Picture-Play Magazine (Sep 1926 - Feb 1927)

8 What the Fans Think A Fan Who Loves Them All. I HAVE never written to PicturePlay before, although I have enjoyed reading what other fans have written. And, believe me, I boil sometimes. In a recent issue, Leah B. Drake gave a list of her favorite stars, and there were only eight! If I were to name mine, I would have to get an encyclopedia of movie stars and put them all down, with only a few exceptions. Of course, I naturally have a few preferences, headed by Richard Dix, Mary Astor, Betty Bronson, Norma Shearer, Eleanor Boardman, Norma and Constance Talmadge, Viola Dana — but there I go. It would go on like that all night, for I love 'em all — especially the girls. I like our American heroes best. What foreigner could equal Richard Dix, Conrad Nagel, Lloyd Hughes, Neil Hamilton, or any of the rest of the sure-enough Americans ? Every one's taste is granted, but that's mine. But — here is what determined me to write. There is a little girl who is going to succeed, I think. Even if she doesn't, she will still be one of the loveliest girls that was ever on the screen. Her hair waves just as all girls wish theirs did ; her eyes are the sweetest, tenderest and kindest I have seen in a long time ; her brow is perfect; her lips are delicate, her face a gift of the gods; the whole — divine. I have never seen this girl act, have heard only a little about her, but all you Norma Shearers and Mary Astors, watch your step ! Don't lose step a bit, or this little girl will steal your places. Who? Mary Philbin. Let's have more of her ! One Who Loves 'Em All. All Hail to William Haines! Though I have read Picture-Play for several years, this is my first fan letter, and I am going to celebrate the occasion by presenting a bouquet to one of the screen's most popular young men — William Haines. Two years ago, when the magazines first began publishing photographs of a tall boy with an ingratiating smile, I first noticed him. I compared him with Ben Lyon and other promising young men, and decided that he was a "safe bet." Of course, Ben Lyon reached stardom first. But I had studied Billy's claims to distinction, and slow progress, in his case, was sure progress, I insisted. So when "Brown of Harvard" reached Washington recently, with William Haines in the title role. I positively crowed! I; is so gratifying to have a prophecy come true. He is certainly typical of the breezy, good-looking type that seems to be the. pattern for all popular voung men of this generation, and besides having a splendid physique, he has a face that also inspires complimentary adjectives. Nor is he dependent on the charms of his person for success. For, if our Washington audiences are any critics of talent, this boy knows more than a little about acting ! But if you are inclined to dismiss Tom Br own and his amusing audacity, with a shrug of your shoulders, just try to assume the guise of a happy-go-lucky schoolboy yourself, and see how foolish you feel. Or attempt impersonating a gentleman who is slightly tipsy in front of your mirror. But go to see "Brown of Harvard" remembering that it's all in fun, and then join me in praise of William Haines ! Eleanor Wilson. 1012 Park Road, N. W., Washington, D. C. Down with the Foreigners ! In the name of justice and fairness, I wish to protest against the way the foreign players are coming to this country and trying, in one mad leap, to reach stardom. I have nothing against the players themselves ; there is plenty of room for every one, and the American public are always ready to welcome any one with outstanding ability. But I do think they should be required to prove their ability in the same way that our own players are required to do. There are many among our players who have worked long and faithfully, who have earned and who are deserving of greater opportunity than they are getting. I am in favor of letting "Getta Cargo," the sensational "find" from Vulgaria, start at the bottom, with a beginner's salary, and work her way up and earn her stardom, if any, before she gets her cargo of good American gold dollars. U. S. A. Detroit, Michigan. In Defense of the Foreigners. I can keep silent no longer. I, as a one hundred per cent American, wish to line myself in defense of the foreign actresses and actors. I blush for shame at the attitude and the conduct of my so-called American comr rades, who so heartlessly and unkindly, and in a thoroughly unAmericanlike way, criticize all those splendid people. I welcome the foreigners to this great and wonderful America, where they helped fight our fight in the colonial days, and helped win for us our republic, and I thank the French people for their wonderful gift to us at that time, namely, our famous Statue of Liberty, Continued on page 10