Picture-Play Magazine (Mar-Aug 1926)

98 Just to Entertain You! Continued from page 29 are a few of the events that happened : They hit her in the eye with a ripe tomato. They broke a watermelon over her head. A gang of "alley rats" f ought her and a little negro boy bit her leg. They knocked her down in a pile of turnips, parsnips, and cabbages. Thev tore off one of her stockings. They left melon seeds and melon juice in her hair. They pelted her with potatoes, cauliflower and egg plant. When she came out of it, she looked like some one who had gone into an Irish conference and endeavored to make a speech favoring the Ku Klux Klan. Patsy is exceedingly good natured and tried to take the "rough-housing" in the proper spirit but there was a look in her eye which seemed to say : "Now this has gone about far enough. Keep on and pretty soon I'll get mad. Then some of you alley rats won't be home for dinner." They were filming "The Beauti ful Cheat" at Universal. In the cast was a disgruntled, long-horned steer. Presto ! An idea ! "Miss La Plante," said a hardboiled director, "can you climb a tree?" "I guess so," Laura replied. "I could, if I had to." "Well, you're gonna have to or do some mighty tall running. You and that steer will play a scene together." "Together ?" "Yes, together!" "We won't be together long if there's a tree there." "We'll pick out a nice tree for you — one you can sorter run up without much trouble." "Won't be any trouble at all," said Miss La Plante, "if that steer is going to get chummy." They bantered about for a b|it, called for camera, and Miss La Plante gave every one present more reasons for believing the theory of evolution. If any of man's primordial ancestors ever showed greater ability in shinning up a tree, it was before the present physical development. They're always getting the actresses into messes of this kind. They put little Vera Reynolds in a railroad wreck in "The Road to Yesterday," smeared her all up with dirt and grease and showered her with steam. It was one of the most thrilling scenes Cecil De Mille ever attempted. They sewed Nita Naldi up in a bag of jute in "The Ten Commandments" and made her cut her way out with a carving knife. Nita was talking Italian as she emerged and talking it fast. They put Evelyn Brent astride an enormous alligator and had her pull its nose till it opened its jaws and snapped. They had Bebe Daniels pull a lion's tail and Martha Sleeper go jump in the lake. If any one is obsessed with the idea that the life of a movie star is just one round of tea parties and ballroom sets and love affairs, let him or her look ' into what has occurred. Some lovely illusions will be shattered. And when you see the players going through scenes such as I have described — give them silent thanks — if they entertain you ! A Letter from Location Continued from page t)0 miles to bring back some little lost lamb. The first day we were here, we had a terrible time. These are not trained movie sheep, and no sooner would Mr. Raymaker get everything ready to shoot than one would wander off and all the rest would follow. One of the assistants would dash around — oh, his intentions were all right — and the frightened sheep would go in every direction. One day Rin-tin-tin met his match. This part of the country is a beautiful, rolling, grassy, tree-dotted garden. In the higher mountains are deer which not infrequently stray down to crop the luxuriant bunch grass. One day, a splendid twelvepoint buck and four does came close to where the company were working. "Rinty" was after them like a flash, apparently determined to round them into the flock. But they soon winded him. and in half an hour he returned, tired and panting, with a hurt, puzzled expression in his eyes. He just didn't understand those amazingly fleet animals who refused to stay with the herd. To-day Johnny Harron and the baby and I were seated at the table for a supper scene, Rin-tin-tin beside me. Suddenly, a huge nanny goat decided she craved food, and walked into our set and started eating. No one had the nerve to stop her, because she had been on a butting rampage all day. As long as the camera was cranking, Rin-tin-tin would not move. But just one word from Lee Duncan, his trainer, and Rinty was after the goat and out of the scene she went. John Harron has to his own satisfaction exploded the ancient theory of comic artists and columnists: that goats have a gastronomic weakness for tin cans. With a whole flock of woolly beauties to experiment on, he threw onto the grass the tin foil from a package of cigarettes. A nanny spied the glittering object, nosed it, then chewed it with a beatific expression, finally s Wallowing it. Johnny offered the goat a cigarette which it consumed with relish. Next, Nanny ate an entire package of cigarettes with grear gusto. No untoward effects resulted. Johnny then presented a can of salmon. Nanny nosed it, carefully licked it out clean, and then passed on to a tuft of bunch grass. Johnny offered the can again. Nanny turned it down. "Somebody lied," said Johnny, "or at least they exaggerated. I will give the truth to the world : a goat will eat tin foil but not tin cans." And while I'm telling tales — Irving Asher, our business manager, drives a bright-red roadster. Coming back from the village yesterday, he took a short cut through what he thought was an empty field. Suddenly he heard a snort and a bellow, and right in front of him was a raging bull making for his nice, new, shiny automobile. (This is his story.) He swung sharply and the bull went plunging off down the field. He said the animal was so close that he was afraid its hot breath would take the paint off his car. Little Mary Louise Miller, my child in "The Night Cry," has absolutely no fear. In one scene to-day, she and I had to walk through the flock of sheep. Mary Louise picked up her little stick and walked right into the midst of the herd. We poke a lot of fun at Gayne Whitman. He is one of the Mexicans in the picture, has grown a scraggy beard, and isn't allowed to comb his hair — not much like the stock matinee idol we remember of a year or so ago ! The old Mexican shepherds decided he must be of their nationality and engaged him in conversation, but when he replied in English and looked puzzled, they gave him a most disgusted look and wouldn't have ' anything more to do with him. I wish I had time to tell you about the canons we discovered and the skeletons and bones, but they are calling me now to come and take care of my child and to keep the Mexicans from shooting Rin-tin-tin, so 'by while I act heroic for the camera. Sincerely, June Marlowe.