Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1922)

Is or is not Natacha Ftambova — in private life, Miss Winifred Hudnut — Rodolph Valentino's bride? Because of a peculiarity in the California law, it is claimed that the ceremony performed across the Mexican border is invalid, and that Buddy's decree of [divorce from Jean Acker is not effective until next January AGNES AYRES made a delicious bon , mot the other day. A rather youthful reporter was interviewing her, and with all the earnestness that the importance of the question seemed to warrant asked: "Miss Ayres, do you use rouge and lip sticks and powder?" The great star smiled pityingly upon the young man. Then she leaned forward confidentially. "Why," she whispered, "why paint the lily?" THE east was somewhat occupied over the Charity Drive or May Carnival. The idea was a popularity contest to determine the most popular motion picture star, with votes at ten cents each, the proceeds to go to the Association for the Improvement of the Condition of the Poor of New York City. The stars who were in the east at the time helped to get votes. Those who were most conspicuous were Constance Binney, Madge Kennedy, Marion Davies, Mrs. Lydig Hoyt and Edward Earle. At the wind-up of the campaign, a ball given at the Hotel Astor, at which society celebrities as well as screen were present, the winners were announced. Billie Burke was 58 crowned Queen of the Movies, and Edward Earle, King, Mrs. Mary Carr, famous mother of "Over the Hill," received the most applause when she was announced a close second to Billie Burke. Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, the Talmadges, and other admittedly great screen figures were represented by comparatively few votes. It was largely an affair of local screen artists. Since it was in the interests of charity, this popularity contest had an excuse. But these contests are obsolete, and the sooner that is realized the better. It was a worthy cause, but it seemed as if the industry could have found a more dignified and thorough way in which to express its cooperation. GRIFFITH went abroad ostensibly to be present at the London premier of his "Orphans of the Storm." Really, it is said, he went to talk over with H. G. Wells a project for filming "The Outline of History." In seventy-two reels ! The director has long wanted to do another historical subject. He also has in mind an impressive production of the Life of Christ. Plays But when ten reels of "Orphans" tire you completely, what will seventy-two reels do? And how is Mr. Griffith going to work his innocent injured heroine and his bold bad villain into the Outline? Leave it to him. He'll find a way. ALICE TERRY is to return to the screen after some months in her husband's next production, "Toilers of the Sea." (Her husband, you know, is Rex Ingram.) Back of this simple announcement, we think, is an interesting little story. When Alice became a bride, she intimated very strongly that a domestic life appealed to her far more than a screen career. She suggested that after she appeared as Princess Flavia in "The Prisoner of Zenda" the public might see her no more. So the Ingrams took the most bewitching little bungalow in Hollywood, one of those regular doll houses with orange blossoms peeping in at the bedroom windows, and a living room with an open fire place and cathedral ceiling and windows. I dropped in to see Alice one morning and found her, very adorable, in pink pajamas and a black silk kimono, with her hair down her back. But her face had that old what-in-the-world-am-I-going-todo look that you see on the faces of so many young, very young, housewives. "I wanted to do it all myself," she said sadly, "I knew if I didn't work I'd have to keep busy. I thought it would be wonderful to keep house for Rex. I just loved this little house. But — I got dinner for him one day. It took me all day long and when he came home I was too tired to eat. It seems to me the house gets mussed up faster than I can fix it. So I had to get a maid to do it all. I guess I wasn't cut out to be domestic after all. Rex may be right when he says I ought to stay on the screen." And now — she's going to come back to her first love and let her husband direct his favorite leading lady. POOR Glenn Hunter! Why, you ask, the pitying "poor" referring to a young man who has his own company and has had real success with his first two independent pictures, an unique thing indeed? Because wherever he goes, whoever he meets, whatever he says, this is what he hears from all sides: "You ought to do 'Merton of the Movies!' " The book by Harry Leon Wilson, about Merton Gill, small-town boy who dreamed of himself as Clifford Armytage, famous screen idol, and conquered the California studios, but hardly in the way he expected, is certainly filmable material. But the author, it seems, knows this, and has boosted the price of the screen rights into the substantial thousands. So Glenn, admitting he should do "Merton of the Movies," confessing he would love to do "Merton of the Movies," goes about with a hunted look. NORMAN TREVOR is annoyed. He received a fan letter the other day which read as follows : "Miss Norma Trevor, "Dearest Norma : "I have seen you in pictures and just