Screenland (May–Oct 1927)

102 Only $2.0° for this Encyclopedia of MOTION PICTURE FOLKS Charles Donald Fox has compiled . . . always at your hand the things you'd like to know about your favorites. Real, romantic and authentic ac counts of 242 stars — illustrated. It is written in a brief concise manner, and will improve your "talking knowledge'1 of the stars — and who isn't talking about them these days? Fill out the coupon below and MAIL IT TODAY! I 1 1 Screenland Book Dept. Desk 5 1 | 49 West 45th Street . New York City. . Gentlemen: I I enclose $2.00 in full payment for my ] | copy of FAMOUS FILM FOLKS. I Name J I 1 I Address ] I ] i i~~iiz™™Tzrzrzrzj SCREENLAND Mummers' Roost the 'movies' who stole the evening. And not merely because they were celebrities — Beverly Hills is used to celebrities — but because they had something to say . Doug Fairbanks, for instance, though he punctuated his talk by a joyously cxhuberant wit, got down to brass tacks and told his fellow-townsmen of some civic observations he had made during a recent trip to Europe. He painted a marvellous picture of a city dedicated not at all to business, but to good health and beauty. And he pointed out how we could make Beverly Hills the most notable city in the world. There were a good many out of town guests that night, and they were visibly impressed to see Doug in a new role. An actor knowing about such things! Really, it was quite remarkable! But when Mary got up, they relaxed, and in their rooster vanity settled back in a most condescending way to contemplate her beauty and listen to her prattle. Bang! In her first sentence, she had them sitting up, and as she got under way and dynamically drove home her points, they were out on the edges of their chairs, staring at the young crusader like startled codfish. For Mary is a crusader — a crusader for trees! Mary thinks trees, talks trees, and grows trees — a subject upon which she has become a great authority. Let anybody telephone in that some astigmatic realtor is 'clearing the property' of fine old trees, and Mary will leave a million-dollar production to go out and stop the outrage. But before this hard-boiled bunch, the young champion of our trees did not grow sentimental or 'artistic'. She was talking to business men, and she talked business. She pointed out the commercial value of trees. She showed how the extraordinary value of Beverly Hills real estate was rooted in her gorgeous trees, and though we have some 40,000 trees planted in our parkings, she pleaded for more trees, and then still more trees. When she sat down, cheers went up. Her subject and its intelligent treatment were a surprise to the outlanders, and instantly she was bombarded by the visiting representatives of every Chamber of Commerce in Southern California to come and address their town. And at last reports she was still doing it. The next big surprise to the sniffy visitors — and some of our own people — who thought the movie folk have no interest except themselves, was Conrad Nagle. Called upon from the crowd to say a few words, that rather ministerial young man stood up, bowed, smiled and then starting off in a low, beautifully modulated voice, he launched forth into a rhetorical display of verbal pyrotechnics that put the visiting Rotarians and Kiwanians on their backs. He told them that this was the first time in the history of the world that the actor had taken root. Heretofore, a gypsy, he had at last realized his dreams of owning a home and functioning like butchers and bakers and candle-stick makers. He asked them to forget that he and his kind were curiosities to be pointed out to the sightseers, and plead to be accepted as a citizen, willing and anxious to take part in the civic affairs of the town. He was immediately elected to the directorate of the Chamber of Commerce. A few nights later, Milton Sills addres' sed the Mens' Club of Beverly Hills and he told them a lot of high-brow things that Continued jrom page 33 they had never known before. Stage actors are pretty much alike, for they have always been actors. But movie actors come from every walk in life. With nearly all the leaders of the motion picture industry now living in the unique and independent little City of Beverly Hills, and with the biggest of them beginning to take active interest in local affairs, we shall soon behold a great civic phenomenon — a city of the first class run by artists rather than merchants. Then, perhaps, we may have to build Doug's wall around the place — not to hold us in, but to keep the gang out. Here is another good one on a bunch of 'society people' who are rather inclined to think of our movie girls as a bunch of dumbdoras. We were playing one of those foolish memory games where the first person, a well known 'realtor', started by saying: "I went to Chicago, and in my suitcase I had " The next person, a banker's wife added: "a pair of purple pajamas." The next one, a big bond broker, repeated this and added: " — — and a diamond studded bath mitt". The next, a Christian Science practitioner, repeated all of this and added: " and a tube of public library paste." By the time the game had gone around the circle one had to remember some thirteen articles in perfect sequence. Yet only two people dropped out. But the second round began the slaughter, and by the third time there were only three contestants left, a big producer, a banker and a movie girl. It was very amusing to have the black-eyed movie girl holding out against such superior brains. At twenty-six the producer flopped! The race was then on between the banker and the 'Dora'. The banker beamed tolerantly. Twenty-seven, twenty-eight. Gee, but the list was getting long and the banker began to breathe nervously, while the movie girl rattled off the long catalogue of articles like a train despatches At thirty-one the banker stopped, wheezed, turned purple with embarrasment and had to give up ingloriously. Bebe Daniels remained undefeated! Doras? Well, they're not so dumb. GT Warner Bur\e, who signed on a long dotted line for Paramount — five years.