Close Up (Oct 1920 - Aug 1923)

BY THE MAN BEHIND ‘CLOSE-UP’ ESTELLE TAYLOR There are many motion picture celebrities in the moving picture profession who are constantly in the public eye, (sometimes unnecessarily so). These are the kind who are secretly designated by scurrilent newspapers as fit objects to scandalize for many unaccountable reasons, and they are usually unjustified. Miss Estelle Taylor has been focused occasionally in the public eye, through fans, and malicious gossips. This young lady, wrho in my estimation is one of the finest actresses on the screen today, deserves all the publicity she can get as a reward for her meritorious efforts on the screen. I have often wondered to myself why a famous person should be censured for trivial or careless acts that are usually passed by if I, or you, commit them. Why is it necessary to punctuate a person’s ambition with shameful stories that only lead to heartaches, and possible degradation of that person’s art. It is a foregone conclusion that anyone who is very beautiful becomes a target of more malicious envy and gossip than others who have less pulchritude. I have known Miss Taylor a long time in her artistic achievements. I have had every opportunity to study this young lady at close and long range, and except for spontaneous outbursts of merriment when working, I have never known her to have done anything which should bring censure to her as an artist. Unfortunately, on account of her startling type of beauty, producers who have only type in mind have placed Estelle Taylor before you either as a vamp or a villainess. Both of these characters are totally foreign to her private life. Were you to see her amidst her home surroundings you would marvel at such an appellation in reference to her. I know it is her ambition to play parts on the screen that would beget your admiration and whole-hearted support in more lovable characters than she has been allowed to play in the past. Estelle Taylor is more of a homebody than one would suppose. She is so conscientious in her artistry that she devotes most of her time to studying the parts which she is later to portray. She even designs and creates the very costumes which she wears for the screen. She has a lovable disposition, which is very apparent when you enter her home on Cahuenga avenue and see her numerous four-footed pets. Recently there appeared at Loew’s State Theatre "Thorns and Orange Blossoms,’’ in which Miss Taylor was featured. She hopes that will be the last picture which you will see in which she will have to play an unsympathetic part. Her first step towards showing you the sweetness of her nature as an actress will be that of the "Princess,” which will shortly be released, namely, “Bavu.” A few days ago she was engaged to play in an all-star feature production which is being produced at the Hollywood studios, and this is in keeping with her avowed determination to discard vampirish parts in her future career. Estelle Taylor is loved and admired by everybody in the cinema profession. She has a disposition that doesn’t believe in class or big-headedness. She is a grateful for an “extra’s commendation as she is for others situated in better walks of life. She is known for her proverbial generosity towards others, and possesses a mind which has great indications of schoL astic attainment. She is never satisfied until she understands the subject which at the time engrosses her attention. She i_s in search of truth and the right kind of truth, and with all this she has a healthy mind, which finds open expression in healthy outdoor sports. In other words, Miss Taylor is a normal human being who TOPSY’S DEAD! By M. L. The most of us mourn for our husbands and wives, The dear cherished face of a mother or son, But all of us weep for the passing of lives The Reaper has cut from the path he was on. I’m grieving tonight for my very best friend! She journeyed, but left me a fine epilogue: A token of love that remained at the end — A wag from the tip of the tail of my dog! WALLACE BEERY IS REALISTIC Wallace Beery, who is playing the title role in the Associated Authors production of “Richard the Lion Hearted,” at the Thomas H. Ince studios, became so excited during the filming of one of the big fight scenes in the picture that he nearly broke the neck of one of the extras playing with him. The unfortunate chap, who was one of the horde of “Saracens” with whom the king fights, leaped at Beery’ throat with his dagger. Beery, grabbing him by the neck, threw him down some steps with such force that a vertebrae in the man’s neck was dislocated. A hurry call was sent to the Culver City Hospital and a doctor, after working for some time with the unconscious man, manipulated the vertebrae back into its right and natural place. has made the most of her ability, and hopes that as time progresses her achievements will place her in a class of cinematic fame in which the “Upper Ten” reign. In conclusion, I might state that my object in starting off this article in the way that I have should in itself act as a betterment to that future “First Opinio.n” that you usually form of another human being. And so having said this, it is with a great deal of pleasure that it has been my privilege to have said a few words regarding a lady who is fully worth while from every angle which the feminine sex relegates to the ideal conception of womanhood.