Picture Play Magazine (Jul - Dec 1929)

The Battle of tke Accents 21 grande dame whose precious bric-a-brac is threatened by a visiting neighbor child. Second in importance, but of equally ironical significance, is the clash between Hollywood's nobility and the invading stage forces. The "profession" has always looked upon its hybrid offshoot, the movies, with a jaundiced eye. And no wonder. To spend a few weeks on the Coast was often to arouse envious and antagonistic feelings in the breasts of stage people. Here they saw mere chits, of both sexes, Rolls-Roycing from magnificent Beverly Hills estates to the studios, where their daily labor seemed to consist of nothing more arduous than registering emotion prettily. For which they received weekly pay checks of staggering proportions. Clever, talented perhaps, beautiful certainly, these fortunate mortals called themselves actors and actresses. And the world accepted and applauded them as such. That was where the rub came. That was what seemed unfair to the visiting Thespians. According to the exacting standards of the stage, not more than half a dozen movie stars could qualify for the honorable title. Yet here were girls like Billie Dove and Olive Borden enjoying the perquisites of stardom, showered with wealth such as Rachel and Bernhardt and Duse never knew. The movie-trained public seemed perfectly satisfied to watch Olive gambol through stories written around her exquisite legs. And so long as Billie, and half a dozen others of comparable pulchritude, could smile and weep with photographic sublimity, who cared whether or not they had dramatic ability? When important stage productions made Los Angeles, the picture stars, of course, turned out en masse. But it must have been rather irksome to the legitimate .players to find that at least half the audience had come to view the local celebrities, rather than the visiting ones. Advertising such as this must have been annoying: "Come and see the stars to-night at 'The Shanghai Gesture.' with Florence Reed." Or, "Your favorite movie star will be in the audience at the opening of Duffy's El Capitan Theater, to see Ruth Chatterton and Ralph Forbes, in Michael Aden's smashing New York hit, The Green Hat.' " All was sweetness and light, on the surface. The visitors were made much of by the picture crowd — if they didn't stay too long. They were taken about and shown things. But underneath the pleasant exchange of compliment and courtesy lurked criticism like a double-edged knife sheathed in velvet. The stage stars exclaimed over everything. Hollywood was wonderful. Behind a highly manicured hand Hollywood stage players. giggled same order. So-and-so was a fair actn but my dear! Such clothes! And -h< certainly wouldn't stand up under a Camera test. Too bad they had to lose their youth and looks, before they could amount to much on the stage. Behind a highly manicured hand. Hollywood ' at the creaky, old theater, and its creaky, old players, with their audacious assumption of superiority. Jut what a change the talkies have wrought! Tt is the theater's turn to crow — and how it is crowing ! There is no more striking i -ample than of Ruth Chatterton. V yd no punster ha ever played with that famous name, but Ruth' chatter has certainly become on* of the most significant and important sounds in the modern I'abel-on. Holly wo, id saw her first in the stage version of "The Green Hat," in which she costarred with her husband, Ralph Forbes. Tin play opened at one of the film town's most garish theaters and was enthusiastically received. Both -tars wire acclaimed— praised to the skies. But it was Ralph, with his impeccable profile, who got the fat movie contract. Ruth — well, Ruth was a wonderful actress, of course, but as one interviewer has lately said of her "none of her features really fits." A wonderful voice. pois« . and that distinction vulgarly known as "class." could not. in the en. just passed, offset the lack of camera beauty. After the run of "The Green Hat." she slipped into obscurity. Hollywood sucked Ralph Forbes into its maelstrom. His wife remained safely moored in the backwaters. The figurative rift between them became actual, as his success increased. They occupied separate domiciles, but met occasionally in a friendly way. Ruth appeared in one or two silent pictures, and was damned with faint praise by the critics. Ralph, on the other hand, whose dramatic talents were never equal to hers, began to receive much fan mail. Languishing ladies from Oshkosh to Oslo were taking favorable notice of his virile, blond comeliness. He was riding on the crest of his natural permanent wave. Then came the talking pictures, and of all the astonishing changes wrought by the new order, none is more astonishing than the reversal of positions in the Forbes family. Ruth has emerged as the foremost actress and nothing can stop her now. [Cont. on p. 92.] the men were devastatingly handsome, the women beautiful. And the most astonishing part of it, they often added, sotto voce, was what the cute, pretty, little sap-headed beings could get away with ! Private comment among the picture stars was of much the Stage veterans saw mere chits Rolls-Roycing to the studios