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 ^UlBRARYfl/
 
 Opportunities 
 
 in the 
 
 Motion Picture 
 Industry 
 
 and how to qualify 
 (or positions in its 
 many branches 
 
 Photoplay Research Society 
 
 Bureau of Vocational Guidance 
 Los Angeles, Cal. 
 
 u.
 
 Copyright. 1922 
 
 Photoplay Research Society 
 Los Angeles. California 
 
 A U rights reserved
 
 PN 
 
 '. ^ 
 
 Foreword ./ i 
 
 Imagination 
 
 The Morals of the Movies 
 
 The Romance of the Screen 
 
 A Day in the Studios 
 
 Can I Appear on the Screen? 
 
 Are You a Screen Personality? 
 
 Your Opportunity in Motion Pictures 
 
 How the Casting Director Selects Faces, Forms and Types 
 
 How They Broke In 
 
 Sudden Stars 
 
 Motion Picture Salaries; What the Players Really Get 
 
 Pick ford isms for Success 
 
 Are Producers Really Trying to Elevate the Screen 
 
 Censorship. Will It Solve the Problem? 
 
 Financing Motion Pictures 
 
 The Truth About Hollywood 
 
 1357179
 
 r orewora 
 
 OUR destiny changes with our thotight; we shall 
 become what we wish to become, do what we 
 wish to do, when our habitual thought corre- 
 sponds with -our desire. "The 'divinity that 
 shapes our ends' is in ourselves; it is our very 
 self." How eloquent are those simple words! The very 
 first requirement for any kind of success is confidence in 
 yourself. Possessed of that sterling quality everything is 
 possible ! To think that you can, means that you can. And, 
 of course, the first effort to reach a goal is not necessarily the 
 successful effort. Keeping everlastingly at it is what eventu- 
 ally lands you at the top of the ladder. 
 
 The ladder is there ! Have you the courage to attempt 
 to climb it? There are no willing hands to balance it for 
 you. It must stand of its own accord. Can you reach the 
 top without toppling over? You can! But that thought 
 must be uppermost in your mind. If in your climb, a friend 
 should call to you, asking you to stop would you? No! 
 Remember that. Let no one discourage you in what you 
 wish to undertake. Remember, it does not matter what 
 other people think of you of your plans of your aims. It 
 matters not whether they call you a dreamer, a visionary, a 
 fool. You must believe in yourself. If you lose your con- 
 fidence you forsake yourself. 
 
 You must never allow anybody to shake your belief in 
 yourself. Keep a firm faith in your ability to do the thing 
 you set out to do, be it the writing of scenarios, the directing 
 of pictures, the playing in pictures (or anything). If you 
 never lose faith in yourself but keep pushing on, the 
 world will sooner or later make a place for you. There 
 is no law by which you can ever expect to achieve success 
 in anything without expecting it! If the thing you dream 
 of is to come, there must be a strong, firm self-faith ! 
 
 Self-confidence is the germ of success. But by self- 
 confidence, we do not mean that you need not study to reach 
 the top of the ladder. That you must do, and that is
 
 why we have asked these leaders of the film world to tell you 
 in the pages of these volumes certain facts that we felt would 
 assist you. We have asked the greatest authorities we know 
 of to write for you, and generously they have responded. 
 
 The years they have spent in motion picture work are 
 reflected in their articles. Study them closely. Digest the 
 meaning in every line. If your opinions do not coincide 
 with theirs, change your opinions ! They have reached the 
 top of the ladder in their work and you are striving to do 
 that very thing. 
 
 Listen to their advice. It is told in simple fashion. 
 To impart to you knowledge that will place you upon a firm 
 footing, at the bottom of the ladder was the thought behind 
 the conception of this book. If you digest the sense of 
 these articles, you will in truth be ready to start your climb 
 up the ladder. You will be certain at least of knowing that 
 those well versed in their work have tried to tell you what 
 they know. From then on it is up to you. 
 
 It is reasonable to presume that the information in 
 this book will do its share toward fitting you for a motion 
 picture career if that happens to be your bent. But we 
 ask you to remember this : When you have finished reading 
 this book, you will be standing at the bottom of the ladder. 
 The ladder is before you. It is up to you to climb to the 
 top! You can do it! Confidence is your ability, and a firm 
 determination that you will allow no one to sway you in 
 your decision to reach the top, will put you there. 
 
 You will probably be better fitted to start your climb 
 once you have read these volumes. If this book helps you 
 to success, we will feel satisfied that it has not failed in its 
 mission. 
 
 PHOTOPLAY RESEARCH SOCIETY. 
 
 Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
 
 Imagination 
 
 Reprinted from Photoplay Magazine 
 
 IMAGINATION is the torch which has guided men 
 down the dim paths of the ages. It has ever been the 
 supreme force in the onward gropings of the human 
 race. Imagination has created the dream of progress. 
 It has fashioned and built the world. It has penetrated 
 the hidden secrets of life, and unearthed the glories of 
 inanimate things. 
 
 Imagination has given us the enduring beauty of great 
 art, the inspiring splendor of great achievements. In all 
 human aspiration from the lowliest task to the most majes- 
 tic enterprise imagination is the mainspring of success. 
 When the imagination fails, the germs of death and decay 
 creep in. 
 
 Often it happens that the brain of man grows tired 
 and complacent; it succumbs to fatigue and laissez faire. 
 And then it is that the mind becomes merely a capable 
 mechanism, performing automatically the tasks to which 
 it long has been accustomed. Man becomes a machine 
 the imagination, which is the vitalizing spirit of endeavor, 
 has ceased to function. 
 
 This apathy is the normal reaction to strain. The 
 mind, like the body, wears down ; it loses its resiliency, and 
 weariness sets in. We call it "going stale." 
 
 After years of tireless effort and activity the makers 
 of motion pictures have begun to "go stale." Their elan 
 and enthusiasm have diminished. Pictures have become 
 too formal, too orthodox. They follow too severely the 
 paths of tradition ; they adhere too closely to the standards 
 of the past. 
 
 What motion-picture production needs today is an infil- 
 tration of new blood new thoughts, new dreams, new ideas, 
 new points of view in short, a new imagination. 
 
 It is true that the motion-picture industry has drawn 
 into its ranks many eminent authors and playwrights; and
 
 8 Opportunities in the 
 
 while these men and women have acomplished much that 
 has been significant and worth while, they have failed to 
 revivify the art of the films as it might have been revivified. 
 Their very popularity in the world of letters the fact that 
 they were so widely accepted by the public was, to a cer- 
 tain extent, an argument against their originality and the 
 freshness of their imagination. 
 
 On the other hand, there are in America many young 
 creative men, rich in experimental ideas and unspoiled by 
 tradition, who are untrammelled by the demands of a con- 
 ventional popular following, and who are striving earnestly 
 for a new ideal, for an original means of expression. They 
 are the true harbingers of progress the apostles of the 
 great new movement in all branches of human thought and 
 activity, which is sweeping over the world today. 
 
 These are the men whom the motion pictures need, 
 for these are the men who symbolize imagination. 
 
 Imagination ! 
 
 Without it no enterprise, no work of art, can live tor 
 long ; for without it the soul of achievement is lacking.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 
 
 THE MORALS OF THE MOVIES. 
 
 WHAT a vast amount of talk has gone the rounds 
 about the morals of the movies! And how much 
 of it has been untrue ! How free some people are 
 to repeat things they hear about the movie folk, 
 tales which they have heard others, as poorly informed, 
 repeat. 
 
 Why, I wonder? Why is it that people are so free to 
 brand others? At every gathering nowadays the conversa- 
 tion, sooner or later, turns to the movies. And once this 
 happens, have you ever noticed that there is always some- 
 one who has a choice bit of gossip to spread? How easily 
 these scandalmongers defame the good name of perfectly 
 good people. If you were to ask them the source of their 
 information, they could only say someone told them so! 
 
 There is nothing the matter with the morals of the 
 movies! In the movies, just as in every walk of life, there 
 are persons whose conduct does not conform to the rigid 
 conventions of society at large. The accepted conventions 
 of reputable people are not accepted by some. But have 
 you ever stopped to consider that in every walk of life, 
 everywhere, in every field of endeavor, in every small town, 
 in every hamlet, and in every city there are those who quite 
 freely break these conventions? 
 
 Hidden by their obscurity, their acts go by unnoticed. 
 But let a movie star or player of just a little prominence 
 commit an act that the world frowns upon, and what hap- 
 pens? 
 
 The newspapers immediately announce, in glaring head- 
 lines, that "another movie party" has been given. They 
 even go so far as to point, with scorn, to affairs long since 
 forgotten. 
 
 I, for one, though far from advocating a policy of 
 shielding a wrongdoer, want to go on record as saying that 
 I do not believe it is fair to the motion picture industry to 
 have the acts of a few of its members pointed to as examples 
 of the morals of thousands of other hardworking individuals
 
 10 Opportunities in the 
 
 who contribute their time and energy to the entertainment 
 of the world at large ! It is absolutely unjust. 
 
 What are you going to do about it? Don't you think 
 the time is ripe for you to discourage any stories that you 
 feel are untrue ? Will you sit idly by and allow your favor- 
 ites to be branded, when there is really no foundation for 
 most of the reports that are sent broadcast, to be eagerly 
 swallowed, and many times believed by a credulous public? 
 Too much has been said and too little proved about the 
 morals of the movies. 
 
 In the movies as in any other walk of life you will 
 find that you will be treated in as courteous a manner as in 
 any other environment. A woman will always find that a 
 man will judge her by the standard she sets for herself. If 
 you encounter here and there a man or woman who does 
 not abide by the accepted conventions, remember that if you 
 were in some other line of work, you would meet just as 
 many persons who would be capable of committing the same 
 social errors. 
 
 If in your family there are some members who are try- 
 ing to break into the movies, the sooner they learn that 
 they will meet as many honorable men and women in their 
 chosen profession as they would in any other the sooner 
 they learn that they are not entering upon a life of ease and 
 luxury just because they hope to break into the movies 
 the sooner they learn that success can only crown their 
 efforts if they will work hard, so soon will they have been 
 set right ! And as for yourselves I beg you not to believe 
 all that you hear. 
 
 Through many years of close association with this great 
 industry, I have come to know that it is peopled with men 
 and women of high character, of sincere motives, of honest 
 and faithful endeavor. 
 
 To those who are ever ready to soil the good name of 
 others, I might say: Have a care lest your own errors be 
 discovered. Remember : 
 
 "He among you who is without sin, cast ye the 
 
 first stone." , _, 
 
 THE EDITOR.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 11 
 
 THE ROMANCE OF THE SCREEN 
 
 By JAMES R. QUIRK 
 
 Editor and Publisher, Photoplay Magazine 
 
 FROM that memorable day in 1883, when the first 
 practical showing of motion pictures for public enter- 
 tainment was made, down to the present time when 
 Messmore Kendall in his splendid Capitol Theatre, 
 New York City, and Messrs. Balaban and Katz, in their 
 magnificent Tivoli and Chicago Theatres, in Chicago, are 
 screening pictures in such a fashion as would delight the 
 most fastidious of patrons, the phenomenal development of 
 the motion picture industry easily is one of the outstanding 
 romances of modern day business life. 
 
 In the wonderful motion picture palaces of the present 
 day echo the timid steps of the show child of yesterday. 
 They are truly unique institutions in the world of theatricals. 
 In these magnificent theatres the motion picture finds its 
 fullest expression. 
 
 Nor are New York or Chicago alone in their possession 
 of theatres ideally managed, architecturally beautiful and 
 splendidly patronized. It is fitting that Los Angeles, as the 
 world's center of motion picture activity, should be the home 
 of such nationally famed entertainment institutions as Gore 
 Brothers and Sol Lesser's divine Kinema Theatre, and Sid 
 Grauman's Million Dollar Theatre. 
 
 And, well advised by the trade papers of this great 
 industry, smaller theatres, of similar importance in their 
 respective localities, look to these wonderful temples of the 
 silent drama for guidance as to the manner of presenting the 
 motion picture, so that their patrons may find continually 
 greater pleasure in the photoplay. 
 
 So great has been the demand for motion pictures, since 
 first they were flashed upon the screen, depicting nothing 
 more than a moving train or a horseman galloping along a 
 road, that today we find millions of dollars invested in 
 what has grown to be the fourth industry of the United
 
 12 Opportunities in the 
 
 States. Think of it! The fourth industry of this great 
 country ! What romance lies in the years since 1893 ! 
 
 Let us look back a moment into the mirror of time. 
 In the beginning, motion pictures were looked upon as 
 "chasers" for vaudeville houses that ran what is known 
 as a continuous show. In other words, the pictures had such 
 little entertainment value that whenever it was the desire 
 of the management to get the people out of the theatre, 
 a movie was put on and a goodly portion of the patrons 
 would leave in disgust, rather than sit through a picture to 
 await the vaudeville bill which they had already seen once, 
 but which, had not the picture been flashed upon the screen, 
 they would quite willingly see again. 
 
 Times have changed. Now, how willingly hun- 
 dreds of thousands of pleasure seekers stand patiently in line 
 awaiting their chance to view the screening of a modern- 
 day filmplay. But pictures have changed with the times. 
 No longer are we asked to sit through the action of a moving 
 train, or galloping horseman. 
 
 Film masterpieces, such as "The Four Horsemen of the 
 Apocalypse," "Way Down East," "The Three Musketeers," 
 "The Old Nest," "Humoresque" and countless others 
 now lure millions of people to motion picture theatres. 
 
 And what made all this possible ? What caused magnifi- 
 cent temples of entertainment to rise where "store shows" 
 once held sway? What caused hundreds of screen classics 
 to take their place upon the same screens that once portrayed 
 only film material of the lowest order? 
 
 Ah ! That is the Romance of the Screen ! 
 
 To the men and women, who in the earliest days of 
 motion pictures, gave freely of their time and energy, stuck 
 to their tasks when many ridiculed their efforts, must go 
 the major portion of any glory that may belong to the 
 founders of this great art. To them a now thoroughly loyal 
 multitude owes a great debt of gratitude. Their efforts 
 alone have made possible the only form of entertainment 
 that is understood and loved by all, irrespective of race, 
 creed, color, nationality, or station. In the remotest corners
 
 Motion Picture Industry 13 
 
 of the world, as well as on Broadway and countless other 
 "Main Streets," motion pictures have found their place. 
 When you laugh at the antics of Charlie Chaplin, marvel at 
 the forceful acting of such stars as Richard Barthelmess, 
 Lillian Gish, Pauline Frederick, Ethel Clayton, Nazimova, 
 Bert Lytell, or admire the breezy style of Wally Reid, Bebe 
 Daniels, and Mae Murray, do you think that you alone in 
 your little cushioned seat are finding entertainment and 
 recreation with your favorites? Your favorites indeed are 
 the favorites of millions of others in every civilized corner 
 of the world. There again you have the Romance of the 
 Screen. 
 
 Drawn against a background of years of ceaseless effort 
 is the success story of the motion picture. A grateful public 
 will always pay homage to the names of David Wark Griff- 
 ith, Thomas H. Ince, Adolph Zukor, Jesse L. Lasky, Carl 
 Laemmle, and probably a handful of others who, to this 
 day, not only are still identified with the industry they 
 helped make possible, but, as is their just reward, are leaders 
 in it. 
 
 In the earliest days of motion pictures, motion picture 
 studios were indeed nothing more than small barnlike 
 affairs, well hidden from public view. Exteriors were made 
 amid the derision of passersby. When, some ten years ago, 
 Al Christie took the first pictures ever made in Hollywood, 
 that city received its introduction to the mysteries of the 
 camera. What that introduction meant to the lower Cali- 
 fornia metropolis is now history. 
 
 Mr. Christie, more venturesome than his fellow pro- 
 ducers, unconsciously played the role of filmdom's Co- 
 lumbus. He was soon followed by many others, and the 
 Hollywood section of Los Angeles, because it was invaded 
 by motion picture producing companies of all kinds, soon 
 became known as the capital of the film world. 
 
 Soon after the invasion of Hollywood, the standard of 
 motion picture productions ascended. Ideal climatic con- 
 ditions made possible the filming of better pictures. Incor- 
 porating the rugged scenes of California in the pictures 
 also helped to attract attention to the screen, and little by
 
 14 Opportunities in tlve 
 
 little, the standard of the film play rose to its present 
 height due, in part, to the influence of this California garden 
 spot. 
 
 Consider a moment the magnificent productions now 
 reaching the screen. Douglas Fairbanks surely has given 
 us a masterpiece in his "Three Musketeers." Do you 
 remember reading this wonderful story ? I do. Never will 
 I forget how, as a boy, I thrilled when I read of D'Artagnan 
 making his memorable dash from Paris to England ! Little, 
 did I dream then that I would one day see him do this 
 in the flesh. There's romance for you ! To have a "story" 
 idol come to life! Think of it! One's greatest hero, the 
 one figure that has stood out in one's mind a last remaining 
 bit of boyhood coming back ! And with his coming, he calls 
 to life that which as a boy, I was to know only through 
 the clever depiction of a master writer. Ah, Dumas, 
 would that you were alive today, so that you, too, could see 
 your beloved D'Artagnan dash forth to save the honor of a 
 queen ! 
 
 And "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" ! Won- 
 der of wonders ! Have you read the story that brought V. 
 Blasco Ibanez to fame? It is superb. To live the story 
 with the characters and then to have the privilege of visiting 
 a theatre, there to meet them personally. How wonderful ! 
 On all sides I have heard speculation as to the probable 
 cost of this stupendous filmplay. Would it interest you 
 to know that in transferring this historical romance to the 
 screen from the pages of the world famous novel, prac- 
 tically every known record of the motion picture industry 
 was broken? 
 
 The setting up of new records for motion picture pro- 
 ducers of the future to equal or surpass comes about through 
 the greatness of a story such as "The Four Horsemen of the 
 Apocalypse." Its characters work out their destinies on two 
 hemispheres. From the far-flung ranges of the Argentine 
 to the capitals of Europe the characters in this master work 
 of fiction are faithfully portrayed on the screen, as the 
 story works out its tense human drama against the back- 
 ground of a world in arms.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 15 
 
 South America, England, France, Belgium, Germany 
 these lands and multitudes of their people are depicted 
 before the camera for the colossal Metro production. Even 
 the unprecedented expense of a million dollars in produc- 
 tion costs has been dwarfed to insignificance by the physical 
 magnitude of the undertaking that made the screen version 
 of "The Four Horsemen" a possibility. Statistics compiled 
 at the Metro studios indicate that the Metro production, 
 judged by all the known standards of picture-making, is 
 the most gigantic photo-spectacle in the history of the silent 
 drama. 
 
 The actual photoplay of Ibanez's epochal novel took 
 more than six months to complete, following an equal period 
 of time consumed in building the tremendous settings, as- 
 sembling the great cast of principals and extras and drilling 
 the thousands of men portraying the armies, gathering cos- 
 tumes, works of art, searching historical records to make 
 possible a faithful presentation and the thousand and one 
 other details which form part of such an unprecedented 
 undertaking. 
 
 A total of 12,500 men and women, a number equal 
 to the adult population of a city of 60,000, participated in 
 the filming of the picture, either before the camera or as 
 workers on the big sets. The cast interpreting the roles 
 contains two dozen principals who, in other productions, 
 would be rated as stars. 
 
 To dress these principals and the thousands of extras, 
 a costume factory was erected on the Hollywood studio 
 grounds. An armory and two machine shops were inci- 
 dentals of the building operations that were completed be- 
 fore the first scene of the picture was photographed. 
 
 Fourteen camera men and a dozen assistant .directors 
 were used in the picturing of the production, every avail- 
 able spot where the eye of the camera might find a new 
 or artistic view of the big scenes being used. 
 
 More than 500,000 feet of raw film was exposed in 
 the taking of the picture, which on the screen does not 
 exceed 12,000 feet. Of these, eighty-five miles of film
 
 16 Opportunities in the 
 
 enough to reach to the top of the Woolworth tower and 
 back 617 times that part which is presented for the enter- 
 tainment of those seeing the picture takes but two hours 
 and forty-five minutes. The time allowed for the regular 
 productions of the speaking stage. 
 
 The task of editing this mass of material, of eliminating 
 the duplicates and all but the perfect reproductions of the 
 scenes enacted before the camera, consumed weeks. The 
 mere running of 500,000 feet of film through one camera, 
 at the rate of sixty feet to the minute, would consume 
 eighteen days of eight working hours each. 
 
 More building materials were employed in the making 
 of the picture than were required to erect the Woolworth 
 Building; 125,000 tons of steel, concrete and lumber were 
 used. The settings for "The Four Horsemen of the Apoca- 
 lypse," among them an entire French village, which were 
 constructed far more substantially than most backgrounds 
 for camera work, involved the use of a tremendous amount 
 of masonry, steel, lumber, furniture and shrubberies. 
 
 An entire French village, capable of housing 6,000 per- 
 sons, was created in the foothills of the San Bernardino 
 mountains in Southern California and destroyed for the 
 purpose of the production. Since the destruction was by 
 artillery, it was necessary to construct every building com- 
 pletely rather than building fronts only, as is done with 
 most picture sets. 
 
 Vast quantities of food were provided by Metro to 
 feed the 12,000 persons appearing in the picture while they 
 were working "on location." A luncheon was given free to 
 each "extra"* player, in addition to his or her pay for the 
 day's work when employed at a distance from the studios. 
 The task of feeding these thousands of "extras" was on 
 a scale comparable with that of an army. 
 
 A complete telephone system, involving the use of a 
 corps of electricians, operators and a small fortune in cable 
 and other materials, was erected on the mountain ranch 
 where the big exterior scenes were filmed. 
 
 The collection of art treasures seen, in the picture 
 represents not only the expenditure of large sums of money,
 
 Motion Picture Industry 17 
 
 but a canvass of the art world for tapestries, paintings, 
 curios and musical instruments such as are described by 
 Ibanez as used in the South American phases of the story. 
 The art treasures, however, were loaned by their owners, 
 many of whom would not consider putting a price on them. 
 The insurance of the tapestries and paintings used in the 
 picture alone amounted to $375,000. 
 
 Romance, did you say? Where does it come in when 
 motion pictures are considered ? Think of the courage and the 
 confidence needed by the producers of this one picture 
 alone to put a million dollars into its making. What if it 
 had failed to make good? A princely fortune would have 
 been lost, and millions would have been denied the privilege 
 of seeing this everlasting indictment of warfare. 
 
 Nor has the screen art in its upward climb wanted for 
 company. Music, its co-art, too, has profited from its 
 success. But with that profit has come also a strong friend 
 for the screen. Powerful as the screen may be, great as 
 may be the messages it sends forth each night to countless 
 thousands, there still remains the fact that it is dumb. To 
 music, then, has fallen the task of becoming the Voice of 
 the Screen. And well indeed has this fellow art risen to 
 the duty. The film itself is an unplayed symphony that 
 needs music to awaken it into life. 
 
 Music, the divinest of arts, has been wedded to the uni- 
 versal language of the silver-sheet in a new harmony. In 
 its association with the screen, music represents not the 
 blatant blare of the trumpet, but some sensitive instrument 
 that interprets the drama's mood and theme. Surely, then, 
 it is the voice that will creep beyond the shadows and speak 
 with the understanding tongue to all. Thus we have the 
 screen and music wedded, one to the other, and from 
 their union has sprung a symphony of sight and sound 
 which, with subtle persuasion, can sway the soul in per- 
 fect rhythm. Master musicians, men like Carl Edouardo, 
 Hugo Riesengeld, Joseph Carl Breil, Erno Rapee and James 
 C. Bradford, men who have spent years in perfecting the art 
 of adapting music to the action of the screen, have now 
 fashioned in synchronized form, musical scores that make 
 the empty shadows of men and women of the screen throb
 
 18 Opportunities in the 
 
 with the breath of life. With changing tempi, the moods are 
 transferred from the screen to the very soul of the audience. 
 Crash of cymbal may color some primitive impulse, 
 while the unity of strings symbolizes life in its divinest 
 phases ! 
 
 So we have the trinity linking this great art with the 
 affections of an admiring public. First the men and women 
 pioneers of the industry both producer and player then 
 the splendid productions they give the public and then, 
 the ultra-comfortable theatres serving as an avenue of in- 
 troduction between producer, player and public. 
 
 Again a touch of romance, in the meeting of all three ! 
 Just think what they have come to mean to each other 
 what joy countless folks derive from meeting their favorites 
 via the screen route. What pride the producer takes in 
 knowing that he is furnishing entertainment to millions 
 and what glory to the theatre owner, who today knows that 
 in all the world there are no finer motion picture theatres 
 than America possesses. 
 
 Progress that one great world factor has not been 
 lacking in the development of the motion picture. Of 
 theatres little need be said. You come quite close to them 
 through your personal association with them. On all hands 
 you can see them. Wonderful tributes to a great industry. 
 
 But how few of you know the studios. Not the 
 studios of the present time. Of them a great deal has been 
 written. Though this industry is not aged, it nevertheless 
 has a Pompeii of its own. All the splendid traditions of 
 the famous old Roman city are reflected in the past glories 
 of deserted California film colonies. You wonder that there 
 are many! Oh, yes, there are! Remember, progress has 
 been the picture's partner. So we find today, as we roam 
 over Los Angeles and its environs, much that recalls for- 
 gotten old scenes. All are still possessed of romantic power 
 when the feats and favorites of yesterday are linked with 
 them. 
 
 At Inceville, once the center of production, and that 
 not so long ago, there has been left to disintegrate under 
 the sweep of wind and the rush of streams from the hill- 
 side, a veritable ghost city of filmland.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 19 
 
 Come with me for just a moment; we'll look over old 
 Inceville. We pass through the gates of Inceville! The 
 spell of the past comes over me. I recall a day, years 
 before, when I had come fresh from the East to explore 
 the mysteries of Inceville. Today, we see it deserted ; then 
 it was over-populated. The walls of many buildings, though 
 weather beaten, still stand curiously preserved. An old 
 church, reminiscent of Billie Burke's first picture, "Peggy," 
 still stands as some master mind had ordered it placed. The 
 sun has seared the ivy, clinging to its walls. And there, 
 along the shore line, stands a quaint row of moldering old 
 dwellings, while at the end of the twisting play street, re- 
 mains the last living mark of that film masterpiece, "Civiliza- 
 tion" a weather beaten old lighthouse! 
 
 Then we come to the dressing rooms! What 
 memories! What stories of oft repeated ambitions those 
 old walls could tell ! How many of the stars and featured 
 players of today whispered their confidence in ultimate suc- 
 cess to those old walls, now quite barren, deserted, decaying. 
 Charlie Ray! Louise Glaum! Clara Williams! Bessie 
 Love hundreds of others! What pledges of future great- 
 ness did you make, one to the other, in the stillness of your 
 Inceville dressing rooms? And how wonderfully you have 
 fulfilled them. 
 
 As we make our way through these old rooms, mere 
 cubby-holes when compared to the airy dressing rooms of 
 the modern studio, we come across stray pictures tacked to 
 the wall, and here and there, after the fashion of young lov- 
 ers, initials cut in the woodwork. Some were linked 
 with others. One in particular attracts me. "W. D." and 
 right close to it, "M. Mel." Quickly I recall the romance 
 of "Bill" Desmond and charming Mary Mclvor. Romance, 
 indeed ; the place is full of it. And all of it but a part of 
 the Romance of the Screen. 
 
 The years 1912 to 1916 saw the heyday of popularity 
 and usefulness for Inceville. There, beside the blue Pacific, 
 stars were made; pictures of every description filmed. It 
 was here that Sessue Hayakawa, son of Nippon, soared to 
 the zenith of dramatic success and wove the speil of the 
 Orient into his pictures, delighting thousands with his
 
 20 Opportunities in the 
 
 characterizations. Here, too, Dorothy Dalton first came 
 into prominence. And Frank Keenan gave his splendid art 
 to the screen. "Bill" Hart, best beloved of all western char- 
 acters, gave his rugged personality to the world at Ince- 
 ville. I remember him plainly now as I saw him there 
 almost nine years ago. Garbed in chaps, high boots and 
 rough wool shirt, his spurs clanking at each step, and 
 carrying huge revolvers, he was hurrying to his "set." "Bill" 
 Desmond, in ministerial garb, Louise Glaum, looking like 
 a dance hall queen of the days of the old west, they, and 
 many others familiar to you, were all present there at one 
 time or another. 
 
 The hillsides were dotted with tents and tepees where 
 camped Indians and cowboys. Props for all manner of 
 outdoor scenes abounded in the Inceville of old. 
 
 And then came the change in motion picture "styles." 
 No longer was the western picture the favorite. The public 
 craved the "society" picture. The home picture. The in- 
 door picture. That was the sounding of the final reveille for 
 Inceville. The demand for interior scenes caused the clever 
 Ince to remove his traps to Culver City. The place of his 
 beginnings was meant primarily as an outdoor studio. So, 
 with a last farewell, he summoned his staffs and silently 
 they departed from the scenes of their early triumphs. 
 
 But it was a wonderful place. It was the school, the 
 college and the university of many present day favorites. 
 They were just plain movie players then! Often, after a 
 hard day's work a day measured only by the length of time 
 the sun shone everybody would walk the few steps sepa- 
 rating them from the ocean, and play about in its re- 
 freshing waters. How good the tiny waves felt as they 
 caressed the body. And after the dip, scenario writers, 
 directors, players all would assemble on one of the outdoor 
 stages and there rehearse new productions. 
 
 Ah, yes, those were the days of work the days of 
 achievement those were the people who laid the founda- 
 tion for the wonder building of today. How well they built 
 is known to all. Romance can you think of a day in 
 motion pictures without it?
 
 > Motion Picture Industry 21 
 
 In the East, too, even in those days, pioneers were 
 cutting a path. Adolph Zukor built the first Famous Play- 
 er's studio on 26th Street, New York long since forgotten. 
 Might it not be well if I gave Sarah Bernhardt the credit 
 due her, here and now? Unknown to you, possibly, as a 
 modern "fan," she was one of the very first of the 
 noted players to appear on the screen. Her "Queen Eliza- 
 beth" made it possible for Mr. Zukor to found what is 
 today the mammoth Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. 
 
 Once she appeared on the screen in this stirring tale, 
 leading actors and actresses began to feel the lure of the 
 screen. James K. Hackett responded to the call of Mr. Zu- 
 kor, and the first five-reel picture was made "The Prisoner 
 of Zenda," starring Mr. Hackett. And Mary Pickford, just 
 fresh from the culmination of her first motion picture con- 
 tract that with the Biograph Company came then to Mr. 
 Zukor and they made another multiple reel picture, "The 
 Good Little Devil." 
 
 And so, with the filming of the more pretentious pic- 
 tures, the Famous Players Company soon sought other quar- 
 ters and located finally in studios but recently deserted by 
 them on West 56th Street, close to 7th Avenue, where many 
 of their wonderful pictures were made. Of course, the 
 West was not forgotten. Producing units were working 
 there, too, for Famous Players. 
 
 And Edison! Remember those old pictures? Down 
 on West 25th Street, in New York, between Broadway and 
 Fourth Avenue, on the roof of a building, the first Edison 
 picture was made. Vitagraph, too, then just getting started, 
 used the roof of an office building located at 150 Nassau 
 Street, New York, to film their first productions. In fact, 
 in many places all over New York, pioneers were experi- 
 menting with the motion picture, seeing in the future the 
 value of the silent drama as an entertainment factor. And 
 thousands laughed at their efforts. That's Romance for you. 
 
 Many people say, "The movies are in their infancy." 
 I doubt it. What greater measures of perfection can they 
 reach ? Photography, of present day pictures, is marvelous. 
 Characterization often superb. Scenic effects wonderful. 
 What is lacking? The story only ! And the most wonderful
 
 22 Opportunities in the < 
 
 part of it is that everybody, layman and professionals alike, 
 can share in the glory of writing the story. Can you write? 
 Have you imagination? If so, hasten to w/ork! Delay no 
 longer ! Would you add to the Romance of the Screen ? Then 
 give it your stories. The screen is not in its infancy. It is 
 a bit stunted, however, in growth. Can you minister to it? 
 Write, write and write some more, or the screen must perish. 
 The story is its food. Where are the stories? Why not 
 more "Ten Dollar Raises," more "Old Nests," more "Helio- 
 tropes," more "Humoresques," "Male and Females," more 
 "Way Down Easts" and "Broken Blossoms" ? More, Oh, 
 more of them, or the screen must perish. 
 
 The Romance of the Screen! How wonderful that 
 this industry should have reached its present pinnacle ; from 
 there to give hours of pleasure, of recreation, and enter- 
 tainment to all the people of the earth. And now, for it to 
 continue in its place, new faces, new stories, new ideas must 
 enter. 
 
 Store shows gave way to modern theatres mediocre 
 film-plays of the past have been transformed to master screen 
 productions actors and actresses of the highest type are 
 daily lending their art to the screen on the sites of barn- 
 like studios, magnificent plants equipped with every modern 
 device for furthering the screen art have been built. But 
 one remaining improvement can be made. x The story ! All 
 other branches of the industry all other phases of the art 
 have been perfected. Only this field remains unexplored. 
 Hundreds of men and women will win fame and fortune 
 writing moving picture stories. This is the real Romance 
 of the Screen.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 23 
 
 A DAY IN THE STUDIOS 
 
 With DAVID STRONG 
 
 THE birthplace of the motion picture! That's what 
 the motion picture studio is! A queer place indeed, 
 almost like a melting pot, for within its walls there is 
 found the meeting place of the artistic and the com- 
 mercial. 
 
 So well do the artistic and the commercial extremes 
 harmonize that today we find the motion picture steadily 
 rising to undreamed-of heights. Each year, since the birth 
 of this newest of the world's really great industries, it has 
 soared to greater heights, not only in public favor, but in 
 artistic triumphs as well. 
 
 The roughly constructed building, boasting only a tar 
 paper covering for its cheap pine timbers, which doubtless 
 served as America's first motion picture studio built by 
 the Edison Company in 1905 in New York City has been 
 supplanted by a magnificent group of buildings scattered 
 throughout the United States, and to which any industry 
 might point with pride. 
 
 Nor has the mechanism of these wonderful present-day 
 motion picture studios been overlooked. The splendid walls 
 of modern studios give shelter to every known device 
 that tends to advance the art of motion picture manufac- 
 ture. Because in the making of the motion picture many 
 illusion-creating devices and trade secrets are brought into 
 play, it has been deemed wise to exclude the public from 
 admission within the sacred precincts of the studio proper. 
 To acquaint the general public with the unreal, when that 
 very unrealness purports to be real, would rob the motion 
 picture of its entertainment value much as would magician 
 and sleight-of-hand expert be robbed of the charm of his 
 performances if his audiences knew the secrets of his tricks. 
 It is the mystery that makes his tricks appeal. So it is with 
 the motion pictures. Were the public to know all the tricks 
 that are resorted to in the filming of motion pictures, much 
 of the entertainment value would be lost to them, and in 
 consequence the industry would suffer greatly.
 
 24 Opportunities in the 
 
 Naturally, the motion picture public and that means 
 the general public is interested in the studios. Little has 
 been written about them that would convey to the mind of 
 the layman what these studios are like. To acquaint the 
 public with this knowledge cannot in any way impair its 
 interest in the motion picture. Therefore, in answer to the 
 many hundreds of questions as to what the studios are like, 
 I will eandeavor to take you through the great California 
 studios. All aboard for the Studio Limited. We're off ! 
 
 A trip through motion picture studios! Ah! that 
 gives you visions of a happy day spent in the very place 
 where your favorites make their screen offerings. You 
 would like to browse about and delve into the innermost 
 secrets of the studio? 'Tis easier said than done. 
 
 To enter the sacred portals is a matter of more or less 
 difficulty, for the motion picture studios are not open to the 
 general public. It requires influence and much of it to 
 gain entrance into the land of the shadow film. But once 
 inside you are amazed at the magnitude of the place ; that is, 
 of course, if you have succeeded in working your way into 
 one of the larger studios. Wonder of wonders are these 
 magnificent plants where screen favorites enact their drama 
 before the camera, that millions may be entertained. And, 
 as is fitting for so great an industry, the studios that house 
 the producing units are on a par with the seat of manufac- 
 ture of any nationally used product. 
 
 These studios are the last word in luxury, and they are 
 wonderfully equipped to turn out the very finest product. 
 Recently I heard one uninformed as to the real magnitude 
 of this great industry, ask why the producing companies 
 had spent so much money in fitting out the studios. 
 
 Who inhabits these studios? The stars of the screen 
 and their supporting companies the directors and their 
 staffs the cameramen and their assistants the scenario 
 writers and all the myriad staffs that are necessary to 
 conduct an up-to-date motion picture studio. 
 
 Who are the aristocrats of today? Do you dash madly 
 after a passing automobile because it may contain the per- 
 son of some King or Queen? Would the fact that Mrs. 
 Van Camp Stuyvesant- Whitney happened to be passing in 
 her new Fierce-Arrow cause you so much as to walk half
 
 Motion Picture Industry 25 
 
 a block to see this aristocratic queen of the society world 
 
 drive by? I do not think that you would. I know that I 
 
 wouldn't. Who, then, are the aristocrats of our modern 
 day? 
 
 What would you do if Norma Talmadge were driving 
 by a certain spot and you happened to be near by? What 
 would you do if you came face to face with Tommy 
 Meighan? Wouldn't you join the crowd following Tommy? 
 Sure you would ! 'Fess up now and don't be ashamed to 
 say so. I would ! And I'd make my way to that spot where 
 Norma Talmadge was passing, too. And so would you! 
 Why ? Because there you have your new aristocracy ! 
 
 We were all glad to see the King and Queeri of the 
 Belgians and we approved of the Mayor giving them the 
 keys to the city, or whatever it is they give to a King and 
 Queen when they happen to drop in for a little visit with* 
 us, but whom do we follow around the streets in crowds? 
 Whose personal affairs do we like to discuss? Our movie 
 favorites, of course! 
 
 France gave General Pershing a rousing reception. So 
 did London, but did- you ever hear of cities going as mad* as 
 did London and Paris when a certain very athletic young 
 motion picture King visited those same cities, accompanied 
 by his Queen ? 
 
 Such enthusiasm! Even for Mary I do not have to 
 explain, do I, that I don't mean Mary, Queen of Scots! 
 Everyone knows that Mary Pickford is the only Mary of 
 importance, these days. 
 
 And so it goes! We pass over lightly the fact that 
 some Queen has asked her court ladies to knit for the poor. 
 But we read with enthusiasm that Hope Hampton or Mae 
 Murray has paid a hundred thousand dollars for a new set 
 of sables. In truth, it is the Kings and Queens of the silent 
 drama now claim our attention. 
 
 I have visited the homes of many film stars. Would 
 that I could take you, in fancy, for one fleeting moment to 
 the wonderful duplex apartment home of Queen Mae, of 
 the Murray s or the wonderful Riverside Drive Palace of 
 Oueen Hope of the Hamptons or the wonderful country 
 home of Queen Lillian of the Gishs or the huge California
 
 26 Opportunities in the 
 
 ranch of King Bert of the Lytells or the magnificent Cali- 
 fornia dream palace of King Douglas and Queen Mary! 
 No representative of society's aristocracy ever lived more 
 superbly. No ancient King or Queen ever had more mag- 
 nificent castles or loyal subjects. 
 
 And the producers, wise men that they are, know that 
 the only way these Kings and Queens will give of their 
 best thus making the product they are marketing more 
 valuable is to complete the cycle of opulence by. carrying 
 the luxury of the stars' settings into the studios where 
 they work. 
 
 Let's go through the splendid Hollywood studios of the 
 Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. Close your eyes a mo- 
 ment. Now visualize a broad well-paved avenue. Either 
 side is flanked with huge palms, while the avenue itself pre- 
 sents an ever-present stream of passing automobiles. Down 
 at the end of the street, directly south of the famous Holly- 
 wood Boulevard, stands a long row of sightly buildings. 
 These are the group that form the West Coast Studios of 
 the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation. 
 
 S-sh ! Don't make a sound now, and I'll try to get you 
 by the watchful office boy, ever on' the alert to arrest the 
 progress of the movie-curious. Once inside, I'll introduce 
 you to the wonders of one of the world's greatest motion 
 picture studios. 
 
 Great! We got by! He did not see you. Bang! goes 
 the big door, and we are inside the studio. You and I, in 
 fancy at any rate. Let's enter the main studio building! 
 Everywhere there seems to be hustle and bustle. But it is 
 not that. Bear in mind that in this, as in many other studios 
 not occupied by a single producing unit, each little section 
 of the studio has its own stage space, and as is the case in 
 the Lasky studio, each of these stages is being occupied by 
 a star who is in the. midst of production. The men and 
 women you see crossing each other's paths in what appears 
 to be a constant stream of aimlessly moving humanity, are 
 in reality all making their way to the "set" occupied by their 
 particular unit. All sets are busy. Here we have Cecil B. 
 De Mille, directing a scene for Gloria Swanson. 
 
 Over on another set, you hear some powerful-lunged 
 director cry "Action!" That means players' attention
 
 Motion Picture Industry 27 
 
 "Camera !" comes then in strong tones ; that means camera- 
 man attention. After a few moments, "Cut!" and that 
 means the scene has been finished. But it will be made over 
 again. Time after time, the players must go through their 
 paces. Directors think nothing of making a scene as many 
 as a dozen times, if they feel that it can be made better 
 each succeeding time. Sometimes they fool the players. The 
 cameraman is instructed to have the film magazine of the 
 camera entirely empty. He grinds in all seriousness and the 
 players, thinking that the scene is really being films, put 
 forth their best efforts. In this way, the director can see 
 and correct the faults of the players. Then, when he is 
 satisfied that they are letter perfect in their work, the scene 
 is really "shot." 
 
 Oh ! look ! isn't that a strange sight over there ? There 
 are twenty houses and each one is entirely different from 
 the other. There's a beautiful chateau and look at that 
 Spanish home! And that one looks as if they had picked 
 it up in Switzerland, and set it down here. There a won- 
 derful mansion and here a pretty little church. Come on 
 over this way, and look at that small-town street. Can't you 
 just imagine you are walking down "Main Street?" Look 
 at that grocery store ; and that dance hall front so reminis- 
 cent of these old western days. It's a wonderful place, 
 you'll agree. 
 
 And look at the huge studio buildings. That's where 
 the interiors are made. All the way down Selma Avenue 
 to Argyle Street; down Vine Street to Sunset Boulevard. 
 It's a wonderful plant ! Here, you see, is an open air stage. 
 A sunlight stage! The rays of the sun do the work of the 
 huge Cooper-Hewitts, Kleigs and Sunlight Arcs. Of course, 
 they use them also, but not nearly so much where the open 
 air stage is used for making interiors. 
 
 Over there is the wardrobe building. Imagine ! There 
 is closet room for more than ten thousand gowns. At each 
 end are two fitting rooms where the elaborate wardrobes 
 required by the stars and leading women may be designed 
 and fitted. 
 
 There come Elliott Dexter and Monte Blue. Let's walk 
 out here on the "lot." Look at that line-up of extras. They 
 are waiting to have lunch. The studio serves them gratis.
 
 28 Opportunities in the 
 
 Let's go through the buildings. You're not getting 
 tired, are you? All right then, come on. The Administra- 
 tion group constitutes a long row of one-story buildings 
 along Vine Street, all connected by long hallways. You see, 
 this is where they engage the extras. Many a star has 
 passed the day there awaiting a chance to appear before the 
 camera. And here sh! quiet now the cathedral-like 
 study and workshop of Director-General Cecil B. De Mille. 
 And here is a real treat for you. This is the dressing room 
 that Mary Pickford used to call her own. Note the quaint 
 Japanese fittings. She used to use this as a combination 
 dressing and sitting room. Royalty and nobility of all 
 classes have visited her here, when alien potentates have 
 called at the studio during an itinerary of the west. 
 
 It's all very wonderful, don't you think? Let's go out 
 in the open again for a moment. There is the largest open 
 air stage for the filming of motion pictures in the world. 
 Observe the tank for water scenes ! Look at that wonderful 
 tropical garden ! Let's cross Argyle Street and enter the lot 
 which covers a huge square block and is used to film big 
 exterior scenes. 
 
 Look at these buildings. Don't they look real? Let's 
 go closer. Here, indeed, "things are not what they seem." 
 Once you are near you can see that the buildings which look 
 so real, are, in truth, empty shells; that cannon standing 
 there, so sinister looking, is made of cardboard or wood; 
 the lampposts are devoid of lights, the sidewalks are sub- 
 stantial enough for their purpose, but really would not last 
 long if used by the general public; that subway entrance 
 really leads nowhere. There's a horse car which does 
 nothing but gather cobwebs. That brightly-painted circus 
 wagon you see standing there has traveled its last road. 
 
 Growl, growl, growl ; what's that ? It reminds one of 
 the jungle. Do they even have animals here? You bet they 
 do ! Look over there. See those cages in that far corner ? 
 Look at the Puma, the Leopard, the Coyote. See how 
 puzzled they appear. This mimic world seems to be beyond 
 their understanding. I presume they are trying to figure out 
 why it is so well populated one day, and so deserted the next. 
 
 I think it is time to start for the Goldwyn Studio. 
 Come, it's pretty close to lunch time.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 29 
 
 What's that you said? "Wait a minute. Here comes 
 Bebe Daniels." I'm sorry we can't wait ! 
 
 Here we are at Goldwyn's "movie lot!" they call the 
 studio "the lot" for some unfathomable reason or ether. 
 Guess the man who had something to do with the publicity 
 that went out about the first studio, must have had a previ- 
 ous connection with a circus. Wherever a circus plays, 
 that place is known as "a lot." 
 
 The Goldwyn plant is certainly one of the finest studios, 
 if not the most beautiful in appearance, in all California. 
 The buildings are spotlessly white, and the lawns and flower 
 beds which are to be found throughout the wonderful insti- 
 tution are faultlessly kept. 
 
 Of interest to you, I dare say, will be the Cafeteria. Oh, 
 yes, of course the players eat. The old saying about actors 
 not eating never was meant to be applied to the motion pic- 
 ture actor. From my observation, they all eat, and mighty 
 well, too. Since we are right here at the Cafeteria door, 
 we may as well go in. No doubt you're hungry, and you'll 
 be interested in seeing the place. 
 
 The service is provided by one of the city's best cater- 
 ers. Note the simplicity of it all. Delft tile has been used 
 throughout and the menu gives an ample choice. Let's sit 
 down over here in a corner, then we can see all who come 
 in. There comes Helene Chadwick! Over there in that 
 rough suit of clothes is no less a personage than Tom 
 Moore; that good looking, dark haired fellow sitting next 
 him, is Richard Dix. 
 
 Tell the waitress what you want! There! I'm glad 
 that's done! Here come a bunch of Mexicans! See that 
 Indian 'way over there ? Look at that ! There's a minister ! 
 And Johnny Jones, that little fellow you remember him, 
 don't you ? and oh ! look, here comes Mary Alden ! Doesn't 
 she look wonderful? It's a great place, this restaurant. 
 One can sit hour after hour and see many favorites. 
 
 Now, we'll drive down the Culver City road for a few 
 moments and visit with Thomas H. Ince! Here's a man 
 that really knows motion pictures from the bottom up. He 
 has built some wonderful studios, but his newest plant is 
 certainly the most beautiful. What a blinding sun! No 
 wonder they can make pictures in California. And how it 
 bathes the Ince Administration Building in its golden light.
 
 30 Opportunities in the 
 
 When first you approach Ince Studios, you are startled 
 for. a moment. The place and grounds remind you of some 
 wonderful old Southern mansion. Indeed, the building is 
 an exact replica of the Washington mansion at Mount Ver- 
 non. Isn't it magnificent? Here we come up a spacious 
 driveway to the very steps of the threshold of this wonder- 
 ful edifice. Little would the passer-by realize that back of 
 that Colonial door is located a splendidly and perfectly 
 equipped studio. An old colored attendant greets us as we 
 arrive, and his welcome brings realistic memories of "Old 
 Virginny." 
 
 It's wonderful, Mr. Ince, this hospitable greeting. And 
 now we enter the studio proper. Once inside the lobby of 
 the building, we pass through a little doorway, and all the 
 thoughts of "Old Virginny" are banished from our minds. 
 Right before our very eyes, a huge glass studio looms up. 
 See how the sun is beaming upon its roof, seeming to send 
 millions of little sun rays scattering through the air in 
 every direction. 
 
 Just a bit to the left, there, see that concrete tank. It 
 is being filled with water. No. it's not a swimming pool. 
 In it they make all the miniature scenes. Many a ship has 
 been sunk in that tank. A miniature ship, I mean. But 
 there! I did not mean to tell you about that end of the 
 business at all. 
 
 Over there are the laboratories. They are as fine as 
 any studio possesses. See that group sprawled over the 
 lawn, there. Can't you recognize them? The man in the 
 center is Mr. Ince himself, and next him is "Doug" not 
 Fairbanks! The other "Doug" Douglas MacLean, the 
 happy star, who does those delightful juvenile types on the 
 screen. There's C. Gardner Sullivan, dean of all the sce- 
 nario writers. It's a wonderful place, this Ince studio, but 
 come, we must move on ! It's a long, long ride from Mr. 
 Ince's show place of the film world, to Universal City. 
 
 "Oh yes, let's go there by all means," you say. Well, 
 we're on our way. If you have imagined that the Cali- 
 fornia studios are all situated in that section of Los Angeles 
 known as Hollywood, let me correct that impression. The 
 studios are miles and miles a"part, except in a few instances, 
 of course. Little colonies of them seem to have sprung up
 
 Motion Picture Industry 31 
 
 in certain sections of the city, but don't you ever imagine 
 that you can walk from one of them to the other; that is 
 unless you have a plentiful supply of shoes and lots of time. 
 
 The first producer to go to California in search of a 
 movie haven was immediately struck with the ideal climatic 
 conditions existing in and about the Southern California 
 metropolis. He experimented and found that conditions 
 were perfectly adapted to motion picture making, and soon 
 the good news spread from one to another. One of the first 
 to hearken to the message of the pioneer was Carl Laemmle. 
 
 Leaving his Eastern office, he journeyed to the coast 
 and selected the present site of Universal City as the future 
 home of the world-famed Universal pictures. 
 
 Now we are at the gates of Universal City. Just across 
 from the Pacific Electric tracks, where the trolley-riding 
 visitor alights, is the main entrance to the gigantic motion 
 picture plant which has often been termed the Film Capitol 
 of the world. Located in the beautiful San Fernando Val- 
 ley the director has at his command, within an hour's ride 
 from the studio, the entire range of climatic conditions from 
 the tropical to the arctic. Mount Lowe, one of California's 
 lofty peaks, is accessible to Universal City and all other 
 Los Angeles studios by trolley car or automobile. When 
 Mr. Laemmle built Universal City, it was his intention to 
 build it so that his directors could remain on the "lot" at all 
 times. Every conceivable type of building has been erected 
 on the grounds, some serving only as "sets" while others 
 are put to practical use, their interiors being equipped for 
 office workers while their exteriors are fashioned after 
 various types of old time architecture. 
 
 Let's enter. We park our car with about one hundred 
 others, and once passed by Mr. Brown, the able guardian 
 of the entrance, we make our way down a short hall, on 
 either side of which are located various offices. See that 
 little wooden door labeled "Library"? Back of it you would 
 find Leroy Armstrong, probably the dean of studio research 
 men. We won't enter, because Mr. Armstrong seems to be 
 busy with one of his thousands of volumes ! 
 
 Here we are at the end of the hall and out in the open 
 again. A broad avenue of palms greets us and down at 
 the head of the avenue we see the upper decks and smoke
 
 32 Opportunities in the 
 
 stacks of a giant ocean liner. Smoke is belching forth from 
 the smokestacks. You marvel, don't you, that so perfect a 
 reproduction could have been made ? The pier at which the 
 steamship is supposed to be docked, hides the lower portion 
 of the ship, but it certainly is realistic. Don't you think so ? 
 Rugged hills surrounding the studio grounds give to the 
 scene a weird sort of phantom appearance, as if it were not 
 real, but some strange dream place. That it is all there, you 
 presently discover as we saunter down the street toward 
 the dock scene. 
 
 What wonderful outdoor stages ! How large they are ! 
 They are built entirely of reinforced concrete and steel 
 framework. And there at the rear of the stages are the 
 dressing rooms, director's offices and the shower baths. 
 
 The place is barely six years old, and yet it has a bank, 
 and a special interurban railway ticket office. It is indeed 
 wonderfully located. Throughout all the days of the year, 
 the sun-splashed amphitheatre, there in the shadows of the 
 southern California mountains, assumes the geographical 
 characteristics of the farthest corners of the earth. 
 
 Oh! See here! What an amazing scene! There's a 
 wonderful replica of Monte Carlo. Against the blue of the 
 sky are lifted the sparkling alabaster towers of the Casino, 
 the Cafe de Paris, and the famous hotel of that continental 
 resort ! How strange the splendor of the Monte Carlo set- 
 ting is, contrasted with the winding little street that drifts 
 off into the foothills encircling the studio. 
 
 Marvelous place, this Universal City! It even has its 
 own nursery to supply flowers for stage scenes; its own 
 Zoological Gardens ; one of the finest wardrobe departments 
 in the film world ; a spacious ranch ; all within the confines 
 of the studio grounds. Streets of Monte Carlo, Cairo, 
 Paris, Tokio, Madrid streets of New York and 'Frisco, 
 streets of New England and Arizona, of Turkey and Mexico 
 all are represented here. 
 
 Suppose we go down to the Zoo for a moment. We 
 pass through a "set" where a director is putting Harry 
 Carey through his paces for a western production. Here 
 we are and just look who greets us ! Joe Martin, himself, 
 Universal's educated orang-outang. He wants to shake

 
 Motion Picture Industry 33 
 
 hand with you. Don't be afraid. Joe has an almost hu- 
 man brain. He knows, you will notice, just what to do with 
 his hands. 
 
 They have a hospital here, too. There it is, that spot- 
 lessly white little building, with the Red Cross on its door. 
 
 Metro, too, has fine studios in Hollywood and Chris- 
 tie's where the comedies of the present day are made. Vita- 
 graph, and Robertson-Cole, and a host of others have con- 
 tributed a great deal towards building the motion picture 
 colony of California. Then there are many wonderful inde- 
 pendent studios: The Brunton studios, where Mary Pick- 
 ford and Little Jackie Coogan make their pictures. Charlie 
 Chaplin's studio, too, is a beautiful place. 
 
 But what of the studios of the East? Will we visit 
 just one, so that you may know more about the interior of a 
 "city" studio ? Let's take a flying trip across the continent 
 to Long Island City, New York, where the Famous Players- 
 Lasky Corporation has established a wonderful new plant. 
 It is just across the East River from New York City. A 
 great bridge spans the river at this point, and that makes 
 tke studio but a few moments from East 59th Street, New 
 York. Of course the underground system could whiz you 
 there in fifteen minutes from the very heart of New York, 
 if you cared to travel that way. 
 
 For your information, let me tell you that the Famous 
 Players-Lasky Corporation, one of the larger producing 
 companies, spent over two million dollars in building their 
 magnificent Long Island City plant. Think of it ! Here is 
 but one of the many great motion picture studios and it 
 cost over iwo million dollars to build. 
 
 Visualize a splendid building, having the appearance of 
 the Pantheon of Greece. A wonderful temple of marble and 
 granite, with beautiful stone columns reaching almost from 
 ground to roof ! Immediately we get inside, you are blinded 
 with the glare of light. It seems to be coming from every- 
 where. The whole building seems to be flooded by it. From 
 high up among the steel girders, from the walls at either 
 side of you, from everywhere comes light, light and more 
 light. 
 
 Over there in that corner a director is sitting, reading 
 the script of some new play to the players, who are sur-
 
 34 Opportunities in the 
 
 rounding him. This is always done before the play is 
 started, so that the players know what it is all about. 
 
 Over there in the corner a large space has been screened 
 off. When a director is working upon a particularly dra- 
 matic scene, and does not want to be disturbed, stage hands 
 surround the space with large canvas "flats." Woe unto 
 him who dares go beyond those sacred boundaries. But if 
 you are very quiet, maybe we can get close to one of them 
 and peep in ! Let's try, anyhow ; but look out or you will 
 trip over one of the many props that are lying about ready 
 to be assembled into a scene. 
 
 Remember when we were kids how we would sneak 
 up to a knot hole and watch our favorite knock the ball 
 over the fence for a homer ? Well, that's what we are going 
 to do now, only this time, with added years, we are going 
 to watch a different kind of a favorite. Step up to that hole 
 in the canvas and fasten your eyes upon it. 
 
 See that little blonde girl? That's Mae Murray. See 
 that big fellow with the megaphone? That's Robert Z. 
 Leonard, the director. They are making a scene for "The 
 Gilded Lily." There comes Jason Robards through that 
 "prop" door in the set. Mae is sitting on an overstuffed 
 divan and the scene represents the drawing room of her 
 playworld home. See how the lights brighten up the place. 
 You would almost think that you were out in the sunlight. 
 
 All of a sudden out of the stillness there is wafted to 
 your ears the plaintive notes of "The Barcarolle," that won- 
 derful melody from "The Tales of Hoffman." A cello and 
 violin are harmonizing. Oh ! how dreamy it makes you feel. 
 You turn away for a moment, and ask where that music 
 comes from. Are they using it in one of the other scenes 
 that are being made around you? No. The witchery of 
 that music is for Mae's benefit. Look over there in the 
 background of the set there, out of the range of the 
 camera. Do you see those two musicians playing? Well, 
 they are playing for the benefit of Mae and Jason. It's only 
 ten o'clock in the morning, you know. And here is Bob 
 Leonard, asking Mae to imagine it is midnight, and that she 
 has been waiting for Mr. Robards, who, in the play, is her 
 sweetheart.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 35 
 
 Can you imagine yourself pretending it is midnight, 
 when you have just arrived at the studio after a hearty 
 breakfast ? But with the magic of music the greatest emo- 
 tional power the world has ever known they accomplish 
 this feat of imagination in the studios. Musicians are placed 
 in a secluded spot. The stage is set. The director speaks 
 quietly to the star, tells her it is midnight, and that she has 
 spent many hours awaiting the arrival of her tardy lover. 
 At the director's signal the musicians begin and, Lo and 
 behold ! Mae forgetting for a moment that she is an actress, 
 really feels that she has been sitting there on that divan for 
 hours, waiting for her sweetheart; and Jason, who is sup- 
 posed to have been spending a wild night with the boys, 
 believes that he is really a bit intoxicated prohibition not- 
 withstanding and staggers in to the "Lily." There is a 
 quarrel. Their emotions rise with each note from the cello, 
 finally Mae bursts into tears and Jason becomes repentant. 
 The scene is finished, the music stops, Mae dries her eyes, 
 Jason realizes he is sober and "Bob" seats himself in the 
 ever present director's chair, which in this instance bears the 
 legend in bold black letters, "Mr. Leonard." 
 
 Well, that was interesting, wasn't it! And that's why 
 stars have to have their own little orchestras. 
 
 The immense stage upon which we have just walked 
 about can accommodate twenty working companies at one 
 time. Did you notice the size of the stage? How tremen- 
 dously long it was, and how wide? It just seemed as if 
 blocks and blocks of space were needed to roof it. Did you 
 observe the beautiful marble staircases? Did you notice 
 how brilliantly the corridors were lighted and the beauty 
 of the hangings and furniture? Didn't it all look like the 
 interior of a palace? That's just what it is the Palace of 
 the Silent Drama ! 
 
 See those stairs to your left? They take you to the 
 stars' dressing rooms. Shall we visit with one of them? 
 Yes? All right, let's go. Here we are let's see whose 
 name is on that door. Ah, Billie Burke. Will we enter? 
 We do and along comes Miss Burke's maid and "Would 
 you tell Miss Burke that some out-of-town visitors would 
 like so very much to see her a few moments ?" Silently the 
 maid departs and in a few moments we hear the swish of
 
 36 Opportunities in the 
 
 silks, the portieres are drawn apart, and Miss Burke herself 
 welcomes us. Come, let's sit down a moment and have a 
 chat with adorable Billie. 
 
 "I hope you like my suite," she says. "Each of us 
 had the privilege of furnishing our own rooms to suit our 
 individual tastes. If you visit with some of the others, you 
 will note that their rooms are entirely different from mine. 
 The colors, hangings and furnishings are of many varieties, 
 reflecting the various temperaments of the people who in- 
 habit the suites. Don't you think they are nice rooms ?" 
 
 "Yes, indeed !" we answer, and for a moment my mind 
 travels back to the dressing room Billie had on the old 
 Inceville lot out in Los Angeles. Her ten-by-ten room was 
 considered a marvel, as dressing rooms went in those days. 
 The little chintz draperies looked very homey and cozy. 
 Now, as I gaze about and notice the grandeur of it all 
 Oh ! well, I'd better stop dreaming and continue the tour of 
 the studio. Tactfully, Billie tells us her director is waiting 
 for her and we take leave, having spent a very pleasant half 
 hour in her charming company. 
 
 Shall we go and see the garage? We make our way 
 along the galleries and come to a splendid stairway. Down 
 we go, stopping a moment to gaze at the vast panorama 
 before us. Ten different companies are working. Ten dif- 
 ferent crews of carpenters and electricians are preparing sets 
 for use. See, over there, they are building a wonderful 
 Spanish hacienda ; and there, look at that ! a swimming pool 
 in being put right on the studio floor. And in that corner, 
 a portion of Central Park wall seems to have been trans- 
 planted. Surely some exterior action will be filmed there. 
 They have to do it in the studio though, because the curious 
 mob on the street makes it impossible for them to work 
 there. How faithfully they represent the scene. It's won- 
 derful, isn't it? See that landscape gardener placing the 
 grass by the park wall ? Perfect what? 
 
 And here we are at the garage ! Look at that wonder- 
 fully handsome limousine, and at that Rolls-Royce isn't it a 
 beauty? They are all beauties and the garage is full of 
 them. And right next door are the kennels. Even the dogs 
 are temperamental and they insist on accompanying their 
 masters and mistresses to the studio. Indeed, quite often
 
 Motion Picture Industry 37 
 
 they are used in the filming of certain scenes. There's Mae 
 Murray's Russian wolf hound. "Hello, Reno." See he is 
 licking my hand, he knows me. He must remember me 
 from my visit to the Leonard's home. Oh, yes, did I forget 
 to tell you, Mae and Bob are married. There's Dorothy 
 Dalton's Chow ; and that's Agnes Ayres' Pomeranian. 
 
 It's all very wonderful, don't you think? Over there 
 is the beauty parlor. You know milady's hair may have be- 
 come ruffled during the drive to the studio, or one may need 
 a special coiffure for a certain scene. Expert attendants 
 are ever ready to answer the call of the star. 
 
 Let's go up and watch them make some "still" photo- 
 graphs. Think of it, they can turn out ten thousand still 
 photos a day. Every innovation that has been perfected 
 has been installed and it is probably the best portrait gallery 
 in the East. 
 
 See that barred door over there ? Back of it are stored 
 all the valuable silver for dressing table and dining room 
 service that is needed to make the modern photoplay real- 
 istic. Expensive vases, china and cut glass, as well as tapes- 
 tries and jewelry, are stored there. 
 
 Gose by are the cutting room and the title department ! 
 Here comes one of the studio police officers it's time to 
 leave come, we must go! 
 
 And so, you've had your day in the motion picture 
 studios! If you have a vivid imagination and keen visualiz- 
 ation powers, you will be able to imagine at least what they 
 really do look like on the inside. 
 
 If you've had as good a time as I have on this trip 
 through the studios I am happy. It has been a pleasure to 
 give you just a glance into the land of make-believe ! Some- 
 time again we'll do it over maybe I shall meet you there 
 some day. Who can tell ? It's really up to you !
 
 CAN I APPEAR ON THE SCREEN ? 
 
 By BERT LYTELL 
 
 Popular Screen Star who suggests that you measure 
 yourself by the following standards. 
 
 THOUSANDS of movie "fans" imagine that there 
 is a pot of gold at the foot of the cinema rainbow. 
 For some, there is. But breaking into the movies 
 is not quite as easy as one would imagine. If you 
 are willing to begin at the bottom and work your way up, 
 you have a chance; that is, if you are really suited to the 
 work. 
 
 And what are the qualifications? 
 
 Screen success is more than skin deep. Where once 
 the extremely beautiful girl or the classically handsome 
 man was thought to be perfectly qualified to become a great 
 motion picture actor, today we are making greater demands 
 of potential stars. 
 
 People write to me and ask what types are best suited 
 to motion picture work. Here is a brief outline of the 
 standards used in selecting film workers. When I say that 
 one type is preferable to another, do not think I am preju- 
 diced. I do not mean to discriminate. I do not think any 
 one type of beauty is really superior to another. I am writ- 
 ing only of film types. 
 
 The ideal woman of the motion pictures has these 
 physical qualifications: 
 
 Features. They need not be classic but they must be 
 regular. The retrousse nose, if not too broad, gives a piquant 
 expression to the face. The mouth can be made up and its 
 size is not of great importance. 
 
 Complexion, We are looking for blondes. Most men 
 in the films today photograph dark and the contrast provided 
 by the blonde woman is effective. The girl with light golden 
 hair will photograph as a true blonde. Therefore, blonde 
 women are given the preference. The good looking bru- 
 nette, of course, is always desirable. 
 
 39
 
 40 Opportunities in the 
 
 Stature. The small girl is preferably the screen type. 
 Many leading men are not tall and they appear to disad- 
 vantage unless they are surrounded with small women. 
 The dainty Mary Pickford-Marguerite Clark type has 
 always been very popular, perhaps because it is easier for 
 the little girl to win sympathy. These actresses are excep- 
 tions ; they are less than five feet, but the slightly taller girl, 
 between five feet and five-feet-fhree, will be the most readily 
 chosen by the casting directors. 
 
 W eight. Any figure is acceptable if it's slender. I do 
 not mean that a "skinny" figure is desirable, but just that 
 rounded slenderness that typifies youth. Fat is the worst 
 enemy of film actresses. The star must watch her diet care- 
 fully, for the first double chin would endanger her popu- 
 larity. 
 
 Age. I scarcely need to mention this. The careful eye 
 of the camera detects every little line, every wrinkle and 
 crow's foot. Girls should start in young so that they gain 
 their preliminary experience and achieve stardom before 
 they begin to fade. I would not advise any woman past 
 twenty-six to start unless she wants to develop into a char- 
 acter actress. Although this is not usually the sympathetic 
 or stellar role, a character actress, such as Mary Alden, 
 will find many opportunities for success and worth-while 
 remuneration. 
 
 Such are the physical requirements of the motion pic- 
 ture actress. What of her mental qualifications? 
 
 I say, most emphatically, that brains are necessary to the 
 film star. The actress does not have to be brilliant, but 
 she must have a keen intellect. 
 
 Acting is one of the great arts. An actress is an inter- 
 preter of human emotions. If she cannot think for herself, 
 if she is simply an automaton to follow the director's instruc- 
 tions, if she must have another to do her thinking she is no 
 artist. For instance, an actress is given a role to play. The 
 script reads something like this : 
 
 "Nora prints a demure kiss on her father's forehead, 
 then gives him a quick little slap on the cheek. When the 
 old man's head is turned, she winks ever so slightly at 
 Philip." It is simple enough for her to kiss the old man's
 
 Motion Picture Industry 41 
 
 forehead, to slap his cheek and wink at Philip. But by 
 these physical mechanics is she interpreting Nora? 
 
 The intelligent actress, who understands something of 
 psychology, whose knowledge of human nature is keen and 
 cultivated, would add to these motions the quality of person- 
 ality that would make Nora a living, breathing woman. 
 
 Can't you see her do it? 
 
 Mary Pickford's Nora would be demure, and a trifle 
 saucy. 
 
 Mabel Normand would make a delightful tomboy of 
 the role. 
 
 Constance Talmadge's kiss and slap would be audacious, 
 and frightfully flippant, while Norma's would seem to ex- 
 press a genuine but slightly rebellious love for her father. 
 
 Nazimova, as Nora, would be noble, suffering. You 
 would feel that her kiss was an expression of bondage ; her 
 slap a gesture of disdain. 
 
 Gloria Swanson would give a touch of dignity to the 
 role. Her Nora would be beautifully gowned and dutifully 
 affectionate. 
 
 They are all finished actresses. They give the expres- 
 sion that warms to life the dry words describing an incident. 
 Less brilliant women could not do this. They could go 
 through the physical actions, but the little touch of person- 
 ality that expresses emotion more subtly than any action or 
 movement, would be lacking. 
 
 That is why I say brains are necessary. Without intel- 
 lect it is impossible to have a keen perception, a vivid 
 imagination, fine sensibilities. And without these, you 
 cannot be a convincing actress. 
 
 Fascinating as the film actresses are, I cannot devote 
 all my space to them. No indeed, for male stars are very 
 temperamental, and if we were to neglect them I am sure 
 I would have lots of trouble. 
 
 How can I become a movie hero ? They write and ask 
 me. I can answer best in the words of Myron Zobel, editor 
 of Screenland Magazine. He, also, receives countless com- 
 munications from would-be heroes. Here's what he says :
 
 42 Opportunities in the 
 
 "Readers are constantly writing in to us asking 'How 
 can I become a hero in the movies ?' To this query, we have 
 frequently made answer, 'Try to forget about the movies 
 and be a hero in your own home town. There is less com- 
 petition.' " 
 
 But if you find your home town too narrow for your 
 talent, take an inventory of your physical attributes and see 
 if you measure up. 
 
 Features. Regular, but not necessarily classic. The 
 virile type of he-man, is more popular than the very hand- 
 some hero. Strong features are better than small features. 
 
 Complexion. Men usually photograph dark, so that 
 the medium blonde makes the best type. But the attractive 
 brunette who has a reputation for being "romantic" cer- 
 tainly pleases the women. 
 
 Stature. Not too short. A man has to be over five 
 feet four. Occasionally a comedian or a juvenile will get 
 away with less, but the hero must tower above his lady love. 
 Richard Barthelmess is not tall ; neither is Charles Ray. The 
 ideal man of the movies is a little over that vague standard 
 known as "average height." 
 
 Weight. A man can be heavy if he wants to be funny, 
 but if he expects to be taken seriously, he must be slender. 
 The long lines are better than the broad, although fans are 
 apt to classify the large-framed, big boned man as "virile." 
 Many of our most popular actors are of the heavy set, sturdy 
 type. 
 
 And as for brains, well, you've just got to have them. 
 Sometimes you hear people say, "Oh, those handsome heroes, 
 all they have to do is pose and dress well." 
 
 Don't you believe it. Those handsome heroes have to 
 work mighty hard to please the hundreds of thousands of 
 fans who are anxious and eager to criticize every bat of the 
 male eyelash. Fans are willing to forgive the ladies their 
 technical missteps and errors, but a man never. 
 
 A male actor has to have fine judgment. He must be 
 able to criticize his own work and accept criticism. He must 
 exercise extreme caution, for he knows that his critics 
 reason thus :
 
 Motion Picture Industry 43 
 
 If a man's emotion is a trifle over-emphasized, they 
 say he is extreme or melodramatic. If he is repressed, they 
 say he cannot act. If he is inclined to be punctilious in his 
 manners, he is a sissy, but if he is not always quite the 
 perfect gentleman, they call him a roughneck. If he is 
 energetic and full of pep, he is a clown, while if his acting 
 embodies a little more dignity and poise than they expect, 
 they label him dumbell. 
 
 Now if a man is not an artist, he cannot draw that fine 
 line between the degrees of emphasis he must give his role. 
 And if he is an artist, we must all concede that he is pos- 
 sessed of intellect. 
 
 A stupid man can no more make a success in the studio 
 than he could in the law office, the laboratory, the drafting 
 room, the banking house or the cloak and suit business. 
 
 There are a number of qualities that stars of both sexes 
 must possess. I shall not talk of dramatic ability. That, of 
 course, is the one qualification that is absolutely necessary. 
 It is too elusive a thing to describe. One either has ability 
 or he hasn't it. Without it, there can be no dramatic or 
 screen success. If the screen aspirant is possessed of 
 ability, that quality need not be developed at the time appli- 
 cation is made for a position. It will surely be discovered. 
 Of course, the person whose natural talents have been 
 cultivated is much more desirable, and I would advise any 
 young person who really believes he has that ability, to set 
 about obtaining the proper coaching just as soon as possible. 
 It is possible, however, to master the art in the studio proper 
 if one is content to make a very humble beginning. Patience, 
 then, must also be a virtue with you. 
 
 Sincerity and friendliness must also be included in the 
 actor's make up. For the lucky one who achieves stardom 
 absolute honesty is necessary. On or off stage, in the studio, 
 in the street, even at home, the conduct of the star is being 
 observed. He must be strictly sincere in all his dealings. He 
 must be consistent always. 
 
 The ability to meet people i a friendly, whole-hearted 
 fashion and to make strangers feel at ease is one of his 
 greatest assets. Any newspaper man will tell you that 
 there are certain stars whose naturalness disarms the wariest
 
 44 Opportunities in the 
 
 of publicity men, and these men find themselves constantly 
 making reference to such stars and publishing their pictures. 
 
 Such stars are their own best press agents. 
 
 Stars must have poise and balance. They are constantly 
 being admired, petted and fussed over ; likewise noticed and 
 judged during their waking hours. A light-headed, frivolous 
 person will lose his sense of values, will become conceited, 
 overbearing what we call "upstage." 
 
 Education, culture, learning, bring poise and balance. 
 The more one knows of life, the less one thinks of himself. 
 No matter how famous a man or woman may become, in 
 the face of the universe, he or she is as unimportant as an 
 insect crawling on the ground. A really cultured person 
 can never become so self-important that he will be referred 
 to as "upstage." 
 
 There is one more quality which a star must have that 
 is the capacity for hard work. Studio life is no bed of roses. 
 I have seen many women workers clerks, stenographers, 
 writers, domestics, solicitors, doctors and lawyers and I 
 can honestly say that there is no single class that works 
 harder than the woman on the screen. 
 
 The layman thinks the actor's life is one round of 
 pleasure, wine, dancing, parties, midnight frolics. He is 
 sadly mistaken." No labor union permits its members the 
 hours that the player must keep. No other class of workers 
 would tolerate such conditions. Out in the snow in the dead 
 of winter, sometimes a scene has to be taken over time 
 and time again. In the burning sun in the heat of summer 
 there may have to be hours of waiting before the scene is 
 actually made. 
 
 Motion picture players work too hard during the day to 
 spend their nights at parties and frolics. They give too 
 much of their energy to their work to have any left to spend 
 on wild jamborees. They can't eat too much or drink too 
 much because a bad digestion would ruin their looks, and 
 cut off the income. The young person entering the studio 
 must consecrate his life, devote all his energies to developing 
 his talents. Otherwise, he cannot hope to succeed. 
 
 There is certainly a great opportunity for workers in 
 motion pictures. I mean workers, and not those persons
 
 Motion Picture Industry 45 
 
 who expect to find an easy way to make money or gain 
 recognition. This is a profession serious as law, journal- 
 ism, medicine, engineering. Its leaders are those who are 
 willing to take it seriously. 
 
 I hope I have made it perfectly clear to you that beauty 
 is only one of the essential requirements of the motion pic- 
 ture star. Indeed, the failure to find financial success that 
 has greeted the efforts of many producers who have tried 
 to "make" a star simply because she was good to look at, 
 has done a great deal towards bringing a new regime in 
 picture-making and establishing new standards for would-be 
 stars. No less an authority than Cecil B. De Mille sums up 
 the necessary qualifications as follows: 
 
 Beauty not necessarily classic, but certainly piquant. 
 
 Culture. 
 
 Good health. 
 
 Native intelligence. 
 
 The capacity for hard work. 
 
 There you have the requirements for screen success. 
 Pretty stiff list, isn't it? 
 
 If a star must possess all these qualifications, you say 
 how is it that there are so many stars in the movie firmament ? 
 Bless my soul, there aren't so many stars!
 
 ARE YOU A SCREEN PERSONALITY? 
 
 By F. A. DATIG 
 
 Casting Director, Universal City, Calif. 
 
 Editor^ Note: The following: chapter will be certain to give a 
 close insight into what one of the film industry's foremost casting 
 directors thinks about his work and the many difficult "screen 
 personalities" that daily come to his attention. 
 
 s "W TT AVE you any work for me ?" 
 
 I I I wonder just how many times a day I 
 
 A JL answer this question. It is surprising how 
 many people there are, trying to make a living 
 in the pictures. Some are fitted for this work, but the 
 greater number are not qualified for more than the merest 
 atmosphere, and it does not take much time for us to dis- 
 cover any latent possibilities along these lines. The lure 
 of the silver screen is very great. We receive hundreds 
 of applications daily from people who are desirous of en- 
 tering the movies, and these applications come from all 
 parts of the world. 
 
 We are at all times glad to hear from each applicant, 
 whether by phone or in person. This applies to every one 
 in the profession, from the greatest leading man or woman 
 to the lowliest extra. In a studio such as I represent, at 
 which there are from fifteen to twenty companies producing 
 at all times, it is very hard to keep in mind each and every 
 character needed in the different stories. 
 
 There are only two rules governing people's adapta- 
 bility for the movies ability and hard work. There is no 
 limit of beauty or age or size, for sometime, somewhere, 
 in some picture, there is a place for the ugliest as well as 
 the most beautiful, the tallest as well as the shortest, the 
 oldest as well as the youngest. Bear in mind that these 
 calls do not come each day far from it but when you 
 take into consideration the vastness of the moving picture 
 industry, you will see that at some time or other, every 
 type of human being must be used. 
 
 The selection of extra people is as important as the 
 choosing of the cast. The greatest care is given this de- 
 partment, because a background will often spoil the effect 
 
 47
 
 48 Opportunities in the 
 
 of the action which is going on in front of it. Most of 
 the names that appear in electric lights over our motion 
 picture theatres belong to men and women who have 
 achieved fame and success through the long, weary years 
 of work as an "extra." Even those who have come from 
 the legitimate stage, with varying degrees of success there, 
 are compelled to take lesser parts in the movies in order to 
 study what is called "technique," in order to perfect their 
 "make-up," and in order to understand best how to infuse 
 their personalities into the parts which the,y are given to 
 portray. 
 
 I believe that some time ago someone said that beauty 
 did not count so -much as brains. I think most picture 
 people will agree with me when I say that beauty comes 
 first, especially in the case of ingenues and leading women. 
 Given beauty we are very often able to develop ability. 
 And, as a matter of fact, I believe that the majority of 
 people would rather look at a beautiful girl who is not a 
 clever actress, than one who is tremendously clever but 
 who is not good to look at. However, beauty and ability 
 form the ideal combination but even greater than either 
 or both of these two qualities is that elusive thing called 
 "Personality." 
 
 This is applicable to juveniles and to leading men. We 
 expect a juvenile to be a perfect example of clean, healthy, 
 exuberant youth. The leading man is just a grown up 
 juvenile with the addition of character which comes with 
 the years. 
 
 But each of these types, as well as those who portray 
 the heavy and character parts, must be students of life 
 for it is impossible to give a convincing characterization 
 without a complete knowledge of the particular character 
 which they are called upon to portray. The greatest care 
 is used in making the selection of the cast, since it is always 
 necessary that the characters be true to life and appealing 
 to the audience, which is our only critic, and a very severe 
 one. 
 
 In the average audience today there are numbers of 
 people who unconsciously imagine themselves playing the
 
 Motion Picture Industry 49 
 
 parts depicted by the characters on the screen, and whose 
 criticism depends upon the interpretation of that char- 
 acter by that actor. It is therefore of the greatest im- 
 portance that the people selected to play these parts have 
 the personality required to portray their roles in a manner 
 true to life. 
 
 Many times the stories we see on the screen mirror 
 events through which we ourselves have lived, and the suc- 
 cessful actors and actresses are those who are capable of 
 making us feel that we would have acted just as they have. 
 Unless they have personality, and can inject that personality 
 into their work, we feel that the presentation is unreal. 
 
 The motion picture represents to the spectators their 
 "Ideal" for the few hours in which they are in the theatre, 
 the audience is in the land of Make Believe. It is, there- 
 fore, imperative that the people selected to play for them 
 make the greatest appeal. The person going into a motion 
 picture theatre unconsciously clothes the actors with his 
 Qwn impressions, and it is necessary that the actor and 
 producer bring to the screen the closest approach possible to 
 perfection.
 
 YOUR OPPORTUNITY IN MOTION PICTURES 
 
 B U THOMAS H. INCE 
 
 Editor's Note: In presenting to the readers of these volumes, 
 this chapter, by an authority who has contributed such wealth to 
 the material and spiritual possessions of the silver sheet, I feel that 
 the readers of this volume will have settled in their minds for all timr 
 the angle of the motion picture producer in his relation to the public. 
 In his pilgrimage for the attainment of the ultimate in the cinema art, 
 Mr. Ince has encountered every obstacle in the winding Road to 
 Realization. He knows, probably as well as any one, the appointments 
 and disappointments which grip men and women in their quest of a 
 chosen accomplishment. Mr. Ince tells here, in simple form, of the 
 acute need for talent with which to reinforce the ever-increasing 
 demand of the silent drama. 
 
 THE successful producer of motion pictures has to be 
 twins. One of his selves must be an artist. The other 
 one must be a business man. 
 
 I think there never has been any occupation quite 
 as singular. 
 
 As an artist, the producer still must be as sane and 
 as practical as John D. Rockefeller. 
 
 As a business man, he must somehow manage to cherish 
 the soul of a poet. 
 
 With one eye he has to see the figures on the cost sheet ; 
 with the other he has to see the glow of the sunset. His 
 dreams are surrounded by card indices, and desk telephones. 
 
 As the art of motion picture making develops and 
 expands, the necessity of being two different men of exactly 
 opposite type presses upon the producer with increasing 
 vehemence. 
 
 The public is no longer satisfied with the crude "movies" 
 that entertained them in the beginning. The fans have be- 
 come critical and sensitively insistent upon a standard of 
 art that never was dreamed of in the beginning of this in- 
 dustry. They are satisfied with nothing but supreme 
 symphonies. 
 
 On the other hand, motion picture production as a 
 business has taken on the most extraordinary complexities 
 and difficulties. 
 
 51
 
 52 Opportunities in the 
 
 Probably no other form of commercial enterprise now 
 requires more astute and careful calculation, or more accu- 
 rate and finished efficiency. 
 
 To the person who glances casually at this extraordinary 
 situation, it might appear that the task of the producer is 
 rapidly headed toward the morass of the impossible; that 
 the conflict in the requirements would soon become so pro- 
 nounced that no one man could succeed in driving both 
 horses of this fractious team. 
 
 To the thoughtful student of practical philosophy, how- 
 ever, of course the contrary is true. 
 
 The wider apart these two functions of business man 
 and artist grow, the more quickly, in fact, do they approach 
 the point where they join. On the face of things, it might 
 seem impossible for one man to be both. Some day we will 
 realize that to be either is to be both. 
 
 Everyone who reads deeply now realizes that mathe- 
 matics, carried to the highest point, becomes purely meta- 
 physical ; rise absolutely out of the realm of physical fact 
 into philosophy. 
 
 On the other hand, a series of remarkable discoveries 
 made recently, in connection with the statues of ancient 
 Greece, shows that all art ultimately becomes mathematics. 
 
 In other words, if you carry them far enough, arith- 
 metic, music, painting, sculpture and drama, arrive at exactly 
 the same point, and are discovered to be made of the same 
 stuff. 
 
 Superficially speaking, it would seem that a business 
 man and an artist were about as far removed as the two 
 poles. 
 
 As a matter of cold truth, the perfect artist always 
 relies upon a foundation of sound business principles. The 
 great business men of our time have been, without exception, 
 men of the highest imaginative faculties that is to say, 
 artists. 
 
 When the perfect mathematician finally comes along, he 
 will be discovered to be a perfect artist, and therefore, a 
 perfect "showman."
 
 Motion Picture Industry 53 
 
 I do not mean by this to imply that he will be of neces- 
 sity a ballyhoo expert. . 
 
 I have no sympathy with those who sniff at the word 
 "showman." 
 
 To me, that is the term of the highest honor. To me 
 a "showman" is a man or woman whose heart beats in 
 sympathy with the hopes and fears of the world. 
 
 No other living being gets so close to the warm soul 
 of human life as the actor who thinks and cares. 
 
 It is an indefinable, soulful intangible, tender, human 
 contact "showmanship." 
 
 To my mind the greatest "showman" who ever lived, 
 was "The Man of Nazareth," who died on the cross. He 
 was a "showman" in that he knew how to translate deep, 
 difficult, complex, philosophical truths into terms so simple 
 as to be at once understood by the humblest fishermen, casu- 
 ally pausing at the edge of a group of listeners ; and yet so 
 profoundly true, so deeply true, that they have endured the 
 battering of supercilious criticism throughout two thousand 
 years. 
 
 The greatest men throughout the ages, and more espe- 
 cially in our own day, have had one outstanding character- 
 istic that distinguished their minds and souls "showman- 
 ship." 
 
 Theodore Roosevelt, for instance, was almost perfect in 
 his "showmanship" that is to say, in his instinctive knowl- 
 edge of the way into the hearts and consciences of the 
 careless the careful the gentle the brutal the adven- 
 turous, and the timid. 
 
 His, the universal heart knowing the universal heart. 
 
 To the extent to which they are "showmen" most pic- 
 ture producers will achieve that really highest success that 
 amounts to something. 
 
 To the extent that they are genuine, sincere artists, will 
 they be business men. 
 
 To the extent that they are honest, conscientious, far- 
 seeing business men will they be great artists.
 
 54 -Opportunities in the 
 
 NEW TALENT URGENTLY NEEDED 
 
 Like most industries which grow so rapidly that demand 
 exceeds supply, the motion picture industry faces a state 
 of exhaustion in human material with which to represent 
 the characters suggested by the constantly increasing influx 
 of literary contributions for adaptation for the screen. 
 
 In the earlier periods of picture making, unknown 
 young men and women of marked talent and gracious ap- 
 pearance found it obviously difficult, and in instances where 
 no professional experience was cited, next to impossible 
 to gain entree into pictures. 
 
 Now, however, the producers are cognizant of natural 
 talent and sincere ambition ; they have reached a milestone 
 in their careers where it is both possible and sensible to 
 encourage the development of aspirants and to offer such 
 stimulation and assistance as will cultivate inborn talent and 
 desire. 
 
 The abnormal excitement and agitated rush which was 
 so conspicuous in former days, has been replaced with 
 system and precision of operation in all departments of 
 studio administration, that permit a schedule of production 
 that extends far into the future, and also affords the oppor- 
 tunity to test and experiment without detriment to prevalent 
 production and with pronounced advantages to both the 
 producer and the public. 
 
 As a collective response to hundreds of young men and 
 women who have sought advice on the possibilities of a 
 motion picture career, I unhesitatingly recommend per- 
 severance, courage, and, above all, honesty with one's self. 
 
 The opportunity for those who believe in themselves 
 and who are sincere in their determination to win was never 
 more inviting than in the immediate present. Talent is 
 needed in greater quantity and quality than ever before, 
 and the producer is only too willing to draw from the great 
 American public as the source of supply. 
 
 The development of a prospective personality is largely 
 a matter of one's willingness to be developed. Contrary to 
 common belief, every talented actor is not receptive to
 
 Motion Picture Industry 55 
 
 judicious cultivation, no matter how superior or distin- 
 guished his preliminary work may be. 
 
 I have known some men and women with every qualifi- 
 cation to enter upon a starring career. Natural histrionic 
 ability, good looks, poise, grace and powerful personality 
 were theirs in generous abundance. But these men and 
 women, like many artists of delicate temperament and nar- 
 row vision, could see no further than their own individual 
 desires. If their particular type of personality or art 
 demanded devotion to a highly specialized form of charac- 
 terization, their restricted reasoning or un familiarity with 
 the critical likes and dislikes of the patronizing public ren- 
 dered them blind to existing vogues, victims of their own 
 stubborn refusal to engage in the line of work obviously 
 adapted to their attributes and best interests. 
 
 My first responsibility after the decision to advance 
 a player to featured roles or to the ultimate stardom is 
 to place myself on the outside looking in; to analyze the 
 player's capabilities and personality from the viewpoint, pro 
 and con, of one hundred million Americans. 
 
 On the accuracy of that viewpoint, the vital conclusion 
 as to just which type of characterization is best fitted to the 
 player's art, lies the success or failure of the prospective 
 star. Development following this decision resolves itself 
 into the concrete. It is my duty, then, to provide the coming 
 star with stories which will exemplify his talents and afford 
 every opportunity for the exploitation o$f his distinct per- 
 sonality. Every encouragement is offered the player. I 
 exchange confidences, always striving to stimulate ambition 
 and satisfy my protege on the artistry and practicability of 
 the type of characterization provided. 
 
 I do not imply that the player is confined to one style 
 of role indefinitely. To the contrary, I advocate change. 
 Only by contrast and versatility can interest and popularity 
 be permanently maintained, but never must one's personality 
 and natural talents be sacrificed for the sake of variety. And 
 a star must never make a spasmodic jump into fields foreign 
 to his knowledge or art. 
 
 When acquiring new leading players or stars, I invari- 
 ably put them through shadow rehearsals prior to the
 
 56 Opportunities in the 
 
 photographing of a scene. Every situation in the play is 
 acted and reacted before a camera moves into place. This 
 method was employed in the development of Douglas 
 MacLean and Doris May, and is now being utilized for the 
 advancement of young Lloyd Hughes. Taking chances is 
 costly in motion picture production, and to eliminate these 
 hazardous risks on the careers of potential stars, we must 
 know in advance to some extent what their possibilities for 
 success are. 
 
 I devote many hours daily to a personal inspection of 
 the "rushes" (scenes "shot" the previous day). Perhaps 
 the director of the picture has overlooked an opportunity 
 for a situation or climax that will establish the player's 
 reputation as a dramatic artist of unusual qualities. Per- 
 haps a high light or hazy background has escaped the notice 
 of the cameraman, thereby deflecting from the star's per- 
 sonal charms. 
 
 Then again, I have experienced many instances where 
 too many "close-ups" work to the disadvantage of the star. 
 In other cases, the director has permitted a succession of 
 profile shots to mar the otherwise brilliant appearance of 
 the principal. And in still other cases of production, the 
 star has been allowed to force the pantomime, thereby cast- 
 ing a shadow of artificiality over what should have been free 
 and easy, natural movement. 
 
 These are details which may seem trivial to the casual 
 observer, but to the intelligent public the men, women and 
 children who, after all, are the sole judges of star material 
 they spell success or failure of the principal and the pro- 
 ducer responsible for results. 
 
 When inconsistencies and faulty direction are noted 
 in these "rushes," "retakes" are in order, thus safeguarding 
 the star's development and subsequent presentation to the 
 public. 
 
 Generally speaking, from six to twelve months are con- 
 sumed in my system of star development. No attempt is 
 made to hasten the procedure. I am a firm exponent of the 
 "slow and careful" process which forestalls failure and 
 installs confidence and fidelity to the highest standards of 
 dramatic art.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 57 
 
 Barring uncontrollable circumstances, such as pro- 
 longed illness, enforced temporary retirement for various 
 personal reasons, a star has only himself or his producer 
 to blame for loss of public affection and prestige. The star 
 is to blame for permitting ego and conceit to seize control 
 of his former cautious self ; for taking too much for granted ; 
 for failing to keep abreast of the times and for becoming 
 lax and indifferent to new ways and means to hold the 
 public's interest. 
 
 The producer is to blame for permitting the star's 
 "hobbies" and miscalculated ambitions to influence his judg- 
 ment as to what the public demands, for arranging his 
 procluctional schedule to meet "release dates," regardless of 
 the character of the production and the time necessary to 
 produce properly the picture, for placing the star in char- 
 acterizations which fail to emphasize the best capabilities ; 
 for relying mainly upon the work of the star, discounting 
 the value of the story and cast with which to enhance and 
 exemplify the star's performance. 
 
 Some producers have made the fatal error of mistak- 
 ing "types" for "stars." A big special attraction is exhibited 
 in the theatres. One of the important parts is portrayed by 
 a young and radiant girl who enacts the role to perfection. 
 People talk and say: "She is the only girl who could have 
 handled that part. Why don't we see more of her ?" Shortly 
 thereafter, this same girl is announced as a star in her own 
 right. She is advertised and exploited as "the Great Dis- 
 covery" in such-and-such a film. Elaborate and altogether 
 sincere plans are made for her featured presentation to the 
 public whose interest and applause she has won. But this 
 same personage, after one or several productions, suddenly 
 drops out of the running, and her faithful followers wonder 
 why. 
 
 The answer is very simple. As a type, or character 
 study, in one particuular picture, she was one in a hundred. 
 The character she portrayed was made to order for her 
 personality and talent. But as a star, required to shoulder 
 the bulk of the burden of pleasing the public, she was found 
 "too light," not possessed of the ability to shoulder a star's 
 responsibilities. The blame for such failure rests mainly
 
 58 Opportunities in the 
 
 on the producer. The girl was misjudged and miscast. En- 
 thusiasm eagerness to capitalize on a centralized person- 
 ality lead to chagrin for the "discovery," and financial loss 
 for the sponsor. 
 
 Many leading stars of the present day were recruited 
 from the ranks of some uncommonly fine production such as 
 I illustrate herewith, and many more principals rose from 
 the ranks of leading men and women, but in these instances, 
 the producers did not mistake "types" for stars. They tested 
 personality and ability from every possible angle and view- 
 point, and made reasonably certain that the material and 
 versatility were there. 
 
 What is generally described as a "movie fad" is also 
 responsible for the demise of public affection. Seeking 
 greater recognition and adoration, the star drastically de- 
 parts from the characteristic style of work, and attempts to 
 establish a reigning vogue in some chosen form of dramatic 
 expression. The "fad" proves popular for a period of time, 
 and then the public transfers its favor elsewhere, plainly 
 disgusted with so-and-so's presumptuous efforts. 
 
 The stars who continue to hold the respect and patron- 
 age of the playgoers are those who exercise moderation and 
 discretion in all things pertaining to their art. Brains are 
 as necessary as beauty. Without intelligence and intellect 
 firm reasoning power and the determination and physical 
 energy to support it the parting of the ways is inevitable. 
 
 The gravest danger, perhaps, is over-confidence. A 
 star must never entertain the thought that he or she is indis- 
 pensable. The greater the popularity, the greater the need 
 for strict attention to the trend of public opinion. The really 
 famous stars of today are continually observing and 
 analyzing. 
 
 Eavesdropping in a crowded theatre, overhearing the 
 unbiased remarks and comments of typical "fans," reading 
 critical reviews of their acting and keeping informed on 
 developments in the industry, concern them more than the 
 flattering "praise" of their close friends and associates 
 within the studios. 
 
 The producer, too, must exercise care in the number of 
 photoplays in which the star is presented. Six or eight high-
 
 Motion Picture Industry 59 
 
 class productions a year are more desired than twelve or 
 fourteen of inferior quality. Then again, the star should 
 avoid the inclination to retire temporarily from the screen. 
 Competition is keen. During the absence the public may 
 * forget and the throne may be acquired by a nevr heir to 
 fame. 
 
 Of even greater significance than any of the aforemen- 
 tioned reasons for wane of popularity is the matter of 
 correct casting. A characterization not in harmony with 
 the star's distinct personality, a succession of weak, unin- 
 teresting stories, and inadequate interpretation of supporting 
 cast requirements, tend to displease the public and work 
 untold hardship on the star. 
 
 Scenario writing has been a badly abused art. 
 "Abused" for the reason that aspiring writers have failed 
 to estimate adequately the tremendous importance of "human 
 nature" in creating and visualizing their characters. The 
 highly successful photodrama of today is one that catches 
 the interest and holds the eager attention through sheer force 
 of humaneness and fidelity to detail. The day has passed 
 when our characters move like wire-pulled puppets. The 
 obviously manufactured type of photodrama is a relic of 
 ancient periods. The playgoing public has exercised patience 
 and indulgence to the limit of its endurance, and their minds 
 are now set on character studies that are really true to life. 
 
 Men and women who engage in writing for the screen 
 should first of all prove their seriousness of purpose and 
 their faith in the best traditions of the drama, by preparing 
 themselves for their work, through a course of study. And 
 fortunately the opportunity for such study now exists for 
 the first time. 
 
 Your seriousness may be evidenced by a stout refusal 
 to permit your enthusiasm and your haste to offset the value 
 of care and thought in the preparation of the "script" ; your 
 loyalty may be proved by an exhaustive study of the re- 
 quirements of the screen, and a second stout refusal to 
 permit your imagination to make inroads on logic and truth. 
 
 Intelligent persons possessed of the average powers 
 of observation can soon ascertain whether or not a char-
 
 60 Opportunities in the 
 
 acter or a story is built along logical lines characteristic of 
 the human race. They will separate the possible from the 
 impossible, the sweet and wholesome from the crude and 
 vulgar. 
 
 In constructing plots, my first counsel is to build UP, 
 not DOWN ! Gauge your situations and episodes to lead 
 to a climax that will accentuate all preceding scenes. Make 
 this climax strong, virile, picturesque, colorful redolent of 
 life's passions. Do not, under any circumstances, rely upon 
 a picture's early situations to carry and sustain interest 
 throughout the play. 
 
 Arrange your sequences with strict attention to co- 
 herence and continuity of action, but strive to make each 
 situation better and stronger than its predecessor almost 
 independent of its forerunner so far as quality and story 
 is concerned. Many writers have fallen short of their mark 
 because they opened their plot with a "crash," so to speak, 
 and, depending on this intensity at the start, allowed interest 
 to lag through failure to provide subsequent situations and 
 climaxes of real dramatic merit. The successful photoplay 
 is one that is well balanced throughout, always leading on 
 and on, stimulating imagination and preparing for the ulti- 
 mate finale which appeases and satisfies the expectant spec- 
 tator. 
 
 Many photoplay authorities advise inexperienced writers 
 not to attempt scenarios in continuity form. I agree with 
 them only partially. There is keen satisfaction and valuable 
 experience in training the mind to operate along technical 
 lines, and the inconsistencies and "impossible" situations 
 which are described in skeleton synopsis, probably would 
 be 'omitted if the author were required to arrange these 
 sequences in established "action" form. 
 
 Beginners should not submit continuities to photoplay 
 editors, but much good experience may be gained by pro- 
 curing a well-written continuity, analyzing its construction 
 and methods of approach and then typewriting the com- 
 plete action of the story to conform with the prescribed rules 
 of the technical script. Following this procedure, the author 
 may narrate the story in condensed synopsis form, omitting
 
 Motion Picture Industry 61 
 
 everything which appears impractical or inhuman in the 
 continuity. The reverse may also be utilized to advantage, 
 the synopsis coming first and the continuity second. 
 
 These methods, mind you, are counseled only for the 
 ambitious individuals who are willing to practice and con- 
 centrate prior to submitting their plots. Concentration is 
 perhaps the most important requisite; and the continuity 
 process aids materially in collecting the thoughts and weld- 
 ing them into coherent sequences. 
 
 Extreme care should be exercised in selection of sug- 
 gested titles. Far better to omit a title than to suggest 
 silly, meaningless phrases which tend to place the editor 
 in an antagonistic frame of mind. 
 
 I can offer no set rule for the creation of plot material. 
 It all depends on one's imaginative prowess; the natural 
 gift to follow the trend of human thought and to observe 
 and describe the realities which govern the lives of people 
 all around us. 
 
 Speaking from a business viewpoint, I consider the 
 author and the director of equal importance for the reasons 
 that the public is continually demanding new and better 
 plot material, and likewise demanding more finesse and 
 artistic mastery in its translation to the screen. 
 
 It is common knowledge that many well-written and 
 perfectly visualized stories have been "chopped" and ren- 
 dered almost impossible by an incompetent director. And, 
 evening up the score, there have also been many faulty, 
 hackneyed stories which have been renovated, elaborated 
 upon and made into very fine pictures by competent, con- 
 scientious directors. 
 
 When one stops to consider the almost fabulous prices 
 paid today for stories of proven merit and popularity, and 
 the consequent engagement of high-priced directors who 
 are capable of safeguarding and advancing the salient dra- 
 matic possibilities of the story, the evidence is conclusive 
 that the author and director have much in common ; a team 
 of brilliant minds which lend their inspirations, knowledge 
 and creative genius to the attainment of the utmost in 
 artistic achievement.
 
 62 Opportunities in the 
 
 The public, too, is fast realizing the importance of the 
 author and the director. Personalities, luxurious settings, 
 beautiful photography and the proper presentation of the 
 picture are all necessary to the successful photodrama ; but 
 none of these would make a fine picture were it not for 
 the silent partners of the silent drama, the author and di- 
 rector. 
 
 These are my personal observations. They are gleaned 
 after many years in motion picture work years which 
 have been passed in every department of motion picture 
 producing. If I have conveyed the thought of the relation 
 of the producer of motion pictures to his audiences I shall 
 feel that my mission in writing this chapter has been 
 fulfilled.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 63 
 
 HOW THE CASTING DIRECTOR SELECTS FACES, 
 FORMS AND TYPES 
 
 By ROBERT B. McINTYRE 
 Casting Director, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation 
 
 IF THERE is any cog in the divers wheels of motion 
 picture production that has been overlooked by the 
 world, it is the office of casting director. The casting 
 
 director is the man who is responsible for the players 
 who enact the myriad roles in the photodrama. His is a 
 thankless job, one beset with many trials and annoyances. 
 The road is ever rough and uphill, because he has so many 
 people to please. 
 
 In the first place, the man who selects the cast must 
 himself be an artist, actor, author, cameraman, director, 
 producer and keen buyer. The public does not realize his 
 enormous task. For example, Saturday morning he is 
 handed a story to cast for production Tuesday, using players 
 whose salaries must not exceed a certain limitation. So his 
 week-end is spent reading the story and visualizing its char- 
 acters. Early Monday, at the studio, he begins a process of 
 eliminative selection and here is what he faces : 
 
 He must engage an actor to fit the part written by a 
 temperamental author. The actor must be capable of por- 
 traying the role to suit the producer; he must be satisfac- 
 tory to the director; he must photograph well, and his 
 salary must come within the budget. If it is a character 
 part, the casting director must literally see this actor as the 
 character. If he wants a Lon Chancy, and Chancy is busy, 
 then his task is a big one. Often have I looked at a beard- 
 less young man, when I had a part in mind calling for a 
 decrepit old man, and as I studied his features, I have 
 actually seen whiskers, gray hair, hollows and lines appear 
 on and about his face. Call it inspiration, imagination, 
 visualization, or anything you wish. This has happened to 
 me time and again, and, invariably, if I have cast the person 
 for the part, he has made a great success. Cullen Landis' 
 instant success in "The Girl from Outside" illustrates this 
 point.
 
 64 Opportunities in the 
 
 The casting director must look at the man more in a 
 psychological way than in a physical way, because man is ten 
 per cent physical and ninety per cent psychological, or sub- 
 conscious. In portraying big parts it is this other man, the 
 mimic man, which the camera catches and gives us. For this 
 reason, then, he who selects the actor must have the uncanny 
 faculty of seeing that which is hidden to the ordinary eye ; 
 the man behind the physical man, or the unseen self. Things 
 are not what they seem. That is why we have to penetrate 
 the apparent. 
 
 "Earthbound" offers another demonstration. Wynd- 
 ham Standing played a difficult part as, perhaps, no other 
 actor could have done it, for the man has a something unde- 
 finable a fleeting expression that made him the only player 
 to enact the high spiritual character called for by Basil 
 King. 
 
 Again, in "The Old Nest," Mary Alden was the only 
 woman to portray that wonderful mother, for the reason 
 that it required something more than just the physical equip- 
 ment it necessitated a high quality of mental and psycho- 
 logical ability, something peculiarly characteristic of Miss 
 Alden. She has the breeding, education, experience and 
 reading to make her the woman of highly developed men- 
 tality which she is. That picture attests this statement, 
 because her wonderful work shines forth alone. 
 
 Being a dealer in faces and forms, the man who selects 
 players must understand human nature ; must know how to 
 cast the proper man to portray a Chesterfield, and likewise 
 the fellow to do the burglar's bit. 
 
 There is only one way to learn the world and its people. 
 It is to study them by travel, contact, keen observation, and 
 recollection. 
 
 I have been a close student of human nature since 
 before my early days on the stage in London. Seven years 
 in the British army, extensive travel all over the world, gave 
 me much time for this absorbing study. Several years spent 
 in New York as actor, manager, director, and author have 
 made me quite familiar with all types of humanity. 
 
 The more intimately one knows humanity, the better one 
 is qualified to select players, for he knows MEN and in- 
 stantly recognizes the type able to portray a required char-
 
 Motion Picture Industry 65 
 
 acter. Therefore, a casting director should be a man of the 
 world. 
 
 Of course, casting office files contain thousands of faces, 
 and records even more detailed than the criminologist's so 
 that when the visualized face appears on the mind-screen of 
 the casting director, he can at once secure this data by 
 naming the person or the type, and consulting his files. 
 
 But the prime requisite of the casting director is to be 
 able to imagine the character in real life; then to be able 
 to pick him out. Sometimes he scans a hundred records, 
 searching the faces of actors whom he has merely seen at a 
 distance or in some vital part. Then suddenly he recog- 
 nizes the right type. Perhaps an obscure personality is 
 engaged, and works successfully. Then the world gets a 
 new "star." This is really due to the casting director's 
 keen insight into human nature because the player merely 
 carried out the idea on the film. Most of the "new faces" 
 given the screen are discovered by the casting directors. 
 
 However, the handy little picture and record cannot be 
 relied upon entirely. The casting director must have a 
 memory as extensive as the war office files. If he saw 
 John Doe in a cheap comedy a year ago, and he needs his 
 type, he must be able to call him for the part. Likewise if 
 he sees an extra in a big feature, just the type he needs for 
 a part, he must be able to find that person. The casting 
 director digs up players all the time. He presents people 
 who have neither been seen nor heard of, by a director ; a 
 man who will exactly fit the part in question. And that 
 task is not easy. 
 
 The prospective casting director must be possessed of 
 a very good memory. He should attend the theatre as often 
 as possible, making mental notes. He should immediately 
 transfer to his office files every character or type that is new 
 or interesting. Most casting directors boast of a library of 
 theatre programs wherein are scribbled notes about certain 
 of the characters whose names appear in them. 
 
 At any rate, it can be seen by anyone thinking of break- 
 ing into the movies via the route of the casting director's 
 department, that the one great requisite is to be able to 
 pick a type as the right type for the role that is desired 
 to fill. This sounds easier than it really is.
 

 
 HOW THEY BROKE IN 
 
 By THE EDITOR 
 
 T T O W did D. W. Griffith break into the movies ?" 
 I I I have been asked that question often. "How 
 m. JL did he?" It's an interesting story. First of 
 all, David Wark Griffith did his first bit of 
 motion picture work in the old Edison Studio, in New York 
 City. One day J. Searle Dawley, one of the very first 
 men to hold the Director's megaphone, was directing a story 
 called "The Eagle's Nest." In those days it was not an 
 easy thing to secure motion picture players to fill the parts. 
 Mr. Dawley was searching for a mountaineer type who 
 could take one of the roles in the play. 
 
 Down the street on which the Edison studio stood 
 came a young man ; at his side, his wife. What his thoughts 
 were as he sauntered along none but himself can know. 
 But thousands of motion picture "fans" should be grateful 
 that David Wark Griffith was then out of employment and 
 ready to grasp at anything. 
 
 He was destined to lead many players to fame and 
 fortune. It was he who introduced Mary Pickford to the 
 screen. Lillian and Dorothy Gish, too, came under his ex- 
 pert guidance. Mae Marsh was led to greatness and Richard 
 Barthelmess made a place for himself in the hearts of count- 
 less fans while answering the commands of that man's 
 megaphone. Many others took their place on the screen 
 horizon, directed to stellar honors by his genius. 
 
 Into the old Edison studio he tramped in search of 
 work. The moment Mr. Dawley saw him, he knew that 
 he would fill the role perfectly. So, D. W. Griffith made 
 his start in motion pictures not so differently, you see, 
 from the way you, yourself, might have broken in, and with 
 far less knowledge of the art. 
 
 That first memorable picture told the story of an eagle 
 swooping down upon a child, picking it up in its claws and 
 carrying it to its nest. A wild story, you say. True, but 
 remember that in those days all screen stories were wild. 
 
 67
 
 68 Opportunities in the 
 
 Mr. Griffith, dressed in the rough attire of a mountaineer, 
 saved the child, and it is related that his battle with the 
 (stuffed) eagle was an epic of realism. Indeed, his work 
 was second only to the mastery displayed by Mr. Dawley in 
 the direction of the scene. 
 
 It might interest you to know that in those early days 
 of the screen, Mr. Griffith not only acted and directed, but 
 wrote scenarios as well. Mr. Griffith received $15 for the 
 first scenario he sold, and only recently paid $15 plus $149,- 
 985 for the play, "Way Down East." 
 
 Mr. Griffith stayed on at the Edison studio for a short 
 time, both he and his wife working in other productions. 
 That's the story back of D. W. Griffith's "Breaking Into 
 the Movies." So splendid has been his work since that day 
 so wonderful his contributions to the screen art, that there 
 is no need of telling any more about the master. 
 
 How did all the actors and actresses get started how 
 did they break into the movies? Mae Murray, Alice Cal- 
 houn, Hope Hampton, Lillian Gish, Bert Lytell, Corinne 
 Griffith, Viola Dana? 
 
 "Yes," you all chorus, "how did they get started?" 
 
 Dainty little Alice Calhoun, Vitagraph star, owes her 
 success to the hardest kind of work. Here was a girl, at- 
 tending a school in Cleveland, Ohio, her native city. Mau- 
 rice Costello was her childhood hero he of old Vitagraph 
 fame. Her great desire was to play a leading part opposite 
 the popular Costello. How was she to achieve her dream ? 
 First of all, she set about studying the screen art. How, 
 you ask ? Why, through the greatest school ambitious peo- 
 ple have. She never missed the screening of a new picture 
 at her local theatre. When she had seen a particularly good 
 picture she did not say "I liked that play," or "That was a 
 good story." No, her interest centered in the work of 
 the screen players. Even in very bad pictures she was able 
 to distinguish good pieces of acting by members of a cast. 
 She gained something from every picture. 
 
 Medical students are required to listen to hundreds of 
 long lectures by prominent physicians and surgeons. Why 
 shouldn't motion picture students be required to go through 
 a similar course of "lectures"? For them the "lectures"
 
 Motion Picture Industry 69 
 
 must naturally take the form of characterizations done be- 
 fore their very eyes on the screen. 
 
 I know a girl who wanted to play certain types. She 
 was not pretty. But she knew that she could play the types 
 she had in mind far more effectively than any pretty girl 
 could. She read all the comments about the various pictures. 
 Then, when the pictures came to her town, she went to 
 see them and paid absolutely no attention to the unfolding 
 of the screen story. All her interest was centered upon 
 the character she was studying. A clearer understanding of 
 technique came to her, and today she is well known to you. 
 Only recently she had a very prominent part in a very good 
 picture, and as I was watching it screened, the lady sitting 
 next to me said to her companion : "That girl must surely 
 be a born actress !" 
 
 A born actress she was, just as thousands of you girls 
 are. But she knew the work for which she was best adapted, 
 and she knew that to succeed in it she would have to study 
 the work of those who had preceded her and had already 
 secured a firm foothold. This she did, and finally satisfied, 
 she made application for work. She was not greeted with 
 any particularly effusive welcome. In fact, she was told 
 that there was nothing for her. Determined to get started, 
 she took a bit of a part that happened to be open, and while 
 engaged in it took every occasion to study her fellow players' 
 technique. That was not so long ago, and today we find 
 her name quite often lettered upon the screen as the char- 
 acters of the play are introduced. 
 
 Just as this girl achieved a measure of success, so has 
 Alice Calhoun. But Alice was a bit more fortunate. She 
 was adapted to play sweet roles, typical of young American 
 girlhood. Hers was a much greater opportunity for screen 
 stardom than came to the girl I told you about. And Miss 
 Calhoun, alive to every opportunity, was hardly in the 
 studio when all the studying she had done in her theatre- 
 screen-school began to tell. Soon she was cast for im- 
 portant roles. And now she is the youngest star of the 
 screen. Alice Calhoun ! What a wonderful example for 
 all young folks thinking of a screen career.
 
 70 Opportunities in the 
 
 4 
 
 There are no frills to Alice Calhoun. Her mind is not 
 fixed on a daily round of pleasures. It's work for her, and 
 plenty of it. She knows that the star of today is not neces- 
 sarily the star of tomorrow. To gain a foothold she must 
 work hard. She knows it, and is doing it She does not 
 think, because the Vitagraph management has seen fit to 
 advance her to stardom, that she knows it all. Her mother 
 still is her best friend and adviser. Alice came to New 
 York and gained an opportunity in a small part in a Vita- 
 graph production, and only by her honest efforts has she 
 advanced to her present position in the movie world. 
 
 I do not advocate that you should leave your home, 
 especially if you are a girl. Don't do it unless you have 
 the full consent of your parents. If your mother can ac- 
 company you, so much the better. Or possibly you have 
 a sister who could go with you. Katherine MacDonald 
 came to Hollywood to be with her sister, and in that way 
 secured her opportunity. If you feel that you are qualified 
 to make progress in motion picture work you will naturally 
 have to migrate to where the studios are located. But 
 take my advice, be careful. Don't imagine that you alone 
 will leave the train at Hollywood, or New York, in search 
 of a motion picture career. Remember that the same train 
 that carries you to your destination will carry many others 
 also in quest of a movie career. 
 
 Bert Lytell, for instance, gained his place on the screen 
 only after many years of hard work as the leading man of 
 his stock company, playing in up-state New York cities. 
 He is one of the screen's greatest male performers by right 
 of the fact that his entire life has been spent in the theatrical 
 world. 
 
 But, then, there are boys like Tom Douglas, a Louis- 
 ville lad, who came to New York, and to use his own words, 
 "stuck around" until he found his opportunity. What he 
 has done since then is known to you all. 
 
 Viola Dana also was a child of the theatre. And still 
 she will tell you: "I always was enthusiastic about the 
 screen. As a child I used to beg mother to take me to the 
 movies. I remember that when I had done particularly 
 well at rehearsals of the legitimate parts I was then playing,
 
 Motion Picture Industry 71 
 
 she would reward me by allowing me to make the rounds 
 of the movie houses in the neighborhood. I would tramp 
 from one to the other fascinated, and always I marveled at 
 the wonderful character work I saw. Finally, after I 
 thought I knew something about the work, I begged very 
 hard to be given a chance. More out of curiosity than 
 anything else, I am sure, mother took both me and my little 
 sister, known to you as Shirley Mason, down to the Edison 
 studio, and because of my previous stage experience I was 
 given a part in a picture about to be produced. Well, I 
 won't say what the result was, but I do know that I am 
 awfully glad that I went to the studio. With all the ex- 
 perience I had on the legitimate stage, I knew that there 
 was a great deal for me to learn about the silent drama, so 
 I did not make my application until I had taught myself 
 some of the rudiments of the work by a constant study of 
 the screen. That is my advice to everyone seeking to 
 break into the movies." 
 
 Corinne Griffith won a beauty contest, but she was a 
 wise girl. She knew that beauty alone did not make her 
 suitable timber for screen stardom. What did she do ? Did 
 she sign the first contract offered her by enthusiastic di- 
 rectors? No. Corinne set about the task of studying for 
 the career the winning of a southern beauty contest had 
 opened for her. Her station in life permitted her to travel 
 extensively, and when on a trip to Los Angeles, she spent 
 much time as the guest of various motion picture people 
 she knew at the studios. Hours were spent by beautiful 
 Miss Griffith watching famous directors put their stars 
 through their paces, and when finally she felt that she had 
 a real understanding of the art, she accepted one of the 
 numerous contracts, and in only a few short years she 
 has become a universal screen favorite. 
 
 And Hope Hampton! There is a shining example of 
 what it means to know your task before you tackle it. 
 There can be no doubt whatever about her wondrous beauty. 
 She IS beautiful, on or off the screen. Offers were made 
 to her by many big producing companies. But none attracted 
 her. Hope knew that to gain the major share of success 
 she would have to develop herself. A small legacy left her
 
 72 Opportunities in the 
 
 by an aunt served as a nucleus for the expenses of a trip 
 abroad. Miss Hampton knew that she could wear clothes 
 well. Then why not specialize in roles where she would 
 have that opportunity ? So she set out for Paris, and it was 
 only after she had studied the art of wearing clothes that 
 she came back and accepted the offer of a large producer 
 to star in his pictures. The first play was filmed, and it 
 most certainly showed a creditable effort. In it was re- 
 flected many months of hard study. All the stars of the 
 screen, known for their smartness and ability to wear 
 clothes, came in for a series of observations by Hope then 
 when she appeared on the screen for the first time the result, 
 from a showpoint, was a huge success. 
 
 But Hope was clever beyond her years. She knew the 
 public cared more for honest dramatic ability than for 
 dressed-up dolls. So Hope, sensing this immediately she 
 had seen her first picture, asked her friends for honest 
 criticism. One and all complimented her on her wonderful 
 gowns, but all forgot to mention her ability to enact the 
 role she played. Then and there she determined to give 
 them real human characters, and with the formation of 
 Hope Hampton Productions, she was given the opportunity 
 to choose her own stories and roles. It was a lucky day 
 for Hope Hampton when this choice was granted her. 
 Since then she has, through constant study, mastered the 
 trick of giving to the screen, all the histrionic talent which 
 really was hers from the very beginning, and quite wisely 
 now this dear girl she is quite young, you know refuses 
 to play a part wherein she is asked to do anything that is 
 impossible to conceive as connected with real life conditions. 
 Hope Hampton, indeed, is a wonderful example for all of 
 you who think you know something about how a motion 
 picture role should be played. 
 
 Lillian Gish once told me that the only way she really 
 could do the best work was for her to concentrate so com- 
 pletely on the role she was playing that during the months 
 she is engaged in making a picture she lives as nearly as 
 possible the role she is playing. 
 
 Imagine that! And you thought that the life of a 
 motion picture star was one round of pleasure after an-
 
 Motion Picture Industry 73 
 
 other. Yet here is one of the screen's greatest stars denying 
 herself every form of pleasure during the many weeks it 
 takes to make a picture just so that you may see her portray 
 the roles she depicts in life-like fashion. I visited Miss 
 Gish out at the Griffith Studio, in Mamaroneck, New York, 
 while she was making "Way Down East." Much inquiry 
 finally found her seated in a little rustic pergola, intent upon 
 the reading of the story of this wonderful picture. I was 
 almost afraid to intrude, and was ready to turn about and 
 leave when she spied me, and with that wonderful hospital- 
 ity so characteristic of all the Gishes, she invited me to 
 share the charming spot where she had secluded herself. 
 
 To my query as to just how she amused herself in her 
 off hours, Lillian answered, "You may be a bit surprised 
 to learn that while I am working on a picture I really never 
 indulge in such luxuries as the theatre, parties, or amuse- 
 ments of any kind. I believe that it is necessary to con- 
 centrate fully on just what I am doing. To portray properly 
 the type of roles I am called upon to play by Mr. Griffith, 
 I simply must live the parts, so'I shut myself up and just 
 give all of my time and attention to studying every detail 
 about the character. 
 
 "I do not find it a hardship, for I love my work, and 
 as each new characterization is flashed upon the screen, 
 if I have pleased my friends, I feel amply rewarded for 
 the work I have done. I believe that motion picture stars 
 owe a great deal to their public. My friends will always 
 get the very best there is in me if hard work will bring it 
 out. One thing is certain if you would succeed in the 
 movies you should prepare yourself for some very, very 
 hard work." 
 
 My idea in telling you all this is to impress upon you 
 the fact that no star of the screen simply stepped into his 
 or her place over night. It simply is not done. "Pull" does 
 not count any more! Picture producing is too costly to 
 allow a personal favorite to play a role, when someone 
 else could do it to better advantage. 
 
 So, if you would break into the movies, be prepared 
 to work very hard and prepare yourself by studying your- 
 self before you make your application. Determine just what
 
 74 Opportunities in the 
 
 you could do best, and direct all your efforts along those 
 lines. 
 
 The story of how Kathryn McGuire broke into the 
 movies and how she is going higher and higher is espe- 
 cially interesting because it is the normal story of talent's 
 progress in the screen world. It is a tale of definite pur- 
 pose, earnest effort and continuous accomplishment. 
 
 Kathryn McGuire came to California at an early age 
 she is barely eighteen today and went to the Hollywood 
 High School ; at the same time she studied assiduously at 
 Ernest Belcher's dancing school, for her early ambitions 
 were terpsichorean. During one of her exhibition per- 
 formances, she was seen by Thomas H. Ince and engaged 
 to do a dance in one of his then forth-coming pictures, star- 
 ring Dorothy Dalton. Her work soon secured her similar 
 jobs with other producers, including Universal, Metro and 
 Mack Sennett. 
 
 It was at the famous comedy studio that she definitely 
 entered the film field. At first only as an extra girl, with 
 a guarantee of four days a week at five dollars a day. Soon 
 she was promoted to a position in the Sennett Stock Com- 
 pany at a salary which began at forty dollars a week. 
 Superlative performances, of improving quality, elevated 
 her to a salary higher than her contract originally called 
 for, and she was featured in the group of players who ap- 
 peared in the leading roles of Sennett's multi-reel produc- 
 tions. Like several other beauties who were "discovered" 
 at this studio she has now graduated into the ranks of 
 dramatic photoplayers. 
 
 A fruitful career, especially interesting for the brief 
 space of time which has elapsed since Kathryn McGuire was 
 just one of the extra girls on the lot, and for the normal 
 line of her progress ! "It is only fitting and proper as well 
 as the usual rule, for a beginner to enter the screen field as 
 an extra," says Miss McGuire, "and it is the best way, too 
 she becomes familiar with studio routine, make-up and all 
 the details of film technique. Once the casual extra makes 
 good, the next step in the normal course of events is the 
 extra contract with a minimum guarantee per week. Then
 
 Motion Picture Industry 75 
 
 comes the stock engagement if the player is lucky, talented 
 and a consistent performer. And lastly, the playing of leads 
 or character roles of importance, either with one producing 
 organization or several, picture by picture. The final step 
 is stardom although the present-day vogue of all-star and 
 special productions tends to break away from the old-time 
 plays featuring the individual artist." 
 
 Practically all of the players in pictures who have made 
 their mark have passed through the various stages pointed 
 out in the career of Kathryn McGuire ; I have selected her 
 career as an illustration here because of the speed with 
 which she has mounted step by step. She is typical of 
 the young American girl whose possession of intelligence, 
 dramatic talent, and personality, in addition to beauty, en- 
 ables her to go rapidly up the ladder. 
 
 Another example of the girl who has risen to stardom 
 by her own efforts in the studio is Marie Prevost. Originally 
 one of the Sennett Bathing Girls, this winsome maiden was 
 first noticed on account of her rare charm. She was given 
 more important parts, and rose in an amazingly short time, 
 until now her name in electric lights is blazoned across the 
 entrance of theatres all over the country, proclaiming her 
 a star in Universal pictures. 
 
 And all the other stars how did they all break in? 
 
 Below, there is a list of screen stars with a word or 
 two telling how each film favorite broke into the movies. 
 In each sentence there is a story in human interest. 
 
 Thomas Meighan, Elliott Dexter and William Farnum 
 got their early training on the stage. 
 
 Rudolph Valentino danced in the cabarets. 
 
 Mary Miles Minter was another infant actress. 
 
 Gloria Swanson, May McAvoy and Gladys Leslie went 
 right from the schoolroom to the studio. 
 
 Mae Murray was in the "Follies." 
 
 Nita Naldi, Bebe Daniels and Dorothy Dalton deserted 
 the speaking stage. 
 
 Tom Mix found screen work more interesting than 
 "rough riding." 
 
 After eighteen years, James Kirkwood left the legiti- 
 mate stage.
 
 76 Opportunities in the 
 
 Stock and vaudeville experience gave Priscilla Dean 
 her early training. Ethel Clayton also started her career 
 in stock. 
 
 Mae Marsh came from the convent. 
 
 Shirley Mason, from the stage. 
 
 Billie Burke won her laurels as a legitimate actress. 
 
 Lila Lee and Betty Compson were vaudeville per- 
 formers. 
 
 Editorial work vaudeville acting then the movies 
 for Wallace Reid. 
 
 Virginia Brown Faire was the winner of the 1919 Fame 
 and Fortune Contest that brought Anetha Getwell into the 
 movies. 
 
 Sessue Hayakawa was a success on the speaking stage. 
 
 Theodore Roberts' stage career was long and varied. 
 
 Wesley Barry's contagious grin got him small parts 
 on the screen right from the start. 
 
 Francis X. Bushman studied sculpture, posed as an 
 artist's model, and tried the stage before he chose the mo- 
 tion pictures. 
 
 Carlyle Blackwell gained valuable experience playing 
 in stock. 
 
 Clara Kimball Young made her stage debut at the age 
 of three. 
 
 Marguerite Courtot was a model for children's clothes. 
 
 Eugene O'Brien could sing and dance and act all at once 
 when he was in musical comedy. 
 
 Jack Pickford did the "juvenile" in stock. 
 
 Anita Stewart graduated from a fashionable finishing 
 school and broke right into the movies as a star. 
 
 Muriel Ostriche, too, came fresh from the schoolroom. 
 
 Mary Pickford, when she was three years old, was an 
 actress in stock. 
 
 Charles Ray was in vaudeville, musical comedy, and 
 on the stage. 
 
 William S. Hart once played in the same company with 
 Mme. Modjeska. 
 
 Earle Williams and Milton Sills started on the legiti- 
 mate stage.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 77 
 
 Douglas Fairbanks made them laugh in vaudeville. 
 
 Alice Joyce started as a switchboard operator. 
 
 Courtenay Foote was a civil engineer before he tried 
 the stage. 
 
 Ruth Roland was a stage child; she started her career 
 right after her third birthday. 
 
 Pearl White used to recite Shakespeare. 
 
 Constance Talmadge, as an extra, earned $3 for her 
 first day's work in the studio. 
 
 Charles Chaplin was on the stage. 
 
 Farrar sang "Carmen" for many years in grand opera 
 before she made her first picture from that famous story. 
 
 Constance Binney studied dancing. 
 
 Olga Petrova was a favorite in the English music halls. 
 
 Jackie Coogan was in vaudeville when Charles Chaplin 
 "discovered" him. 
 
 Richard Barthelmess was a student in Trinity College, 
 Hartford, Connecticut. 
 
 David Powell was a broker before the movies drew 
 him from the Exchange. 
 
 Antonio Moreno left the stage to enter moving pictures. 
 Mrs. Sidney Drew was an entertainer in vaudeville. 
 
 George Walsh found the movies more interesting than 
 law. 
 
 Louise Fazenda was a headliner in a stock company. 
 
 Norma Talmadge was just a little school girl with no 
 experience at all. 
 
 Another artist's model who became a heroine Helen 
 Holmes. 
 
 Hazel Dawn was singing in musical comedies. 
 
 The camera lured May Allison, Elsie Ferguson, Leah 
 Baird and Mabel Julienne Scott from the stage. 
 
 Nazimova had seen her name in the electric lights of 
 Broadway before she deserted the stage for the studio.
 
 78 Opportunities in the 
 
 Grace Darling can write as well as act she used to 
 be a newspaper reporter. 
 
 Lois Wilson taught school. 
 
 June Elvidge sang in concert. 
 
 Bruce McRae was an actor on the legitimate stage 
 seventeen years before he thought of breaking into the 
 movies. 
 
 Bessie Love started her career as a humble extra. 
 
 Harry Morey was an actor on the legitimate stage. 
 
 Marguerite Clark was a well-known star on the legiti- 
 mate stage. 
 
 Marin Sais was an expert horsewoman ; she rode right 
 into the movies. 
 
 Alice Brady studied for grand opera, sang in musical 
 comedy, had a few years' experience on the stage, and found 
 she liked the photodrama. 
 
 Pauline Starke and Wanda Hawley were extras. 
 
 Bessie Barriscale learned to act in the legitimate drama. 
 
 Theda Bara was a screen star from the first day she 
 broke in. 
 
 George Beban gained his first experience as a Negro 
 minstrel. 
 
 John and Lionel Barrymore were actors on the stage. 
 Marjorie Daw had no experience at all ; she was given 
 small parts at first and gradually rose to stardom.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 79 
 
 SUDDEN STARS 
 
 By ROB WAGNER 
 
 Editor's Note: Author of "Film Folk" (Century Company); known to 
 millions for his series of motion picture articles in The Saturday 
 Evening Post; creator of Charles Ray and Douglas Fairbanks scenarios, 
 and recognized as one of the screen's greatest authorities. 
 
 PERHAPS the most popular theme of all fiction writ- 
 ers is that of the young maiden who moves around 
 with a pent-up urge to act but who for seventeen 
 chapters is denied the chance, and then one day the 
 leading lady stubs her toe, Violet dashes onto the stage, 
 does a couple of front flips, and lands among the stars. 
 
 The reason of the popularity of that particular theme 
 is that every one of us has a dash of Violet in us. What 
 is art anyway but an emotional expression, possible to any- 
 one with the necessary emotions? 
 
 That there is a technic of long apprenticeship to all 
 the arts seems never to occur to the mute inglorious Mil- 
 lies who sob over Juliet and believe they could set rhe 
 world afire in that immortal role if only given a chunce. 
 
 We stand in awe of the technic that can build a 
 bridge or remove a tumor but Art! I have seen many 
 students of drawing who complained tearfully because 
 they were set to work drawing bricks and ash-cans. No, 
 they wished to do "pretty girls" Harrison Fisher covers. 
 They preferred to begin at the top and work backwards. 
 
 Nowhere in all the arts is the necessity for technic 
 more manifest than in the motion picture. It looks so 
 easy ! But the fact is, the easier it looks the simpler and 
 more natural the actions the more headaches lie behind 
 the making of the scene. 
 
 There is a popular superstition that most of our 
 great stars appeared over night. Soulful Sadie, plus op- 
 portunity, and presto ! Stardom. Such, however, is far 
 from the truth. The cases of instantaneous success are 
 so few as to be negligible. And when we do fine 1 one, such 
 as Chaplin, who was a hit in his first picture, we learn upon 
 investigation that the boy had an amazing preparation. 
 
 Figuratively born on the stage his father and mother 
 having been successful music-hall artists Chaplin was a
 
 80 Opportunities in the 
 
 success at his premier when he was four years old. At 
 eleven he was touring England in a dancing act, and at 
 sixteen was playing with Wm. Gillette in Sherlock Holmes, 
 the London papers preclaiming him the "juvenile wonder." 
 At eighteen we find him in pantomime, and billed through- 
 out the country as "The funniest man in England." 
 
 No, Charlie Chaplin is no accident of the films. He 
 came to them with the greatest asset possible a mastery 
 of pantomime. 
 
 Mary Pickford? She had years of stage training and 
 then grew up in the pictures. 
 
 Douglas Fairbanks? Long stage training also. And 
 even now, in his ascendency, he employs a whole "stable" 
 of wrestlers, boxers and acrobats to keep him in shape. 
 
 Jackie Coogan? He was born on the stage. His 
 father and mother are vaudeville performers. Then Jackie 
 was directed by the greatest artist the films have produced. 
 
 But perhaps the most shining example of stardom 
 achieved by hard work is that of Charlie Ray. Coming 
 from the stage ten years ago, he has put in those ten years 
 with hardly a let up. So seriously does he regard his 
 technic that, despite his great success, and the wealth it 
 has brought him, he has never until this fall ( 1921 ) found 
 time to take a vacation of over a few days. Think of one 
 of the greatest of cinema stars who has never seen New 
 York! 
 
 Jack Holt is another who only today, after years of 
 hard work, has been elevated to stardom. 
 
 What then are the technical difficulties that lie between 
 ambition or the mere artistic urge and stellar success? 
 Well, first of all comes the training in pantomime that 
 teaches the actor to register instantly every given emotion. 
 And not by gesticulating, for the effect must often be 
 achieved by the mere raising of the eyebrows. In the early 
 days of violent action "mugging" and heroics got by, but 
 now in the close-ups one must be able to put over thought. 
 
 Next, is the knowledge which comes only by great ex- 
 perience in the use of make-up, and of which angle and 
 in what lighting the actor can get the best effects. Some 
 actors are "right banders" and some "left handers." In 
 other words one side photographs better than the other.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 81 
 
 Mary Pickford decidedly has a "good side" and her acting 
 must be arranged so that she is shot from this angle. Charlie 
 Ray has to be careful of low shots, for he is wide across the 
 jaw and an up-shot is likely to brutalize his expression. 
 
 So important is the proper photographic recording of 
 one's pantomime that many film stars have, and keep, their 
 own camera men, who have learned through long experi- 
 ence the star's physical eccentricities. 
 
 It is true that some girls with the help of intelligent 
 direction and the great resources of a big studio have been 
 able to achieve stardom, but it is a dangerous and expensive 
 experiment. The case of Lila Lee is eloquent of this state- 
 ment. Here was a young girl who had been in vaudeville 
 for years. She was pretty, photographed well, and appar- 
 ently had every qualification of success except screen train- 
 ing. The Famous Players-Lasky Company decided to 
 launch her as a star. She was given good stories, able 
 direction and the whole organization was put behind her. 
 But alas, the girl's youth and lack of training in the new 
 technic began to tell, with the final result that she was put 
 back into stock, there to remain until her technic justified 
 stardom. Better by far to start modestly than to "flivver" 
 prematurely at the top. 
 
 No, Millie, even though you know you could drive Mary 
 off the screen, if you only had a chance, there is no short cut 
 to stardom in any of the arts. You must be able to draw 
 ash-cans ere you tackle the human figure. And you must 
 begin as "atmosphere" on "a dollar extra" if you wish to 
 become a star. There is technic to art, as there is to surgery, 
 and it 'must be learned. It looks "easy" because it is one 
 function of art to conceal its technic.

 
 MOTION PICTURE SALARIES: WHAT THE 
 PLAYERS REALLY GET 
 
 By ALFRED A. COHN 
 
 Former Personal Representative of Mary Pi^kford 
 
 WHAT do they really get? 
 Ever since the first motion picture press agent 
 sent forth the first announcement of a star signed 
 at a salary of more than three figures, this question 
 has been asked by thousands and tens of thousands who 
 have delighted in watching the flickering reflections of their 
 favored players. 
 
 It seemed incredible that a little girl still in her teens 
 should be getting a salary of $1,000 a week, the salary of 
 the president of the United States until a few years ago. 
 Half a decade later it seemed just as impossible that any- 
 one at all in the whole wide world should be getting a weekly 
 pay check which called for $10,000 more than a half mil- 
 lion a year! 
 
 So it was the most natural thing in the world that the 
 world should ask, "What do they really get?" 
 
 And in most instances they really got what the papers 
 said. It was considered good publicity at the time; the 
 picture magnate was so astounded himself at paying the 
 enormous amounts run up by competitive bidding that he 
 felt that he must take advantage of the publicity the news 
 would bring. In many cases he found it very bad business, 
 because it caused other less fortunate stars and players to 
 revise their salary levels ; in many others he found that 
 the public at large as represented by the newspapers didn't 
 believe they were really getting what the producer said 
 he was paying. 
 
 When Charlie Chaplin made his then unprecedented 
 contract with the Mutual Film Company in 1915 calling for 
 a salary for the year of $670,000 and checks aggregating 
 that sum were placed on exhibition to prove it, only those 
 conversant with the situation really believed that the checks 
 were not, as charged by some newspapers, "phoney." 
 
 83
 
 84 Opportunities in the 
 
 This was the high mark up to that time and since then it 
 has been equalled in only about a half dozen instances. 
 
 The money side of motion pictures the material re- 
 wards to those who played, or directed, or produced is the 
 only accurate footrule by which the growth of the business 
 can be measured, but the public is more concerned with 
 the remuneration of those seen on the screen than the 
 others. They could see and marvel. They were, and are, 
 more interested in the fact that a frail little fellow recruited 
 from a three-a-day vaudeville, and before that a waif in 
 London's cheapest quarters, was given a salary amounting 
 to more than a half million dollars a year than in the fact 
 that the pictures he made and played in brought the pro- 
 ducers more than $3,000,000. 
 
 A few years ago there were more big salaries than 
 there are at present, not because of the downward trend 
 of production expenses everywhere but because of the fact 
 that the cinema's leading celebrities are in business for them- 
 selves. Of course they get salaries. Douglas Fairbanks 
 draws a check for $10,000 a week but the payer of the check 
 is the Douglas Fairbanks Corporation, which is Douglas 
 Fairbanks himself. And, besides the salary, he gets all 
 that's left over after the expenses of the pictures are paid. 
 
 The same holds true of Mary Pickford, Charlie Chap- 
 lin, Bill Hart when he works the famous Talmadge sis- 
 ters and some of the lesser stars. Madame Nazimova, after 
 completing a highly remunerative contract with Metro, re- 
 cently joined the self -operating stars and is now paying 
 her own salary from the receipts of her pictures. 
 
 It was little Mary Pickford who led the way into the 
 "big money." It was back in 1909 that Mary's mother gave 
 her carfare one way and sent her to the old Biograph 
 studio on West Fourteenth Street, New York, for her first 
 day's work in the despised movies, for which she received 
 the munificent sum of $5. That was top money. It was in 
 June, 1909, that Mary went to work for Biograph her 
 first picture was "The Violin Maker of Cremona" and soon 
 she was put on "easy street" with a guarantee of $35 a week. 
 She rose to $80 a week, a high salary for a star although 
 in those days there were no stars, as no publicity was given
 
 Motion Picture Industry 85 
 
 the players their names were not even made known. All 
 those one-reel days she was with Biograph except for six 
 months with the Imp Company. 
 
 After returning to the stage at the insistence of David 
 Belasco to play the leading role in "The Good Little Devil," 
 her last appearance in the spoken drama, Mary was induced 
 to listen to a proposition from Adolph Zukor and Daniel 
 Frohman, founders of the Famous Players, who were trying 
 to make famous plays over into cinema attractions featuring 
 well-known stage players. The salary offered was $300 a 
 week and Mr. Belasco was persuaded to cancel Mary's con- 
 tract. Famous Players had paid more salary than that. 
 Madame Bernhardt, for instance, received more to play 
 "Queen Elizabeth," but that was only for the one picture. 
 But no one was getting that much as a regular weekly 
 stipend. 
 
 Less than three years later Mary Pickford's name was 
 a household word wherever there was sufficient electricity 
 to run a projection machine. Her salary was $4,000 a week. 
 In 1916 she signed a contract once more with Mr. Zukor 
 which called for a salary of $10,000 a week. It was even 
 more than that, because the $10,000 was a drawing account 
 against fifty per cent of the profits of the Artcraft Company 
 which was organized for this very purpose. This brief 
 history of Mary Pickford as a wage earner shows the re- 
 markable advance of the cinema industry as a provider of 
 unprecedented financial emoluments. When Mary's contract 
 expired and she entered into business for herself she was 
 a millionaire, and then some, although Uncle Sam had 
 taken heavy toll to help pay for wars and such. 
 
 Take the progress of the pay envelope at the Lasky 
 studio. In 1913 when Cecil DeMille, "Dusty" Farnum and 
 Jesse Lasky left New York to make their first picture in 
 an abandoned Hollywood garage, they had a total bank 
 account of $4,000. The business manager, Fred Kley, 
 still an executive of the company, drew the munificent salary 
 of $25 a week. For a long time the top salary, for players 
 whose names meant a great deal on the legitimate stage, 
 was $90 weekly. Extras got from $1 to $3 a day and good 
 actors played big parts for $5 a day. Today a good studio
 
 86 Opportunities in the 
 
 electrician's overtime brings his weekly check up over the 
 salary drawn by the star in 1913. 
 
 The year 1915 really marked the beginning of the 
 salaries which have made newspaper readers gasp and 
 picture magnates dig deep into their coffers. That year 
 saw the initiation of Douglas Fairbanks into the mysteries 
 of the screen, said initiation being accompanied at a record 
 salary. For an actor to whom $500 weekly represented 
 the ultimate in compensation for services rendered, an offer 
 of $1,500 weekly occasioned no great degree of hesitation. 
 Triangle had just been formed with D. W. Griffith, Mack 
 Sennett and Thomas H. Ince at the three corners and they 
 were out to control the business. Previous to the Fair- 
 bank's engagement, Fine Arts, the Griffith side of the Tri- 
 angle, had engaged Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree at the 
 princely salary of $100,000 for six months and DeWolf 
 Hopper at $75,000 for one year. The former was almost 
 a total loss as his "Macbeth" was promptly shelved and 
 another picture, written by Rupert Hughes, did not get 
 very far. Griffith at that time was himself drawing but 
 $1,000 weekly, as were also Messrs. Ince and Sennett, but it 
 was in each instance a drawing account against future 
 profits. 
 
 Getting back to Fairbanks : he was first offered a one- 
 picture contract at $1,500 weekly. When the first picture 
 was completed there was doubt as to whether the ebullient 
 stage favorite had "gotten over" as a cinema star. How- 
 ever, the company went through with the agreement pre- 
 viously made and he signed a contract for three years 
 calling for $2,000 a week the first year, $2,500 the second 
 and $3,000 the third. Long before the end of the secorid 
 year when Triangle disintegrated, Fairbanks, who had 
 leaped suddenly into fame, went with Famous Players on 
 a contract which provided him a salary of approximately 
 $10,000 weekly. He made his own pictures, Famous Play- 
 ers-Lasky taking them at so much per picture, the arrange- 
 ment being very similar to Miss Pickford's, except that 
 Fairbanks had his own producing organization. 
 
 Among other Fine Arts players was Wallace Reid. 
 We all remember him as the husky blacksmith in "The 
 Birth of a Nation," for which arduous duties, he received
 
 Motion Picture Industry 87 
 
 the munificent sum of $100 a week. He had gone to work 
 for Griffith at $75 a week some time previously. Henry 
 Walthall, "The Little Colonel," at $175 weekly was the 
 salary topliner of the cast. 
 
 The following year, 1915, the year of the big money, 
 Jesse Lasky broke into the limelight with an offer to 
 Geraldine Farrar of $40,000 for three pictures to consume 
 a total working time of eight weeks, or $5,000 a week. 
 Much was printed of it. Mr. Lasky at that time made 
 overtures to Wallie Reid there was no gentleman's agree- 
 ment among producers then and although Manager Frank 
 E. Woods/ in behalf of Mr. Griffith, offered Wallie more 
 money, he decided to cast his lot with Lasky. He played 
 the role of "Don Jose" to Farrar's "Carmen" for $125 per 
 week. Wallie's annual salary is now over the hundred 
 thousand mark. 
 
 That same year Thomas H. Ince went Lasky one better 
 by giving Billie Burke the sum of $40,000 for her first 
 picture, "Peggy." Reduced to a weekly envelope, it 
 amounted to $8,000 per Saturday, as they were five weeks 
 on the picture. Some time previously Mr. Ince had broken 
 all existing records by giving Frank Keenan $1,000 a week 
 for a non-star appearance before the camera. The picture, 
 as recalled by the writer, was "The Coward" and it laid 
 the foundation for Charley Ray's fame. At that time 
 Charley was getting considerably less than $100 a week. 
 As a matter of fact Ray did not get up in the $1,000 class 
 until some years later, and only a short time after he 
 launched his own company at the expiration of his Ince 
 contract. 
 
 William S. Hart at that time was getting what he 
 considered big money, $300. It was, too, for an actor who 
 was beginning to think he had outlived his usefulness on 
 the stage and who had come to Ince, his old pal of lean 
 footlight days, for camera work between seasons at $125 
 a week. No one could have foreseen his tremendous suc- 
 cess. In 1917, when Ince broke away from Triangle, that 
 company sought to hold Bill Hart and each week the cashier 
 of the company called at Bill's apartment in Los Angeles and 
 tendered him $7,000 in gold of the realm. Each time Bill 
 looked on the pile of gold, gulped hard and turned away.
 
 Opportunities in the 
 
 That was what Triangle offered him to stick but he had 
 given his word to Ince to follow him. His total fortune 
 at that time, he told me then, in one of those mellow mo- 
 ments over the last tiny after-dinner glass, was $14,000, all 
 of which he had, on the prevalent patriotic impulse, invested 
 in Liberty bonds. 
 
 Soon after, Ince made a contract with Famous Players 
 for a series of eighteen Bill Hart features and in two years, 
 which it required for fulfillment, Bill's share of the profits 
 aggregated almost a million dollars. Then he broke with 
 luce and made a series for Famous Players which, it is said, 
 netted him about three-quarters of a million after which he 
 laid off for a year to enjoy life. 
 
 Perhaps the most successful picture of its kind ever 
 made, so far as popularity and theatre drawing power are 
 concerned, was Colonel Selig's pioneer serial, "The Ad- 
 ventures of Kathlyn." Kathlyn Williams, the blonde beauty 
 who starred in that famous episode production, got the 
 tremendous salary of $75 a week. Now she gets many 
 times that amount. That same year, 1913, Colonel Selig 
 broke into the cinema firmament with another record 
 smasher, "The Spoilers," the picturization of Rex Beach's 
 famous novel. To get the services of William Farnum, who 
 had never before appeared on the screen, Selig offered him 
 $10,000 to appear in two productions. Farnum got the 
 money but did not play in the second picture for Selig. 
 Also he won everlasting fame as a screen performer. This 
 was perhaps the greatest amount of money paid a player 
 for taking part in a production up to that time. The entire 
 production itself did not cost more than $30,000. Picture 
 making was fairly cheap in those days. Farnum's last 
 contract with William Fox brought him close to a million 
 dollars for two years' work, subject to some claims by a 
 greedy government; and he now ranks among the highest 
 paid stars of the screen who work under a stated salary. 
 
 As a salaried worker for the entertainment of the 
 masses and the classes, the list is topped, just at this writ- 
 ing, by Mary Miles Minter, although the pictures of many 
 other stars bring much larger returns to the coffers of the 
 producers than those of this little blonde celebrity. In 
 1920 Miss Minter signed a three-year contract with Famous
 
 Motion Picture Industry 89 
 
 Players-Lasky through its subsidiary, Realart, calling for 
 a salary which brings her something like $10,000 weekly. 
 A salary of $7,500 weekly was the 1920-21 salary paid by 
 the Robertson-Cole Company to Pauline Frederick, who, 
 with Goldwyn, drew a weekly stipend of $4,000. 
 
 Under her contract with Metro, which ended with 
 "Camille," Madame Nazimova received a stated amount per 
 picture which was paid her weekly, when working, the sum 
 of $13,000. Quite a tidy sum with which to keep the wolf 
 from the door. 
 
 Theda Bara never got beyond $4,000 a week, but she 
 was a good business woman, and during her career as a 
 William Fox star she amassed a fortune of more than half 
 a million. In her first picture, "A Fool There Was," the 
 picture that made her the sensation of a sensationally grow- 
 ing business, Miss Bara got the rather meagre salary of 
 $75 weekly and considered herself lucky to get that for 
 her first screen work. 
 
 Among others who have drawn weekly salary checks 
 during the last year ranging from $100,000 to $350,000 
 yearly are found the names also of Ethel Clayton, Dorothy 
 Dalton, Elsie Ferguson, Billie Burke, Katherine MacDon- 
 ald, Anita Stewart, Mabel Normand, Will Rogers, William 
 Duncan, Harry Carey, Priscilla Dean, Viola Dana, Tom 
 Meighan, Bert Lytell, Larry Semon, Gloria Swanson per- 
 haps a number of others. 
 
 So much for the stars. 
 
 The salaries of good leads have gone up quite as 
 sensationally. Regardless of resolutions by producers to 
 cut salaries and of the criticism of their extreme altitude 
 by the bankers who furnish the money for pictures, the 
 law of supply and demand rules the player market. If 
 several companies are after a good leading man, he can 
 almost name his own salary. This rule applies, of course, 
 only to that genus of player known as the "free lance," 
 those who prefer working "by the piece" to signing a regular 
 contract. Among the leading men who also lead in the 
 Amount of money paid for their services are James Kirk- 
 wood, House Peters, Lewis Stone, Mahlon Hamilton, Wil-
 
 90 Opportunities in the 
 
 Ham Carleton and Milton Sills, whose salaries range from 
 $750 to $1,750. 
 
 So far as I know, no leading man has ever received 
 more than $1,000 weekly under a yearly contract. Among 
 the few recipients of this sum are Conrad Nagle and Jack 
 Holt, the latter recently promoted to stardom. 
 
 As a money maker, James Kirkwood heads the list of 
 leading men. At one time, he worked simultaneously in a 
 Neilan and a Dwan production, drawing from each producer 
 $1,750 weekly. I have known of thousand-dollar-a-week 
 leading men supporting $250-a-week stars several in- 
 stances, in fact. The star got the glory and the leading man 
 got the money. 
 
 Feminine leads are not quoted so high because there 
 is less demand. Also, whenever a leading lady gets awfully 
 good some producer makes her a star. Top price for femi- 
 nine leads is $500. 
 
 Next in order comes the boys' juvenile lead, young 
 fellows like Ralph Graves, Eddie Sutherland, Casson Fergu- 
 son and Jack Mulhall, whose checks read anywhere from 
 $100 to $500 a week. The ingenue is next at a salary be- 
 tween $100 and $300 not, however, where the ingenue is 
 the leading role. Character women draw from $75 to $250, 
 and more, and character men, as much and more. Men, 
 like the brothers Noah and Wallace Beery, who play char- 
 acter heavies, when the demand is good, get their thousand 
 a week without argument. 
 
 This brings us down to the small part players, seldom 
 engaged for the entire picture, who draw from $50 to $100 
 a week, and the "bit" players who get $10 to $25 a day 
 sometimes more if some unusual type of player is getting 
 lots of work and feels independent. 
 
 And now there's no one left but the lowly extra. A 
 few years ago you could get them by the thousand for 
 from $1 to $3 a day. But it's two years on the West 
 Coast anyhow since the pay for mob, atmosphere and other 
 supernumeraries, has been less than $5 a day. Those who 
 own and can wear good looking clothes get $10 a day 
 for draping themselves around a cafe or ballroom set.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 91 
 
 Where clothes are furnished, as at Lasky's and several 
 other studios, the rate is $7.50 a day. 
 
 So this is what they really get, from the highest to the 
 lowest. 
 
 And they are worth it what they get from the highest 
 to the lowest; in many instances worth more. 
 
 If Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fair- 
 banks, the three leaders who have survived the ups and 
 downs of an ever changing public's whims and fancies, 
 were to quit making their own pictures tomorrow, each 
 would be overwhelmed with offers of salaries that would 
 astound the world. Before she decided to launch her own 
 company Miss Pickford refused several offers of $20,000 
 a week more than a million a year, straight salary. The 
 writer is not violating a confidence in relating an incident 
 of less than two years ago when he transmitted to Miss 
 Pickford for a great distributing organization an offer to pay 
 her as high as $1,000,000 a picture for any production she 
 would deign to deliver, sight unseen. And she refused 
 without the fraction of a second's hesitation!
 
 PICKFORDISMS FOR SUCCESS 
 
 An Interview With 
 MARY PICKFORD 
 
 T" T IS really a very difficult thing to analyze success," 
 said Mary Pickford to the interviewer. "One 
 
 JL thing would I like to impress on the ambitious girl 
 seeking a career in motion pictures beauty alone 
 will not achieve your purpose. Physical beauty is a great 
 asset, of course, but it is not paramount when the sum and 
 substance of success is considered. We all love the beau- 
 tiful. A thing pleasing to the eye is bound to attract. But 
 in motion pictures, beauty, which once held the boards as 
 the greatest attraction, is on the wane, as an absolute neces- 
 sity for screen success. 
 
 "Of course such talented players as Pauline Frederick 
 or Mary Alden are really beautiful, but their beauty is sel- 
 dom allowed to assert iself upon the screen. Theirs is a 
 great following because of the true-to-life acting they give 
 the screen. The physical beauty they are possessed of is 
 often entirely submerged in the character they are playing. 
 
 "To the ambitious girl seeking to break into the movies, 
 I would say that if she is possessed of beauty, she has some- 
 thing in her favor, but it will be wise to remember that 
 beauty alone is most certainly not self-sustaining." 
 
 And this ought to settle once and for all the question 
 that has been bandied back and forth whether or not the 
 beautiful girl is certain to succeed on the screen. No one 
 knows better than the adorable Mary Pickford the qualifica- 
 tions that are necessary to win screen success. Recently 
 she said: 
 
 "One of the greatest aids to success is found in watch- 
 ing people. It does not really matter what their line of 
 work may be the methods that brought them the reward 
 are invariably the same. Integrity, sincerity, ambition, 
 keenness of observation, and entire willingness to be freely 
 criticized and advised, together with a healthy desire to 
 study and study so as to attain a well-balanced, cultivated 
 mind will make any other requirements that you may 
 have take on their full face value." 
 
 S3
 
 94 Opportunities in the 
 
 Mary Pickford has achieved the greatest heights to 
 which anyone can climb in the world of the silent drama. 
 Many have said that she was fortunate in having been 
 among the very first who embraced the silent drama as a 
 livelihood. That is true, of course but then why shouldn't 
 pioneers in any field of endeavor reap the reward for their 
 foresight ? 
 
 What has really made Mary Pickford the adored of 
 the world? I asked her to tell me what would be a good 
 "prescription" for anyone desirous of breaking into the 
 movies, and hoping for success, to have "filled and take as 
 directed" and here it is. These "Pickfordisms" tell the 
 story of Mary Pickford's success. 
 
 "If you play fair with others, you will never need to 
 apologize to your conscience. 
 
 Discontent breeds trouble trouble breeds broken noses 
 and black eyes ; so watch your step ! 
 
 Investigate a well-established law carefully before con- 
 demning it. 
 
 "Think for yourself ; the exercise will do you good. 
 
 "After all, what is success in life but happiness? 
 
 "It takes a big man to admit his mistakes. 
 
 "Every ounce of success brings a pound of responsibil- 
 ity. Why overload yourself? The happiest persons in the 
 world are not the richest. Nine times out of ten a million- 
 aire with his limousine is not as happy as a workingman 
 with his flivver. 
 
 "You cannot hope to succeed without teamwork AND 
 harmony. Simon Legree had teamwork but no harmony." 
 
 There's your set of "Film Commandments" that are 
 handed down to you by one who has soared to the very 
 loftiest peak of film success. The personality with which 
 everyone credits Mary Pickford, is reflected in these "Pick- 
 fordisms" and if you would make a name for yourself on 
 the screen, or in any walk of life, it would be well to fully 
 digest their meaning. In a message to all screen devotees, 
 Mary Pickford says: 
 
 "It gives me great pleasure to speak to my many friends 
 who are interested in the motion picture.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 95 
 
 '.'That you are all greatly interested in the art of the 
 photoplay is evidenced by the many wonderful letters I re- 
 ceive from you. I am grateful, indeed, for these messages, 
 and if I have been able to bring some measure of gladness 
 to those who have seen my pictures, then a greater joy is 
 mine. 
 
 "We can perform no more noble service in the world 
 than to bring happiness and good cheer into the hearts of 
 all peoples. If we, in the realm of make-believe, succeed in 
 making those who watch us upon the screen forget their 
 own vexing affairs, then truly we have served a mission, 
 for have we not made it possible for them to go back with 
 renewed courage to the problems which confront them in 
 their daily lives?" 
 
 These words are typical of the real Mary Pickford, 
 whatever personality she has, and she surely has a generous 
 share of that elusive quality which has been developed to its 
 present state, because she is ever willing to practice what 
 she preaches. If you meet her, you will find that she is at 
 all times agreeable in every sense of the word. Never too 
 busy to stop for a few minutes to chat with an admirer, she 
 seems to radiate goodwill, and those fortunate enough to be 
 near her in the studio are only too anxious to testify as to 
 her constant thought fulness. 
 
 Mary Pickford is as close to the ideal of young Ameri- 
 can womanhood as it would be possible to fashion a woman, 
 when it is considered that in becoming the ideal by which 
 we desire to judge that glorious creature the American 
 Woman she must needs stand as the emblem for many 
 hundreds of thousands of other American women. 
 
 "People have asked me many times what my childhood 
 ambitions were. Though it may sound a bit strange to 
 some, I must confess that I never really had any absolutely 
 defined ambitions unless they were that I secure my share 
 of the fun that comes from being a child that fun that 
 every healthy child seems intent upon securing. But here 
 enters the queer part of it all. I never had a childhood ! 
 What I wanted most was my dolls and toys what I got 
 was a chance to take up a theatrical career, and that at the 
 age of five.
 
 96 Opportunities in the 
 
 "A Canadian theatre was the scene of my first public 
 appearance. From that first night on, I knew that I always 
 desired to please my public. If I have achieved any meas- 
 ure of success, please realize that it was won only because 
 I worked very hard. As I look back now and count the 
 various milestones in whatever progress I may have made, I 
 appreciate that it was my persistence and patience that 
 enabled me to endure that constant struggle and ceaseless 
 battle that attended those early years in my career. If it is 
 your desire to emulate the wonderful success that so many 
 ambitious young girls have achieved, please remember that 
 no lasting success can be won without hard work and great 
 sacrifice." 
 
 How wisely Miss Pickford speaks, and how consistent 
 is the gist of her observations when compared with similar 
 observations that have been recorded by other leaders of 
 the profession, in other chapters of this volume. 
 
 And to prove to yourself that Mary Pickford does not 
 think that she has reached the top of the ladder, you need 
 only to sit in her dressing-room and listen to her tell, in 
 that earnest way of hers, why she does not retire from the 
 screen; why she remains before the public, when so many 
 have said that with her wealth, they would retire and reap 
 the benefit of past achievement, instead of continuing to 
 work as hard as she does. 
 
 "My ideals still beckon me on," she says, "and my 
 desire is to help the world to be happier. I would love to 
 have all the people of the earth see the beauty, the sunshine, 
 the joy of life as I see it. Then, too, I wish to create stand- 
 ards for the screen art. If I can achieve these two desires, 
 I shall feel that I have at least come nearer to the goal of 
 my ambitions. Does not Sarah Bernhardt lend rare dra- 
 matic talent to the legitimate, even at her advanced age? 
 Why, then should any young woman retire, just because she 
 may have reaped a financial reward that would make such 
 a step an easy one for her? It is the duty of everybody 
 who has ability to develop to the utmost that which is within 
 their power, and I am trying to do just that." 
 
 There you have the reason why Mary Pickford has 
 triumphed. She has never felt that she could not improve 
 her work. With her, the creating of each new role but
 
 Motion Picture Industry 97 
 
 opens another avenue of possibility down which to drive, 
 and I for one am thankful that she has elected to remain 
 with us in a professional way. 
 
 "In the great struggle of life do wef ever really reach 
 our goal? Is it possible to say that we have realized our 
 ambitions while there remains within us the power to push 
 on ? Is it not the creative instinct the desire to make more 
 certain that we have done our best that we have given of 
 our best that prompts such stars as Sarah Bernhardt to 
 go on and on with their work? How wonderful it is to 
 have our little air castles, but could we possibly build them 
 into realities if we did not lay the foundation for them 
 through hard work and persistent efforts?" 
 
 Ah! Mary Pickford, your interviewer knows now 
 why you have won the place you so securely hold in the 
 hearts of the world ! He knows now what lies back of those 
 brain children that you give to the screen every now and 
 then. He prays you don't desert the multitude of friends 
 you have the friends into whose hearts you have crept by 
 the life-like characterizations with which you have graced 
 the silver sheet. 
 
 But then why need we worry about Mary Pickford 
 leaving us ? We have but to hear her say : "I for one" know 
 and am quite willing to admit that as yet I have not reached 
 my goal," to know that for some time to come, Mary 
 Pickford will continue to spread that same measure of joy 
 to the world at large that she has showered upon us for so 
 many years. That same sincere effort that has always char- 
 acterized her work will be just as apparent now, in the 
 flush of success, as that which marked her work as a 
 novice. And we may look for greater and finer things from 
 Mary Pickford in the future. 
 
 To the multitude of fans who cannot act and yet can 
 write, and who are desirous of gaining some measure of 
 screen success, would it not be well to be counselled by so 
 prominent a personage in the movie firmament as Miss 
 Pickford, who goes on record as saying: 
 
 "In my opinion one of the most important persons 
 connected with a photoplay is the author."
 
 98 Opportunities in the 
 
 Is it not high time that those lovers of the silent 
 drama, who are not fitted to become film players and who 
 yet may have the makings of photodramatists, should put 
 aside their earlier ambitions, and devote their time to the 
 serious problem of developing their writing ability? 
 
 "A good story is the foundation for every good pic- 
 ture," says Miss Pickford. "An excellent star and a ca- 
 pable director cannot make a good picture of a bad story. 
 That is to say, if they stick to the story. 
 
 "The screen will always need good stories, and it 
 seems to me there must be many who can write who could 
 not possibly act. I might mention as an example the case 
 of Frances Marion, who is probably the highest paid 
 scenarioist in the picture world today. She began as an 
 actress but soon discovered that the greatest fame and the 
 most money for her lay in creating photoplays, not in ap- 
 pearing before the camera. The opportunity for financial 
 as well as artistic success, is probably as great for those who 
 seriously undertake scenario writing as for those who would 
 gain fame and fortune as players." 
 
 And so we have the observations of Mary Pickford! 
 Is there, after all, anyone who is better qualified to speak 
 of screen success than this sterling actress ? I think not ; 
 therefore, further words on the interviewer's part would be 
 ill-timed.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 99 
 
 ARE PRODUCERS REALLY TRYING TO ELEVATE 
 THE SCREEN? 
 
 By ARTHUR JAMES 
 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, Moving Picture World 
 
 IS the producer of moving pictures trying to elevate the 
 screen, trying to improve his photography, trying for 
 better drama, better acting, better plays? 
 
 He is not only trying to do these things, he's abso- 
 lutely struggling. The only thing he is seeking to avoid is 
 the elevation of the screen up to, over or beyond the brows 
 of the Great Public, and his reason for this avoidance is two- 
 fold. The first reason is that if he is not understood on the 
 screen his public will turn away from his product. The 
 second reason is a complement to the first he will lose 
 money, and picture production is so costly that it must be 
 at least a modest financial success if the producer is to con- 
 tinue in business. 
 
 The producer of moving pictures is the man under fire 
 from the batteries of the critics. These critics are guided 
 by the Biblical assertion, "by their fruits ye shall know 
 them," which, like all adages, is often mistaken when ap- 
 plied haphazardly. 
 
 Critics of the screen charge that its drama is not sound, 
 that its plots are unworthy, that its acting is inadequate and 
 that as an institution it is so frivolous and so frothy that it 
 deserves no recognition as an art and that it has no right to 
 expect the consideration of thoughtful men and women. 
 The critics have gone so far as to say that the screen exerts 
 a vitiating influence on the character of the young and that 
 the world would be better off without it. 
 
 The answer of the millions is that they want the screen, 
 they delight in its entertainment and that it provides rec- 
 reation at a cost within their reach. The answer of the 
 producer is his constant effort to do better, bigger and finer 
 things to make his pictures just as fine as the market will 
 stand. He is not moved by sordid commercialism in this 
 effort. He is anxious to achieve and to make for his institu- 
 tion a substantial foundation that will insure its perpetuation 
 and its increasing influence for the world.
 
 100 Opportunities in the 
 
 If this be so, asks the bystander, why have not pictures 
 improved ? The answer is that they have and in the present 
 year the strides have been greater and more important 
 than ever before. 
 
 A short fifteen years ago all that was necessary to 
 crowd the small theatre there were no large theatres then 
 was to place on one side of the entrance a lithograph de- 
 picting a cowboy and on the other side one presenting an 
 Indian in a war bonnet. The public flocked in and it flocked 
 in again and again until it had seen all the short lengths of 
 film showing these two subjects. Then the public wanted 
 something better and thus began the cultivation of public 
 taste for pictures and the producers' efforts to cater to the 
 new demands. The Italians with their "Quo Vadis" and 
 "Cabiria" led the way in great spectacle productions and 
 the Americans went farther with "The Birth of a Nation." 
 
 All pictures cannot be great spectacles any more than 
 all stories can be long novels and the impetus for better 
 production had its effect on all sorts and kinds of screen 
 plays. 
 
 The first step was to make them longer and for a season 
 anything that was five thousand feet long was regarded as 
 far finer than something which stopped at a thousand feet. 
 Having passed through the struggle for length the efforts 
 toward quality began. What is known by the much-abused 
 word "class" in pictures became all important. Elaborate 
 wardrobes were of great moment. Fashionable gowns be- 
 came essential. Settings were given attention and the art 
 director came into being. Beauty and the atmosphere of 
 luxury were sought for on the theory that the workaday 
 man and woman in the hours of leisure wanted to see how 
 the favored of fortune moved and had their being. 
 
 About this time the direction of pictures began gen- 
 erally to improve. New methods for securing effects were 
 set aside for better methods of story telling. Men who 
 could provide these methods found themselves in demand 
 and their rewards were rich. The old phrase, "the play's 
 the thing," began to impress producers and the competition 
 for excellence became keener than before. The producers 
 wanted to be successful not merely for the money rewards. 
 They wanted to demonstrate their own genius for achieve- 
 ment.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 101 
 
 The salacious appeal which marked a stage in the de- 
 velopment of the screen has long since been discarded, not 
 because there were not men who were willing to use this 
 appeal but because the great masses of the people ceased to 
 respond to it. The so-called vampires of the screen are 
 all as dead as the mummies of Egypt and they hold about 
 the same thrill today for the public. This public was edu- 
 cated by the screen itself to a point beyond the vampire 
 and above the vampire, and the only specimens of that 
 species we see today are found where the public has placed 
 them, in comedy. 
 
 The producer has, in facing politically conceived and 
 politically operated censorship of the screen, found him- 
 self facing a ban in the matter of sex appeal. Neither the 
 novelist nor the dramatist of the legitimate (so-called) 
 stage has this handicap, and it is a handicap of the most 
 serious sort. If improper sex appeal were under the ban 
 there could be no possible objection, for the public in the 
 mass today already has banned it. To demand that there 
 be no sex appeal on the screen is readily seen to be absurd 
 when we consider that without sex appeal we would have no 
 human race and no politicians to censor pictures. The pro- 
 ducer already turned improper sex appeal down as bad 
 business and bad art long before the reformer awoke to 
 its possibilities for exploitation. 
 
 In speaking of the producer we refer to an overwhelm- 
 ing majority of him and not to the occasional reprobate and 
 downright scamp which the picture business does not hold in 
 exclusion. 
 
 The first move of the producer toward bettering the 
 morals of his product was the creation of the old National 
 Board of Censorship, subsequently the National Board of 
 Review, a body of educators that served without influence 
 or suggestion in the examination of all pictures so that a 
 check could be made against those which proved undesirable. 
 This board was maintained by voluntary contributions of 
 the film companies and others, because there was no reason 
 to expect the public to bear the burden of office and over- 
 head expense. Because the producer paid the expenses 
 criticism was leveled at the Board of Review, but an an- 
 alysis of the situation demonstrates the propriety of it. The
 
 102 , Opportunities in the 
 
 personnel of the board is now and always has been above 
 reproach. 
 
 Going still farther into the matter of elevation, the 
 producers after long conferences arrived at a series of rules 
 for all studios so that mistakes could be 'corrected at the 
 source. These rules, now posted conspicuously in the 
 studios, were formally adopted and ratified by the signatures 
 of the producers. 
 
 They are as follows : 
 
 Resolved, That the National Association of the motion pic- 
 ture industry reaffirms its emphatic protest against the produc- 
 tion, distribution and exhibition of all motion pictures which are 
 obscene, salacious, indecent and immoral, and be it further 
 
 Resolved, That while the creators of the art of the motion 
 pictures must in no way be hampered or prohibited from de- 
 picting honestly and clearly life as it is to the end that this art 
 may not be hindered in its movement toward the dignity of 
 other arts, the motion picture should not be prostituted to a use 
 or as a means toward arousing bawdy emotions or pandering to a 
 salacious curiosity, or in any other manner injurious to public 
 welfare, and be it further 
 
 Resolved, To the end that the motion picture be held on that 
 high plane which it has already attained, that the producers of 
 motion pictures refrain from producing such morion pictures. 
 
 (a) Which emphasize and exaggerate sex appeal or depict 
 scenes therein exploiting interest in sex in an improper or sug- 
 gestive form or manner. 
 
 (b) Based upon white slavery or commercialized vice or 
 scenes showing the procurement of women or any of the activi- 
 ties attendant upon this traffic. 
 
 (c) Thematically making prominent an illicit love affair 
 which tends to make virtue odious and vice attractive. 
 
 (d) With scenes which exhibit nakedness or persons scant- 
 ily dressed, particularly suggestive bedroom and bathroom scenes 
 and scenes of inciting dances. 
 
 (e) With scenes which unnecessarily prolong expressions 
 or demonstrations of passionate love. 
 
 (f) Predominantly concerned with the underworld or vice 
 and crime, and like scenes, unless the scenes are part of an 
 essential conflict between good and evil. 
 
 (g) Of stories which make drunkenness and gambling at- 
 tractive, or with scenes which show the use of narcotics and 
 other unnatural practices dangerous to social morality. 
 
 (h) Of stories and scenes which may instruct the morally 
 feeble in methods of . committing crime _or by cumulative pro- 
 cesses emphasize crime and the commission of crime.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 103 
 
 (i) Of stories or scenes which ridicule or deprecate public 
 officials, officers of the law, the United States Army, the United 
 States Navy or other governmental authority, or which tend to 
 weaken the authority of the law. 
 
 (j) Of stories or scenes or incidents which offend the re- 
 ligious belief of any person, creed or sect or ridicule ministers, 
 priests, rabbis, or recognized leaders of any religious sect, and 
 also which are disrespectful to objects or symbols used in 
 connection with any religion. 
 
 (k) Of stories or with scenes which unduly emphasize 
 bloodshed and violence without justification in the structure of 
 the story. 
 
 (1) Of stories or with scenes which are vulgar and portray 
 improper gestures, posturings and attitudes. 
 
 (m) With salacious titles and subtitles in connection with 
 their presentation or exhibition, and the use of salacious adver- 
 tising matter, photographs and lithographs in connection there- 
 with, and h is further 
 
 Resolved, That this association record its intention to aid 
 and assist the properly constituted authorities in the criminal 
 prosecution of any producer, distributor or exhibitor of motion 
 pictures, who shall produce, distribute or exhibit any obscene, 
 salacious or immoral motion picture in violation of the law, to 
 the end that the recognized public good accomplished by the 
 motion picture shall be preserved and advanced, and be it further 
 
 Resolved, That any member of this association wilfully 
 refusing to carry into effect these resolutions, shall be subject to 
 expulsion as a member of the association, and further subject 
 to such other penalties as the association may fix, and be it 
 further 
 
 Resolved, That all exhibitors, producers and distributors of 
 motion pictures, not members of this association, be urged to 
 cooperate to carry into full effect these resolutions. 
 
 These rules were adopted in spite and not because of 
 proposed censorship legislation, but after they were ac- 
 cepted, they were used by the reform folk as tending to 
 prove that moving pictures were so terrible in their morals 
 that they needed an overlordship. This they got by legis- 
 lative enactment and the overlords there are three of them 
 are all political appointees. This is mentioned to evidence 
 the difficulties producers have encountered and are encoun- 
 tering in endeavoring to solve their own problems in their 
 own way. 
 
 As for the morals of the screen, there is no doubt about 
 their upward trend and no doubt either that they are in 
 danger at the present time of becoming goody-goody. This 
 will be dangerous to the future of the screen because so soon
 
 104 Opportunities in the 
 
 as it ceases to interest it will disappear as a popular amuse- 
 ment. 
 
 The producer has today a greater problem to solve than 
 ever before because the errors of the screen are chiefly 
 offenses against good taste. To develop good taste is a dif- 
 ficult thing to do, especially when good taste is so lacking 
 in our social structure. We have atrocious architecture with 
 certain conspicuous exceptions. We have the horrors of the 
 billboards and painted signs which mar the beauties of our 
 landscapes. We endure the bad taste of our daily news- 
 papers and even the blatancies of a section of our pulpits. 
 We venture the observation that perfect taste on the screen 
 will take a long time to develop and to cultivate, but it is 
 reassuring to be able to record that the producer of moving 
 pictures has set his eager hands to the task and that he 
 actually is making progress. 
 
 The screen is more than an entertainment, it is more 
 than an educator. The screen is an influence, a medium of 
 expression that, unhampered and left to those who know it 
 best and who are striving to serve it best, will conquer the 
 world. It will abolish war when the human heart can turn 
 away from war. It will serve the ends of civilization and 
 bring the peoples of the world to a common understanding. 
 
 The screen cannot hope to abolish the Devil and all his 
 works because the screen is only an instrument in the hand 
 of man. Man down to date, despite all the millions of 
 money in support, has failed to vanquish Satan entirely. 
 All the screen can hope to do is to make him most unpopular. 
 
 The producer today is a human being with human lim- 
 itations, but he is looking upwards and he's struggling for 
 the better things.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 105 
 
 CENSORSHIP 
 Will It Solve the Problem? 
 
 By RUPERT HUGHES 
 
 Eminent Author, Novelist, Photodramatist 
 
 NOBODY who is willing to be a censor is fit to be 
 one. That person is already self -condemned who 
 has such mad or ignorant respect for his own judg- 
 ment and his own rectitude that he will consent 
 to pass in review all the works of other minds and say 
 "That is good," "That is bad," "Thou shalt do this," "Thou 
 shalt not say that," "Do this and all is well," or "Do that and 
 evil will come of it." 
 
 While a large percentage of the moving pictures inevi- 
 tably lack inspiration, originality, uplift and importance, this 
 is just as true of fiction, history, poetry, painting, sculpture, 
 editorials, essays, legislation and sermons. 
 
 A vast number of movies are meant for the people who 
 like dime novels, chromos, jazz music, doggerel verse, kew- 
 pies, yellow journalism, crank laws, and pulpit pounding. 
 It is foolish to expect genius and divine wisdom in every- 
 thing. 
 
 But no sensible person advocates burdening the tax- 
 payers with more red tapeworms in office for the purpose 
 of reading in advance all the material intended for maga- 
 zines, books, Victrola records, illustrations, wall-mottoes, 
 newspaper and church congregations. 
 
 The insanely exaggerated misbehavior of a moving pic- 
 ture comedian excited a great uproar for a moving picture 
 censorship, local, state and national, yet nobody is worrying 
 over the surprising fact that at this same moment a Metho- 
 dist minister is on trial for murdering a Catholic priest; a 
 faith healer is under indictment for breaking the bones of 
 a trusting woman patient; and that one of the noisiest 
 Baptist ministers on earth is on trial by his own congrega- 
 tion for preaching salacious sermons, gaining control of 
 the church by crooked politics, and mismanagement of funds.
 
 106 Opportunities in the 
 
 A girl was shot to death on her mother's porch re- 
 cently by a man not associated with the movies, yet nobody 
 advocates closing front porches. 
 
 As for censorship, the ministers should be the last 
 people on earth to advocate it, because everyone of their 
 calling has had to fight desperately against censorship, and 
 has poured out the blood of martyrs for the privilege of 
 saying the truth as they saw it, although every other equally 
 sincere churchman has felt that his liberty of speech would 
 make hell rejoice. 
 
 In the good old Puritan days, which some of them are 
 wishing to recall, every vice flourished or else their own 
 preachers' words are not to be trusted. And censorship 
 flourished as never before, censorship of everything, public 
 and private. 
 
 As a boy I joined the Congregational Church, the de- 
 scendant of the good old Puritan church. I learned, long 
 after, that our parent body lashed innocent Baptists in the 
 streets until their flesh hung in bloody rags; stripped 
 Quakers, women as well as men, and flogged them through 
 the snowy streets ; abominated Catholicism so that they fired 
 a cannon at a painting of the Virgin Mary on a Catholic 
 Church; would not endure Presbyterians among them, or 
 Episcopalians. They put earnest men and women to death 
 for their religious opinions. 
 
 If you don't believe this, read history; read the history 
 of each church written by its own adherents and see what 
 fiendish persecutions religious men have suffered from re- 
 ligious men and always, always in the name of morality, 
 purity, the home, the children and the salvation of the soul. 
 
 Let us not be blinded or stampeded by the loud shout- 
 ing of men who mask their tyrannical purposes under the 
 velvet of religion. They mask their purposes even from 
 themselves. They are sincere, but sincerity only increases 
 the fanatic cruelty and ignorance of a man. 
 
 I loathe cheap, vulgar, licentious, shoddy movies as I 
 loathe nasty novels, prurient newspapers and the outrageous 
 things that are shouted from pulpits by men who are wearing 
 the robes of Christ, who said to the guilty, "Neither do I 
 condemn thee."
 
 Motion Picture Industry 107 
 
 Let us not forget that the Pharisees censored Christ's 
 parables and his home-wrecking ideas of the Sabbath and 
 of many other sacred institutions. They censored Christ to 
 death, and they turned away from Barabbas to crucify him ; 
 just as they would let the thieves and murderers and sinners 
 in all walks of life go unheeded while they mob the moving 
 picture makers. At a time when Los Angeles cannot afford 
 enough police to control the street traffic or pursue criminals, 
 they can find money to support a board of review for films. 
 
 The success of the moving pictures is in the arousing 
 of sympathy. Pictures are already forbidden in many states 
 to discuss or portray the themes that fill the Bible, Shakes- 
 peare, the newspapers and the gossip of every home. Yet 
 crime and vice flourish in those states with just as much 
 vigor as in states too sane to be bitten by the censorship 
 witch-scare. 
 
 The established censors have already passed beyond 
 the censoring of fiction material. They are cutting out 
 expressions of political opinion. They have in many, many 
 cases cut out new pictures and modified educational films. 
 In Pennsylvania when the Supreme Court denied the wis- 
 dom of a censorship ban, the censors coolly informed the 
 Supreme Court that they were superior to the Supreme 
 Court. 
 
 The present wave of mob violence toward the pictures 
 will turn shortly toward some new excitement. But let us 
 not permit the wave to leave upon the shore cumbersome 
 monstrosities that will not be easily moved. 
 
 A council of a few men terrified by noisy moralists can 
 carelessly vote an institution into the laws that will take 
 many councils to vote out again. 
 
 The worst of it is its futility. Any sane man knows 
 that every single evil that we abhor today is as old as man- 
 kind. Yet the movies are only twenty years old. That 
 must mean something to anybody who reasons concerning 
 cause and effect. 
 
 If you kill the movies, you will find vice still mocking 
 and flourishing as it did in Boston and everywhere else. 
 
 There is one man whom the world regards as having 
 done more to redeem children from vice and to set on foot
 
 108 Opportunities in the 
 
 sane and effective cures for juvenile wickedness than all 
 churchmen in history. 
 
 This very day I received from him a letter in which 
 he said: "If you want to get me wildly excited, just talk 
 about this 'darn' fool censorship." When he talked frankly 
 to a body of ministers against censorship, from his vast 
 knowledge of juvenile evils, and from the vast beauty of 
 his love for children, the ministers howled him down as 
 recently in this city they sang and shouted down another 
 minister who pleaded for brotherly love and justice. 
 
 Freedom of art and speech and parable and thought are 
 precious beyond our understanding. Our generation has 
 never known the horrors of a church-ruled state or of dom- 
 ination by religious denomination. It is very easy to let our 
 jewel fall back into the deep ocean of past misery. It will 
 not be easy to find it again. 
 
 Possibly the best way to illustrate the lack of worthi- 
 ness back of censorship is to enumerate herewith some 
 striking examples of censorship incongruities. 
 
 A monkey, not liking his ugly face when he saw it 
 in a mirror, broke the mirror and said, "Now I am beautiful 
 once more." The censor, seeing vice depicted on the screen, 
 would purify the world by preventing new pictures of sins 
 as old as the world. 
 
 "Little Women," by Miss Alcott, is generally accepted 
 as one of the sweetest, purest classics of child life. Yet 
 Amy Lowell says that her parents would not let her read 
 f it because of its bad influence; she had to read it secretly 
 at a neighbor's house. If her parents had been censors, 
 "Little Women" would have been heavily censored as a 
 book, a play, and a film, in which three forms it has had 
 immense success. This shows that once censorship is per- 
 mitted there is no limit to its mischievous insolence. 
 
 When Charles Dickens wrote "Oliver Twist," London 
 was so filled with pickpockets and their teachers that he 
 made Fagan and his pupils immortal characters. When the 
 book was dramatized the censors forbade the production be- 
 cause it would teach crime. London was already swarming 
 with thieves before the book was written; yet the censors 
 feared that it would create what is merely described. This 
 is a typical bit of censorship logic.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 109 
 
 The censors are going to stop crimes by censoring the 
 films. Why don't they put an end to diseases by burning 
 the medical books that describe them? 
 
 Divorces and other crimes increased in Philadelphia 
 enormously last year. Yet all moving pictures are heavily 
 censored in Philadelphia. If other states will only pass 
 strict censorship laws the whole country will soon be as 
 pure as Pittsburgh. 
 
 What a pity they didn't have a motion picture censor- 
 ship in ancient Egypt. Then such vampires at Potiphar's 
 wife and Cleopatra could never have learned their wicked 
 ways from the nefarious films. 
 
 Evil was not brought into the world by the serpent in 
 Eden, but it was created by Thomas A. Edison, who in- 
 vented the moving picture machine. Anyone who doubts 
 this has only to read any argument for film censorship and 
 he will see at once that all wickedness is due to uncensored 
 films. 
 
 How can anyone object to a drastic motion picture 
 censorship? It is evident from all the arguments in favor 
 of it that there was never any wickedness in the world 
 until the motion picture became popular, and there is no 
 wickedness now in any community that has no picture house. 
 
 People used to lay the blame for various forms of 
 wickedness on the devil, on animal instincts, on greed, pas- 
 sion, envy and other temptations. The advocate of censor- 
 ship laws proves that all these sins are really created by 
 the motion picture, and will cease as soon as it is properly 
 controlled. 
 
 The Rev. Wilbur F. Crafts is going to redeem the 
 world by scissoring the films. But he was a preacher 
 long before there were any films. What did he preach 
 about in those days? Surely not redemption from sin; 
 for there could not have been any sin, since there was no 
 cinema. 
 
 Would it not be wise for all devotees of the silent 
 drama, many of whom doubtless are readers of these vol- 
 umes, to do everything in their power, either by the writ- 
 ten or spoken word, to discourage film censorship in their 
 communities? "Give me liberty or give me death." Keep 
 our liberty or we are already dead !
 
 FINANCING MOTION PICTURES 
 
 By MOTLEY H. FLINT. 
 VJce-Prcsident, Los Angeles Trust & Savings Bank 
 
 Editor's Note: Motley H. Flint, as a banker, is not only interested 
 in the returns he will get from the money he lends to motion picture 
 producers, but he has made an exhaustive study and a careful analysis 
 of the industry from an economic standpoint. His observations on 
 conditions influencing production should prove interesting to everyone 
 interested in motion pictures. 
 
 FINANCING motion picture production or distribu- 
 tion ! Here indeed is an absorbing story, as interesting 
 as any drama you may see on the screen. 
 
 The fascinating pictures that you see when you 
 visit your neighborhood motion picture theatre the drama- 
 tic stories told through this wonderful new medium of ex- 
 pression have you ever thought of the tremendous amount 
 of time and money expended on a picture that provides you 
 with entertainment for an hour or two ? 
 
 It takes many weeks of hard work to produce the pic- 
 ture you watch for two hours. During these weeks, there is 
 a tremendous staff of workers who must be paid. You know 
 something about the salaries paid to stars and to leading 
 men and women, yet these tremendous salaries represent 
 only a fraction of the actual payroll. Besides the leading 
 players, there are a substantial number of lesser actors and 
 very many supernumeraries or "extra" people who take part 
 in the picture. 
 
 But the people who appear in the finished play are by 
 no means the only ones who take part in the production of a 
 picture. Director and assistant directors, camera men, car- 
 penters, electricians, wardrobe workers, scene painters, 
 scenario writers, assistant film editors, continuity and title 
 writers, all become a very important factor in the studio 
 payroll. 
 
 Besides salaries, there are other expenses which mount 
 up into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Properties, scen- 
 ery, costumes, transportation all are extremely costly. 
 And there are also the sundry expenses, studio overhead, 
 lighting (unless outdoor studios are used), cleaning, office 
 maintenance, and the regular expenses connected with the 
 conduct of a large business. During the weeks of produc- 
 tion, these expenses are going on as usual. 
 
 in
 
 112 Opportunities in the 
 
 Just as in any other big business venture, money to pay 
 expenses cannot be drawn from the coffers of the company. 
 So, naturally, motion picture producers turn to the banks 
 for loans just as any other business men would. And nat- 
 urally the bank makes investigation as to expenses connected 
 with the project. 
 
 The expenses I have mentioned above are all legiti- 
 mate and unless the producers are extravagant or wasteful, 
 every cent spent for such purposes is necessary. But there 
 is one channel of expense connected with the motion picture 
 industry that causes bankers to think twice before advancing 
 loans to producers. I refer to the expense of distribution 
 by what are known as "independent producers." We classify 
 as "independent" those producers who make pictures but 
 who neither distribute nor control the distribution of the 
 pictures they make. There are only a few producers who 
 operate their own distribution offices; the majority of pro- 
 ducers are "independent." 
 
 Today, the manner of distributing pictures produced by 
 these independent producers is extremely inefficient. The 
 distribution of pictures comparable to sales in other busi- 
 ness is carried on by offices throughout the country that 
 make a business of distributing the finished pictures. There 
 are hundreds of these offices in operation, and their main- 
 tenance is extremely expensive. They have rent to pay, 
 office overhead, exhibition rooms, shipping departments ( for 
 these offices are local shipping centers), executives' salaries, 
 advertising expenses, and so forth. Now, if instead of all 
 these distribution offices, there were one centralized bureau 
 in each city equipped to distribute pictures for all pro- 
 ducers, the cost of distribution would be reduced to such an 
 extent that the profits of a picture would not be eaten up by 
 this superfluous expense. 
 
 The public, too, would profit by efficient centralized 
 bureaus, for the theatre owners would cut down the price 
 of admission if the cost of placing the pictures in their hands 
 would be reduced. 
 
 But aside from the benefits to the public and to the 
 motion picture producers, centralization of distributing of- 
 fices would solve, to some extent, the problem of financing. 
 It is my firm belief that unless this problem of distribution 
 is soon solved, banks will be reluctant to advance money to
 
 ST. MARY OF THE ANGELS EPISCOPAL CHURCH 
 
 THE MOTION Hm;RF. PbOM^ CH Rf H 1W. REVEREND NE.11. HOOD RF.CU*
 
 Motion Picture Industry 113 
 
 producers. Hundred per cent distribution must be assured 
 if the producer is to receive full and proper returns from his 
 investment, and unless this is secured, a bank cannot be ex- 
 pected to loan to the independent producer. Once the 
 banker is certain that the expected returns will be received 
 from a picture, he will readily advance the money. But 
 while the problem of distribution is as troublesome as it has 
 been, the independent producer may have some difficulty 
 in obtaining money from the banks. 
 
 Another expense in the production of the independent 
 picture, which bankers are agreed should be cut down, is 
 the salary paid to stars and directors. If a plan could be 
 worked out whereby the stars and directors would work on 
 a co-operative basis with the producer, expenses would be 
 very much lower. Stars and directors would certainly profit 
 by such an arrangement. If they have as much confidence 
 in themselves as their demands for salary warrant, they 
 should be content with this arrangement, for surely they 
 would earn a greater sum by sharing in the profits of the 
 picture. 
 
 Much of the expense of motion picture censorship 
 could be eliminated if the banks would become sufficiently 
 interested in the industry. Censorship was established to 
 prevent the exhibition of pictures of a suggestive or licen- 
 tious character. Now, if the plan for a picture called for 
 actions or scenes that the public would not countenance, a 
 bank after its appointed expert had gone over the manu- 
 script would not lend money for the production of such a 
 picture. Can you imagine a bank lending money to a pro- 
 ducer if it finds that the manuscript is not up to the required 
 standard ? 
 
 When the independent producer succeeds in borrowing 
 money from the bank with which to carry out his plans for a 
 picture, he is certain of one thing. All waste will be elimi- 
 nated. The bank practically makes the pictures. All bills 
 contracted by the producers are presented to the bank for 
 auditing. The bank, of course, owns the picture until such 
 time as the producer has returned to the bank the sum of 
 money advanced plus the fair share of interest. Until this 
 is done, the negative and all prints remain the property of 
 the bank. They are issued to the distributor on a trust basis
 
 114 Opportunities in the 
 
 until they earn the amount that was loaned for their manu- 
 facture. After this has been met, they become the property 
 of the producer. 
 
 We have found that producers need assistance most in 
 making pictures which cost anywhere from $80,000 to $200,- 
 000 to produce. This figure includes the cost of making the 
 positive prints that the theatre owner leases for the length 
 of time that he screens them. These usually cost between 
 $15,000 and $20,000 to make. 
 
 A bank does not make loans to moving picture pro- 
 ducers for the sole purpose of making money on the trans- 
 action. The Los Angeles Trust & Savings Bank, for in- 
 stance, established the policy of making loans to deserving 
 producers at a time when the whole country was going 
 through a period of readjustment. In an effort to assist the 
 industry that is most important, perhaps, in our city and 
 because the production of a good motion picture story is 
 always a good risk we decided to keep production at nor- 
 mal by financing motion picture producers whose credentials 
 warranted such a service. We felt that we were helping 
 both an important industry and the city in which we live. 
 
 And it was through this decision that I first became 
 interested in the motion picture industry, and was prompted 
 to make a thorough survey of conditions. And as a result 
 of my experience and observations, I will say that the pro- 
 duction of a motion picture is a good investment provided 
 the three essential standards are carefully adherred to 
 that is the foundation or story must be worth while spending 
 time and money to produce production costs must be 
 neither exorbitant nor impractical and distribution must 
 be efficiently handled.
 
 Motion Picture Industry 115 
 
 THE TRUTH ABOUT HOLLYWOOD 
 
 B a THE REVEREND NEAL DODD 
 
 Rector, St. Mary of the Angels Episcopal Church, 
 Hollywood, California 
 
 ARE you married or do you live in Hollywood ?" 
 I personally would like to make answer to 
 that question, which seems to have penetrated 
 into the remotest corners of the land. In my 
 answer, I feel that there will be reflected the sentiments of 
 the heads of thousands of other families. We are married 
 and we live in Hollywood. Is there anything unusual about 
 this ? Does it startle you to hear this ? Did you think that 
 married people do not live in Hollywood? Of all coined 
 and malicious insinuations, none is more unjust and unde- 
 served than this reflection upon customs in the center of 
 motion picture production, which is populated as well by 
 people in every walk of life. 
 
 You have read and have heard repeated by word of 
 mouth stories of the wild life of the capital of the film 
 world. You have been told by that mysterious "somebody" 
 that hundreds of girls have bartered their good name in 
 return for some fancied "pull," so that they might get their 
 chance on the screen. 
 
 The American press, appreciating the national interest 
 in anything pertaining to the motion picture industry, has 
 for many years taken advantage of the slightest opportunity 
 to write at length about a star of the screen, once he has, 
 through some act upon which a decent community would 
 frown, earned the privilege of breaking into print. 
 
 All of this has made fascinating reading and you have 
 felt free to believe it. You have thought that practically 
 all of the movie folks were just a bit off color, to put it 
 mildly. But I cannot emphasize too strongly the fact that 
 you are wrong. Hollywood is not a wicked place. It is not 
 the center of riotous living and it is not a community whose 
 inhabitants are pleased to believe that star dust was meant 
 for illumination and that the sun was meant only to keep 
 the world warm. 
 
 On the contrary, Hollywood has thousands of homes 
 that are peopled with men and women of high and unim-
 
 116 Opportunities in the 
 
 peachable character, whose motives are sincere and whose 
 endeavors are honest and faithful to the fullest measure. 
 
 Husbands, fathers, mothers, wives, sons, daughters 
 all as clean of mind and conduct as could be found in any 
 business, in any social stratum or in any line of endeavor 
 in the world, easily make up the majority of the population 
 of this American city. 
 
 My work as rector of St. Mary of the Angels Episcopal 
 Church has brought me in close touch with thousands of 
 motion picture folks. My church is their church. Only 
 recently this article appeared in the "Hollywood Informer," 
 our local newspaper, and it speaks for itself: 
 
 "Buck Jones, a cowboy screen celebrity who makes 
 daredevil westerns for the Fox Film Company, became a 
 member of the Episcopal Church in Hollywood last Friday. 
 He was baptized by Rev. Neal Dodd, pastor of St. Mary of 
 the Angels, and originator of the Moving Picture People's 
 'Little Church Around the Corner.' 
 
 "Mr. Jones, who is usually a pretty bad man with a 
 gun in the pictures, has for years enjoyed a reputation in 
 the film colony of being a generous, big hearted, lovable man. 
 He is not the sort that talks about his personal convictions 
 as to moral rights and wrongs, but acts upon his belief. 
 When he made up his mind to affiliate himself with the 
 church he made no spectacular moves but went to the pastor, 
 expressed his wishes and quietly and with becoming dignity 
 bowed his head for the baptism that made him a soldier 
 of God." 
 
 And so it is every day in Hollywood. 
 
 Recently a group of representative citizens of Beverly 
 Hills, adjoining Hollywood, and a section where many of 
 the more prominent motion picture folk have built beautiful 
 homes, met to form a polo club. In the group was Will 
 Rogers. After the plans for the new club had been told to 
 the assembled gathering, Will rose and told them that he 
 would not go a bit further in the matter. He could see no 
 reason for supporting or assisting to found an institution 
 that would be snobbish and that would keep the general 
 public away from contact with the club members. Instead 
 of forming the club he proposed that the money that would 
 have been subscribed for that purpose be subscribed for the
 
 Motion Picture Industry 117 
 
 purpose of founding a new church for Beverly Hills. The 
 majority of those present saw the wisdom of his suggestion 
 and in less time than it takes to tell it, the money was sub- 
 scribed and Beverly Hills will shortly boast as fine a 
 church as any large city has. 
 
 That's typical of the spirit which pervades the people 
 who go to make up the population of Hollywood and sur- 
 rounding territory. Four years of work among them has 
 qualified me to speak as I do, and now that the opportunity 
 presents itself I certainly am happy to tell the readers of 
 these splendid volumes what really is the truth about 
 Hollywood. I came to Hollywood of my own free will, and 
 soon became recognized as the chaplain of the motion picture 
 colony. I was welcomed heartily and the attendance at the 
 little church I established has made it possible for me to 
 continue the work. I have viewed Hollywood and its citi- 
 zens from every angle and I cannot see where they are 
 different or where life in their community differs essen- 
 tially from life of any other city of similar size. I have 
 found that the bulk of the movie people are "regular" peo- 
 ple. Their way of living differs only from others because, 
 instead of going to factories, shops and offices to earn their 
 living, they go to the studios. 
 
 To the uninitiated, studio life seems to mean an easy, 
 carefree existence. In reality it is hard work, and only those 
 putting forth their very best efforts at all times can hope for 
 recognition. The great majority of the people of the screen, 
 and especially the stars, have earned their position and popu- 
 larity only because they have labored sincerely and for a 
 long time. 
 
 To be a star of the screen is no sinecure. It means 
 that much time must have been spent in mastering the vari- 
 ous phases of the pantomimic art. And when after a period 
 of study and service one does reach the stage where he is 
 recognized as a star, do you think it is fair to allow just any- 
 one whose name happens to be used in connection with 
 "parties" of various sorts to palm himself off as a "motion 
 picture star?" 
 
 In the name of fair play I appeal to motion picture fans 
 at large to consider a moment who really are the stars of 
 the screen. Take, for instance, such young ladies and gentle-
 
 118 Opportunities in the 
 
 men as Lois Wilson, or Alice Calhoun, Richard Barthel- 
 mess, Ethel Clayton, Lila Lee, Conrad Nagle, Mae McAvoy, 
 or Milton Sills, or any of the hundreds more I could name. 
 They are motion picture stars in every sense of the word. 
 They shine brightly not only because of beauty of face, but 
 rather because of their beauty of character. Personality, 
 cleanliness of action and living, histrionic talent and a fin- 
 ished performance crowning only years of hard work have 
 made them motion picture stars. 
 
 They are representative of the true Hollywood. To 
 know them as I know them is to know the truth about 
 Hollywood. I would indeed be proud to acknowledge them 
 as daughters and sons of my own. But since it is not the 
 case, I feel that I should tell you of them and their hundreds 
 of brother artists. 
 
 They, with their brother and sister actors, and a thou- 
 sand others whose names you have never heard and prob- 
 ably never will hear, make up but a portion of the population 
 of Hollywood. All are earnest, sincere, and conscientious 
 workers. 
 
 Recently there has been much said and written of the 
 acts of certain people high up in movie circles. The effect 
 that this has had upon the American public is best reflected 
 in the wild stories about Hollywood that now seem to be 
 on every tongue. Most emphatically I wish to state that 
 these affairs are no more typical of life in the West Coast 
 film colony than is the act of a minister who recently slew 
 his wife typical of life in the ministry. He has been sen- 
 tenced to life imprisonment. But would you now condemn 
 all ministers just because, of the many thousands of splen- 
 did men who have been ordained, one has been convicted 
 of a terrible crime? Let us hope not. Or would you say 
 just because of the infidelity of a certain banker, recently 
 resigned from the post of president of one of the most pow- 
 erful banking institutions in the world, that all bankers, 
 therefore, must be as loose in conduct as was this banker? 
 Let us hepe not. 
 
 Is it consistent with all the glorious traditions of Ameri- 
 can fair play to indict the film world at large just because a 
 few of its number may have strayed from the path of right 
 living?
 
 Motion Picture Industry 119 
 
 I have heard it said that theatrical people flock to Holly- 
 wood because once there they can enter upon a life as wild 
 as their senses demand. How foolish this would sound to 
 you if only it were your privilege to visit this city, and see 
 for yourself how absolutely unfounded ninety-nine out of 
 every hundred stories that cast a bad light upon Hollywood 
 really are. Of all people who love a home, none can have 
 that love more firmly intrenched within them than the- 
 atrical people. It is their desire for that home which brings 
 them to this sunny city of ours. You are enjoying the com- 
 forts of your home. You know how nice it is to have your 
 own breakfast served at your own home table. Do you 
 imagine for one moment, then, that theatrical people are not 
 possessed of the same domestic feelings that you yourself 
 probably have? 
 
 You do them a great injustice. Here in Hollywood 
 they are enabled to build homes and live in them just 
 as you yourself live in your own home. This is their 
 privilege here simply because they are close to their work. 
 That is the real reason why Hollywood attracts so many 
 people of the theatrical profession. Years spent in hotel 
 rooms have made them even keener than many laymen 
 to own their own home. In Hollywood they are enabled to 
 work and live but a few short city blocks from their work. 
 
 Most people are pleased to think that Hollywood is 
 populated solely by people in the motion picture profession. 
 This is not a fact. Thousands live in Hollywood who never 
 get closer to the screen than the front row of their favorite 
 movie theatre. And it also is the impression that everybody 
 in the movies is a player. Once again allow me to correct 
 you. For every actor or actress living in Hollywood there 
 are numbers of other movie folk directors, cameramen, 
 carpenters, scenario writers, scenario readers, publicity men 
 and women, electricians, property men, wardrobe mistresses, 
 laboratory experts and workers, scene painters, and repre- 
 sentatives of all the myriad staffs that go to make up the 
 personnel of a motion picture studio. All combined, coupled 
 with a large percentage of non -professional residents, go to 
 make up the population of Los Angeles' most popular suburb. 
 
 I know, personally and intimately, probably as many of 
 the real people of Hollywood as anyone else does, and by
 
 120 Opportunities in the Motion Picture Industry 
 
 my acquaintance with them I judge Hollywood. Wild 
 stories that an hysterical press seems only too eager to print 
 should not be believed by the public. In mighty few in- 
 stances have I seen dissension in the homes of motion picture 
 folk. Of course I've seen some. But I have also seen dis- 
 sension in many homes not populated by motion picture folk. 
 
 One hears that this beautiful suburb is the one place 
 where Uncle Sam winks a knowing eye at prohibition viola- 
 tions. It is rumored that in Hollywood every faucet spouts 
 wine instead of water. How silly such rumors are and how 
 absolutely unsupported by facts ! Can you imagine a motion 
 picture star appearing before the merciless camera lens the 
 morning after one of these supposedly wild parties? Do 
 you think that you yourself could do it had you partici- 
 pated in a "party" the night before? Of course you could 
 not. Why, then, should motion picture players be able to 
 do it? It would be impossible for them to work if they 
 indulged in all the various dissipations with which they are 
 credited. If that has been the mental picture you have 
 drawn of Hollywood you have been greatly mistaken. 
 
 If you have thought that sunsets in Hollywood are in 
 reality sunrises, and that once darkness has come over the 
 city the motion picture folk rouse themselves and prepare for 
 their night orgies, you have done a great injustice to a very 
 sincere class of workers. If this were the case, just when do 
 you think they would be able to work? When would they 
 make the pictures that give so much pleasure and entertain- 
 ment to millions of people all over the world ? 
 
 Hollywood is not populated by gorgeously dressed 
 women and sleek men. It is a simple city. Simple in its 
 ways and customs. The women are most often garbed in 
 sport clothes, fashioned to permit them to take a healthy 
 interest in athletics; and men as well, often seen in their 
 golf togs ready for a round of that very popular form of 
 recreation. Hollywood is honest sincere the great ma- 
 jority of the professional population are aware of the fact 
 that they have a serious mission to fulfill in appearing in the 
 pictures which are the basis of many a man's entertainment. 
 If you have had any but the right kind of an impression of 
 Hollywood, I counsel you to change your impression and 
 accept the truth from one who really knows it.
 
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