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About The Omaha morning bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927 | View Entire Issue (May 18, 1924)
I-ast Curtain Down on Oldtime Star lie Had Known Stage Fame Rut Death Found Him Only a “Beard.” By GARRETT GRAHAM His salary was $7.5<i) a day—when ii“ worked. He was a "heard.” In that impossible, polyglot world they 1-all filmdom, there are many who live by their beards or their hesity, their dignity or deformities, heir stature Or lark of It. But Smith, which Isn't the name, was more than a "beard” There ol been a time when his name in iunt of a theater brought people tn. ile had played with the best of them, had known luxury. He had tasted the giddy wine of success, bail warmed to the flattery of press . i itlcisme and of the fawning syco i' i nits always at hand when a man prospers. Money? Easy to make— not worth saving! Come on, fellows, the night's in its infancy. The years filed silently by, but fnh left footprints. He suddenly missed*! his youthful buoyancy, as if (hat sneak-thief, Time, had filch ed it from his dressing room. The courtly air remained, the knack of wearing clothes. Success was still his for the asking. All those good fellows to whom he had played host— Three-score-and-ten found him a ''heard” in Hollywood. In picture parlance that is a man with a natural growth of whiskers. They play many parts, few Important, generally atmosphere. From $5 to 17.50 is their daily stipend. Not ^ enough? Well, past reputations don't photograph and Hollywood has plenty of beards. Hal Roach was casting a picture snd wanted an exclusive clubful of plutocrats, distinguished, auto cratic old gentlemen whose wealth and aristocracy were obvious. Smith of course, was called. None fitted the part better. His silk hat and frock coat were meticulously cor rect. He lounged about the luxuri ous club with the nonchalance that onlv such experience brings. He was at home among his felows. One day on the set just, before lunch time, the old man called Glenn Tryon to one side. Tryon is a like sble, care free 3’oung fellow of 25, In whom Hal Roach perceiv-ed such lat ent ability that he Is starring him In a new series of comedy-dramas—a chance for which hundreds of young fellow's of equal stage experience would give their chances for Immor tality. "Son," the old man eald, “I want to give 3'ou some advice—which you probably don’t want and won’t re member. You Ree a lot of old men on this set who are mighty glad to get this call at }7.50 a day. Most of us are old enough to be your gram! father and have made plenty of money in our time. We haven’t a dime now. “You have 3'outh, ability, oppor tunity—the world's before 3’ou. For Hod's sake keep your feet on the ground. Hal Roach Is one of the w isest men in the film business. He has faith In 3'ou. He'll probably make a real star of 30U If nothing hap pens. Don't let success turn your h«ad. Don't squander your money on fair-weather friends. The world has no place for an old man who Is poor. I had your chance once. God, f I was only young again-1-.” The benignant old figure moved off, a veritable picture of culture, afflu ent dignity, and entered the studio restaurant. He ordered coffee with th* air of an epicure at the close of s particularly good dinner. But when he thought no one was watching, he furtively took from the pocket of his immaculate frock coat, a half-eaten bun and munched It with hla coffee. Tryon saw. "Won’t you have dinner with me tonight?” the young actor Inquired later, "I want to ask you a lot of things about this new part Mr. Roach has given me." “Sorry, Glenn,—already Invited out —some other time—." • • • • After several days the landlady en tared the cheap room with a passkey and called the coroner hysterically. "Ptomaine—I guess,” said the offi cial. noticing an opened tin of meat, half gone. "Any relatives—No?— Guess there's no need bothering with an autopsy, then—." A new "beard” was railed by Ted Wilde, the director, and the picture is progressing smoothly. v REEL REMARKS By the M. P. Kdltor. J IJsten To This One. 1 -onlse Fazenda has a press agent who writes ns that while filming "Dlizy Idzzv" down on the sea shore hy the »-«. ele., the pet sea lion swam out Into the ocean and kept oh swim icing. Just a moment folks, the op erator Is changing the reel! The rst day this same bird writes that ce sea lion returned to Miss Fa enda. That’s all there Is—there Isn’t any more. Jack Hoyle says he wasn’t always ni smart. Before he got a regular '!> with I'nlversnl he was contributor !■> s bogus movie school—paid his coney and took the course and nearly min t get any Job when the movie director heard he was a graduate. There was a lull In the whir of livlty on the studio stage where, William Belter was directing the ieen version of David Belasco’s liaddlee.” The star, Mae Marsh, i ibbed on a small bit of yellow make ip and walked up to Harry Myers with a look of firm resolve on her face. "Who was that ladv T saw you with cn the street last night!’’ she hissed at him. "That wasn't a street, that was an alley!" returned Harry Myers, as the! band, played "Annie Gaurie.” "It's nil In the mustache," sj.vs Raymond Griffith, now playing In Kmmett Flynn’s “Nellie, the Ecatitl ful Cloak Model," coming to the Elalto. Says Griffith: “Raise a mustache ih.it travels hor izontaily across the li|i just above she mouth and you can play leads. “A touch of wax on the ends, twisl a bit, and you can play nothing but villlans. “Turn down at the corner and In come a comedian. "Cae It for eyebrows, loupes, goat cea or sideboards and become a chat acter man.” Griffith, Incidentally, Is one of the few leading men of the screen who can can wear a mustache and get away with It. Others are Jack Holt. Kerman Kerry and Harry Myers, 'Barbara Frltchie," the tale of «hose etin’Ing defiance of a rebel column has been “spoken" hv hum i . Us of thous ands of school boys, Is Florence A’ldor's new film. John llarron, brother of the fa ns Bobby Harrow, movie star, haa ,t part in "What Shall I Do?" Mabel Julienne Scott la making a scales, "Women of History," to be put out In 12 parts Blanche Sweet la io visit Europe thia year. NEIGHBORHOOD THEATERS GRAND .... - - 16th and Blnney Show* at 3. 6. 7, • Corrtna Griffith and Cnnway Taarla In "LILIES OF THE FIELD” LOTHROP ..... 24th and Lothrop LILLIAN GISH In "THE WHITE SISTER" BOIrtJEVARD • - 33d and Laavanworth "THE GREAT WHITE WAY" With a Galaxy of Start Old-Time Melodrama Revived Claire Windsor. Classics of the days when we were gallery gods. That's what the motion picture is offering its patrons in the announce ment of "Nellie, th* Beautiful Cloak Model” at the Rialto next week. The wildest inventions of hair rais ing episodes for the camera are hard put to it to compete with the thrill* and dangers that heset fair Nellie, the cloak model, in the' melodrama of the days of the ten twent-and thirt. The good old song ' Cause. Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl" must have been about sueh hits of action aci are depicted in the screen revival of this play. Nellie braved all aorta of dangers In the play—there werei villians to the right, left and behind her, and only a sure foot on the rath of virtue saved her—at least so we recall It. Claire Windsor, hi >nd beauty of the screen, plays Nellie, and the in genuity and enterprise of the director has brought Into the picture a wealth of beautiful gowns, which the press agent swears are the latest ci cations of style, jn order to enhance the pictorial beauty of „the melo drama. The Real Inside Story Revelations in the life of a beautiful model Enacted by Claire Windsor Mae Butch Hobart Botworth Lew Cody Raymond Griffith Edmund Lowe Starts Saturday The story of a flapper ! who couldn’t—and just wouldn’t—stay married. ---EXTRA ADDED ATTRACTION OMAHA’S OWN BATHING GIRL CONTEST ‘REAL AND UNREAL tion h. eppy. Hollywood rorrropondrnt of Tha , Omaha Hey. V- / All In a Day's Work. "Well, sir, here the other day or maybe longer, who should we run Into In a press agent's high-class office hut little Viola Dana, all dressed up like a fire wagon and rearing to do. Tt seems like the press agent had sent telegrams, radios, letters and other forms of communication to VI, demanding that she hurry down forth with and have some highly important pictures taken for something. It was something in connection with her garage up on the boulevard, which she admits is making money, which is strange for a garage. So Vi dressed up like a good little girl and came down, wearing only a simple green silk dress with hand crocheted lace or something like that, and a perfectly miserable little ermine wrap that only reached to her ankles. And we didn't talk to her very much, because she wns very mad. She didn't want to have her pictures tak en. She had too many other things to do. That afternoon, she seld, she was dated up to have her hair shingled, washed'and curled, be fitted for two new evening gowns, talk over her new story, and roller skate. Little Liar’s Corner. "Dear Don: I will not he able to take the part of the ghost In 'Ham let' as Mr. De Mllle wants me to star for him. "Oscar, the Lasky Bootblack.” Let's Be Thsnkful. Since, Dorothy Reid opened her san Itarium for the cure of drug addicts, In commemoration of her husbands brave fight against death, and since it got to going good and proper out In the green hills west of Hollywood, she has been snowed under with re quests from far, near and in between, from addicts who want to be cured. The other night, about 10 o'clock, the phone rang and It was a gent who said he was a drug addict and wanted to be cured. "I've been on the stuff for years and have even been selling It here lately,” said the voice. "My goodness!” said Dorothy, "don’t you know the police will put you in Jail?” "Ha!” said the vole# triumph antly. "That’s one on you! They can't put me In jail. That's where I'm phoning from.” With the Punsters. Vic fichertzlnger, who makes pic tures when not writing songs, or vice versa as you please, Is making * opery named "Bread” over at the Metro lot. and we happened to get over there the other afternoon Just In time to see Mae Busch doing a piece of ground and lofty emoting She had a wad of dollar bills In her hanci, and she was counting them over one by one, sitting In s chair »t a table and looking all excited about something. Maybe ahe juat stole the money, we don’t know. Anyway, we watched until the scene was over and then Mae came out and we asked her what it was about. With her usual nonchalance, Mae remarked, waving the dollar# bills, that It took dough to make "Bread.'' Sadder and Wiser. Walter Hiera never told this story when he rani# hack from hie personal appearanre tour through the east, hut a. correspondent from Indiana sent It in. It seems like one place Walter was showing the theater manager got the bright Idea of a fat man's matinee and admitted frea all gents who weigh ed 250 or more. Which was all right until ha got another bright idea, which was to have ail the fat gents crowd up on the stage and shake hands with Wal ter. There were about 50 of them. They crowded up on the stage as per schedule. Then the stage collapsed I.iltle I Jar's Corner. "Dear Don: Please don't ever men tion that I am married. I am afraid it would hurt my popularity with the flappeis. DOI O FAIRBANKS." Polas Coiffure Artist Will Tell No Studio Secrets Polo's very latest photograph, taken while at her piano in the home in Hollywood whirl] she has just purchased. Muriel Ballln, personal hairdress attendant to Pnla Negri, who will give public demonstrations In the lobby of the Strand theater during the engagement of Mi«s Negri's latest Paramount picture, Men,” starting Sunday, will enact a role unfamiliar to the rank and file of womanhood. Were her presentation to be titled, "Sealed Lips” would tell it probably better than any other caption. And for thia reason. Before the fiery Pola consented to Miss Bailin'* tour of the country in the role of her studio capacity it was agreed that she (Miss Ballin) should reveal none of the studio secrets That is to say that questions per taining to Miss Negri or her studio or private life shall go unanswered. So—those, who offer their heads for the newest spit curl ebellishment must park their questions outside. This is done—not that Miss Negri has done or is doing anything that she would not do publicly or that she prefers to be known as the woman of mystery, but ‘'just »s a matter of form to use Miss Negri's own words. "Not that Miss Ballin is different from the rest of us but tales from the studio are ao often distorted to the humiliation and injury to one s character,” offered Miss Negri aa elucidation. Miss Ballln's arrival in Omaha has been set for Sunday so that she can be on hand at th« opening of Miss Negri's "Men" at the Strand. How ever, no demonstrations will be made on Sunday as it Is—should we say. ’traditional”—wi'h film folk to forget the dull cares of movie life on the Salhath. glia* Ballin will confine her hair dressing to the contrivance of the Pola Spit Curl, made famous bv Miss Negri through the invention of Hol lywood s leading hair faddist, Miss Ballin, The demonstration will be free of charge and accommodations will 1* available for those who visit her ' workshop ’ in the lobby of the Strand theater between the hours of 3 and 4:30 from Monday until the close of the run of Men' which falls on Saturday. The local engagement of Miss Ba! lin la espoused by The Bee by spe :al arrangement with Famous Players l^asky Corporation producers and distributors of Paiamount pictures and the management of the Strand theater. Incidentally under Miss Bal lin'! signature daily in The Bee will appear a series of articles touching on the proper care of the hair and scalp, as practiced by Miss Ballin upon the famoi s he:nl of Pels. Those who submit to the deft fin ger* of Mis* Ballin will understand -or think they do—the reason for Mis* N'egr;'* selection. Not rarely has Miss Ballin been mistaken for her illustrious subject, her facial feature* markedly resembling the Pola countenance. Dimitri Bottehe* wetzki. director of Miss Negri, so the story runs, once had the humilatjng experience of greeting Miss Ballin when it was Pola he sought. Miss P>allln is one of the very few of the deadlier sex living In the ftljn colony who doesn’t aspire to a cine ma future. "Girls who would emulate Pola, Miss Swanson and others on Hio screen cannot acquire the histrionic* necessary to screen acting,” sajj s Miss Ballin. * The trait must be In herent for after all the better actors and actresses are borb and not made through the megaphone of a direc tor. I II let Pola do the acting— she’s rut out for it. J‘11 stick to my own last ' | t.—--• ^ » Tbda^ and All Veel<. A Flaming Story j of Love and. pass - I iorv x/itK j^ay Paris at its ^a/est as tke baok^rouncl _ . —• — ..: d^s^^sm; ** H^iSI f I^M|^ W^d 1)01 A ns the woman who pays jfej*® X, • —and then collects. /. '••: ' W Pola ns an innocent young girl, who, betrayed by men—and who, ___grown rich and gorgeously allur , —vr " ~ ing, makes playthings of her ^N. /J^BiP^ betrayer*. A sensational love-drama written |£m| BT jJ- especially to bring out the full Ml yy1^-- fire of the screen’s greatest love ■ \ I ■Ctress. l^-i—P^& a HOBBY VERNON 1-, \ Sullen \K y, "COR.NFED" Helen f) Qhrisiio Gomedy Holland Strand ( \ \ of lovo &mon<$> ihetCQws <* f *• \ Orchestra Sr f1 ^ ^ ORGAN UaAS . \Sm\,1 ■: i • i 'ii. 1 ii I i I Tfcu Ending Frida* Ona Da* On It- Today