Picture-Play Magazine (Mar-Aug 1925)

Advertising Section 111 Does Familiarity Breed Disillusionment? Continued from page 23 gives me a great thrill to see her getting those effects so apparently effortless. Wondering if a press agent wouldn't be more disillusioned about the stars than I am, I asked one of them whom I knew would tell me the truth. He seemed more enthusiastic about his charges than I. "What gets me about these people," he told me, "is the way they treat people like me who work for them. They haven't any desire to act the heavy tyrant or overlord. Even though they are paying me for my time they get apologetic when they take up a whole afternoon. And if there is any more pleasant way of spending an afternoon than talking to Betty Blythe, or Myrtle Stedman, or May Allison, I've never discovered it." With others a star may maintain an attitude of indifference or actual disdain toward publicity. But he is popularly supposed to demand of his press agent a liberal showing of columns and covers and full pages. Sometimes, I confess, this is the case. But I chanced to overhear this dialogue between Rod La Rocque and his P. A. "Watcha doing this afternoon?" This from Rod. "Going to the office to get out some publicity stories about you." "Oh, forget it. Come on to the movies with me. I don't want a press agent. I want a pal." Now if you want the handsome Rod always to act like a personage, this little episode may disillusion you. But what is one man's illusion is another one's boredom. I don't want the players the way they are on the [ screen. I am too well satisfied with them as they are. Steady! Beeman's quiets nerves keeps you calm -its use is % seMSthk habit" Among Those Present Continued from page 52 "Lightnin' " as a spoken drama you have undoubtedly heard about it. The play ran solidly for all of four years in New York, and made an everlasting name for its star, the late Frank Bacon. It was he who wrote the piece in collaboration with Winchell Smith, and he appeared in it until within a few days before his death. Various other actors have done the role that he created, because companies have been touring in different parts of the country — to such an extent, indeed, that by this time the title has become almost a household word. When William Fox announced that he was going to make the screen version, applications came into the studio from Hollywood, New York, and various other parts of the country. Everybody in the least qualified wanted to make a bid to portray the lovable old vagabond. In the picture world the competition for the role caused almost as much excitement as the selections for the title roles for "Ben-Hur" and "Peter Pan," even though it has possibly aroused less public interest. Such outstanding parts as this are rare for the old players. Despite the fact that his name is unfamiliar to most picturegoers, Hunt, the one finally chosen, has actually been connected with the films for a long time in a more or less prominent capacity. His work has been mainly as a director. He is said to hold a record in having instructed more men, who are now directors, in how to do their scenes than anybody in Hollywood. Those who have worked with him at various times in the past include Jerome Storm, James Cruze, Charles Swickard and the late William Desmond Taylor and Thomas Ince, among others. Before he went into pictures Hunt was a stage producer and director at Boston, Massachusetts, and guided the early destiny of William Farnum in the drama, and later of Bert Lytell. He also played himself the role of Rip Van Winkle through the New England States. His first work in pictures was in 1910 at Vitagraph. He megaphoned films featuring John Bunny, Flora Finch and Lillian Walker. Sessue Hayakawa, Louise Glaum, Bessie Barriscale, Charles Ray, and Marguerite Snow also appeared in his pictures, and he assisted in the Ince production of "Civilization" during the war days. "All I can say is I'm sorry for the other fellows who didn't get the part," said Hunt. "Too bad there iren't any second and third companies as there were on the stage so everybody would have a chance. "I always knew I was lucky when I was young, but I didn't know that my luck would come back like this when I got on in years, and you can bet I'm going to make the best of it now that they've selected me to play Lightnin' Bill." Tepsin Gum AMERICAN CHICLE CO. Enlarged Nosepores, Pimples, Blackheads, Red Nose, Oily Skin, Sallow Complexion and other miserable local skin affections will be quickly remedied and overcome with M. Trilety's A.B. A. Lotion, leaving the skin in a clean, clear and natural healthy condition. No sticky or oily substance, but refreshing and fragrant. Applied at night. 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