Close Up (Oct 1920 - Sep 1923)

BY THE MAN BEHIND ‘CLOSE-UP’ A NATURAL SUCCESS By Marshall Lorimer There have been many thousands in the moving picture profession who have not been personally acquainted with Wallace Beery, and his phenomenal success in pictures, that is, speaking from an intimate point of view. These are the people who have only been able to gauge the character of the man by his phenomenal sense of histrionic value on the screen, but then again there are many others who know Wallace Beery as a consistent actor of parts. Many have wondered how he could possibly have arrived at his success with such little apparent effort; so, for the purpose of clearing this point, we are going into a few details concerning the persistent, hard, plodding efforts which was his lot before he finally attained to such a degree of perfection. Years ago we find Wallace Beery training elephants with Fourpaugh’s Circus; at another time we find him doing chorus work in one of Henry W. Savage’s companies. That he had a fine voice goes without saying, and probably this, in conjunction with his physical mannish appearance, were contributory causes in his being elevated to stardom overnight — when he succeeded Raymond Hitchcock, when the latter suddenly became ill. It did not take long for the public to begin to realize the capabilities and immensity of latent power hidden in the dominant man they say before them, and so, as a consistent follow-up on the stage of success, we find him, with many other deep-thinking persons, looking toward the moving picture field for a greater outlet of their acting ability. The greatness of Wallace Beery is shown at this juncture, for he is proud to readily admit that it was owing to the initial help of Mickey Nielan, and the kindness of Blanche Sweet in “The Unpardonable Sin,” which gave him his first consistent start in the moving picture field. Before this time, he had had a year with Sir Henry Irving, and did picture work AUTHORS’ SERVICE BUREAU Manuscripts and Photoplays Typed and Revised. Reasonable Rates. Prompt Service. JANE HOLCOMB, 423 Grosse Bldg. with Essanay for three years; also we find him with Keystone for two years, and eventually he went to Japan to make pictures, but this became a failure on account of the war, which was then rocking the Universe; so he returned to this country, where, as we have said before, Mickey Nielan gave him his big chance. Following “The Unpardonable Sin,” let us give you a general idea of some of the greater features in which Wallace Beery has helped to establish his fame as a “bad man” of the screen. “Behind the Door,” “The Last of the Mohicans,” with Douglas Fairbanks in the “Mollycoddle,” with Priscilla Dean in “Wild Honey,” with Dorothy Phillips in “Hurricane’s Gal,” with Douglas Fairbanks in “Robin Hood,” then the great superfeature “Thundering Dawn” and the Universal feature "Drifting,” and the few which are yet to come in which he takes a conspicuous part are “The White Tigress” and the all-star fea ture “The Flame of Life,” also “The Talisman,” and others. As we are writing we have received authentic information that Wallace Beery has received a very flattering offer to make a trip to London, England, at the behest of Mr. Graham Wilcox to play the title role in “Chu Chin Chow,” to be picturized June 1st, and most of the scenes to be taken actually in India and Egypt. Mr. Beery is considering taking this trip, so you can see from the foregoing that the success of Wallace Beery is not attributable to accident. His has been the consistent effort of perseverance, consistent effort, plus mental adaptability, and ability for stage and screen life. Those people who know Wallace Beery as a “He-man” of the screen little know the real worth of the man off the screen. He is very philosophical, has a broad way of expounding his views of the day, is intelligent to a high degree, and is a natural conversationalist. A few more men such as Wallace Beery on the screen would help to make the silent drama a consecutive series of masterpieces, and the writer takes the view that there are all too few such in the moving picture colony today, and for this reason we have gone to some length in placing before you an exposition of a man who, in the face of the natural trials and tribulations which beset him, arose to a point where the masses speak of him with the deepest respect and admiration. Kathryn Meyer’s paragraph for this issue: They have told us that seeing is believing. Well, we sure ought to believe the girls of today then. 217 w. Sisitn St. 751 S. Broadway (fornterfa HE CHOCOLATE SHOPS) A >» under nevJ& efficient management A blend of delicious food and superior service in an environment of artistry and refinement gives character to the “Brown” Shops Luncheon DINNER Fountain Service Candy Ragtime Calif. Golden Per lb. $1.00 Pastry That Is Different V.