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42
THE PICTUR&GOE-R
JUNE 1922
CROOKS COMEDIES B ^CHOPIN
a/2
Film-making with Walter Forde.
it was with knees a-tremble and cold shivers playing death music up and down my spine that, led by Walter Forde to a chair, I sat down to tea with six of the toughest-looking toughs that it has ever been my „. luck to meet. Petticoat Lane | on a Sunday morning was Arcadia compared with that tea-table ! I kept my left hand clasped tightly around my hand-bag whilst, between nervous gulps, I ate a piece of cake. I imagined that at any moment my death signal would go up and the crooks would set about me.
The fact that Walter came and sat next to me reassured me somewhat, for, when I had sufficiently recovered to " drink in the details " of his dress, I found he was attired as " D'Artagnan." " You're quiet," he commented. " Anything wrong ? "
"These men ! " I gasped. Then Walter laughed loudly — and upset his tea. The bold, bad buccaneer directly opposite me smiled under his "Old Bill" moustache until the corners of his mouth almost reached his ears and the whites of his eyes looked fearsome against the yellow of his make-up.
" Where did you find them ? " I enquired. " They're friends of mine," came the reply. I moved away from Walter, and my thoughts flew to the safety of my own fireside.
" You see," he continued, " I couldn't find anyone who would do what I wanted them to do in this film, so I had to rely on my pals — they don't mind what they do——"
Visions of murders stealthily done out of reach of the glaring
Cutting a comedy is hard work.
studio lights swam before my eye9. Then Walter's voice roused me again from my reverie.
" As I was saying, they don't mind what they do — yesterday that one there " (and he pointed to a 1922 Bill Sykes) " rolled downstairs fifteen times, sprained his leg, and split his ear."
I breathed a big sigh of relief, and drew my chair closer to the table again. My blood began to flow normally once more.
" We're ready," then announced someone at the door. The crooks, the moustachioed gentleman, and Wralter rose together.
" Come up and see our next scene," he invited.
The set on which they were working proved to be a corner of a room with two exits (or two entrances, whichever
[Continued on page 62. Walter Forde and Lady Doris Stapleton