Motion Picture Magazine (Feb-Jul 1923)

Letters to the Editor Letters to the editor cannot be used in this department unless the name and address of the writer is given, desires that only initials be used in publication, it is requested that this be specified If the writer Plaudits for the character actor. The director and King Baggot. And a suggestion of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks as Romeo and Juliet. Dear Editor : Tho a reader of your very good magazine for many years I have never c#ntributed anything to one of the most interesting departments, so I trust that my letter will meet with your approval. I am heartily in sympathy with E. P. B.'s letter in the April issue regarding the character actor — indeed we should not forget the character actor, great praise is due him and many times I have seen pictures where I felt that the "heavy" was the star of the production. Being that E. P. B. has reminded you not to be forgetful of the character actor, I would like to he permitted to speak in behalf of another connected with the picture — the director. To my mind the director is the one most responsible for the picture, tho he is usually left in the background while everybody sings preans of praise for the winsome leading lady, the handsome leading man, the clever character actor and the adorable juvenile — but the director is left out in the cold. This is not as it should be. Surely the director is entitled to his share of the plaudits, but does he get them? No! With few exceptions does a director get any consideration from a very large majority of the fans. (Tho I will admit that from my personal observation among other fans I feel that more interest is awakening for the directors.) Fans write to the leading man and tell him how adorably he made love to the heroine in the garden-scene — he's the one who gets the praise, when nine chances out of ten he doesn't know how to love at all, but his director does. Again, fans write to the leading lady and tell her how much they adore that cute mannerism she has of shaking her finger at the hero in the last scene, when to get right down to "brass tacks" she never used that mannerism in her life before, but her director has and it was one of his many mannerisms that endeared him to his thousands of followers. So there it goes. Knowing something of the "inside" of motion pictures I realize what a "grind" the director has, no matter how much he loves his work it is trying just the same, and I am sure that if those of you who do not yet appreciate our directors could watch any one of them work one hour that you would never again neglect to give the director his share of the plaudits My favorite director is King Baggot. All the years that Mr. Baggot was appearing on the screen he was my favorite actor and now that he is directing, he still remains my favorite and always will. There are no pictures that I look forward to with so much joy as I do King Baggot's and I am never disappointed. Never (T\ in all the vears that I have f) 58 LAG£. known Mr. Baggot on the screen has his name ever appeared in connection with any but good, clean wholesome, entertaining pictures. A man who can take a simple, little story and make it not only thoroly interesting and entertaining but a thing of beauty is master of his art. Mr. Baggot is an artiste of splendid ability, his artistry is second to none, and I, as an adoring fan, will stand King Baggot right up beside D. W. Griffith himself. More power to you King Baggot ! ! I want to see your name in electric lights on Broadway, N. Y., on Broadway, L. A. ; in fact on all the Broadways all over the land. It is the endearing "human touch," the directness of appeal, the sweet simplicity which have made Mr. Baggot's pictures very dear to me and the characters of his pictures are always people who I know and love and understand. Could one ask for more? Everyone of his pictures bears an indelible stamp of sincerity, and his attention to every minute detail is unsurpassable. King Baggot! A man whose name alone is a safeguard against censorship and an absolute assurance of a clean screen and good entertainment. When it comes to the human touch that reaches right out and grips your heart-strings, King Baggot certainly "delivers the goods" whether behind the megaphone or before the camera— kindly excuse my using the vernacular. One word for "Romeo and Juliet" before closing. We have long wanted our beloved Mary and Doug to make a picture together— to my way of thinking, they are the ideal pair to make "Romeo and Juliet." Douglas Fairbanks as Romeo ? Yes ! ! Mr. Fairbanks has never appealed to me as the romantic lover, but after seeing his beautiful portrayal as Maid Marion's lover in "Robin Hood," I made up my mind right then and there that I wanted Dougand Alary to make "Romeo and Juliet" together. I sincerely wish that fans would sign their letters with their full names and correct addresses in full, instead of initials or a pseudonym. With best wishes, I am, Very sincerely, Mrs. Lorenz Stevens, 711 Superba St., Venice, California. The artistry and success of the recent historical pictures suggests a screen version of Ivanhoe and The Lady of the Lake. Dear Editor : "All Hail !" we cry, we weary "movie" lovers. "All Hail, to better pictures." Wearied by the long and tiresome reign of "society dramas" we greet the newer, better pictures with joy. One of the latest of these is "When Knighthood Was In Flower" a flawless picture {Continued on page 95) One word for "Romeo and Juliet" before closing. We have long wanted our beloved Mary and Doug to make a picture together — to my way of thinking, they are the ideal pair to make "Romeo and Juliet"