Picture Show (Oct 1920 - Apr 1921)

10 " The Syren in the Flower Boat." MISS HILDA DAYLEY informed mo the other afternoon that she started stage work in the " Yellow Jacket." in which she played one of the principal parts, Autumn (loud, in "The Flower Boat": ' 1 had great luck," she smiled. " I read the part to the producers, thinking 1 might get just a walk-on " or understudy, as 1 had never been on the stage before ; but to my immense surprise I was engaged to play A u t u m n Cloud straight" away. "In ' Mr." Wu,' I played ' Nancy Ping,' but I had to leave that fascinating production, as I was under contract to play a Gretehen girl, or a girl of the Black Forest, at the Haymarket, in Jerome K. Jerome's play, ' A Great Gamble.' HILDA BAYLEY. My Own Country ! SOON afterwards," Miss Bayley continued, " Cyril Maude offered nio his daughter's part in ' Grumpy,' and he very kindly asked ine to go to America. I felt, however, that I would rather make my name in my own country and try to go to the States later on. "< I played a burlesque part of an actress in a play called-, ' Ho Didn't Want To Do It,' at the Prince of Wales Theatre, and the leading ingenue in 'Tiro Impossible Woman,' at the llaymarket Theatre, and later 'The Sister,' in the ' Laughter of Fools,' under Mr. Curzon's management. In Quest of Experience. THEN," said Miss Hilda Bayley, " I thought I would get some experience in revue, and, although I did no singing nor dancing, I took a burlesque part in . a revue called 'Shell Out.' After that I went back to 'Mr. Wu.' Later I played in Mr1. Walter Hackett's play, ' The Barton Mystery,' with H. B. Irving." Thus did Miss Bayley acquire her knowledge of emotional acting, burlesque and comedy. " The 13th Chair," MISS BA YLEY S restrained emotional acting in 'The 13th Chair" will no doubt bo remembered by many readers of this page. Mrs. Patrick Campbell took the part of the clairvoyant. Mrs. Bayley 's Mother. 01 all the plays I've done," Hilda Bayley declared, " none appealed to me so much as ' Carnival,' ami that is why 1 am so keen on the film of the play, which is being produced by the Alliance Company at St. Margaret's. Richmond. Some of the scenes will take place in Venice, and 1 am greatly looking forward to my visit to Italy. .1 Strolled into tho studio at St. Margaret's with Miss Bayley the other afternoon and admired the wonderful setting of Silvio's (Mr. Mai hieson Lang's) apartment, which, in tho play, oseiiooks the Grand Canal, Venice. A Russian Countess. MY first film was ' Under Sus■ picion ' with the Broadwest Film Co., and 1 played a Russian Countess, the strong emotional leading part." said Miss Bayley, " and in ' Tho Barton Mystery ' 1 took the lead. Black Cats and Luck. LACK cats guard me," Miss Hilda Bayley said laughingly. "Twice ROLAND MYLES. B' black cats followed me. and 1 had tremendously good luck immediately afterwards. After my very first night's performance in the 'Yellow Jacket' when my salary was given to me [ discovered I had been paid twice the amount of the agreed-upon salary. I thought there was some mistake, and 1 handed half of it buck, but £. LATEST PLANS OF PRODUCERS. STORIES FROM TH I was told that the management was so pleased with my first efforts that my salary had been doubled, and then, of course there was nothing, else for me to do but burst into tears. "The evening before," Miss Bayley added, "a black cat followed me home and insisted on sitting on my bed all night." Twelve Long Hours. MR. ROLAND MYLES, who plays Piers Evesham in Stoll's production of. Ethel M. Dell's story, " Bars of Iron," informed me the other afternoon that he belongs to Africa. His mother is an Irishwoman and his father Seoteh, so there is a good deal of the Celt about him. Music was Roland Myles's first love. " I gave three violin recitals at the Wigmore Hall," he said, " then later I went off to America, and led a lazy sort of life. At the outbreak of war I came back to England and joined up with the Hussars in the Imperial Forces. " After the war was over, someone said to me one day : ' Why don't you come along and do some picture work ? ' I thought it would be rather fun, and off I went to tho studio. I was given a very tiny part. I remained in tho building twelve hours, which convinced me that pictures would not suit me ! " A short time afterwards, however, I had tho offer of a very exciting, heavy part, and as this proposal also meant a jourr/ey that would take me to Italy and France, I naturally jumped at the idea and I have been doing screen work ever since." " Six Hours' Practice." WHEN I nsked Mr. Roland Myles if he had no regrets for his violin, he told me, that although of course music was still his great passion, nothing less than six hours' practice a day satisfied him, and screen work made this impossible. " However," ho laughed, "there are times when I still take up my violin. When I was in Italy, doing a picture for Stoll's, we arrived at Mad one, from Florence, just over the border, one evening. Tho train we wanted to catch was too crowded, so the entire company had to remain at Madono for the night. " We put up at tho hold, and when we reached there wo found a fete in progress. After the company had dined, the Bohemian atmosphere of the music and dancing in tho adjoining room was too much for us, so we decided to join in the revelry. " I'p to this period tho local band had been supplying the music. Then someone asked if I could ploy, and I took up a fiddle, which, bythe-byc, was not exactly a Strad. I commenced to play onepiece after another for hours, and it was one o'clock a.m. before tho Italians would lot me go, and only then on the promise that I would play again the following day. Mountains and Music. THE next morning, I was so keen on climbing the mountains at the back of our hotel, that the promiso 1 had made entirely slipped my memory. On my return, greatly to my astonishment, I found a crowd of people waiting at the hotel. After a hurried meal 1 ogain played for the Italians, and afterwards I hey tried to drown mo in champagne ! " Big Game Hunting. ' IN " Br.rs. of Iron " there is n very beautiful I hunting scene, in which Roland Myles plays a strong lead. " 1 am very fond of hunting," he confessed ; " frl fact. I am fond of all sport, and I've had a gooil deal of big game hunting in Africa. I had somo exciting moments in the boxing scene in Bars of Iron,' " he told me. " I was boxing with Leopold McLaren, who took the part of Avery's husband. He is a very big, fine man, " Bars of Iron " is a Splendid Photo play, and a credit to the British Film Industry. MADGE WHITE. ROLAND MYLES and MADGE WHITE in i is one ol Stoll's Eminent British Authors' ol Eric Denys. In (be two photographs at) in two other it