Picture-Play Magazine (Sep 1925 - Feb 1926)

52 A Fan Returns to Movieland Betty Bronson as the little slavey, the heroine of the story. did we?" she said. "Let's find some chairs where we can sit down." And we chose a corner alongside of one of the little portable dressing rooms. She is not so beautiful as some of the movie actresses I have seen, but her big blue eyes gaze at you with the wide-eyed frankness of a child. The look of eagerness and hint of mischievous laughter that beams from her face, even when she is not smiling, is a refreshing contrast to the usual sophisticated or doll-like prettiness of many of the actresses. I wondered how she could look so fresh and brighteyed after having worked so long and steadily for the last few weeks. "Well, do you know," she told me, "I don't mind those big scenes half as much as I do some of the smaller ones. You see, in such a large crowd they have to take quite a few shots of different groups and action in which I am not needed. So I get more breathing spells that way. But after this picture I am going to get a vacation." And she seemed as happy as a schoolgirl over it. I asked her if she still continued her studies and she said, "Oh, yes; that's my teacher over there," pointing out a young woman sitting near by. "We have our lessons in between scenes and, of course, that only gives us snatches, but it's all the time we have." If you knew what noise and confusion goes on in a movie studio, you might be able to realize what concentration it must require to step right out of a character you are portraying and put your mind on studies. How many of you fans would stick to that? Her career seems somewhat connected with those of James Barrie and Maude Adams, so I asked her if she had ever met them. "No, I haven't," she told me. "I've often wished Mr. Barrie would come over here so I could meet him, but I guess that's impossible, as he doesn't like the water." "Does it seem very different for you to be working in the East, now that you're used to California?" "Well, I started here, and I used to live in Long Island, and before that in East Orange, you know. But now California seems like my home. Still, when they tell me I am to come East, I'm always glad, because it's a change. "I always wanted to go into pictures, and I started in when I was fifteen. But I only played small parts. I had to wait sometimes as long as six months for a bit in the days before I got Peter Pan." Remembering how Mary Brian had told me what fun it was to work with all the young people in that picture, I asked Betty if she liked the youthful co-players, too. "Yes, indeed, it was very nice," she said. "I love to work with Esther Ralston, especially. She is the Fairy Godmother in this picture, you know." She has a quaint habit of ending her sentences in a questioning little, "you know?" and a childish way of speaking quite slowly and pausing to think, as if she wasn't quite sure of herself. Peter Pan motions stick to her in the quick tilt of her head and birdlike little mannerisms. Tom Moore, in his bobby uniform, passed by us, and Betty called him over and introduced him. He has always been one of my favorite actors, and though I had watched him work in various pictures, I had never had the chance to meet him. They were keeping him so busy that he had hardly a moment to mop his brow before they called him back to the camera. I noticed the players don't have such long waits between shots as they used to. Not so much time is lost, and they are kept working almost continuously. ' I asked Mr. Moore if he wasn't glad they were winding up the pictuie with these last scenes, but he laughed and said, "Oh, well, it was fun." Tom Moore always seems to be good friends with all the members of the cast he's playing with. I've always found him chatting, and making people laugh. A very blond girl, in a short, pink satin gown and cap of gold net, came over from the next set to watch Betty work. When Tom spied her, he came right over and greeted her enthusiastically. "Why, I didn't know you fo.r the moment," he said, "with that headgear on." It was Greta Nissen, who is playing in "The King on Main Street." When I heard that Adolphe Menjou was the lead in that picture, of course I couldn't miss a chance of seeing him. So while we waited for Miss Bronson, we walked around the studio to peek into some of the other sets. And, oh, thrill of thrills ! Who should I see but the most admirable Richard Dix ! He was talking to some friends, and though it has been several years since I saw him, he has changed but slightly. Grown a little heavier, I think, but still possessed of that irresistible manner of his. I shall always remember how charmingly he entertained me when he took me to Catalina Island, out in California. Noticing the difference nowadays in how hard it is to approach the stars, I appreciate how wonderful they all were to me while I was adventuring.