Picture Show (May-Oct 1919)

Th: J'uturt Shou; 'AuguH Otfi, 1919. 17 EDDIE POLO ARRIVES. Special Interview With THE PICTURE SHOW, But you have to do mad things if you want tlniUing pictures. * The Ciioun King ' is full of dangerous stunts. 1 go hand over hand across a street on a telegrapli wire and jump from the dock side on to a moving barge. In doing this trick I broke tin-ee ribs and fractured my jaw. Yoa will see this accident plainly in the film. " Another nasty accident I sustained was in the ' Cyclone Smith ' stories. I was riding standing up on a horse, and had to jump to catch a bar. I jumped too high and caught my head against the balcony. I was clean knocked out, but I came to before I hit the gromid, and was able to turn and fall." " I should like you to tell the reader's of The Picture Show how you manage to fall from great heights without hurting yourself." " It is very difficult to explain in words. Supposing you were jumping from a decent height on to a pavement. If you landed on your feet stiff, something would have to go. You would break your leg and probably jar yom' spine. The way to do it is to let yourself go slack as soon as you touch the ground, and almost before j'our toes have touched the ground you tuni, throw yourself oji the back of your shoulders, like this." Eddie jumped up ill the air, lit lightly on his toes, and, like a flash, turned and landed on his shoulders. " But of course," he went on. " I have been falling ever since I was a kiddie." Eddie Polo to Tour Britain. YOU were originally a trapezist, were you not » " " Yes. I travelled in this country for years with Barnum and Bailey. I also did an acrobatic act on the halls on various circuits, including foiu" years with the StoU tolu"." " That reminds me, Mr: Polo," 1 broke in. " Is it true that you are going on the halls in this country during yovu" present visit ? " " In a way, yes. I intend to give a sort of lecture at those places where my films have been shown. It will be to me like meeting old friends." " On this visit you are filming a new play, are you not ? " Yes. It is called ' The Thirteenth Hour.' When it is completed I tliink it will be one of the finest I have ever taken part in." " And now a word about your riding, Mr. Polo. How did you pick up the Western or cowboy style of riding ? " Riding Wild Horses. " ^~VH, I don't know. I was, of course, used to riding horses in the circus, but the cowboy style is very different. It came easy to me, and now I ride anything. I have jumped a buck-jumper through a window. Talking of buck-jimipers reminds me. Wo were filming in Arizona, and part of the time we travelled with ' a party of cowboys who were on a round-up. They xised to take out a fresh horse every morning, most of them uiibroken ones collected in the roundup. I had a party of cowboys in my company, and I noticed that they kind of fought shy of taking ovit these mibroken horses. This riled me, 80 I said to the rancher, " I would like to ride one of those horses.' As soon as I had said it I knew they would pick out a special specimen of wickedness for me, and they did. He was a buck-jumper of the worst kind. It was a long time before I could get near enough to mount him, but at last I got one foot inthe stirrup, and away he tore. I managed to get in the saddle, and though he gave an exhibition that made the other \\i\d horses seem tame, I stuck on and rode him until he wore himself out." ■ " Just one more tjuestion. Are you an American or a Britisher ? " " Well, I am an .American citizen, hut I have lived just as nuich in this country. 1 joined up m the American Armj', btit just as I was coming overseas the armistice was signed." Kddie sliowed me his disdiarge paper.-', and T left him thinking what a pity it was that lie ditl not get over to Franco in tin.c to show the Huns some of his stunts. K. \V. EDDIE POLO. EDDIE.POLO, the famous cinema st.ar, has broken almost as many bones in his body as he has records in the lihn, but to-day ),e is still a wonderful athlete, and stunting stronger than ever. When I saw him the other day he was nursing a badly sprained hand, an injury he had sustained when doing a stunt in " The Thirteenth Hour," a thrilling photo-plaj', some scenes of I which are being filmed in this country. Like all great athletes, Eddie in his ordinary clothes -does not give the impression of a powerful athlete, but the trained eye can detect in the compact body and the springy walk, the figiire of a man fit for any feat of strength or agility. The clear and the bronzed skin tell of an openair life, for Eddie has slept under the stars in many countries. ■■ What is the most dangerous stunt you ever pulled ? " I asked. Eddie hesitated a moment. I " Well, I don't know exactly. T have jumped a horse from a height of 48 feet into eight feet of water. That was in ' The Broken Coin.' And that reminds me of another horse jump I did thfet was not in the play at all. I was liding a horse over a bridge crossing a ravine. As I f' ot to the middle the bridge broke in two, and and the horse crashed to the bottom, a distance of 80 feet. You would not think it was possible to do much thinking when doing a drop like that, but, believe me, I did some quick reckoning. I kept in the saddle, and as the hor.se touched the ground I threw myself off and escaped without 'an injury. ' 1 My Most Dangerous Stunt. " 1"^ ERHAPS the most dangerous stunt Jf^ lever did," went on the star, "'was going over rapids , in a canoe. That ■wnn in "Three Bad Men and a Girl.' The ieat liad never been done before, and I ■WHS looked upon as a sort of madman. The House of Granger. GRANGER'S EXCLUSIVES, LTD., Managing Director : A. G. GRANGER. London and Stoke-on-Trent. Week hij week wc iviU tell yoa something interesting Q,bout the pictures Granger^'' control, the House that lias so many good pictures on its programme, the House that consistently endeavours to increase the helpJ'ulncss, capacity to amuse, and prestige oj the screen. ROUND THE WORLD IN 15 MINUTES. To .Japan and back in a quarter of an hour. What a wonderful achievement ! It can be done, in fact, is being done nightly now by thousands of people who are finding pleasure and interest in seeing Granger's "Marvels of the Universe." Twice a week these wonderful pictures are being shown at all the leading kinemas. Of course, they do not all deal with Japan, that charming country is only introduced because it is so picturesque and crammed full of interest. Also, just now, when everyone is in a holiday mood, how you would like to go to the land ot the almond blossom and the multi-coloured costumed, dark-eyed daughters of the Far East. Although many of Granger's " Marvels of the Universe ' deal with travel in countries that are off the beaten track, from little known islands in the Pacific to the snow-rigged confines of the Y(m can go to Japan and back lo-nii/ht in fifteen minutes. All the fun of a holiday, without the expense and trouble, Arctic regions, the "Marvels," as their name implies, deal with all kinds of wonderful things that you may wish to know about, or better still, actually want to see. There is no one subject in the sea or out of the sea, on land, in sky, or, indeed, anywhere, that does not find a reflex of its expression in Granger's " Marvels of the Universe." All this mass of carefully chronicled information is co-related, one subject to another. Week by week as you see new jiictures of the series that comprise the " Marvels," you are brought into touch with some new wonder, enlightened upon some new subject, and all tho time while you Icam you are interested and amused. Someone has called the "Marx els" a complete library of useful knowledge displayed upon the screen in beautiful pictures, which have been so cleverly chosen, making it possible in a few moments for you to acquire a mass of really valuable knowledge. If you want to know all there is to he known about the bea'.itiful world of w hich you are a part, there is no easier way — no more pleasant way — than to go week by week to a kinema that is showing Granger's ■■ JIarvels of the Universe." This week yovi may see " A Trip Through Jai)an," next week you may bo brouglit face to face with "Tho Horse's Ancestoi-s," followed perhaps by pictures taken on the highest mount iiins of the world. All very beautiful, exciting, and thrilling. Get. into tho tJranger's "Marvels of the Universe" habit. It will make yovi happy a-s you add to your knowledge of this wonderful world of ours. Please ask your local kinema when they will show Granger's " Marvels of the Universe."