Actorviews (1923)

132 A ctorviews toast-rack, but they were no crisper than the speech of Georgie O’Ramey. I looked under the wide brim of her flower-decked picture hat at a still young, oval face with regular, geometric features and the most irregular sort of graygreen acting eyes — eyes that squint or pop or swoon or sparkle at the owner’s will. (I think she could make them bark.) Then I said : “Does a comic woman care about her looks?” “Do you think she’d be wearing her Easter hat two weeks before Easter if she didn’t? Your question is unmanly.” “I was thinking of the awful things you wear on the stage.” “I’ll wear anything for comic character. I’ll wear the parlor curtains or the oilcloth from under the kitchen stove — if it’s clean. Dirt isn’t funny — I don’t care whether it’s in your costume or your lines. I’ll wear anything that’s clean — and in character. I’d even wear a bustle made out of your Sunday interviews.” “Speaking of character,” I retaliated, “did you ever play the beautiful heroine?” “Yes — that is, almost. A1 Woods cast me and canned me in the part of Valorie West in ‘The Common Law.’ ” “ You played Valorie West!” “I rehearsed the part for three weeks — till one day A1 Woods saw a rehearsal. He still owes me a week’s salary for the third week — but I haven’t the heart to remind him.” “Why did he ‘can’ you?” “The why isn’t important — it was the how. I was