Picture Show (Nov 1919-Apr 1920)

2" The Picture Show, April Wh, 1920. THE ROSE IN THE WILDERNESS. " A /[RS. DESPARD," announced the moid. |vl For l'ie minute the name was unfamiliar ; then, as a very perfectly tailored girl came into the room, I laughed. "Why, Ruth, I was just wondering who fho stranger was. I always forget my friends' married names. Tea. Marie, and hot buttered toast. Sit down, Ruth, you*ve happened in ou coal and butter day. Well, how goes it ? The firelight flickered on a pretty face that was momentarily hardenod in a rathor worried look. " Fairly well," she said, aa she loosened her furs. "Fact is, I've come to say good-bye. I've had a cable from David, and ho wants mo to go out to Australia to him on the next boat. Of course I'll love to see him again, but it's all rathor uprooting, isn't it T I've never lived on a ranch in my life, and I think 1 shall be rather homesick at first." I sympathised, and we talked for some lime. Then she said : " You know, I'm rather worried about the frivolous problem of keeping my looks. David told me that what first attracted him was the fact that I looked so different from most Australian women. But under Australian conditions, shall I bo able to keep it up ? For example, I have my hair washed and waved at a hairdresser's every fortnight : that will be impossible in my new life." " Why, that's easily solved : take out a good supply of silmerine with you ; once out there you can order it from Sydney which will be your nearest town. You only want to damp your bair with it slightly and put in slides or a curler or two, which can easily be concealed under a boudoir cap. Get your hair accustomed to silmerine treatment on the voyage out ; then, by tho time you land, it will probably have developed a distinct natural tendency to curl, and will only occasionally need damping. Of course, it is much better for tho hair, than to sap all its gloss and vitality with hot irons. For a home shampoo, I think you cannot beat stallax ; a teaspoonful of stallax granules to a cup of hot water will make the most delicious foaming lather, which cleanses the hair splendidly. You'll bo able to dry it in tho sun in no time in that gorgeous climate I If I were you, I should always keep some reliable tonic in tho house, for you never know when your hair may require a little stimulating. Yes, boranium and bay rum is excellent : I always use it. I should take some boranium out with you. You can get it in very convenient little packages. Also, I think it would be a very wise plan to keep some tammalite by you ; dark hair like yours has a very disconcerting habit of turning grey in patches. Why don't you take out some tammalite ? You may not need it for a long time, but it will keep. If your hair does show a tendency to fade, you have only to dissolve two ounces of tammalite in three ounces of bay rum, and you have a wonderful hair restorer ready for use." " Why, that seems too good to be true .' " exclaimed Ruth. " 1 must write that down. Now, Estelle, I'm going to worry you somo more. What kind of complexion cream should I take? I want something that lasts, that doesn't really take up much room, and above all, that really does keep one's skin in condition ? " " The answer to the riddle is mercolized wax," I replied. " A couple of dunces such as chemists usually sell lasts for three or four months; it is solid, compact, and not wasteful to use, and it's the finest comploxion beautifier there is. Its groat merit is that instead of making tho skin dull by clogging tho pores with greaso as too many ' face-creams ' do, it gently absorbs the dull outer tissue which gets coarscnod by hard water, dirt, and so on — and reveals tho dazzling freshness of tho new skin below. Of course, in a hot climate where tho sun and dust tend to ruin even the prettiest skins, it will bo simply invaluable." " Will you come and sco me off ? I sail on Friday fortnight . . good-bye . . ." " Good-byo, Ruth, and tho very host of luck to you both. Write to me, won't you 1 . . . Good-byo ! " I'AItKEU BeI.MONT'k Cl.VNOL JJlOWtlES ion Obesity. (Advt.) BEN WEBSTER. A MAN OF MANY FILMS. BEN WEBSTER. BEN WEBSTER is a man of many films. In fact, I caused a distinct line of perplexity to furrow his forehead when I called upon him the othor evening, and politely, but peremptorily, demanded a review of his pictorial past. However, here are a few of his films, w hich he recalled for my — and vour — benefit. Lil of London," " The House of Tcmperlcy," "Booties' Baby," " A Garret in Bohemia " — all of which were made for the London, under whose banner Mr. Webster has done most of his film work, his director for this company being Harold Shaw. Then there was " Enoch Ardeu," for Neptune. " A little too poetical for the general public, perhaps," commented Mr. Webster, " but charmingly done. Many of the scenes were enacted in Cornwall, and I remember how the villagers gazed at us open-eyed, especially at me, because in my make-up I looked so much like Nelson, and how they ended by turning out in fine style to watch us at work." The inquisition resumed, mine host recalled his appearance in " If Thou Wert Blind," for Clarendon — " a dear little thing, but badly cut"; and three Ideal pictures: "Masks and Faces," " The Vicar of Wakefield," and " Tho Gay Lord Quex," and told me that his last film was " Twelve-Ten," the production of Herbert Brenon, made for tho B. and C. Company, featuring Marie Doro. Ben Webster's Favourite Film. I SHOULD not like to say with any degree of certainty which, of all his films, holds the premier place in Mr. Webster's affections, but I strongly suspect that he has a special fondness for " Tho House of Temperley," because he happens to know that it was among those films which were shown to the troops overseas, and that it brought entertainment and relaxation when they were most needed to a certain battalion of war-worn men in that place of horror and heroism — Mesopotamia. Mr. Webster likes acting for the screen, especially when it takes him out-of-doors, though he confessed that his preference lies in the direction of the stage, as is natural in a man who has had so long and distinguished a career on tho boards. And then he told me that the beauty of the human voice is something which he could never willingly forgo. Again he finds, as so many other legitimate artists do, that the long waits, and the lack of continuity involved in screen work, aro disadvantages which, if cheerfully borne, cannot be wholly ignored. When ho informed me that the final scene — the death-bed scene — in " Booties' Baby " was the one taken first ; when he explained that the culminating point of tho play had to be reached, felt, and the past events of a man's life recalled, without the slightest aid of dramatic sequence, I realised what this lack of continuity must mean to a stage artiste. The Scrappiness of Film Scenes. HAVING got thus far — for I verily believe Mr. Webster would have dwelt only on what he had found pleasant in his film experiences, had rny thirst for knowledge bo«n less acute — I begged this man of many films to put his finger on what he considered the weak spots in picture production in general, and British photoplays in particular. I immediately elicited the information that in his opinion film scenes are far too scrappily enacted, preventing full development of dramatic values, and that producers are far, far too fond of the close-up, thus causing it to lose half its significance. '• As regards British films," said Mr. Webster, "of course, we have been greatly hampered — especially from a financial standpoint — during the war. To give you one little instance : I remember working in one studio where we wcr9 compelled by war-time regulations to shut down the lights at three o'clock. One afternoon n« had « big set staged, and many extras in attendance. All seemed conducive to obtaining a really fine effect, but unfortunately we found ourselves drawing near the hour for closing down before we were through our scenes. What did the producer do ? Did he abandon work tit the morrow, and order the actors to put ui another appearance then ? No. In order to save the extra expense that would thus have been entailed, he chose to scramble the scend* through by three o'clock —and they looke scrambled. Plenty of capital would have pc vided for such emergencies. American Improvements. APPLIANCES form another of our disadvantages, or rather failings. The American producer has fixed appliances for all branches and emergencies of his w ork. Which, reminds me of a problem w hich arose in conl nection with the photography of 'Twelve-Ten.' On the whole this is very "fine, but once \v> experienced a photographic difficulty which often arises in a studio during cold weather. Under such conditions static develops on the film. This i>dueto a certain friction w hich takes place m the celluloid, causing a blurred effect. Now in America— so Mr. Brenon's camera-man told me — there is obtainable a specially prepare i film, made by a certain photographic "firm, which prevents this static condition. Naturally, when the cold weather came the camera-man applied to a branch of this particular firm over here, for the same article. And, do you know, not only had they not got it in stock (he told me afterwards), but they liad Hevcr heard of it ! " Advertising the Star. IN response to further probing, Mr. Webster confessed that he thought another of our weaknesses lay in the British film pro. ducer's lack of dramatic knowledge. He also criticised our methods of advertising, remarking that he thought it a mistake to follow the policy of advertising the play and practically omitting the names of the chief actors. whom the general public followed and were anxious to see. I asked Mr. Webster whether lie thought at appearing in films again. " 1 hope to do so," he replied. ". Mr. Shaw wants me back when, as he is kind enough to put it, he has some photoplays worthy of me. I have also had other offers — one from the B. and C. to join their stock company— but, though I have found it hard to refuse." I hare been obliged to do so, on account of my theatrical engagements. But later on I sincerely hope I shall be able to act for the films again; J think they have a great future, but — there is a lot to be done before they are perfect ! " May Herschel Clahke. Ik. 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 By JOHN GABRIEL The finest sporting romance ever written. A big thrill in every chapter. Begin reading it TO-DAY in ^viiiiiiiii^riihwiiiiiiwTimiiiiirm»iHi'i'iMimnitiii)iitift)ii')iiintrtmmiiii ALL SPORTS ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY^ ► ► ► ► ► ► immiiiuiiumunh