Pictures and the Picturegoer (Jan-Dec 1924)

MAY 1924 Pictures and Pict\jre$oer 33 the film should be produced and she in it should play the lead. They rehearsed it in the bungalow court and in the quiet lanes beyond the studios of Hollywood. They rehearsed it everywhere. They got it perfect. Or as perfect as Gloria Dell could ever be. • You must get your grandpa to put in a word for us at the studios," said 1 [oracc. " Oh but grandpa has no power what ever, or he would have got me into tinmovies before now," said Angela. " Grandpa is only an actor, you know." " Well then." said Horace. " we must think of another way." He got out his postal lessons and read them afresh and there was one section in them that gave him new hopes and a wonderful idea. " The title of your story is the great thing," said Lesson 57. " Get a good title and keep it before the director's eyes. If you've got a good title and you insist on the director seeing it again and again, he'll buy it in the end. The story doesn't matter." "Ah!" said Horace, and that very afternoon he made a call at the Lasky studio and demanded to see Mr. De Mille. Mr. De Mille. he was told, was engaged, but this did not daunt the great Horace. " Take him this card," he said to the page. And on a piece of plain pasteboard he scribbled a message and passed it to the page. A moment later, espying a second page he sent a second message; and then a third which a janitor took in for him. " Give this to the boss," said Horace. " The Boss " sat at his desk. There came in pa,ge number one and laid a card on his desk, immediately departing. The great director took up the card and read : " Beware The Aveng ing Hand1" Page number two came in and left a card, and " Beware The \\ enging l [and '" a lid tins one also And then came the janitor. The director im rely glanced at the third Card and the mere glance was sufficient to tell him that here was the same grim message again. •• Look here," he said to the janitoi . " who gave you this?" " Feller at the door," said the janitor. " Don't know who he is." '" Was he — all right?" "Well." said the janitor, "he did look a bit — you know." " Good Lord !" thought the director, " I wonder if I should inform the police?" That evening Horace Pringle told Vngela of what had happened. " Our film has been brought to the great man's notice," he announced. " One or two more introductions like this and he will want to know what the Avenging Hand is all about. And that is just the next step from buying it. Angela, within a week we shall be on the movies and famous ! Now let's think carefully of a corker of a way to make him sit right up and take notice." jV/Ieanwhilc, hack in Centrevillc, the rearguard was becoming anxious. Films came and films went at " The Sparkler," but of that great film which was to be " featuring Miss Angela Whitaker " there was not even a whisper of news. The manager of "The Sparkler " knew nothing about it. He took the film journals regularly every week but he was unable to inform Centrevillc that Miss Angela Whitaker was making anything of a sensation in Hollywood. For far as he could say, Miss Angela Whitaker was quite unknown. Grandmother Whitaker, Grandpa Joel's wife, wanted to cry; and Aunt Margaret, his daughter, wanted to ■wear, only unfortunate!) she had been i< ctably brought up !>y grandpa. And as for poor lain Lefferts, who had all along thought that oik day he WOUld marry Angela. . . " Something's not right about this business," Lem declared. " If she was a film star we should have heard ahout it before now. There's some of this Clutching Hand game about it. Some thing's GOT her'!" "Oh, dear, dear!" cried grandma, " whatever shall we do." " I know what we ought to do," said Lem ; " we all ought to pack up here and go out to Hollywood and RESCUE her!" " But we've no money," said Aunt Margaret. And then came a letter from Angela herself, a letter with a vague but startling conclusion. " I don't suppose I shall ever get on the films," she said, " although a gentleman who is interested in 'The Avenging Hand ' is very kind to me. But — you should see what is happening to grandpa. He is changed beyond recognition. You wouldn't know him. He is not the same man that left Centreville a few weeks ago. Aunt Margaret shudder from the round on them all. " I knew it all looked up letter and the with a glanced time," sobbed grandmother. " He's dead. That's Angela's way of breaking it gently. She'll tell us the truth in the next letter. All she dare tell us now is that we shouldn't recognise him, that he is so changed. Oh, what, what shall we do now. . . ." /// luck dogged Angela's footsteps in her search for stardom. Casting directors took her name and address, but they one and all left her out of their " calls"