Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1927 - Feb 1928)

68 It Was About Time! In "Ginsberg the Great," Miss Astor plays the part of a liard-boiled dancing girl in a traveling carnival troupe. "Then, what do you suppose happened? My benefactor came to me one day and borrowed one hundred and twenty-five dollars and skipped tozvii ! I've not seen him since. But I don't care, because that one hundred and eighty-five dollars he loaned me Avas worth the one hundred and twenty-five dollars interest. He's welcome to it." vShe looked dreamily into space as she went back in her memory over those early years. The experiences had left her somewhat cynical, but had not dulled her remarkable sense of humor. "I was born," she told me, "in Cleveland, Ohio, and when I was four years old, we moved to Lima. There, when I grew up I learned to play a slide trombone — became a member of a women's band. We were good, too — so good that we went into vaudeville and played all over the United States. "Then the movie bee bit me, or stung me. I chucked the old trombone into my trunk and set out for a visit to the New York studios. Got a job, too — at three dollars a day. The next year, I trekked to HollyAvood. I knew nothing then about the griefs of the movie world. But I learned ! "My first jolt came when I found that I couldn't even get into the casting offices to ask for work. I used to reason, plead, beg, cajole, and browbeat the gatemen for permission to get inside, but it did no good. "After arguing with every last one of them, I finally decided that the gateman at Universal seemed the most amenable to reason. So I began a siege on him in particulai". Every day I went to that studio. We became quite friendly, that gateman and T. I called him 'Argus,' because, I told him, he seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, and he called me 'that tormenting little devil,' and other endearing terms. "Every day we. used to go through the same procedure. First, I approached him with my sweetest smile, and told him how kind he looked, and sympathized with him over all the trials and annoyances he must have to endure. After flattering and cajoling him, I finally popped the question, 'Do I get in to-day?' His answer, of course, was always, 'No.' Then I used to try to dodge around him, and we romped merrily back and forth like a couple of kids. When we were quite exhausted, I used to start pleading and begging again. But his heart was as hard as a bride's biscuit. "One day, as we were going ever the usual ground, a kindly looking man inside the gate beckoned to me. Whereat old Argus, completely nonplused, touched his cap and I walked in. After questioning me, the man said he thought he might be able to find a part for me, and told me to call at his office at ten the next morning. I backed out through the gate so amazed that I forgot to ask his name. " 'Why, that's Mr. Laemmle, president of the company!' said Argus, horror-stricken at my ignorance. "Well, that was the begiiining of Gertrude's little score. I was given a bit in a picture — oh, ever so tiny a bit. But I guess I made good in it, because soon after that I was given another. I acquired a reputation for being able to wear clothes. And heaven help the girl who gets that wished on her ! It means that she will be used to walk through pictures instead of being given parts in which she can act. "And I wanted to act. I wanted to emote all over the place. I still want to. They insist on my being a comedienne, but I'm determined to do something tragic eventuall}'." The old, old story — comediennes always want to do serious roles and dramatic actresses always want to do comedy ! The beautiful Gertrude had one big handicap that cheated her out of many engagem.ents. She was too Continued on page 110