Picture-Play Magazine (Mar-Aug 1927)

67 Lucky Days for Larry Gray Larry Gray thinks he had a "struggle" getting ahead, but he doesn't really know what struggle means, says the interviewer Luck has been with this handsome young actor from the very beginning, and is still hot on his heels. By Alma Talley THESE arc lucky days for Larry Gray, who has won out in the race for screen success almost at a walk. Oh, he thinks he had his troubles getting ahead, but he doesn't know what trouble is, really. He never knew the traditional years and years of struggle, of heartbreaking efforts to get extra work, of living in hall bedrooms, worrying about the next meal, and brushing up the old frayed suit to make it sufficiently presentable to be seen on the screen. That is what a struggle means, and almost any actor can tell you all about it from experience. But Larry's struggle! Oh, yes, he had had one, he insisted, when I commented on the easy progress of his career. Yes, indeed, he had— he had played extra roles for six whole months, he said. Six months ! If that could be called a struggle ! Larry didn't really want to be an actor, anyhow— he wanted to be of the movies, but not in them. His acting career began when he lost his job in the business department of the Famous Players West-Coast studio. This young man from San Francisco and Santa Barbara had been a "unit manager" at that studio. Paramount was making an experiment at that time of putting an overseer over each production, whose job it was to check up on each day's work, see that production was progressing fast enough, be sure that all the next day's sets and props and costumes were in readiness, and try to eliminate wasted effort in the making of the picture. Larry was one of those overseers. But the experiment didn't work. "For instance," Larry explained to me, "I had charge for a while of a George Fitzmaurice unit. Now how do you suppose that / could have gone up to a big director like Fitzmaurice, making from three to five thousand a week perhaps, and say, 'Why aren't you getting this picture done faster?'' How many directors would take that sort of thing from a young cub making a hundred a week? Obviously, the idea was not practicable, so it had to be abandoned, and all the unit managers, including myself, lost their jobs. A few of them were given something else to do with the company. But I was let out — cold. "The movie business gets into your blood, somehow —once in it, you can't bear to leave it. And the motion-picture atmosphere had 'got' me — though it was my idea to work up in the business or scenario end of the game, rather than before the camera. However, I was willing to take anything. A friend of mine tried to get me parts in pictures, but none of the directors would have me. Finally, I came to New York, to see what I could get there." Well, he couldn't get anything in New York, either, except odd bits of extra work now and then. And he was very broke. These were the months when he had his "struggle," but certainly six months is almost no Larry didn't really want to be an actor — he wanted to write. He has, in fact, just written a photoplay, which Paramount may produce. struggle at all. He was still trying to get work in the writing or business department of some film company, but with no success whatever. At last, he decided the best thing he could do was to go back home, as soon as he could save enough money. So he finally arrived back in San Francisco, and discussed matters with his parents. "I don't know whether I'd ever be any good as an actor or not," he told them — for that matter, he says he doesn't know yet ! — "but it's worth a trial." Apparently, there were not the usual parental objections, so Larry made his way once more to Hollywood, and hung around the studios waiting for a chance. He got extra work now and then, including a few days in a Paul Bern picture. He became acquainted with Paul Bern. "Will you give me something to do in your next picture ?" Larry asked him. Mr. Bern said he would. "But I'm not making anything else for four or five weeks," he added. "Don't let me forget in the meantime." Well, hardly ! thought Larry. He [Continued on page 109]