l think things would
have broken for me, but my father asked me
to take trip with him for three months.
We'd never gone on trip together and it
lasted five years. Catherine the Great"
with Elizabeth Bergner, was the pulmotor
after that five-year lapse, and then Prisoner
of Zenda" brought me attention again.
Q.-Where were you born, Doug, Europe?
A.-No, at Seventy eighth and Broadway,
New York city, at the Apthorp Apartments.
Dad and my mother didn't have much money.
He wasn't doing so we'll at the time on the
stage, so mother went to my grandfather's
apartment for my arrival.
Q-What was your greatest personal
thrill, on the stage or on the screen?
A The night that we opened out here
IA" at the Majestic in "Young Wood
leigh" A week before we opened, the word
got around that it was a good show, and
suddenly everybody in the movie colony
started buying tickets. As result the
night we opened the Who's Who Of Holly
wood was in the audience. I was 17-you
know, the age when a kid goes in for poetry
and the intellectual life and wears long col
lars and strikes Byronic poses So the part
fitted me like glove. didn't have to act
Q-The thrill was in clicking in front of
the movie. stars?
A.-No, not that, but Charlie Chaplin came
backstage and sat and talked with me until
about 2 o'clock the next morning. That was
the INTELLECTUALLY having Chaplin in MY
dressing room. was really hot shot for
the next week, at least.
Q-And today, look at you-you just fin
ished "Joy of Living" with Irene Dunno
you're making this one with Danielle Oar
rieux, you're signed for the next Gregory
La Cava picture, you have one to do for
Dave Selznick and three year for RKO
What are you going to do with all that
dough, Douglas?
AIR. Interlocutor, I'm going to put it
in the bank. You know, Pm the only guy
in Hollywood with flivver. None of that
u0lI1yurooJ 10 e.,