Screenland (Oct 1923-Mar 1924)

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J y IDDODi ^ ]□□□& OK10 ODD GOOD /<» ^ £j/ Anna Prophater nce upon a time, before actresses were such respectable young ladies of irreproachable morals, there were certain circumstances which were supposed to produce dramatic genius. It was, for instance, believed to be extremely lucky for a young actress to have a stage door-keeper for a father and a second-rate character actress for a mother. If it could be so arranged, it was preferable for the, actress to be almost born on the stage. The budding actress was supposed to be unusually fortunate if she could )wn up to three husbands and four unhappy love affairs before she was twenty-one. Moreover, it was considered desirable for her to travel several years in a barn-storming company, suffer the privations of a road tour and endure the unhappy experience of several seasons in fourth rate musical comedy companies. The actress was then supposed to be prepared for fame, fortune and the vicissitudes of life. As the saying goes, she was equipped to be an artist. Sometimes when these veterans of the stage reached stardom, they had some bitter memories in their past. And so grandmother remembers the day when actresses were interesting but not respectable instead of respectable and not interesting. as Patsy Ruth Miller, Colleen Moore and Gloria Hope may be spared the disheartening early experiences of Rachel, Sarah Bernhardt and Mrs. Siddons, to say nothing of uphill climb to stardom of such moderns as Elsie Ferguson, Mrs. Fiske, Jeanne Eagels, Pauline Lord and Jane Cowl, none of whom enjoyed any sort of glory or prosperity until they had won it from the hard-boiled public. djn the old days of the stage actresses arrived at stardom after years of struggle and hard work. ©.These days the screen does it much quicker. Every year the studio press agents of Hollywood nominate twelve young actresses for stardom. The fortunate young women are christened "baby stars" and pushed by the press agents with a special line of refined publicity. CLThe fact that few of the twelve ever arrive in electric lights never diminishes the optimism of their sponsors. CLBut — picking the "baby stars" is a pleasant little game. The Ice Cream Soda School of Acting The ice cream soda school of acting nourishes in Hollywood, fostered by the studio press agents who would have the public know that any nice young girl, with a reasonable amount of good looks, can get along in the movies. She doesn't have to be melodramatic and "pay the price." She doesn't even have to be oldfashioned enough to pay the price of learning to act. And paying the price of learning to act is usually about five years of rotten and dreary hard luck. Every year the studio press agents nominate twelve young ac HP Making Acting Safe for Flappers tresses for stardom, indicating that stars are not made by the public but in the studios. Lois Wilson, Patsy Ruth Miller, Helen Ferguson and Clara Horton are among those who have been picked in years past to set fire to the Pacific Ocean. movies, even more than the stage, have made acting safe for the young girl. They have made the whole hazardous business of expressing emotions for the benefit of the public as harmless as ice cream sodas and not half so hard on the complexion. As a result of this kindly chaperonage of Hollywood and the protecting wing of Will Hays, such ambitious young actresses 26 T. Baby Stars and Refined Publicity . he fortunate young women, who are chosen for their high moral standing in the community, are christened "baby stars" and are pushed by the press agents with a special line of refined publicity. Each year, the nice girls are interviewed on "how it feels to be a famous actress," although they have to draw on