Motion Picture Magazine (Feb-Jul 1920)

Q MOTION piCTURF ! I MAGAZINE L Martha H. — Haven't the magazine you refer to. Sorry. Duckson Drakes. — So you have never written to me before, but, remembering what Nat Goodwin said, "It's never too late to be sorry," you thought you'd write. You say your father, who was a Ph.D., told you that educated men were paid less than day laborers ! I'll agree with dad. No, I dont see all the shows. Have a pass for nearly all the New York shows. Otherwise, how could I do it on $9 per? Do write often, but not so long. Ruth Clifford in "The Amazing Woman." They're all amazing. Pearl W. L.— How in Sam Hill do' I know whether Tom Moore ever lived at Clark Street in Toledo or any other street in Toledo? Do you think there is no limit to my information? Next you folks will be asking what street Adam and Eve lived on, and what make of phonograph they preferred. Yes, Mary Pickford's and Muriel Ostriche's curls are real. Payance. — Hurrah ! You say I am made of the real thing, all but my hair. Well, my hair may be false, but my teeth aren't. Nothing I can do so you people in South America can get newer pictures, until the international air service goes into effect. William Russell is playing in "The Valley of Tomorrow." Joseph F. ; Aussie ■; Mrs. G. M., Sydney ; Linna L. ; and Mrs. T. C. — Yours have been answered somewhere, and space is too scarce to repeat. C. V. S., 17.— Well, my word ! You say, "At last I have screwed up courage to write to you ! For four years I have worshipped from afar, and eagerly perused your columns, now, dear Answer Man, I am writing to let you know of my admiration, my screen favorite, and last, but not least, to ask of you a favor." I feel it coming on, so near, and yet so far. You had better join one of the correspondence clubs. Wish T could grant your favor, but I never tell my name. It's against our editorial policy. (P'r'aps they are afraid I'll escape from my cage and somebody will steal me.) Smiles. — Your five-page letter received. You certainly know how to write letters. Ye gods and little fishes, child, you want to know why there are so many divorces nowadays and so few happy marriages ! I dont like to talk about it — but, but — oh, ask me some other time. Sadie J. — Cant tell from your description. Cant you get the title? Mav S. — Answer Men are privileged characters ; they have a right to be ink-consistent. Agnes Ayres is playing in Cecil De Mille's next picture. Yes, Elliott Dexter has returned to the screen, and by the time this is in print you will "probably see him. Send a stamped, addressed envelope if you want a hurryup answer. Helen J. — Yes, Helen, we all have faults, and you may find your worst enemy or your best friend in yourself. Yes, and some movie actors only stop knocking the business long enough to receive their salaries. Yes, that was Marc MacDermott. 1083. — Maurice Costello is working at Vitagraph in character parts. Bill Hart, Los Angeles, Cal., will get him. The play was taken from the book. Have the money order made out in U. S. money, you paying the exchange at your end. Come again, old chap. Nottingville. — Let me know if you dont get the magazines. There are two kinds of stars — the kind that is talented and the kind that is easily moulded. Some persons are born with the ability to act and to depict emotion, while others have to be taught what to do. It is hard to inform you which of these two kinds is the greater. I am told that Mr. Griffith always prefers the raw material and not the finished artist. He maintains that the latter usually has a set way of doing things, whereas a beginner is not bounden by any code of rules. The director's role is that of a hypnotist, in a way, for he gets control of his plastic subject and moulds it to his liking. He sees in his mind's eye the character that is to be portrayed and he seeks to transform the player into that character. Perhaps the majority of our motion picture stars today are directormade. The director is monarch o'er all he surveys. However gifted and talented the star may be, he or she has to do the thing as the director orders. Of course, it is a great art to be able to do all that you are told to do, and the person who does not have to be told does not exist. So much for that. Helen A. W.— No, the director is not responsible for the lighting — it's the camera-man. Joe. — Dr. Carey tells us in his "The Wonders of the Human Body," that the human skeleton contains 165 bones, 500 muscles ; the length of the alimentary canal is 32 feet ; amount of blood in the average adult, 30 pounds, or 1.5 the weight of the body ; the heart is 6 inches in length and 4 inches in diameter and beats 70 times per minute. Why, Valeska Suratt is not playing in pictures, and Theda Bara is going on the stage in a vaudeville sketch. Write me again, Joe. Red Feather— A good tale is never the worse for being twice told, so tell us another one. You want to know why George Walsh never kisses his leading ladies. Maybe Mrs. George wont let him. Anzac. — Whence all those words? Thy vocabulary is extensive. Mary Miles Minter, Realart Pictures, Los Angeles, Cal. Why dont you send international coupons ? Kelly. — Hello, Kelly ! No, I haven't gotten my spring suit out yet. It's in cold storage. I'm saving up to buy a straw hat now. How do I know whether you have a screen face or not? You'll have to have a test picture made at one of the studios. Slide, Kelly, slide! Joseph H. — Why, they advertise with us, so they must be O. K. Just as I have always said, the wise man thinks he knows but little and the fool thinks he knows it all. We all have a lot to learn. Yes, our Virginia Brown, who will change her name to Virginia Faire, will play in "Runnin' Straight" at Universal City. F. M., Roxbury. — You say there is a new collar out called "The Argonne," and ask why wouldn't "Belleau Wood" be an appropriate name for a collar. In a great many cases it would. Have got to hand it to you. Yes, we acquire the habits and practices of those we live with ; hence the importance of associating with the best company. (Continued on page 115) AG£