Picture-Play Magazine (Sep 1926 - Feb 1927)

10 Advertising Section Finish This Picture Fill in the missing lines. See how close you come to the original drawing. The above picture was drawn by Student Wynn Holcomb. We have a great number of students and graduates whose work appears in magazines and newspapers all over the country. Can You Draw? If you like to draw write for our book. Read about our simple method Home Study Course in cartooning, illustrating, designing. Learn at home, by mail, in spare time. Become an Artist Illustrators, Cartoonists, Commercial Artists make big money. You can earn $25 to $100 a week and more. Learn under personal direction of one of America's most famous newspaper, magazine, advertising artists of 30 years' successful experience. Book and Outfit Free Complete outfit free to new students. Write for handsome book, "Quick, Easy Way to Become an Artist." Tells what Course includes, shows many drawings made by many of our students. Write Postal NOW Don't miss our book. Even if you have no previous knowledge of drawing, our Course will enable you to become a successful cartoonist or illustrator. Many students earn money while they are learning. If you are ambitious to get ahead to earn more money, write for our free book and special offer now. You can do as well as our other successful students! Write now for free book. ■'Quick. Easy Way to Become an Artist.J' Mail letter or postal. Washington School of Art, Inc. Room 239D, (Harden Bldg. Washington, D. C. high School Course in 2 Years You can complete this simplified High School Course at home inside of two years. Meets all requirements for entrance to college and the leading professions. This and thirty-six other practical courses are described in our Free Bulletin. Send for it TODAY. AMERICAN SCHOOL Dept. H-67G Drexel Ave. & 58th St. ©A.S.1923 CHICAGO Do You Want $1900 a Year? Railway Mail Clerks Travel— see your country. Common education sufficient. Write immediately for free list TJ. S. Government positions now open to men and women 18 up, and full particulars telling how to get a position. FRANK LIN INSTITUTE, Dept. W282, Rochester, N. Y. What the Fans Think Continued from page 8 which graces to this day our New York harbor. Yes, you ignorant fans, that was a present to America, to you Americans, by the French, and we have always practiced the policy of extending a welcome to all good foreigners. If the American actresses can't make good as fast as the ones from the other side, must we close our theaters, just because a few people who imagine themselves true Americans don't want the foreigners? I wonder how Pearl White and Betty Blythe, and a number of other American players who have gone to Europe to act, would feel if the foreigners over there said, "We only want our own actresses and actors. Go back to your America. We don't want you !" Well, they don't say it, and what's more, we wouldn't let them say it ! Elsie Larsen. 1938 Madison Street, Chicago, 111. After reading some of the recent letters in "What the Fans Think," I have become so angry at some of the criticisms that I feel the need of sitting down to remonstrate. First of all, I have just returned from Hollywood and Los Angeles. I was there for fourteen months and, during that time, met many picture people. I extra-ed in two pictures, chatted with Adolphe Menjou — who is even nicer than you'd imagine him to be — visited Pickfair, attended two opening nights at Grauman's Egyptian Theater, and in a perfect state of bliss was present at the last Wampas Ball. I want to ask the fans if they do not share my astonishment at the narrowness of others of the fans — i. e., those who write in an antagonistic way against the invasion of foreign stars. Their bigotry in denouncing such a condition is certainly worthy of derision. I am an American through and through, I love my country and everything in it, but most of all I love it for the reason that it extends the privilege to less fortunate races to come and live here and learn to love it, too. Surely, you superloyal citizens who say, "Why should we contribute to the salary of that foreign actress?" do not gain your text from the Constitution ! If I enjoy Rudolph Valentino's pictures more than I do Buck Jones', I am not going to put down my fifty cents at the Jones' show simply because I want to patronize Americans. I feel that in supplying me with two hours of entertainment, Valentino is giving me something, rather than taking away. I go to movies to be entertained, not to demonstrate my perverted patriotism— for that is what I believe it to be — and whoever entertains me the most for my fifty cents, is going to get it — be he French, Lithuanian, Swede, or Italian ! Denver, Colo. Marion. A recent issue of Picture-Play contained a letter from "No. 13," deploring the fact that foreign players are receiving so much recognition and appreciation on the American screen. Although I always enjoy reading the opinions of PicturePlay's large family of fans, I rarely contribute, this being, I think, my second offense ! This outburst, however, I consider is justified on my part, as "No. 13" requires some one to put her wise on a point or two. I am sure "No. 13" is a she. In the first place, I would draw attention to the article by Edwin Schallert in the April issue, "Movies Conquer New Worlds of Money," in which he stated that producers estimate that approximately one fourth of the income from American films is received from foreign trade. If the European countries thus contribute twenty-five per cent of the revenue of the American film companies, is it not reasonable that the producer should cater to that trade? The English public, the French and the Italian publics, who are paying good money for entertainment, appreciate seeing types they know and understand. If all our players were of the American type, much of their enthusiasm for our films would wane. I am not casting brickbats at American actors — I admire them immensely — but I would ask "No. 13" how she would appreciate pictures if some foreign country had the monopoly and she saw nothing but Pola Negris and Rudy Valentinos? Very soon she would be crying, with ample justification, "Something American, please!" Another query. Why should we require to know everything about the past lives of the foreign players? Surely it is enough if they give us our money's worth of entertainment. If the immigration authorities of the United States consider the newcomers are suitable for entry, why should "No. 13" find objection because she knows nothing about their past? Personally, I am very fond of some of the foreign stars, but I always base my likes and dislikes on performance, not on nationality. Truth to tell, my special favorite is an American. I would rather see Lew Cody than any other person on the screen. Next comes Norma Talmadge, also an American. Miss Talmadge has long been the queen of my movie heart— long may she reign! Florence Vidor, a X exan, is a good third on my list. So, "No. 13," you see my arguments are not based on prejudice — my three prime favorites being Americans. I am quite prepared to admit that some of the foreign people bore me to tears, but then again, so do some Americans. Pola Negri, for instance, is my idea of "the limit," but Douglas MacLean, an American, is also a bore. My advice to "No. 13" is to forget nationalities and give the actors or actresses credit for their work alone, without other considerations. Lots of American boys and girls have "jumped" into pictures, and I have no doubt whatever that, if they have "the goods," they will be snapped up, irrespective of where they were born. No. 31. Prince George, B. C, Canada. Give Gloria a Square Deal. Please let me say, in behalf of many fans, that we do not think a certain person is getting a square deal. It has been my belief for some time that some one in control is jealous. It seems that some one is trying to ruin this star of ours. She was once the very brightest one we had, and could be now. Does it give producers joy to see one that has been so popular begin to lose hold of her earned position? Aren't the producers taking a chance when they do such things? There are many devoted fans of hers, voicing their wish that she be given her' chance in a role that would do justice to her art, and not the kind she has been] accepting. This star is Gloria Swanson. i Torrington, Wyo. Gerry McCreery. In the June issue of Picture-Play there was a charming letter entitled "Stars :