Picturegoer (1922)

JUNE 1922 THE PICTU RE-GOE-R 43 M4KJ WHO HAS EMERYTH " Nature made his pretty face and made it well, too, so I fail to see why Wallace Reid should be blamed for it," wrote one of Wally's admirers last month. Neither do we. Neither does Wally, who bears up very well under the Strain of being considered the Flappers' Idol. /M fe has a sunny smile and an optimistically lighthearted personality ; ability of a higTi and un1 I common order — that happy facility of being I able to do a hundred-and-one different . things, I and do each one exceedingly well. He has a I charming wife and a delightful five-year-old son. I JL Hobbies enough to keep his hours of leisure well f filled, and money enough to indulge in them freely. He has a place at the top of the movie tree which looks like being his for keeps. A place in the affections of five out of every half-dozen film fans of every age and every country. Also a new blue-and-gold Moorishmodelled mansion for a place of residence out in Beverly Hills. Not to speak of a very palatial mahogany-and-blue dressing-room at the Lasky studios. He has kept his head and steadfastly refused to let success and adulation spoil him. So we'll allow Wallace Reid is a lucky man and has everything heart can desire. The Reid family live next door to William S. Hart, and opposite William Desmond's residence, and when I invaded their abode one broiling afternoon, the maid kindly but firmly refused to admit me on my word alone. I had to produce perfect and reliable evidences of my identity before she would say that Wally was trying out his new Duzenburg car and would be along any time now. But Mrs. Wally was home, so with her, in her lovely silver-greyand-blue drawing-room, I discussed something iced out of a tall glass and her handsome husband. " To-day," she told me, " has rained ' fans,' since io a.m. Girl fans, of course, and I've had such a busy morning. Wally was not home, although none of my visitors would believe me when I told them so. So I had them have a good look round for themselves, and then they departed in peace — after I had given them some signed pictures to take away with them. So you can understand my maid's mistake, can't you ? " Dorothy Davenport Reid, to give her the benefit of her full name, is small and slight, with very big brown eyes and close-bobbed Titian hair. As Dorothy Davenport, she was a well-known leading lady until the advent of Wally Junior, or " Bill," as they prefer him to be called, caused her to abandon her movie work. " For nearly five years," she said, brightly, " I found I hadn't much time for anything but home and my sewing. Not to speak of my husband and baby. Then we decided to build this place, which, by the way, I designed. Not the fireplaces, though. They're Wally's. He favours the cobbly-looking kind." I duly admired the spacious room in which we were, with its silver-grey brocaded walls and deep-blue-bordered Chinese rug. It has big French windows down both sides, shaded by artistic grey linen draperies, embroidered in cunning blue designs. The work, I learned, of Dorothy herself. She showed me, too, her boudoir, and Bill's , nursery, the latter stocked with a wonderful selection of toys and games of all kinds. " Toy animals are Bill's newest fancy," Bill's mamma smiled. " And his collection is growing every day." We descended to the entrance hall again, and were just in time to see Wally and his small son pull up the new car with a nourish. It is red, like most of Wally's cars. " She's a corker ! " he said. " Like to come for a spin ? " Above : In his current release, ' ' Sick a Bed." Left : The Flappers' Idol. " Too hot ! " I replied. " Better introduce me to Bill. ' " Come on, Bill, you rough-neck, and say ' Glad tb meet you.' " Bill said it — in French, of which accomplishment they all seemed a little proud. Then " Daddy's goin' to let me drive it," he said. " When I'm long enough to reach down." " He'll be some driver," Mrs. Reid called over her shoulder as she preceded us towards the back of the house. " Even Wally can't go fast enough for him." " See what I missed," was Wallace Reid's next remark. In my journalistic days there were no such things as movie stars. And I can lay my hand upon my heart and swear that I've never written an interview. Which is more than you can say, isn't it ? " W'allace Reid was clad in light, summery-looking flannels, with the same kind of wide-peaked grey cap I