Picture Show (Oct 1920 - Apr 1921)

Picture Show, January 29th, 1.921. IS ROMANCES OF FAMOUS FILM FOLK tk;9 story— tke firrft of a serie3 — concerns tke romance of Ckarle3 Ray and Clara Grant, wko new, aa you know, is Mrs. Ray. As tke autkor suggest:, it reioU almost like one of tke plays in wkick its kero kas so endeared kimself to tke kearts of all pidluregoers. Could any story kav» a better recommendation? By GRACE KINGSLEY B BAP THIS FIRST. CHARLES KAY was attending the business department of a Polytechnic High School, when one day a fellow-student.told him he was going to a dramatic, school that evening, and asked him to go too.. . Charlie was tired of rows of figures, and decided to go. At the school there sprang into Ids heart a desire lo be an actor, and he there and then commenced lessons. There was a very pretty girl who attended tlie dancing class at t he school, and Charlie wanted.to know lie verjj much, but because he was poor he would not force his attentions ou her. He did not sec her again for four years, because he joined a stock 'company • but he often thought of the little dancer, and wondered if he would ever see her again. It happened when Miss Grant came down tho stairway after removing her wraps, when Charlie came suddenly round a corner from the room where they were dancing, and they ran smack into each other ! Miss Grant was going to bo just a little bit mad — and then she looked up into Charlie's earnest eyes and face red with embarrassment, and her face broke into smiles of glad recognition. And, my ! but didn't Charlie recognise her, and didn't lie blush ! Ho hastily apologised, and then they looked at each other a minute. Just then the dance music struck up. W-w-won't you dance with mc, Miss When They Meet Again. AND When I met her again it was ..after I had gone into pictures," Charlie, told me. Funny thing fate is," Charlie went on. " I went one night to a 'party at Constance Johnston's, just by a chance meeting with William D. Taylor, the director, on the street, who asked me if I didn't want to go, I said, 'Sure,' and invited him to ride in my little Overland car— yes, I hod a little car by that time ; father helped mo to buy it. It seems — I found this out afterwards — that Clara hadn't intended going to the party. She had been working ail day and was tired. But our hostess, Miss Johnston, who was very fond of Clara, called her up on the telephone and asked her please to come over and dance with the surplus of men. Clara had gone to bed, but finally Miss Johnston persuaded ller ; she got up and dressed and came over, and as she lived only two blocks away they let her come alone. Which was another little stitch of fate, as you can see. Because afterwards it enabled me to take her home. I just ditched dear old Taylor and took Miss Grant home grandly in my car. And it was moonlight ! " But that was later in the evening. Tho funny part of it was their meeting, which you will admit all happened exactly like a scene in a Charlie Ray picture. Charles Ray's beautiful home in Los Angeles. Grant ? " asked Charlie, partly because he could think of nothing else to say. They found they danced very well together, and Charlie's stage experience helped him to overcome his shyness with the girl of the mocking eyes and the laughing mouth, so they danced together a good many times, and then lie took her home, and?, as I said before, it was moonlight, which always docs help. Afterwards they went out to parties and theatres together a great deal. But Charlie remained very poor for two long years. " You don't feel you can take all a girl's timo when you have nothing to offer," said Charlie with reminiscent wistfulness. " Don't you think Clam Grant cared for you all tho while ! " 1 asked. "Well, I don't know. Girls are awfully smart that way, you know," answered Charlio in a boyishly awe-struck tone. " But," and ho smiled whimsically, " even if Clara didn't know it, I was engaged to her all the while, whether she was engaged to me or not ! " The two were friends for two whole years. Of course Charlie was worried all the time for fear some other boy would take Clara away from liiin. In fact, once they were estranged because soma man — a real " villain," I'll say, told Charlie that Clara was engaged to be married to him. So Charlie stopped calling, and of course Clara just wouldn't send for Charlie, and there they were ! But they met accidentally one day on a country road, and Clara asked Charlie to • call in quite formal fashion, and Charlie said, "All right." So it was all made up again. But still Charlie's conscience wouldn't let him propose. "Not," he told himself with his teeth shut I.. tight together, "until ho was earn IJj SaL-il 'n one hundred and twenty-five By^HH dollars a week." ^ But they spent long, happy Sunday afternoons together, taking rides and long walk? in the suburbs of Los Angeles, looking wistfully up at handsome homes and dreaming happy dreams. Often there were theatre parties, when Chariie was working, and then there were jolly little table d'hote dinners together at French and Italian restaurants, where you got positively everything for seventy-five cents, self-mado 'music on a player-piano included, and where you could feel very adventurous and a little wicked, sipping the red wine and looking about at the bobbed-haired women and the longhaired men. " Lots of times I've sacrificed a couple of necktics I really needed," said the ingenuous young man, " to be able to take her to the theatre and have an ice-cream soda afterwards." (To hi concluded in nixt Monday's ••Picture Show.") the part of FILMS OF THE WEEK T he " Picture Show s Guide to Pidturegoers succession. Carmelita, Hedda Nova plays > beautiful outlaw. "The Feud." Tom Mix. (Fox.) A DRAMATIC story of a feud between two fariiilies, who lived in the bluegrass district of the Wild West in the days of crinolines. Romance and adventure is carried from one generation to another. Two people are parted through this feud, but their children become happily united. "When a Man Loves." Earub Williams. ( Vitaqraph .) ^ THE story of an Englishman who finds his love in beautiful Japan. The scheming of a husband -hunter almost parts him from the woman he loves, but all things come right in the end. Margaret Loomis plays tho role of the Japanese girl with much distinction. " A Little Brother of the Rich.,' Kathryn Adams, Frank Mayo, and J. Barney Sherry. (Phillips.) . DRAMATIC and compelling is this story of an ambitious young man and a theatrical star. It is very human, and is remarkable for its lifelike characterisations. " The Hard Rock Breed." Margery Wilson. (WesternImport.) WHAT'S bred in the bone "—a story of hard workers and hard fighters in tho great West. A voung man, never having worked before, endeavours to make good. He succeeds, but makes many enemies, who try to kill him by firing dynamite. "A Daughter of Two Worlds." Norma Talmadge, ( WalturdaW.) AS a daughter of the underworld, tho talented actress gives a remarkable performance. Sho becomes victimised in a forgery case, is hidden in a boarding school, where she lives for four' years! At the end of this time her past dramatically confronts her. Deeply interesting is the star's study of this character. " Lorna Doone." Bertie Gordon and Dennis Wyndham. (Butcher's.) RD. BLACKMORE'S famous novel on the , screen. The adventures of John Ridd and the doings of the terrible Doones provide drama of the first water. All lovers of the book will rejoice to see their favourito characters on the screen. " The Spitfire of Seville." Hedda Nova. ( Oaumont. ) THE wild ways and passions of a band of outlaws near Seville form the motive of this story. Hate and revenge, swift and sure — intensely dramatic episodes follow in quick " Mary Ellen Comes to Town." Dorothy Gish. (PtramoaM-ArtcraJt.) THE irrepressible Dorothy Gish as a country girl, who leaves her sleepy village and seeks adventures in New York. She intends to be an actress, but has to accept a job as cabinet singer. At this haunt she falls in with crooks, and here the fun begins. As " tho funniest uirl on tho screen," in this picture Dorothy Gish fully lives up to her reputation. " The Brat." Nazimova. (Jury's.) NAZIMOVA, the incomparable, is quirk a different role to any she has yet played. As a shabby little chorus girl she is rescued by a novelist from a trumped -up charge at the police court. He adopts her, and from now onwards develops the plot. Many great acting scenes lead up to a powerful climax. " His Wife's Friend." Dorothy Dalton. ( Paramou nt-A rtcraft. ) MYSTERY, love, and adventure play their parts in this screen-play. The story of a young wife married to a much older man, whose life is spent in solving chess problems. His mysterious death and tho intrigues of a Chinese spy form an amazing tangle. A vital society story with many impressive scenes.