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
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Tfcu Ending Frida* Ona Da* On It- Today