Motography (Apr-Jun 1916)

June 17, 1916. MOTOGRAPHY 1363 The Leopard Lady HOW PRINCESS OLGA CELESTE MAKES THE SELIG ANIMALS ACT By Genevieve Harris IF an angry leopard turned and snarled at you, could you love the beast because he was so "fresh"? If a temperamental tiger kept you waiting from nine o'clock in the morning until three in the afternoon before he graciously consented to pose for the camera, would you regard him as a rather naughty but dear child? The ability to do this, plus steady nerves and quiet, never-failing courage, gives a little brown-eyed woman, known professionally as Princess Olga Celeste, complete command over the "big cats" who are important members of the casts of so many Selig picture dramas. When those delicious thrills which come when the defenceless heroine faces a roaring lion or a treacherous tiger are to be put into the films for the patrons of your theater, the leading lady may very well "register" terror (a terror more real, perhaps, than the audience knows), but there must be nearby someone who is not afraid, who can soothe and command the animals, someone whom they love and respect. And this "man behind" in the Selig animal dramas is frequently a woman, Princess Olga. "Working with animals in a picture drama is harder than in any exhibition or circus for the reason that the animals must really act for the films, not just go through mechanical stunts rehearsed many times before," says the little trainer. "Yes, many of our animals are excellent actors. Talent varies with them as with human players. As a rule, I think wild animals have more ability than domestic animals. They get your idea more quickly and, if they wish, are more clever in working it out. A leopard is much easier to train than a dog. Leopards are usually good actors. They are my favorites because they are never afraid. They will attack any other animals, even larger than they, and they are not at all afraid to attack a trainer." Miss Olga's tone implied that her love for the animals was largely founded on this trait. I doubt whether it would increase my affection for the spotted creatures, except when they are behind strong bars, but since the princess had demonstrated her fondness for her pets by bringing five of them with her on her trip from the coast to Chicago, I could not doubt her sincerity. "Then, too," she continued, "leopards are willing to use their own originality a bit. They frequently invent bits of 'business'. For instance, in the comedy, 'A Boarding House Ham,' the players rush madly from the room when the leopards appear, and One Of the men drops a roll -There is always danger "Sap ho," Princess Olga's favorite, is a good actress and easy to direct. of bills. To the surprise of us all one of the leopards ^ picked up the money and gave it to one of the players. That was a play in which every t thing went well with ^ the animals, and there 4§i . . J? were few re-takes. The most dangerous part was w h e n we packed six leopards into one trunk. They got to fighting and were quite peevish when I pulled them out." In this drama, you will remember, Miss Olga, who plays a role, curls up on a bed with her "peevish" pets, just out of the trunk, beside her. "The animals gave us much trouble in the play 'Thou Shalt Not Covet.' We worked for days on some scenes. And I nearly lost my life on several occasions in the 'Kathlyn' series. There is always danger in an animal act. We know when we begin one that our animal partners may turn against us for any slight reason. But we really are not afraid, for one thought of fear would be instantly detected by the creatures, almost before we were conscious of it ourselves. So we must eliminate all fear and nervousness. Close study and love for the animals helps us in this, but the ability to command them is largely a gift. Instinctively they respect some people. I have worked with the Selig studios for seven years, in Florida first and later on the west coast. I love the animals, those who are good because they try to please, those who are bad because they have so much spirit. And I guess that is, after all, the real secret of my influence over them." "Of course, the animals have to be properly disciplined. They are taught that the trainer is master. I use a heavy whip to make them obey. This whip is my only weapon when I am working with them. I never carry a revolver. In working in the studio in an animal act, our best protection is a well planned set of exits, so that we can easily escape. However, we must be very careful never to let the animals know we are running from them. That would be fatal. One of my favorites was nearly ruined as an actor one day because, as I led him across the studio yard, one of the girls . saw him and ran away. He snarled and tried to follow her and when I jerked him back, he sprang at me. I fought him off and finally subdued him, but I could never be sure of him again." But most of Princess Olga's pets accept her authority without i questioning it. Rather, they are glad an animal act.'' to do as she orders them.