Screenland (Apr-Sep 1924)

SCREENLANJD 77 QWest Coast — from page 75. Italian Sheiks the Rage Wouldn't it be terrible if we should lose all of our Italian screen lovers at one time? The disaster is a possibility, I understand. I know that Rudolph Valentino, Naldo Morelli and, George Beban have all be invited to Rome, Italy, to attend the opening of Europe's biggest theater, which is now being constructed in that city. Naldo, I hear, is a close friend of the architect who designed the theater and may be the master of ceremonies. Goodness, but the screen would oe quiet if Italy shoul8 manage to lure these three away, even if only temporarily. A Leap Year Club (f~^ oodness, but thoughts of matrimony seem to have taken Hollywood and the movie colony by storm. Just the other day someone was telling me that five girls have formed a Leap Year Club. The five, I believe, are Marian Nixon, Ruth Clifford, Ann May, Dorothy Wood and Alberta Vaughn. They met one night at Marian's house, and the next thing we knew, the newspapers told us about their new Leap Year Club. It is a jolly little club, at that. Each member put in one hundred dollars, five hundred in all. The first girl of the group to marry in 1924 will receive the entire sum as a wedding gift. If, fifteen days before Christmas, all of them are still single, the money will be devoted to some charitable use. Isn't that a nice idea? Marian told me about it yesterday. Within a week following publication of the stories about the club, she received forty-one proposals of marriage from unknown people who resorted to the mails to present their sentiments. I was so sorry to hear about Wallace MacDonald's and Doris May's (she is Mrs. McDonald, you know) sad misfortune. Mrs. MacDonald was to become a mother in x\ugust, you know, and both of them were so happy, planning for its coming and future. Wally's mother came all the way from Canada to be present. Then something happened and the baby was born prematurely. Of course, it didn't live, but Mrs. MacDonald is allright. Doris and Wally both bore up remarkably well under the blow, but she confided to me how very sad she really is. Oh, did I tell you about Charlie Ray? I have been playing opposite him in his new pictures for Thomas H. Ince, you know. The first one is titled "Smith". Charlie is very glad to get back to the Ince studio, he told me. He says that the worries of producing were too many for him. Now he is satisfied to remain a star and let someone else do the producing and releasing. He is the same old Charlie. . . goodnatured and always ready to lend a helping hand to ambitious beginners. I enjoy very much appearing in pictures with him. . . . in fact, I can't say that anyone has been a more congenial working partner. evening, and got chatting. Miss Faire said she wished she knew who it was had helped her win that contest. She said she was sure he had some unknown advocate. "Well, here she is!" answered Mabel. "I know you had talent, when I saw thatlittle test of you run off at Mr. Blank's home." And now Virginia is wondering what on earth she can ever do for Miss Scott. "Wjy e kept a grocery store and I gave " v music lessons. Usually the grocery store was more remunerative, and we could always live off the groceries he didn't sell, anyway." Ramon Novarro gives credit to a younger brother for all the help in the world when he first came to Hollywood, an unknown boy, from Mexico, seeking his fortune. The younger boy started a " grocery store, and Ramon worked with him, too, when he wasn't ushering in a theater or giving music or dancing lessons. Now Ramon is aiding in supporting his big family of brothers and sisters. Norman Kerry aided an unknown young man to get a foothold in pictures. The young man is well on his way, but he seems to have forgotten his benefactor. Kerry gave the boy clothes, loaned him his machine, even gave him money for food and entertained him at his home. Kerry was very patient. He never wanted the money back, he says, nor anything else, except a decent amount of recognition. "But I thought it was about the limit," Norman told some friends, "when, the Q\Tke Lion and the Motise — from things. Her na me is Ella Wickersham. She dwells in Hollywood, and she and Carrol were schoolmates together. Ella had intended becoming a dancer, too, but when misfortune overtook her, she bravely made up her mind to hide her own deep grief and trouble, and to aid others all she could. Carrol and Ella used to have long talks, in which Ella encouraged Carrol to hope that she could some day be a great dancer or a great actress. Carrol and Ella's brother William were dancing partners doing exhibition work, and Carrol was studying dancing with Ruth St. Denis at the same time. Sometimes Ella aided Carrol in making Carrol's dancing costumes, for Ella could sit and sew even though she could not walk. When Carrol got a chance to play a nice bit in Intolerance, it was Ella who congratulated her with shining eyes; it was Ella who told her, "You'll be great some day, Carrol!" So on the brief occasions of late when Carrol has come to Hollywood, it is her brave, beautiful schoolmate she looks up first -of all. Ofttimes it is the stars themselves who are great helpers of others stars. Mary Pickford it was who took Dorothy and Lillian Gish to see D. W. Griffith. Mr. Griffith evidently at once sensed that the girls had screen personality and talent. For he made them act. Yes, indeed. Let Dorothy tell it in her own words: "We all went up into the property room to see the interesting things there, and suddenly Mr. Griffith grabbed a knife page 23. and chased us about. We were scared to death! I think now that he wanted to see us register fear. He got his wish.'' Mabel Normand helped an unhappy girl, who was ill and out of work, once on a time. Miss Normand gave the girl clothes and got her a job But once the girl had risen, she seemed to have forgotten all about Miss Normand. She was the cause of the greatest unhappiness in Miss Normand 's life. Her name is well known now. A beauty contest was being held in New York by a big magazine. The name of a pretty young girl named Virginia Brown was prominently mentioned for one of the first prizes. But the owner, and publisher of the magazine was a great admirer of another girl. He held the contest down at his country place in Long Island. Mabel Julienne Scott was invited as one of the judges of the contest. Miss Scott favored Virginia Brown. The magazine owner didn't like it at all. He told her he had invited her down there as his guest, and he expected her to vote as he wanted her to. She held her ground, and persuaded others to vote with her. Due to her efforts Virginia Brown, whom we now know as Virginia Brown Faire, won a prize which put her in pictures. Miss Faire has always been grateful to her until recently unknown friend. She knew that some one had helped her, but she didn't know who it was. The girls met at a party, the other