Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1926)

THE story of those who knew popii' larity — lost it— then fought back until their names now shine with greater glory By Ruth Waterbury Be sweet, the producers commanded Blanche for years. Be sweet and wistful — and Blanche, who naturally is as wistful as a keg of dynamite, hid herreal talents and lost her real public Blanche's anger, and art, got outle ts when she played "Anna Christie." It was a hard, bitter, beautiful performance. It stamped Blanche as a great actress and a box-office success Photo tii Hartsotik the club — James Cruze, Herbert Brenon and Sidney Olcott. All of them had known fame and popularity. Each of them learned what it meant to lose it. Today, all honor and credit to them, they have all come back and made their names more significant than before. There are those that didn't come back, you know, those who tried, as honestly, as hopefully, as any in the illustrious group above. Theda Bara made a two-reel comedy, a good comedy, to be sure, but one in which she did nothing worthy of her undoubted talents. Beverly Bayne, Bushman's wife; Clara Kimball Young of the deep, dark eyes, William Farnum, Elsie Ferguson, the aristocrat; Madge Kennedy, Alice Lake, Jewel Carmen, Wanda Hawley, Mable Normand, vivacious, lovely Mable; little Mary Miles Minter, Ethel Clayton, Katherine McDonald, Anita Stewart and Violet Mercereau, all of them have tried. All of them have failed. In every art, glory is insecure and, once relinquished, difficult of recovery. Yel Miss Allison retired and waited until she could come back and be herself, a beautiful, accomplished woman of the world as she here appears in First National's big special, "Men of Steel" in every art but that of acting a man's work depends upon himself. The painter, who would come back, needs only to paint. The author needs only to write. The market is always there for them. The [ CONTINUED ON PACE 122 ] 69