Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1923 - Feb 1924)

Claire Windsor has come to New York to play "Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Model." Over the Teacups Fanny the Fan takes a look at the new films, new favorites, and new fashions, and tells the motion-picture fans just what they're all about. By The Bystander BUT why the disguise?" I demanded of Fanny as she slunk in heavily veiled and sat with her back to the door and most of Piccadilly. In this newest haunt of the New York film world you would think she would want her eyes and ears both open. "I'm in hiding," she whispered. "Don't give me away." In her insouciant, illogical way she turned and beamed at Alice Terry, who was lunching over by the big fireplace in the center of the room, and then explained. "You see, I didn't like 'The Gold Diggers' and I'm so tired of defending my point of view that I've gone into hiding. The only person v/ho treats me like a human being is Hope Hampton herself. All of her friends tell me I have no sense of humor and no appreciation of screen art because I went to sleep while the picture was being run. Hope's friends get almost violent when you criticize her but she just smiles and says, 'Maybe next time I'll please you.' She did look perfectly lovely in the picture, but " "Speaking of disguises," I chimed in, "have you heard about the personal appearance of Alfred Lunt down in Washington?" I supposed, of course, she had because every one was talking about his cleverness. But for once something about a film player had escaped Fanny's notice. "He had to make a personal appearance and he didn't want to at all. At the last minute the man who was supposed to introduce him had sore throat and couldn't speak above a whisper. So, Mr. Lunt just decided the whole affair was a comedy of errors anyhow, and he might as well have some fun out of it. He put on long black whiskers and went out and did the introducing himself. He said that he took no particular pleasure in introducing Mr. Alfred Lunt as he didn't think he was much of an actor and asked who cared about seeing him in person anyhow? Then he went back stage, took off the whiskers and made the usual blah personal appearance speech. You know the sort: 'It makes me so nappy to meet my audience face to face. That is what we stage actors who go into motion pictures miss ; the inspiration of our audience,' et cetera, et cetera. He was giving them a first-rate burlesque and they didn't realize it at first. So, he finally had to go back and get the whiskers and appear again. Then the audience roared." "Who wouldn't?" Fanny remarked gayly. "That was clever of him. He and his wife are two of the most amusing and attractive persons I ever met. I can hardly wait to see her in movies, can you? She just played a small part in one of his distinctive pictures but perhaps later on she will make some more." "Just when would she have time?" I demanded. Fanny seems to think that people can dash out between matinee and evening performances and appear in motion pictures. And every one knows that Lynne Fontanne will be playing 'In Love with Love' in New York for months and months. "Oh, she'll find time." Fanny insisted, "and if Providence is kind to motion-picture fans, somebody up at Cosmopolitan will insist on having her play the same part in 'Sweet Nell of Old Drury' that she played with Laurette Taylor on the stage. Marion Davies is going to make it in pictures, you know, though goodness only knows when she will get around to it. Mary Pickford played Nell Gzvynnc on the screen once. Do you remember? The picture was shown in the spring of nineteen fifteen. Mary was darling. "If Marion Davies would onhy stick to comedy she would be a serious rival of Mary Pickford's. 'Little Old New York' proves that. And I think it would be terribly exciting to see them in the same part and be able really to compare their work. Mary is starting" work on 'Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall,' and I've heard that Marion is going to play Dorothy Vernon too. Nobody owns the exclusive rights to play Dorothy, because she is an historical character. I'd like to see four or five different players show what they could make of her. Besides Marv Pickford and Marion