The New Movie Magazine (Dec 1929-May 1930)

Half a ton of comedy. The Floradora boys of the big Warner Brothers revue, "The Show of Shows." From left to right: Ben Turpin, Heinie Conklin, Lupino Lane, Lee Moran, Bert Roach and Lloyd Hamilton. Talk about all star sextettes! Here's a real one. Chaplin Knew Best (Continued from page 77) There is a cute secretary. She ask me what I can do. I say, 'Sing and dance and roll my eyes.' " 'If you can sing and dance like you roll your eyes, you are all right. You go down to the Forty-Fourth street theater on Thursday. I will speak a good word for you,' she tells me. "I go and see all those girls on the stage on their toes. 'Mon Dieu, I can never be able to do that!' I say. But I keep coming. And when they call for chorus girls — They say nothing when I am finished. I keep coming. Finally, I say when will they choose us. "'You were chose a long time ago!' they tell me. " 'Why you not tell me?' " 'We want to see how long you keep coming.' "I thought I am a success. But I am in the road show. At first I feel bad and then I think, 'Never mind. I can now see the country with somebody paying for it.' I like so mooch to travel. "I get thirty-five dollars per week and then I go with Gallagher and Skeets at sixty! I am in Heaven Now I am beeg American actress. "But the show closes. I forget that shows close. I must do something queek. I model for arteests. I model for clothes. Then I go on vaudeville. We play Los Angeles. My dressingroom is next to Theodore Roberts. I lof heem. He ees seeck. He ees on crutches. He cannot go out for hees dinners. I eet with heem. I teach heem French lessons. I theenk I make your Theodore Roberts happy. I am happy. 112 But he say just what Charlie Chaplin say, 'Don't try to get into the movies, Fifi. Make good on the stage and they will come to you. Then you will have two chances. And you will make more money.' T REMEMBER what Charlie ■I Chaplin say and I decide I better not try pictures the second time while I am in Los Angeles. "But I want to make good in a hurry. I want to get beeg on the stage. I leave the act queek and go back to New York to become a beeg stage lady. "And for nine months I haf no work. I have leetle and leetler money. I haf nervous breakdown. I haf to cry. Then I get again desperate. I must get work. I will not be beeg American actress sitting in a tiny bedroom and crying. I know what Paul Ash done for Helen Kane. I know he has helped other girls. "He is having an amateur try-out at the Paramount Theatre in Brooklyn. I go and say I want to go on first before the other twelve girls. I theenk by the time he has heard six or seven he will pay no attention and I will not haf a chance. He read my mind and say, 'You are a wise baby. Go first.' "He put me over. I sing 'Give the Little Baby Lots of Loving.' Then eet becomes my lucky song. I sing 'My Man* in French. I am glad I haf stage experience or I would be frozen. He took my hand. He make much over me. I get hired. "I am Meestress of ceremonies. I introduce Rudy Vallee. All the girls — Oo-la-la. They come back to see me. Flappers. Society women. They want me to introduce Monsieur Vallee. He ees a nice kid. I like him but — the women they fall over themselves to get to him. WHEN I go on the road, I get my notice. Then for one week I go over beeg and they take it back. But it is good one week and not so good the next. I hav lof. I theenk I stop and marry. But, non, Mr. Fox make me a vamp instead of a mamma." Fifi Dorsay has something new to offer the screen. Raoul Walsh, who has just finished directing her, says, "She has a greater future than any new actress." He says she doesn't need direction. "Just let her be herself and she's all that is needed in any picture." Fifi isn't temperamental. She says so herself. "Non. Eet ees bad to be temperamental. I am no. I am eezy to handle. You haf hear that I go home the othernight from 'The New Orleans Frolics'. But I am so tired. I work all day with Meester McLaglen. Then at midnight I must do an act for the Frolics. I am spoiled by Mr. Borzage and Mr. Walsh, who are always so kind to me. But I do not tell thees new director anything. I say nothing. I just go home." Shades of Pola Negri, Maria Corda, Jetta Goudal and Greta Garbo. She just go home — but she ees not temperamental !