Modern Screen (Dec 1934 - Nov 1935)

dURING the past month I've had a lot of letters from folks who want to make the world laugh. Several have told me that in planning this course of instruction I lean too heavily on the dramatic side of acting. So — as I've explained to you, this is your department and your wish is my law — this month I bring you Una Merkel, one of the greatest comediennes on the screen. She is not only a splendid actress but a gracious and charming person and I'm sure that you'll find what she has to say not only instructive but entertaining as well. Incidentally, before I go on, let me remind you that there is still plenty of room for Modern Screen Dramatic Clubs. Those who have already formed them tell me they're having the time of their lives. So the rest of you should get in on the fun. Write to me, care of Modern Screen's Dramatic School, 149 Madison Ave., New York City, enclose a self -addressed, stamped envelope and I'll send you full instructions for starting a club in your community. Also I'm more than willing to answer any and all of your personal dramatic problems. And now for Una and helper fectly slick lecture. "It's an almost daily wonder to me that I won success by being considered funny. Although I always loved fun in others, I'm not funny at home and my folks never thought of me modern Screen's Una Merkel, one of the screen's most reliable comediennes, is this month's guest lecturer. as a comic. So, perhaps it boils down to this : Don't be yourself, be your opposite. If you want to be funny, be serious. If you take yourself seriously, you will flop just as I did at the start. "If you happen to be cursed with an inferiority complex, as I am, conquer it by doing the things you don't wish to do. "And now I will answer the question, how did I become a comedienne ? Audiences may think I was born that way. On the contrary, I had to make myself over, once I got the idea of screen fun. "AS A child, I was a straight-laced little piece. Always scrubbed a bright pink, I wore the largest of hair ribbons, and rarely went outside to play. Even today I am methodical and almost prissy. "I was bitten by the acting bug at an early age. I can remember plaguing my family to listen to lectures I delivered while I was holding the family dictionary — to make it seem authentic. I'd dress up in mother's clothes and put on shows. One night a cousin of mine laughed in the wrong place. There was no show that night. I walked off the platform to stay. That was, I believe, my first and last display of 'temperament.' "The love of acting followed me throughout my school years, and when I was graduated, I decided to go to a dramatic school. I think such training most valuable. "I had no idea of making acting a career. I had hopes of some day being able to teach dramatics, and I still have the book in which I wrote down copious notes covering everything I learned from my lessons. You see, I figured they might be valuable to pass along to my pupils in the future. "When I worked in silent pictures, they compared me to Lillian Gish, and I did my best to live up to that comparison. My first roles on the stage were Gishy things. I soon learned, however, that seriousness and this voice of mine just wouldn't mix. I just didn't go over as a dramatic actress. "As I've come along, I've conceived the philosophy that all of us with inferiority complexes strike a better medium of expression by doing the type of thing that is directly opposite to our natures. Mine is one of many such cases. OF COURSE, there are general rules to consider if one is to be a success in any line. But in acting one has to find out many things for himself. Every comedian has his own way of working. Often the best results are achieved by doing a thing the wrong way. "Charlie Butterworth, Stuart Erwin, Ted Healy and all the comedians I know have a way all their own of going about a thing. They use their physical selves, or rather their personalities, to project what they have inside. Each one could be given the same scene with the same lines, yet because of their personalities each performance would be entirely different. "To be successful, salesmen must believe in their product, even if they have to kid themselves into it. The same thing applies to comedy. It is better to create a reason for believing in a thing, than to have none. "I do not advise working out a comedy situation, for I think spontaneity is best, as far as comedy is concerned. The biggest laughs come when you don't think of humor. It's fatal to try to be funny. I (Continued on page 91) School Katketine -flllrett This month Una merkel tells you how to be funny 62