Camera - April 14, 1923 to February 16, 1924 (April 1923-February 1924)

,1 lera Camera! News Section Page 7 |„ . tne sapphire sea of Ber■ Cuba and its his : il tradition . ancient r; ports of the West Indies >m New Orleans with its t charm . . the ever■Is of Florida with their untlmable mystery . . . alliga1 . palm trees id white avenues through •Ihes of cozy cities ... a Inaired youngster making a : timi . . unsophisticated . timid . . . wonderment eyes. ew days ago the publisher of Angeles newspaper conductWonder Child contest aned that the laurels had been ed to George Ezra Crane, Hollywood and all the pentxiety and excitement of hunof fond parents was instantbdued. Be it known here this fortunate youngster is ix years of age and while he lot as yet attained any prome in the realm of flickering a it is certain that if he sets lind upon attaining that end ill certainly achieve his own in the Screen Kiddies' Guild. He is a charming and manly and has a serious and red demeanor that is most reing after one has encountered any temperamental film chilAnd certainly motion picwill not cause any change in ge's manner of conduct for he ilready been the recipient of glowing praises from reled folk and has been the cenfigure of so many gatherings if he had even one spark of siraole ego in him it would popped out long e'er this, king in the words of the newsr which awarded him his most it honor: the fortunate youngthe six-year-old son of George Crane of Hollywood, is a lelotts raconteur of original 's. Out of his o<wn fertile imagination and without any preparation, he weaves the most enchanting tales. He first displayed this gift when but two years of age. "Since then he has delighted large audiences at school, and charitable entertainments , with his art. His story-telling <was a regular weekly feature of the public library in Tampa, Florida, where his family formerly lived. "Not only is this unusual prodigy extraordinarily accomplished, but he is also extraordinarily beautiful. He has golden hair, sapphire eyes and a captivating smile. He' is physically perfect, his bodily measurements harmonizing thoroughly . . ." Now the talent of this boy is to be brought to the screen. One of the independent producers in the Hollywood field, quick to grasp the possibilities of the contest winner, signed him for a photoplay deal I ing with a Fairyland theme. I George is to portray the role of the Prince, (for every fairy story, as you know, is built around some Prince Charming), as the blind girl, played hy Doris Eileen Whitmer, imagines him to be. He ought to be a veritable revelation in such a role and certainly no better opportunity could be afforded to bring out the nigh-ethereal qualities possessed by him. There is something fragile in his make-up that at times leads one to believe he was not fitted for such a mundane existence as we lead in this modern hey-day of civilization and hard-boiled business. He seems to belong to the age of Merrie Old England when knights rode forth to battle for fair ladies and prove their mettle on the tournament grounds in mighty jousting. Yet this impression is as quickly done away with when some American-boy expression comes forth from him with bombardment-like directness, and we GOLDWYN BREAKS HORNET'S NEST; ACTORS DECLAIM "THIRTY-THREE" Samuel Goldwyn has stirred up a hornet's nest with his statement in the Los Angeles press that there are only thirty-three good actors it. Hollywood. Prominent players located here registered indignant protest last week and took issue with the movie magnate who is now arranging to establish producing headquarters in Los Angeles. "I respect Mr. Goldwyn as one of the most powerful factors in motion pictures today but I cannot conceive on what basis he establishes his statement that there are only thirty-three good actors in Hollywood," said Conway Tearle, popular leading man, at the United Studios last week. "Thousands of actors find work in Hollywood studios. Hundreds of them are graduates from the spoken diama, men who established reputations as actors before they entered the silent drama. If Mr. Goldwyn is right then many producers are wrong for they are engaging daily, hundreds of men who they consider good actors. "There can only be one way in which the merits of an actor can be judged and that is by his popularity with the public. Hundreds oi actors in Hollywood are drawing millions of people to the theaters throughout the world. While all great screen favorites are not great actors yet it is certainly safe to say that ninety per cent of the popular players who work in Hollywood are considered good actors by the public and that is really what counts." "If there are only thirty-three good actors in Hollywood then it is about time that hundreds of men who are making their living "Gang" Work Looks Bad for Ringlings Hal Roach's "Gang" is having a circus these days — a real wild west show. They are the show people. About fifty extra children appear as the audience. The picture is being made at the Hal Roach ranch and the goat, the bear, Bill, the "Gang" dog, an old white horse that Stan Laurel bought for fifteen dollars, a butting ram, ducks, geese and monkeys help make up the "animal" part of the circus. In the absence of Bob McGowan, Mark Goldaine is directing. as quickly relegate him to the ranks of today's kids. George Ezra Crane, Jr., has great fascination for everyone with whom he comes in contact and therefore it is not hard to prophecy that he will attain all due recognition from cinema enthusiasts if he is afforded the proper guidance in establishing hi* own distinctive personality before the camera. May he progress rapidly and in security. He brings a welcome change to the order of things a la cinemakids. I as actors, find other employment and make room for new talent," i said Pat O'Malley, leading man for Laurette Taylor at the Metro studio. "However, I disagree with j the contention that there are only this limited number of capable actors in Los Angeles. Like in every other calling the capabilities of actors are measured by degree. j I cannot agree with the belief that there are only thirty-three good actors appearing in pictures — and there are hundreds of them — do so because they are capable actors. I j am confident that from four to six hundred could be named and that I any committee of critics would declare them artists of the first water." "1 believe that if the question were put to the public the num 1 ber of good actors in Los Angeles would run four times the number prescribed by Mr. Goldwyn," said Lloyd Hughes, leading man for Mary Pickford, Colleen Moore and other celebrities. " Ishould be interested in reading a list of Mr. Goldwyn's thirty-three and then submitting that list to the public I for its opinion. Just what comprises good acting is no easy mat I ter to decide. What one person considers great another considers poor. I believe there are as many good actors in pictures as there j are on the stage, if not more." Esther Is Another Mayflowerite Esther Ralston, formerly a featured player in Universal pictureand who recently completed her work with Lubitsrh in "The Marriage Circle," is a bona-fide descendant of Governor William Bradford of the first Pilgrim Colony. Naturally, therefore, her family tree brings her line back directly to the hardy band of pioneers who crossed the Atlantic in the Mayflower. The actors in the various branches of the theatrical profes | sion and the motion-picture field, have in their ranks quite a number of persons who trace a similar I descent. At the suggestion of a small group now in California, Miss Ralston is devoting her leisure time to the organization of what is tentatively called the "A. D. M. : Actors Descendants from the Mayflower." It is planned to model this new group after the D. A. R. 'Ah, Buy Gum! Quoth Wrigley When a man has spent a life time in mastering not only a difficult but graceful art of chewing gum it is only natural that he should wish to pass it along as in his latest Hal Roach comedy ' "Warehouse Players" in which he enacts ihc role of an accomplished motion picture director, he has the whole company from the king to the jester doing their jaw calisthenics in typical Rogers style. It's going to be a great year for the gum manufacturers.