Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1919)

S.i Photoplay Magazine They're Both Englishmen Percy Marmont ( Lontinuid jrom page j8 ) Girl," the piclurizaiion of "The Three Bears," in which he played his original role. Then he worked with Alice Brady in Tn the Hollow of Her Hantl"; and followed this with another braiiy film,. "The Indestructible Wife,"' while he continued (le-\"arville-ing evenings with Ethel-Caniille. Then the li^rit. claimed him for a while to the exclusion of the hlms. He had leading parts in "The Laughter of Fools" and Thomas Di.xons "The Invisible Foe." And then he settled down to a comparatively easy life in Manhattan — bought a lountn.' place in Whitestone, Long Island, and signed a longterm contract with Vitagraph. Marmont is English ; you know that. It was a touring company with "The Only Way,"' dramatized from "A Tale of Two Cities,'" that awakened the dramatic instinct in young Marmont and lured him away from three certain squares a day to the vicissitudes of an actor's life in "the provinces." Then came an Australian trip as the juvenile member of a musical comedy organization. Luckily, the company made enough to get back to England and the youth who might have made another Clifton Crawford enteretl the support of Sir George Alexander, with whcm he played for several seasons. Later he also appeared with Sir Herbert Tree and Cyril Maude, toured the British Isles with his own production of "The Blindness of Virtue," and for three years was the featured actor at the Liverpool Repertory Theatre in plays from Shaw. Barrie, Galsworthy — and the Drury Lane. Marmont left England at the head of a company which sailed for South Africa, where he was starred in a series of American farces including "Too INIany Cooks," "Fair and Warmer," and "The Boomerang." From Africa the company proceeded to Australia, where it also revived Gerald du Manner's "London I'ride."' Xot long after he came to this country. Nigel Barrie (Continued jrom page yg) played everything in the classical from Romeo to Falstaff. It was musical comedy that took him over to this country. He played the waltzing count in "The Count of Luxemburg" and the singing minstrel in "Gypsy Love." Then with amazing versatility, he took the role opposite Grace George in "Half an Hour" by his distinguished kinsman, James M. Barrie. But it was a cherry phosphate that sent him into the movies. "I was drinking it at a drug-store soda-fountain," he explained. "There were three of us standing before the marbletop — a fat lady with a chocolate sundae, a grave little man with a strawberry soda, and I with my cherry. When all of a sudden: T beg your pardon, but aren't you an actor?' asked the strawberry soda. I acknow-ledged it and he went on to suggest that I was a good screen type and ought to get into the films. \\. this point, we noticed that the chocolate sundae was becoming too interested, so he gave me his card and told me to come up to his office and talk it over. The card had the name of James Young, which meant little to me then. "I didn't take his advice at once, but when my engagement with Joan Sawyer closed I remembered my kind and temperate friend of the soda fountain and decided to see if he was right. My first picture was "When My Ship Comes In,' where I played opposite Jane Grey. Then I did the 'Babs' series with Marguerite Clark — 'Bab"s Diary,' 'Bab's Burglar' and ■Bab"s Matinee Idol.' Later came 'A Widow by Proxy,' also with Miss Clark, and 'Josslyn"s Wife' and 'Tangled Threads' with Bessie Barriscale. Then thg war broke in and from igiy to 191Q I wasn't thinking about the films. My first picture after the war was 'The Better Wife,' with Clara Kimball Young. It gave me the greatest opportunity I had found up to that time — or perhaps it was largely the background of that most excellent cast," said Mr. Barrie modestly. After the Lock-Out of Local 36, Actors' Union HtTo pickets prevent scab colleague from working wlien the heroine most particularly needs Kelp. jLondon Punch] ■-«U