Picture Play Magazine (Jul - Dec 1929)

12 Continued from page 10 gain. Why should they be allowed to force them on us, when it is evident that the majority abhor them? In their present stage of development the} are abominable, with hollow, uncanny, grotesque, and unnatural voices, which are not even understandable most of the time. It is doubtful if they will ever be perfected, for all mechanical devices of sound are the same after years of experiment. So why experiment on the poor public long? Also, the public won't stand for having its favorite stars thrust aside for recruits from the stage, with new and strange faces, and not at all handsome, either. It is an injustice both to the stars and their fans. VVe all admire Charlie Chaplin for his courage in refusing to make talking pictures. It is true that we were just beginning to get better pictures on the screen when along came talking pictures, and now what do we have? No more stories with plots, but just strutting and songs, or a display of a few stage actors in dialogue. And how ridiculous to try to screen "The Desert Song." We still have phonographs aplenty to give us all the music and dialogue we want, for those who like that kind ; but. tor goodness/ sake, keep vaudeville, singing, and dancing on the stage, where it belongs, and give us back our screen favorites who have endeared themselves to us all; and give us hack the silent drama, with all its beauty and charm. Dayton, Ohio. V. C. From a Scholarly Fan. Did it ever dawn upon any one that such things as dictionaries may be internal ly decorated in more ways than one? That is, instead of congesting several thousand pages with meaningless definitions of nouns, verbs, and the like, do you realize how interesting it would be to compile a dictionary of your favorite performers? For instance, below is a very much abridged dictionary of my favorite stars, arranged in alphabetical order. I have attempted to define them, and at the same time give synonyms and antonyms in most cases. I might mention as a mere editor's note that in all dictionaries the lexicographer is confronted by certain words which express an idea so perfectly that no synonym could justly be Used as comparison. Olive Borden. 1. Agreeable to the eye or to good taste. 2. Well proportioned and of pleasing dimensions. Syn.: Sue Carol, Mary Nolan. Ant.: Greta Garbo, -Myrna Loy, Renee Adoree. Clive Brook. (Eng.) 1. Deserving of greater acclaim by audiences. 2. One who speaks English to perfection. Syn. : H. B. Warner. Lon Chaney. 1. One of a group of really great actors. 2. One of a very few whose popularity has been attained by merit and not by physical attractiveness. Syn.: Emil Jannings, George Bancroft. Charles Chaplin. 1. One who studies the art of being funny with care and precision. 2. A person who is capable of provoking laughter on all occasions. Syn. : liuster Keaton. Ant. : Harry Langdon, Eddie Cantor, George Jessel. Marion Davies. 1. One of a rare species of femininity capable of entertaining through the medium of light comedy. 2. A female who can be facetious, refined, and attractive, all in one show. Syn. : Madge Bellamy. Ant. : Bcbe Daniels, Fannie Brice, Texas Guinan. Leslie Fenton. 1. Shadowed by unfortunate breaks; unlucky. 2. One possessing innate ability for dramatic expression. Syn. : Ralph Forbes. What tke Fans Tkink John Gilbert 1. One who is extremely handsome and romantic. 2. A person who can play a great lover one time and a virile he-man another, with equal conviction and sincerity. 3. Having the power to attract members of both sexes by his warm personality. Ant.: Ramon Novarro, Gary Cooper, Nils Asther, Ben Lyon, Gilbert Roland. George O'Brien. One who is best deserving of the term "ideal American'' among his associates in Hollywood. Syn.: Charles Farrell, William Haines. Ant. : Adolphe Menjou. William Powell. 1. Capable of making every role a great one by virtue of sincere treatment and careful study of details. 2. One famed for "stealing" pictures before the very eyes of the greatest actors in the business. Syn. : Lewis Stone, Tully Marshall. Eric von Stroheim. 1. Any combination of rare talent that goes toward making a real genius. 2. One gifted with an alchemic power to bring certain dormant human attributes to the surface in others. 3. The name of the greatest director the world has ever known or ever will know. Fay Wray. 1. The one actress who best befits the term "ideal American girl." 2. One who is intelligent, refined, beautiful, and spiritually charming. 3. The name of a really fine actress. Ant.: Clara Bow, Alice White, Joan Crawford, Nancv Carroll. Donald MacCampbell. 1010 South Forty-fifth Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "There Is No Age." "The Switchboard Operator" certainly roused my ire when she brought age into the question regarding John Mack Brown and Mary Pickford playing together. No matter what her years, Mary is youth incarnate, and she is just as young as she looks. This business of prying into the ages of the stars is beyond me. In the first place, there is no age, except manmade years, and, in the second place, the stars' lives are their own — we only pay to see them act! Only jealous old-fogeyism is constantly counting up years. Truly young and joyous folks remain in that state because they refuse to count up years. In God's sight there are no years, anyway. So forget them and you'll be lots younger yourselves, and so will the stars. For my part, the less I know regarding a player the more interesting becomes the picture itself. D. E. Bilsox. Palm Avenue, Los Angeles, California. Figure That Out. All thi talk of the stars not answering letters and keeping quarters makes me anxious to add my word. I wrote Richard Barthelmess, inviting him to become an honorary member of the club of which I am president. In about six weeks a printed card came back to me, with the prices of his photographs on it. And I hadn't even mentioned a photo. How do you figure that out? Clara Bow, Mary Brian, Neil Hamilton, and James Hall did the same thing exactly. Do the) just take it for granted that we want pictures? Elizabeth Mayxard. 1 Doden Lane, Flushing, Long Island, New York. A Word for Old-timers. Most of the actors get better every year they're on the screen, I believe. Betty Compson is a fine example. When Miss Compson was playing for Paramount, her acting frequently left much to be desired. Her recent appearances place her in the front rank. She looks finer than ever. Anita Stewart, Theda Bara. Jack Pickford,* Nazimova, Cullen Landis. and Henry B. Walthall and others are among the best actors the screen has ever had. I read recently that Theda Bara was making voice tests, and I hope that something definite comes of them very soon. There should certainly be a place on the screen for these old favorites. Just because they seem to have dropped from view is no sign that public interest in them has entirely abated. Of course, I have many favorites among the newer stars, and I think some of them are due for long careers. Several nights ago I saw one of the most beautiful pictures it has been my fortune to see for some time — Ramon Novarro, in "The Pagan." I have read all the letters comparing John Gilbert and Ramon Novarro. I should like to know in what picture Mr. Gilbert gave as beautiful a performance as Ramon Novarro's Henry Slwcsmith? Theodore T. Cavanaugh. 246 Hackensack Street, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Moviegoing Is Complicated. 'Tis a strange, new film world to which the talking pictures are introducing us, all unfriendly and forbidding, and I am finding it very difficult to adapt myself to it. No longer can I choose my entertainment by selecting one of my favorite film stars. They are not there any longer ! Unfamiliar -names greet my eyes everywhere, emblazoned on placards and electric signs — "The Four Marx Brothers," in "So-and-so" ; "Helen Twelvetrees," in "This" ; "Walter Huston," in "That." Great stage stars in the States, maybe, but their names convey just nothing here. We've never heard of them ! No doubt these people give very admirable performances, but I'd rather they had stayed on Broadway, where they are probably more appreciated, and let the screen stars continue to top the bill. Names like Ronald Colman, Gary Cooper, and Charles Farrell are world renowned and really mean something. Constance Colby. 160 Farnaby Road, Bromley, Kent, England. A Retort to Barthelmess. Recently we read of the snobbishness of Richard Barthelmess in Mexico City, when • he said, "I am a married man and not interested." Please send him this little message from us : "Since you are married, we are not interested. We used to walk miles to see your shows, but now we wouldn't go to one even if it were across the street." Alice White is the biggest ninny we ever saw on the screen. She is nothing but a mockingbird trying to act like Clara Bow. But she never will. Here are four enormous bouquets and ten thousand rah-rahs! First, for GaryCooper, that tall, handsome, real, honest-to-goodness man, who can really act and seem natural. Second, for Neil Hamilton, that real comedian. Third, for Johnny Mack Brown, that handsome, triumphant, capable young hero who scored such a success in "Coquette." And, last, but far from least, for Conrad Nagel, who has the most admirable voice, winning personality, and who is the greatest actor on the screen. Helen Mackenzie, La Verne Wright. Monmouth, Oregon. Con QI] page 94