The Moving Picture World (1907)

662 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD. George and told him it was too bad he didn't have an ax instead of a newspaper when he slapped her on the bench. George apologized and everybody grew confidential. "I had the swellest part last year," said the soubrette. "I was in the Stung by the- Serpent Company, and, say, I had a new gown every act Say, I was a scream. I had a song, 'I'm Not a Peroxide Blonde; Honest, I Was Born This Way.' . Say, it was a yell. It killed 'em dead. Frohman-: " "And to think of me posing for motion pictures," said the stately lady on the bottom stairs. "Ain't it awfuL Me, that starred all last year in 'Only a Stenographer, but All Right at That.' I hope they don't show these pictures down on Broadway. Gee, but Mr. Erlanger would be mad. Anyhow " "Cut out the hard luck lines," shouted the manager, sternly. "All on stage for the next act." Everybody sat up and took notice. "Now, Rube," said the manager. "Business there with the fly paper. Scatter four pieces on the bottom step and then put four pieces on the settee. Now, first you girls come prancing down the steps putting up a lively spiel and chewing gum and acting like real swells. You don't notice the fly paper, but you come right along and sit down on the settee. Then you boys come up the walks with your cigarettes, acting like Willies fresh off the yacht. "You sit down oh the bottom stairs right on the fly paper. Then you. do a talk back and forth. You boys ask the girls to go for a walk and the girls all nod and smile like you're tickled to death. Action, now, plenty of it; and talk. Say any old thing at all; the idea is to move your lips and have it look in the pictures like the real thing. All ready. Come on, girls." The picture machine men began to grind and* the girls came tripping down the steps talking glibly. "No, no, no," said the manager, "Honest, this ain't no funeral. This is a comic scene. Comic. Get on to that. Cheer up, everybody. Come on, now, all laugh. Ha, ha, ha. What a happy world. Oh joy, oh joyi Are we down-hearted? No I That's the stuff." Again the girls stepped lightly down the sairs, smiling and chattering. "That's right, that's right" The manager pranced around and clapped his hands.. "Don't look down. Don't notice that fly paper. Laugh, smile, keep it up. Sit down. Fine. Now then, Willies. Come ahead. Busi- ness there with the cigarettes. Don't look at that fly paper. Look at the Lizzies. That's the stuff. Smile, everybody. Talk, talk, for the love of heaven, talk. Laugh, Sammy, laugh. Say! No, no, no. Stopl" The picture machines stopped grinding. "Tom," said the manager, with tears in his eyes. "You told me you were a comedian." "I am," said Tommy, promptly. "I am a scream, all right." "You wouldn't be a scream at a funeral," said the manager. "You've got a face like a death bed confession. their hands, would imagine the conversation was some* thing like this: "Oh, how de do—Wmy, Miss Van Smyth—And if that isn't little Lucy Lee—And I thought you were in Europe—Oh, this is a lovely place—So like Monte Carlo —Yes, papa and mamma are coming out next week—I just run up in my machine—Haven't you heard? Why, they sent all the presents back—Miss Allyn, you know Mr. De Peyton—The best view is from the veranda the other side—Oh, let's all walk over—It'll be very jolly." And so on. UNDER FIRE OF CAMERA. What they really did say was more like this: "Pipe the lady rubbering out of the window; she'd be a screams in the front row. It's no joke about my sitting on thai! fly paper; I'll bet I've ruined this suit—La, la, lum, lum, turn, turn, turn. Star light, star bright, very first star! see to-night. Two weeks more of the motion picture and then back to little old Broadway. Well, just M them that you saw me—Look at that boy, Gus. I'll bfl he's in the picture—Who's got some of that property] chewing gum ? I swallowed mine on that last laughs Oh, »New York, Yonkers, Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Philadelphia, Scranton, Pittsburgh " and a lot more "Now, then, just keep the positions you have and read; around and pin the fly paper on," called the manage "Don't lose your positions. Hurry up. Everybody ready All right -" • "Lost my pin," wailed the soubrette. The manage clutched a pin from his coat and the soubrette tacked a the fly paper. "Now, ready," said the manager. "Picture!" The machine commenced to grind and the smiles am the talk began again. "Now, then," shouted the manager fiercely. "Stan up and pair off. Each one of you WilHes take a Lizzi and walk out of the picture. Don't notice the fly papa Come on, now." The two groups flowed together, broke into couplf and walked out of the picture. • "Great," said the manager. "Good work." It was hard to find proper setting for the next part the picture. The manager wanted a street scene wil the couples walking along, each one laughing at the paper on the couple in front. But to get a long stri scene without flat buildings appearing in the backgrounj was difficult. Finally the church on the corner was lected. The church made a good background and off views of flat buildings. SHOWING MADE BY GROUP. "Fine," said the manager, "there's always a chu in a country town, isn't there? Well, those trees shoi and that looks country, too. All ready. Everybody gj on that corner. Now, when you pass this paper on ground you're in the picture and when you walk the corner of the church you're out. Between those „ points put in lots of action. "All ready, first couple lead off. Walk easily, lool at each other and smiling and talking. That's all. N" Come on, get in the game. Come on everybody. Laugh, the second couple. Look ahead, you second couple. N< you see the fly paper on the first two. That's it P<« laugh and talk. All ready. Now then. Lively J It was tried all over again. The girls sat on the settee and giggled and talked and the men sat on the lower stairs and mopped their brows and grinned horribly at i the girls and talked. It was a good thing the picture ( machine didn't record the conversation. Anyone looking at the motion picture of "The Troublesome Fly," or whatever it is called, and seeing the little group on the stairs and the settee, smiling and bowing and waving at it. Laugh, roar. That's it. Now the third cou You're in the picture now. Hurry up. Point at the paper on the couple in front of you. Laugh, fafl What's the matter with you people? Your faces fi Laugh, laugh. Now the fourth couple. That's it. Gre All over." For the next picture the manager seized Ellis Pj» and had his company parade with locked arms, eig