Photoplay (Jan - Jun 1922)

Plays and Players The livest, most accurate, and most interesting news and comment about motion picture people By CAL. YORK MARYON AYE, vaudeville star, has just signed the first movie contract with a "morality clause" in it. This young actress put her name to something that reads like this: "SAID party of the second part will at all limes conduct herself in public in such a manner as not to subject herself to any great amount of publicity or criticism of said conduct." Will Rogers, as usual, pulled the most pertinent remarks on the subject: "I hear they're going to put what they call a morality clause in contracts," said Rogers. "They've appointed a committee to see about it. Don't suppose they'll take any action until the committee finds out what morality means. And if any of them guys asks me to sign a contract with that kind of a gewgaw in it, I'm going to tell him, 'Well, you sign it yourself first.' " MAE MARSH'S play, "Brittie," has not yet had its New York premier; but the advance notices from out-of-town are distinctly favorable. The star plays a little slavey with all the famous Mae Marsh pathos. IN his quest for "New Faces for Old," Samuel Goldwyn is entirely sincere. He practices what he preaches. The other day he signed up James Rennie for a big picture, with an option on the actor's services for two years. In spite of the fact that he was Dorothy Gish's leading man in several comedies, Mr. Rennie's is a new face to screen-goers. He is exceedingly— and deservedly — popular on the stage. If "Pot Luck" hadn't closed prematurely, he probably wouldn't be going to California now. Dorothy Gish is consoling herself that it is only for four weeks. After that, Jim will come back east, or Dorothy and her mother, who is just recuperating after her long and serious illness, will go out west to join him. Lillian? I think it's the stage next season for the beautiful Griffith heroine. HERE'S Barbara La Mar, whom you saw and admired as Milady in Douglas Fairbanks' "The Three Musketeers." Miss La Mar has not always been a film queen. Once, she was little Reatha Watson, and figured in four marriages, and was advised by a judge to leave Los Angeles, California, because she was too beautiful. 86 She took the advice and left, only to come back as Barbara La Mar, and to "come back" is probably the most difficult thing in the world. But she did; first as an ingenue and then she was acclaimed one of the screen's most beautiful girls. She is now happily married, and is sought after by the producers to play important parts. Barb arbara La Mar's beauty got her into a lot of trouble, but now it s earning a big salary CLARA WHIPPLE YOUNG was granted a divorce from James Young — former husband of Clara Kimball Young — in the Los Angeles divorce courts the other day. The second Mrs. Young declared that Jimmy insisted on twin beds. The furniture dealers should be forbidden to sell 'em if they're actually grounds for divorce. AT a hearing on the proposed ordinnace providing for the establishment of a board of motion picture censors in Los Angeles, the old arguments both pro and con were retailed. One reverend Breigleib — that may not be exactly right, but it's some appellation of that character — orated at length, taking as his text a subtitle from Marie Prevost's first starring vehicle — ONE DIMPLE IN THE KNEE IS WORTH TWO IN THE CHEEK. It distressed the reverend gentleman ex tremely. Evidently, he had never seen Marie's knees. SPEAKING of ministers— Will Rogers addressed a meeting of them recently. On the censorship bill. One preacher had spoken and Bill got up to answer him. "Now," said the famous cowboy, "I want to explain something. I was in that brother's church last Sunday evenin' an' — " "Don't believe it," shouted the pastor, "don't believe he was ever in my church Don't believe he was there last Sunday night. If he was, let him tell what I preached about. Tell me my text." Bill twisted his hat, hung his head. "Well, brother, you got me there. I can't do it. I can't tell you what you preached about. But you bet next time I go to your church, I'll stay awake and hear what you say." MY young friend Al Wilkie, Cecil deMille press agent de luxe, is responsible for the announcement that the new deMille feature "Saturday Night" is not a bathing picture. It isn't. But, oh boy, wait until you see the new bathroom in it and what's in it. A PRETTY little movie actress was coming out of a drug store on Hollywood Boulevard. She paused at the news stand and saw the Hollywood daily paper, prominently displayed, sporting a three-column cut of William Shakespeare on the front page. "Who's that?" she demanded of her escort. "Will Shakespeare," said that enlightened young man. "Well, my gracious, what's he been up to to get his face on the front page of the paper?" demanded the brilliant young thing. WE do not wish to dwell on the Arbuckle disaster. But this is too good to lose. "Yep," said Will Rogers to a friend, "I been hired to do the story they was goin' to have Arbuckle do. I — I got a little money for doin' it, too. Well, yu see, here's where virtue and ignorance finally cum into their own." YOU just never can tell about these blond ingenues. Never ! Now when our little Bebe of the sparkling black eyes and the wicked Spanish walk and the pouted mouth was arrested for speeding, we felt bad, but not wholly surprised. But Mary Miles Minter — she of the blonde curls and the round blue eyes — and four times in one day. Well, as my grandmother (Continued on page 88)