Screenland (May-Oct 1928)

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There's Lane Chandler. If a beautiful, red-headed star can't seem to hold her man, what can you expect of a suffering cinema flower like Lillian Gish? Playing' opposite Lillian is love's labor lost. A Gish hero doesn't always get his girl — not by a couple of kisses. You really can't blame her leading men for staying away, when you consider that Ronald Colman couldn't capture The White Sister. Dick Barthelmess played opposite in Bro\en Blossoms, which turned out for him to be busted buds, as far as movie romance was concerned. But its compensations included stardom for Richard. Lars Hanson didn't have such a good time as the hero of The Scarlet Letter. Jack Gilbert was reunited to Mimi too late to do anybody any good. The course of true love never did run so very smooth for Lillian's screen heroes. Just the same, they liked the job. Not only was there considerable prestige attached to paying unrequited court to the screen's Duse, there were fat contracts forthcoming. The White Sister sent Ronnie straight to stardom with Vilma Banky. And now, alas, Vilma, too, has loved and lost. Samuel Goldwyn has played the cruel father and separated the two lovers. Vilma is looking for a brand-new leading man. Don't .spoil my story by reminding me that Vilma hasn't very far to look. She has a leading man right in her own home who is wild to play opposite her for pictures any old time. Ask Rod — he knows. What a charming combination Connie Talmadge wore in Breakfast at Sunrise! Don't misunderstand. I'm referring to her very becoming leading man in that picture — Don Alvarado. The intense young Latin was just the type for Connie's blonde loveliness. But — she was soon forced to find a new autocrat for her cinema breakfasttable. Don Alvarado was lured away — to beat the Drums of Love for Mary Philbin. You love them — and they get a better contract. I did think Alice Terry could count on Ramon Novarro — didn't you? He was the great lover of her (screen) life, you know. I didn't see how she could ever live without him — especially after The Arab. Somehow she survived the separation; and a kind fate reunited them in Lovers. Everything went well for a while, and then fickle Ramon left her again — this time to make love to different women all the time. He has to; it's in his contract. The Duncan sisters shared the screen affection of Nils Asther in Topsy and Eva. He loved them, though after the fashion of a big brother. But it was good enough for them. Then he rode away, on important contracts. Now he's the handsome hero of Sorrell and Son and Laugh, Clown, Laugh. Loretta Young is the latest lucky girl to listen to his love-making — until Herbert Brenon calls 'Cut!' You wouldn't guess it from her pictures, perhaps, but Colleen Moore has known what it is to suffer, all for a man. Only in Colleen's case it isn't one man; it's men — the little minx! Seems that all Colleen has to do is to play around with a certain young man and all the other girls in Hollywood begin to cry for him. And, if the other girls cry long and loudly enough, their cries will be answered — especially when backed up by their producers' financial arguments. In Coll een's case, or cases — there was Ben Lyon. He loved Colleen — who could doubt it after Flaming Youth and So Big? It began to look as if the attachment was lasting. Then word got round that Ben was the newest and snappiest thing in screen juveniles, and everybody began bidding for his services. Before long Ben had ceased to be any star's support — except his mother's. Colleen bore up bravely. She went right to her husband and said: 'John we've got to find me a new leading man.' She should have told him to find a halfdozen, to use one at a time. There was Donald Reed. He loved her, too — in Naughty But N.tce. After Colleen had introduced Donald to the public, the public said: 'Where has he been all our lives?' and 'We want more!' Result: Donald was seized to play the hero in The Mad Hour and other films. Playing with Colleen is a great experience for any young actor. She is not only an inspiration as to technique, she is a practical help. She will always stop to explain a scene. She has unlimited patience, and has never been known to lose her temper. A good job for a bright boy, a lead with Colleen. And if every leading man she gets runs away as soon as the picture is finished it's because the prestige of playing with her has boosted him into the front ranks and all the other girls want to play with him, too. Bebe Daniels gave Larry Gray his chance. Gloria Swanson helped. Now Larry is so much in demand that neither Bebe nor Gloria is playing with him these days. When you consider how much in demand a personable young man is in the Hollywood studios, perhaps you can't blame the boys for loving and leaving. Gloria tested dozens of the available actors for the big part of the Sergeant in Sadie Thompson and finally gave the role to her own di' rector, Raoul Walsh. Now Walsh is in the peculiar predicament of being in demand not only as a director but as an actor. Jack Mulhall was assisted into the lime light by two fair ladies: Corinne Griffith and Colleen Moore. Corinne's Classified and Colleen's Orchids and Ermine gave Jack the necessary impetus. First National decided to take him away from Miss Griffith and Miss Moore, present him to Dorothy Mackaill, and let romance run its course. Jack kept up the good work. He made ardent love to Dorothy. And his reward of merit is lone-stardom in The Butter-andEgg Man. It only goes to show what a little inspiration — or three or four little in' spirations — can do for a fellow. They owe it all to the little women. Did you ever hear of Johnny Mack Brown before he played with Marion Davies in The Fair Co-Ed? He was a football star from Alabama. Marion's collegiate comedy was the right setting for young Mr. Brown. Marion's own zest made his part all the easier. Now the boy with the triple name has graduated and you'll be seeing more of him. No wonder they like to play with Marion — and no wonder they all leave her! A part with Miss Davies always leads to bigger things, though perhaps not so much fun. Conrad Nagel's career has taken a new lease on life. Conrad has been in pictures for a long time. Suddenly, with his ap' pearance opposite Marion in Quality Street, he took on a new interest. He showed more vim and vigor than usual. The quiet, sedate Mr. Nagel seemed to unbend as he acted with the rollicking Miss Davies. Not long after, he had an offer to renew his contract with Metro-Goldwyn — a contract unique in the film industry in that it agrees to share his services with Warner Brothers for Vitaphone films. So Conrad comes to the 'speakies' in Tenderloin and Glorious Betsy — pleasant work for an actor who was