Motion Picture Classic (Jan-Dec 1920)

The Winners Are Announced she is very pretty to look upon, with an unusual complexion. Among the early contestants were two children of unusual beauty and screen personality, — Little Ruth Higgins of 20 Liberty Street, Morristown, \. J., and Dorothy Taylor of 1322 Findley Avenue, X. Y. City. Both of them ])lay important parts in "Love's Redemption." and we know of no other children on the stage or screen who could have played and looked better. They are each awarded silver medals and will be known hereafter as Silver-Medalists of the 1920 Fame and -Fortune Contest. .And while we are speaking of "Love's Redemption." be it remembered that every member of that cast was carefully selected from among thousands of applicants and. therefore, each one is hereby given the award of Honorable Mention, and a place on our final Honor Roll. They arc Dorian Romero, Lynne ^L Berry, Katherine Bassett, William R. Talmadge. .\rthur Tutbill, Cecile Edwards, William Castro, Ellsworth Jones, Scymoure Panish. Jos. Murtaugh. Effie Palmer, Bunty Manly, .Mfred L. Rigali. Edward Chalmers. Charles Hammer, William White. Xorbert Hammer. Carl Chalmers, Doris Doree. Mrs. F. Mayer. O. L. Langhanke and Jose Santo DeSigue. Some of these are "types" and are not honored for beauty. Mr. Romero deserves special mention for his work in this ])lay. During the warm months hundreds of girls appeared before the judges, and some were so beautiful that it seemed they would outshine those previously mentioned in this article, .\mong these was Betty Poniroy Hanson of Rugby. .\orth Dakota, who seemed to be the exact "double"' of Lucille Langhanke. Several tests were made of her and it was found she screened remarkably well and had all of the elements that a screen star should have. In the same group appear Mary Jane Sanderson of Johnstown. Pa., and so promising was her first test that we at once telegraphed her to return for another. She is not quite fifteen. There were two more in this group, deserving of special mention, for they screen exceptionally well. They are Yvonne Bailey of 15 McDonald Street. Brooklyn, X. Y., and Bertha Keating of Springfield, Mass. They are each about thirteen years of age and a trifle too young to win first honors in this contest, but look out for them in the next ! Early in September there came two girls of remarkable beauty and presence, each measuring about five feet seven in height. They are Elma McKinney of 114 West 58th Street. X. 'S'. City, anil Eileen Elliott of 707 Ritner Street. Philadelphia. Pa. They both screen very well, indeed. >nd while their spheres will be limited on .ircount of their unusual size and height, t'le cinema will find a place for them. .Xhnut this time came two charming [Continued front piuir 47) little bnmettes. who were long considered for first honors. They are Katherine Leonard of 160 West 84th Street. X. Y. Citv and Bve Madden of 1667 Grove Street. N. Y. City. Those who saw "A Dream of Fair Women" will remember the cute little miss who i)layed the part of the "tough girl." She was then only fourteen years old. She came down to Roslyn one day in July for a new test, and everybody was amazed at her a|ipearance. She screened beautifully and we did our best to get her back again for additional tests, but she was away on the road playing in vaudeville. She is Evelyn Pouch, but we are unable to give her address. Late in .-Xugust several of tlie judges met and again went thru huge piles of photographs in search of some "rose born to blush unseen and waste its fragrance on the desert air." fearing that somebody of unusual promise had been overlooked. Several thousand photographs were thus selected and ^ent to the studio of the editor-in-chief. .Many hours every day were spent in .going over these photographs in the hope of revealing a rose or a bud that had been previously overlooked. About a hundred were selected and the wires were burned up in sending hurry messages for these girls to appear at once before the judges. Telegrams. form letters and jihone messages were sent out in great haste, and soon they began to bear fruit. Among these photographs was a small, poorly made, and inartistic one sent in by a friend of a young lady in Canada, unknown to her. The young miss was surprised to receive our summons, but. when she learned what had happened, on she came from Canada, and now she finds herself on the final Honor Roll, well up among the winners. She is Jean .Mclntyre of Meaford, Canada. .'\nother similar case, and even more astonishing, is that of Corliss Palmer of Macon, Georgia, who will now be amazed to find herself a winner. Her simple photograph had been passed over and she came within an ace of being lost in the shuftle. .-Xnother similar case is that of .'Mlene Ray. a charming little blonde from San .•\ntonio. Texas, who came, saw and conquered at the last minute. Both of these young ladies are dazzling beauties of rare charm and photographic possibilities, and. as Emerson said to Walt Whitman on receipt of a copy of "Leaves of Grass," — "\Ve welcome you on the threshold of a great career." Many screen tests have been made of them and the judges are convinced that, everything considered, the contest has produced nobody quite so faultless as these two Southern beauties. Space forbids our making further mention of the many glorious girls who appeared in this contest. There is a limit to all things, even to the final Honor Roll. It is quite possible that we have over looked some who have screen possibilities. We now wish that we had secured half a dozen cameras and camera-men instead of two and given every girl additional tests under different conditions. Therefore, we say to all those who.se names do not appear here that they should not be discouraged, and not give up hope for the future. May they have better luck in our next contest. All of those mentioned above are declared by the judges to be the real discoveries of the 1920 Fame and Fortune Contest. However, we have agreed t(j make stars of the winners, to give them two years' publicity in all four of our publications, and to secure for them contracts with reliable companies. We have already secured two cotitracts. as above mentioned, and we shall do what w^e can to secure others as fast as opportunity comes. We surel)^ cannot be expected to declare as wiiniers all of the foregoing, for various reasons. Some of these girls are not yet ready to start on a screen career and .some are mere children ; and as for publicity, there would not be room for niucii else in our magazines were we to grant two years' publicity to all. .As for Lucille Langhanke. she is alleady a* -star, and is entitled to all -that a winner is entitled to. The same is true of Helen DeWitt. But since the judges are to select one or more who are to be declared winners, and who are entitled to the full quota of our promises, it is foimd necessary to reduce the number of declared winners to two. Should more than two winners be announced, we could not fulfil our promises. In one sense of the word, all those above mentioned are winners, because they have all won honors. Lucille Langhanke, who will hereafter be known as Mary .■\stor, has already been made a star, or will be made one by the Famous PlayersLasky Company, regardless of what we do for her. They have already started their campaign of publicity. However, we insist u[)on selecting and making at least two more stars and, therefore, we take pleasure in announcing the final decision of the judges as follows : The uinncrs of the 1920 Fame and forlunc Contest are herebv declared to he: Corliss Palmer, 614 Mount Pelier Avenue. Macon, Georgia ; and Allene Rav. 2248 River Avenue, San Antonto, Te.nas. To these two young ladies we extend our hearty congratulations for having won the greatest contest that has ever been staged. We are confident that the future will prove the wisdom of this choice. In the years to come, these two young ladies and five million readers will look back upon this announcement as an epochmaking one. and the editors of the Brewster Publications, as well as the judges of this contest, will always feel gratified and elated over the wisdom of their choice. (Sixty-eight J