Picture-Play Magazine (Sep 1928 - Feb 1929)

66 /_ Doug and Mary are their own good-natured selves in the greatest of fan stormings. AT the last Wampas frolic I sat in a box just in front of Doug and Mary. All evening long they were surrounded by eager throngs, who wanted them to autograph programs, or who wanted to shake their hands, or who just wanted to stand and gaze at them with wide-eyed, unblinking A stares, as children gaze at a boa constrictor > in the zoo. They made audible comments , * upon the appearance of the famous pair, discussed the details of their attire, and speculated upon their ages. Never once did the patient cordiality of Doug or Mary falter. Never once did either of them indicate by so much as a bored expression, that they would have liked to sit back quietly and enjoy the en y tertainment. Doug listened with enthusiastic attention to a lady, who talked for twenty-five min \ utes — by my watch — about her twelveyear-old son who did so admire Mr. Fairbanks, and whose teacher said he was the smartest boy in school — the very smartest ! —and guess what he said when he was only three and a half? T , ,ff m n , , t,a ■■■ ™ J • , ^ ,, Jack Mulhall managed to be 1 The cutest thing ! Could calm when an admirer gave you imagine it ? . him a whole family of puppies M What Price People often take selfish advantage of stars, using them into situations which sometimes prove amazing examples o£ B$ Helen And Mary smiled and nodded, and got ink on her fingers from the proffered fountain pens, and nudged Doug anxiously when he ventured one tiny, private, jocular remark about one of the dancers. "Her mother might be right behind you !" whispered Mary. Can any one wonder that these two seldom appear in public? For your actor, being a public figure, must never betray any natural human resentment at any attention wdiich is paid him, be it ever so rude and unwelcome attention. He must never indicate that he is not ever so happy to meet any one at all who can manage to meet him — even though they bore him to death for two hours and a half with inanities, merely for the sake of being able to say to their friends, "Now, when I was talking to Ronald Colman " He must never fail to evince polite interest in the personal histories of people he never saw before. He must shake hands, and kiss babies, and patronize charity bazaars, and appear grateful for the privilege. Otherwise he is called high-hat, or "ritzy," and he becomes very unpopular with the people involved. And, since his salary and his position in the picture industry are measured by his popularity with the public, you can see for yourself that he must guard that popularity with exceeding tenderness. When Nancy Carroll and Buddy Rogers attended a preview in a small theater in Santa Monica, word got about that they were in the audience. When the lights went up for intermission, they were nearly smothered in the rush of patrons, and the management had to call policemen before the eager crowds could be persuaded to return to their seats. When the two unfortunate starlets left the theater, the entire house left with them and, being good-natured youngsters, they made an earnest attempt to satisfy the demands of this section of their public for autographs. At one o'clock next morning they were still autographing. People had dashed home after their "albums" and had dashed back, panting, to the theater lobby. The climax was reached, Nancy thought, when an agitated young man, having nothing upon which she could write her name, plucked out his shirt tail and demanded that she autograph that. The helplessness of actors in this position inspires people to use them to fur ther their own affairs very often. When Ruth Taylor made a personal-appearance tour not long" ago, a great many clothing shops and modistes attempted to use her for advertising purposes.