Picture Play Magazine (Mar-Jul 1929)

8 What tke Fans Think Sage Advice. IT is time some one took up Lillian Gish's defense, since every half-baked high-school graduate feels, competent to compare her unfavorably with the flapper he admires. Incidentally, and quite aside from her quality as an actress, I am sure that if Lillian. Gish took up stenography, or a like profession, the flaunting ones would find her a dangerous competitor. Whatever gave these young persons the idea that theirs is the only type which ought to exist? It has been said radicals are the real bigots. One thing is certain — the modern girls who claim most freedom for themselves are the ones who seek to fetter other women, to drag them at their chariot wheels. Those who prate of tolerance are themselves most intolerant. The atheists are most fanatic. A curious feature of this crusade against self-control and decency is that the virtues despised by these zealots in women are admired in men. Nothing in months has amused me more than the shy, reluctant, Victorian maidenliness of Charles Rogers in a stray film called "Red Lips." It seems to be this quality which attracts girls of the brazenly offensive sort portrayed by Marian Nixon, as the heroine of "Red Lips." Rogers may have atoned for his bashful reluctance in their eyes by the rudeness with which he snatched a wallflower from the wall, since a touch of rudeness makes their whole world kin. It has become the custom for efficient young females to lay siege to any of the other sex who capture their fancy. They violate every natural physical instinct, since frankness is the order of the day. The moment an actress plays a streetwalker, or a "green hat," there is a chorus of praise from reviewers. It might be as well to remember great actresses have gained fame by playing chaste women as well as courtesans. When we have an actress of charm, intelligence, and supreme technique, an actress recognized by men of intellect— a professor lecturing recently in my own city admitted he never missed a Lillian Gish picture — do we loyally support her? We do not ! On the contrary, we try to crucify her ; but we shall not succeed. Lillian Gish is too strong for us. It is true I wish sometimes, perhaps unreasonably, she would show her strength more obviously. I should like to see her give one of the exhibitions of fiery, righteous rage for which Modjeska was once famous. And I wish the same of Ramon Novarro. Nothing would please me more than to see him in a play where he rides rough-shod over everybody. In his latest, "The Flying Fleet," for instance, the title writer and the scenarist make Ralph Graves one of those unpleasant he-men who stop at nothing to get what they want. All Steve (Ralph Graves) has to do is to grin or stop grinning ; no action is required ; the scenarist does it all. He is Tommy's rival, but does Novarro stand up for himself ? No, he is, as usual, a punching bag, lovable but exasperating. There is little reason to expect that in singing or talking pictures the case will be different. Some one will see to it that he is again the doormat, and Mr. Novarro, who seems to feel he owes nothing to those who have supported him in the past, will be too indifferent to care. S. W. Box 4271, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Boost Home Talent. So far I have read only the professional flattery given the screen people in the magazines. When I read "What the Fans Think," I had to hang onto the arms of my chair for support in astonishment at the opinions held for and against the stars. The universal opinion seems to be that the approval or disapproval of the fans will make or break a star. Then, Fans, at least let's be decent about it. Why not talk about the ones we like, instead of running down the ones we don't like? Sarcasm doesn't help our favorites, and that's really what we want to do. What good does it do to criticize, if we have no remedy to offer ? Positive criticism is always better than negative. A money-mad nation like the United States is very fortunate in having talent like that of Lillian Gish, Lon Chaney, and Anita Page. Let's boost our countrymen. If we don't, who will? In running them down, we lose the respect of the very foreigners we praise. I wish John Gilbert would show us some real personality that would justify his going about with the air of being the "world's gift to women." A good way to start would be to shave off that ridiculous mustache. Then there's his coworker, Greta Garbo. When I first saw her in "The Temptress," I thought of her as a snake woman. The idea stayed with me. But, on the other [Continued on page 10] •n 1 1 ii n 1 1 1 3&B2&E