Picturegoer (1922)

64 T H H DRESSER. 'ittued ftotn /' resort. The producer had taken Ins company to this resort to photograph some scenes in, on, and round about the sea. Miss Star, as I lie heroine, had to adopt (in some of the scenes) a disguise which consisted ol a black curly wig and dark-hued skin All the people who were staying at the hotel got used to the sight of Miss Star as the olive-skinned, dark-haired beauty who daily went down to the shore and gazed sadly out over the waves (vide scenario). But one particular morning, as we descended the main st, urease at the hotel and reached the entrance hall, a strange, foreign-looking old gentleman jumped up from one of the lounges and came forward with outstretched hands and a glad smile on his wrinkled old face. " I cannot rightly interpret the jumbled ejaculations he gave as he impulsively grasped Miss Star's hands, hut we all gathered that he was loudly and excitedly thanking ' ze good God for it ces my daughtaare . . ! ' It took the combined elocutionary efforts of the producer, the leading man, Miss Star, and the hotel manager to convince the poor old man that he had made an error. And ' I do not think he would have believed then had not Miss Star removed the blackwig and revealed a head of glorious golden curls tightly screwed up under it. The old gentleman was then eloquent in his apologies, but would not let any of us depart until lie had produced a photograph from his pocketbook and showed it all round. It was a portrait of a beautiful girl who really did, in every feature and physical characteristic, so resemble Miss Star in her disguise, that we all realised how easily the old man had made the mistake. It was several hours before I could dispel the mental vision of that wrinkled old face, saddened arid drawn, as its owner had realised that his dream of finding a lost ' daughtaare ' had not really come true. " Of all the qualifications that one must possess to become a. professional dresser,' that of being a, good needlewoman is paramount. In my years of service with Miss Star, J have been called on, often at ridiculously short notice, to make up a particular kind THE PICTU R&GOE-R of ' character ' frock, and in this respect I can prove my adaptability by relating another true incident. When we go on location we generally travel by road, because a producer, bound for a certain corner of England, may en route come upon a beautiful and tempting location which he did not previously know existed, and so he is able to make a halt and photograph scenes. "On one occasion, when Miss Star was playing the leading role in a costume play, the principals (including the 'dresser') travelled by road, but the costumes were sent on by rail, because of their bulky nature. And it happened that we found on arrival at our destination that these costumes had not arrived, and although we wasted a whole twenty-four hours of valuable time (and several of sunshine), they still failed to appear. Frantic appeals to the railway officials brought forth no result. We were compelled to believe in the possibility of the tragedy suggested by a gloom v station-master. They had probably gone astray, and might not arrive for a week ! After a hurried consultation, the producer .decided that it was only absolutely essential to photograph one particular scene on this location— and Miss Star, was the only artist who appeared in it. But she had no costume ! It was here that my genius stepped in and s.aved the situation ! Fortunately, we had carried a packet of ' still ' pictures with us, taken while other scenes in this particular film had been photographed, and with the aid of one of these, in which Miss Star figured, I managed to concoct, out of silks and satins purchased at the local draper's, a replica, of the costume she should have worn, and no one (save those who were concerned in the incident) ever knew that this frock was a ' fraud.' I well remember this incident because a very line gold pendant which I possess testilies to the appreciation and gratitude of Miss Star, who presented it to me immediately we returned to tow n. " It's hard work and long, this serving of the film star, but it is all worth while, for I have no time to get bored, and every opportunity to see the world and its ways. JUNE 1922 GET OUT OF DOORS. about in a most alarming fashion. The inevitable eventually happened when one lady, whilst climbing over a stile, slipped" and blazed oft her gun a few inches from the fair head of a particularly pretty little film artiste who had been persuaded to join the party. We all ran up in alarm, anticipating that something dreadful had happened. The film artiste with the fair curls was gazing pathetically towards us. with her pretty complexion blackened with smoke and powder until she presented an almost negro-like appearance. Does my nose want powdering ? " she said in a beseeching voice, and then, because we were all so relieved that she was not really hurt, and also because our fair companion looked so droll standing there asking if her nose recpiired the attentions of the powderputt when her whole face was approaching the shade of ebony, everyone roared with laughter. But it was the last occasion on which I went shooting with amateur sportswomen. To get high into the hills and camp under the fascinating light of the moon, to fill one's lungs with the clear, invigorating air of the mountains untainted by civilisation, is one of my happiest experiences. Boating, fishing, and hunting can all be enjoyed amidst glorious settings of Nature such as j these. When I retire for good from the hissing arc lamps and the clicking cameras of the studios, I think I shall form a propagation society for the encouragement of modern Dianas. But one thing I shall suggest is that the twentieth century sportswoman displays a more practical choice in her habiliments than the Diana of legend. How this unfortunate lady, with her scanty clothes, escaped the thorns and briars during her rambles in the Arcadian mountains has always been a source of wonder to me. Gel out of doors. That is my recipe for beauty. If you shrink from donning the primitive tweeds and heavy boots that the countryside demands, solace your vanity with the thought that the fresh air will bring yon sparkling eyes, the tint of health in your cheeks, and a graceful figure. Believe me, Diana knew a thing or two when she fostered her charms in the domain of Nature. For thus she obtained her beauty that changed the course of historical legend DOURNYILLECocoa "Quality and Tlavour" L Made under IDEAL Conditions SEE THE NAME "(adbury" ON EVERY PIECE OF CHOCOLATE. — *