Life and Lillian Gish (1932)

220 Life and Lillian Gish next morning Miss Gish was as bright and cheery as ever, and we were able to go ahead with the rest of the picture. One last word: personal contact with Lillian Gish did not destroy any of the idealism she created on the screen for me. To those who have known her only in that way, I promise there is no disappointment in meeting her face to face. Miss Moir remembers that these final scenes of Mimi's life lasted about a week, and that everyone was relieved when they were over. Lillian herself was so exhausted that her voice had sunk almost to a whisper, and she had hardly sufficient strength to walk. "Poor Renee Adoree was constantly coming back to her dressing room for a fresh supply of handkerchiefs. During the sequence where Mimi is dragging herself back to Rodolphe, to die — the bus, to the back of which she was clinging, suddenly lost a wheel, and it was only by a miracle that she escaped having both legs crushed under the heavy vehicle." It was near the end of December, 1925, that "La Boheme" was finished, and it was two months later, February 24, at the Embassy Theatre, New York, that it had its first showing. Lillian was not present. To this day, she has never seen "La Boheme" given with its musical accompaniment — not the original Puccini score, the cost of which was prohibitive, but a very lovely adaptation expressing something of the feeling and mood. "La Boheme," a picture of much sorrow and little brightness, was sympathetically received and left a deep and lasting impression. Except, possibly, in "Broken Blossoms," Lillian had never appeared so effectively — in a picture so suited to her gifts. It was a big night at the Embassy. Social New York