Screenland (Apr–Sept 1923)

from Hollywood The Corner of Last Hope — Continued from page 24 105 Comedy may not be the sweetest word e'er spoken in an extra's ear by a casting agency, but it has saved many a poor devil from starvation. As a 'First Chance,' Comedy is the champion life-saver of Hollywood. The inexperienced Handsome Harry and the amateur Dolly Dimples who have come out to California to make their fame and fortune are often glad of a chance to receive a bucket of muddy scrub water on their permanent waves — for a check for five dollars looms as large as the national debt. If 'First Chance' were merely a pleasant little service station on the way to the city of Fame-and-Fortune. in the country of Drama, the profession would not kick at all. But it so seldom is anything but a jumping-off place. The Jumping-off Place T he apologetic air with which an extra acknowledges that she is "in comedy" is as nothing compared with the evasion and the blushes which accompany the admission on the part of a former dramatic star that she is now "in comedy." It is bad form to ask a comedy actor or actress what the play is all about. As Billie Rhoades said when asked what she is doing now, "I don't know. We never know what a comedy is about or what it's name is until it's finished." A comedy star never forces the word 'star' down your throat. She is simply 'in comedy/ and the less said about it the better. Certain names which become household words — among the children at least — belong to players who will reluctantly admit that they are 'starring in comedy,' but they don't lose a breath before telling you the plans their company has for putting out fivereel features and 'super-comedies.' How Monty Banks was Cured „onty banks is one comedy star who seems content to let the rest of the world emote without envying it too much. Monty tells a sad tale of trying to make features. His director and he had the bright idea of making a five-reeler at the price of a two-reeler, and of putting a real story in it. He admits that it was good — too good ! They couldn't place it ! A two-reel Monty Banks comedy finds a ready market. But what on earth would an exhibitor do with a five reeler? It's too long to slip into the program as a comedy, and the name isn't well known enough to justify the exhibitor in mak ing a Monty Banks five-reeler as the feature of his program. And if he did so far forget good showmanship, what would he use as a two-reeler to round out the program ? Not another comedy ! The audience would be sick of laughing if asked to chortle through seven reels of fun. "The day of the two-reel comedy is not over. It's getting a new lease on life," Monty vows. "The features these days are so morbid and 'realistic' and shocking and try so hard to make the audience think that it is really a welcome relief to relax and giggle over a two-reel comedy, that doesn't ask you to solve any problems, or which doesn't chide you for not having read the book on which it was founded. Everybody that hasn't read 'Trilby' feels a little guilty. To announce that you're going to see it calls forth a lot of questions as to whether you think they will leave out that snappy episode of the Englishman taking his bath, or whether they will let Trilby go barefoot. You don't know ! And you squirm ! But a glance at Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd comedy — nobody expects you to know anything about it or think or do anything else but en joy it ! No wise cracks now ! People do enjoy comedies !" Perhaps. Anyway, there are few comedy stars who give us the same argument as Monty Banks. Most of them are like Buster Keaton — hellbent on getting out of two-reelers into features. A comedy star may be a star until the cows come home, but it means nothing, it lifts no pall of gloom from his esthetic soul. He must be a star in features, or they can just take him out and bury him, for all he cares. Buster Keaton has been one of our sure-fire two-reel boys. But he cast a frozen glance at Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd and the iron of envy entered his soul. He too would be the main prop of the program. He tried it once in 'The Saphead' and failed. He's all primed to try it again, he says — going to make five-reelers ; nay, he won't stop there, even. If Harold Lloyd can make seven reels seem like three, then Buster can, too ! Yes, it seems like it automatically takes the curse off a comedy to stretch it out to five or six or seven reels. Even four. Chaplin padded a two-reeler, which he made in his off hours, into four, and 'The Pilgrim' headed the bill. But the public went away slightly puzzled and somewhat dissatisfied. There is no more respected man in the business than Harold Lloyd — comedy star. But it was not until he graduated out of the feature-chaser class into the main squeeze of the program that he won this universal respect. There is just some sort of public complex against warming up to the hero or heroine of a two -reeler. H. The Comedy Kindergarten arking back to Mack Sennett, his school for bathing beauties was in reality the only college for cinema girls that has ever graduated any pupils into drama. Mack should be given a public vote of thanks for the stiff course he gave to such twinklers of the drama firmament as Gloria Swanson, Mary Thurman, Marie Prevost, Mabel Normand, Harriet Hammond, Alice Lake — ■ when we started that list we thought it was going to be awfully long and impressive. But lo, we see the reverse sign looming up, 'Last Chance'. Of the list, Gloria Swanson is still going strong in drama — or rather in clothes — and Mary Thurman gets a good part now and then. But Mabel Normand has already seen the handwriting on the wall, and Alice Lake, since she lost her bathing beauty figger, is not making any exhibitors burn the wires up ordering the pictures in which her name is occasionally seen in "all star casts." Marie Prevost as a dramatic actress is a luscious bathing beauty — and much as it hurts us to admit it, seeing as how we like Marie and all that — that is about as far as she will ever go. For Marie has only two expressions — a cunning babyish, gleeful smile, and a cunning, babyish pout. And Marie is getting to be a big girl now and ought to learn better. She missed the chance of a lifetime to emote in Brass and steal the picture — not worth enough to get her a charge of grand larceny, but still a nice little bit of shoplifting if she cou— : have pulled it off. But she only giggled and pouted, just as she giggled and pouted in Mack Sennett comedies. Harriet Hammond, one of the prettiest girls in Hollywood, has been bandied about since she forsook Sennett, but has still not done anything which we can remember at the moment. Betty Compson was an Al Christie comedy favorite when George Laone Tucker did his famous Balboa stunt. Alas, Betty is still living on memories of 'The Miracle Man.' Living down as good a picture as that is a hopeless task. Now Betty has gone to London, where some clever director may catch the same spiritual quality that Tucker capitalized. Then again he may not. Is the long trail leading Betty back to 'Last Chance' ? If so, the angels will weep.