The Photo-Play Journal (Jul 1919-Feb 1921)

PHOTO-PLAY JOURNAL July, 1919 Monroe Monologues {Continued from page 9) proved, after a first visit to the West, unfaithful to his home state, and, in his work on both the legitimate and shadow stage, snent every available moment in the land of his adoption. His vacations are spent on his big ranch in California. "I don't care if I never see a big city again!" he says. "Honestly, I believe if someone happened to pour water on me out here, I'd slowly, but surely, take root." Which we do not doubt in the least. California soil will grow most anything planted if it's given a drink occasionally and it sure looks like Monroe Salisbury was "planted" in the sunshine state. Also, he has done some growing, both physically and artistically. He stands several inches over the six foot mark. Perhaps he inherits his growing ability from the "Salisburia." What! Don't you know what a "Salsburia" is? You SURPRISE me! If you happen to know Dan Webster, he'll tell you that away back in another generation, a great English botanist, Richard Antony Salisbury by name, discovered a new tree. The tree, so says Dan, belonged to the Fern family and was known by the inartistic name "Ginkgo." It looked to Richard A, like it should belong to the Salisbury family, since it stood from 60 to 80 feet high, with a straight trunk. The only thing against its adoption into the Salisbury family lay in the fact that it had a pyramidal head and fanshaped, deciduous leaves with forked veins. A pyramidal head, one of those sharp pointed affairs (commonly known as 'pinheads'), does not belong to the Salisbury's, and since "deciduous" means "not permanent", it cannot be applied either. Anyway, the size of the new discovery, made it perfectly proper that it should be named after the eminent R. A. and so, we have the tree "Salisburia." (Family tree.) Monroe Salisbury cannot be called a beautiful or pretty man. In fact, I cannot remember how he looked. One gets the impression that he is very big, strong, sincere and manly and I have no doubt that he is a "handsome guy" if you could take your attention away from his dominating personality long enough to notice it. Salisbury, himself, is not so interested in how he "looks" as in what he "does." Just as we all follow some will-o-the-wisp of desire throughout the years of our lives, Monroe Salisbury dwells, in his spare moments, on a lifelong desire to visit Egypt. "I want," he says, "to spend one year in Egypt. It s a longing I've always had and I hope, some day to see its fulfillment." Another longing he cherishes is to see the day when the public taste returns to romantic costume plays and pictures. "Just as present," he explains, "there is a belief among the managers and exhibitors that a costume play is doomed before it is shown. I doubt this very much. If properly acted and costumed and with a really good story, I feel that it would not fail, but would be accepted with open arms. I expect soon to try out this theory of mine." Salisbury is still releasing under the Big U banner. He is one of the stars booked to appear in the Super-productions which are to take the place of the old "Blue-bird" brand. A Limb From the Birch Tree (Continued from page 23) world hostilities, the films as an advertising medium will be one of the best advance agents procurable. There is no need of my instilling interest in the films in this country; it is here and constantly awaiting the arrival of new reels. In short, I have no greater desire than to see the silent drama shown on as large a scale as that found in the country I represent." Before being invested with the high office of Minister of Lisbon, Colonel Birch was in partnership with his father, Mr. James H. Birch, a well-known carriage manufacturer in Burlington, New Jersey. When motion pictures were in their earlier stages, Mr. Birch was interested in a picture house in his home town, and is thoroughly conversant with this important fifth industry, and his statement is prompted by his high regard of the films and their important mission. Colonel Birch is a very close friend of President Wilson and served as his personal aide while Mr. Wilson was Governor of New Jersey; in fact, at the Baltimore National Democratic Convention he was largely instrumental in uniting the forces around him when a candidate for President, and the high esteem and regard which the President had for him resulted in his appointing Colonel Birch as his personal aide at the inauguration ceremonies. A short time ago, the Portuguese Government, as a proof of its high consideration towards Colonel Birch, conferred upon him the Grand Cross of the Older of Christ, and the official insignia of the Portuguese Red Cross. Minister Birch is surrounded by about 35 associates at the Legation, and the diplomatic and social affairs have made this post a nucleus for many importations and increased international friendly relationships. When he has relinquished his post and returned to America, he will have gained a broad knowledge of the foreign trade markets, which he has had a large part in developing, particularly screen importations. Up the Directorial Terrace With Tom Terriss (Continued from page 13) for the vaudeville stage, and it was this that decided my remaining in the U. S. A. "The year 1914 marked my first affiliation with the screen. World Film Corporation asked me to picturize some of Dickens' work, and we accordingly produced 'The Chimes,' 'Scrooge,' Old Curiosity Shop' and 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood.' " "But how did the picture game appeal to you?" I asked. "Well," he replied, "I believe the screen capable of bringing forth the power of dramatic emotion to the greatest extent possible of human mortal, but that is a problem which has been endlessly discussed, and I believe my opinion would not only convince, but might incriminate. "Following my World engagement I became the president of my own company. This was a decided event in my career, but a poor market and lack of capital forced us to abandon the project, hence my next destination was Vitagraph." "How many pictures did you make with your own company?" I asked. "Oh, about seven — but why talk about the past, the present is much too promising. "My connection with Vitagraph really marked the beginning of my picture career. Miss Joyce's first production which I directed was 'The Fettered Woman.' by Robert W. Chambers, and since then we have picturized three more of his stories, the last of which was 'The Cambric Mask.' " "Tell me a little about 'The Lion and the Mouse,' " I suggested. "Well, to be frank, I believe this picture is the best I have ever done. We had some of the critics guessing about the wonderful interiors, and one notable gentleman commented, 'remarkable for their costly furnishings ; several of the sets look like interiors of a Fifth Avenue mansion." When he came to the part of Fifth Avenue mansion, he guessed correctly, for we were very unfortunate in obtaining permission to use the home of one of our wealthiest citizens, and accordingly we had to move all our lights and props there. If you noticed one point in the picture where Conrad Nagel is handing Miss Joyce some papers from the safe — well a flash of a beautiful portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire is shown, and this picture cost $800,000!" In conclusion I might say that Mr. Terriss is a prince of good fellows. He himself says that he trys to be a good fellow, and often during the work he will joke with his actors, and his pictures will show the sense of thought he has for beautiful and natural things, for some of our directors will produce a picture clean cut, but without the least semblance of feeling and tenderness. Enter Lila Lee Laughingly (Continued from page 16) they like my pictures, because I like the company— so much — well, just because." "A perfectly valid person," I declared promptly. "And I guess I'll always like picture work, because it's always different. New stories, new actors, new directors, cameramen, everything. There's the necessity, too, for keeping 'in training' — for of all terrible things for a movie star to do — the worst is getting fat ! now if you'll promise not to tell — I'll let you in on a secret." Looking about to see that there was no one going to overhear her — even the bird being busy with a bit of orange peel, — she whispered: "I've a tendency to get fat myself!" With which horrible disclosure she sat back in the cushions and regarded me anxiously to see whether I gathered the full horror of her remark. "But I've stopped it and last week I actually lost seven pounds. It's easy when you have something to work for, though I do miss those caramels," and she looked longingly to where an empty five-pound box bore silent testimony to past joys. "Minnie knows how to get around it, though, — she fixes my dresses so that they can't be made larger around the waist — the ones I like best, you know. I love the pretty clothes I have to wear in pictures, you see, so I am very careful. I guess any girl would like the pretty clothes part of it, and besides, it's so interesting, and everyone is so nice to me." "Lila Lee, the lucky lass," someone called her that recently, and I really think it's so. How many girls of fifteen or thereabouts would give their eye teeth to stand in Lila's shoes!" She is a lucky girl. But it isn't all luck. She has ability. She proved it in "The Secret Garden," one of her recent pictures written from Frances Burnett's story. As the fly-away little English girl, born and brought up in sunny India, with an Ayah to do her lightest bidding and transferred thence to an austere, even melancholy English home, she created a role that was full of charm and pathos. Although "The Secret Garden" was only her third Paramount Picture and she had never acted for a picture before in her life, her work was that of a veteran. She differs from other youngsters of the screen in the same indefinable way that her beauty differs from theirs. She's different. That's about all one can say. There's a charm about her entirely apart from the toss of golden curls or the appeal of big tear-filled eyes. Her hair, strangely enough, is not only coal black — it is straight! True, she has worn it curled once or twice in her pictures, but that was merely a good-natured concession to Minnie, she said. Possibly the fact that she has been on the stage with child actors almost all of her life has something to do with it. Those who were lucky enough to see her as "Cuddles" will remember the real sustained emotion she put into the singing of "Look Out for Jimmy Valentine," for instance, when she was a mere tot of six. I saw a bit of her picture "Puppy Love" too, while at the studio — and it betrays genius in acting.