Pictures and the Picturegoer (Jan-Dec 1924)

22 Picture s and Picture $uer JANUARY 1924 Cinderella^ of -the Movi I Jobyna Ralston, Harold Lloyd's leading lady. tt+ wish I could go to the ball," sighed Cinderella, poor little household drudge. And behold ! the words were scarcely out of her mouth when a fairy godmother appeared from nowhere, ready to wave a gratifying wand. " I wish I could have that part," sigh hundreds of Cinderellas-of-the-Studio^ crowd-workers, small-part ladies ana the like. More often than not that wish is never fulfilled. The fairy godmother is conspicuous by her absence and Cinderella remains her obscure little self until the end of the chapter. But occasionally the unexpected does happen and the benefactress puts in a timely appearance. Then Cinderella doffs her rags and finds herself arrayed in the glittering mantle of success. These " godmothers '" arc strange, folk and often choose strange disguises in which to visit those they favour. Who, for instance, would suspect D. W. Griffith of being a beneficient fairy? And yet he has acted as one to many a struggling young actor or actress. In fact, he deserves the title of " Hollywood's-Godfather-in-Chief," for the words " Discovered by D. W. Griffith " are the Open Sesame to the Halls of Fame, for certain fortunate ones. Among the many who owe their screen success to him, Dick Barthelmess comes well to the fore. Although he is not a Cinderella in the conventional sense of the word, his early days of hard drudgery have earned him a place in the class. Before he played for Griffith he went through every stage of film work, beginning as an extra in a serial, and playing many small parts before he had his name in the cast. Then Griffith gave him a real character role, and anyone who has seen his " Chink '' in Hetty Lompson toons iiie fart of Cinderella exactly. Broken Blossoms will realize what good use he made of his chance. A second big success in Way Dozen East firmly established him amongst the foremost ranks of the screen elite. And Dick says, with other of the great director's " finds," that he owes it all to D. W. Griffith. Surely there was never a quieter or more mouse-like little girl than Jobyna Ralston, eighteen months ago. Unobtrusively, almost apologetically she played her screen roles, and people hardly noticed she was there. But, underneath her quiet air of diffidence, was a burning, unspoken wish to succeed. If she could onlv have a chance Fairy Godfather Griffith, to zvhose powers of discrimination the screen owes most of its best-knoziti stars. in a really big lead, she thought, she would feel secure and her timidity would vanish. Evidently somebody else shared that opinion, for, when Mildred Davis left off playing lead for Harold Lloyd, it was announced that Jobyna would take her place. From that time on a marvellous change took place in Jobyna. It was as though a fairy's wand really had transformed her. From a "rather dull little mouse of a girl, she grew, almost overnight, into a sparkling bundle of light-hearted energy, never without a witty repartee ready to her lips. And, in consequence, this erstwhile Cinderella now rules the " lot " up at the Hal Roach Studios, just like a real fairytale princess. Jobyna, though, was lucky in one respect. She possessed a very well-to-do father on whom she could depend if she failed to make good. Far different was the -case of little Betty Compson who was still at school when she had to begin earning her living. Her mother, a widow, had been left very badly off, and making both ends meet was a difficult task for the two of them. So Betty, who was a clever violinist, obtained work after school hours, in the orchestra of the local music hall. Pretty soon she had an opportunity of doing a violin "turn," and after that she joined a stage touring company. Left stranded by the company, in a town far from home.