Screenland (May-Oct 1929)

106 SCREENLAND a/iiuj new used by famous film stars A Weight Reducer A Wrinkle Remover A Facial Bcautificr A Sunburn Preventive AUCE CAI.IIOUN famout* motion picture pluyer uhch Solaruy — ail in one single preparation Solaray is not a cure-all hut an astonishing new product which effectively serves many purposes — an indisjiensable toilet requisite. We frankly tell you that Solaray will not remove wrinkles permanently — in our opinion no preparation can. But Solaray erases wrinkles temporarily — applied in the evening, your complexion will remain soft, velvety, youthful overnight — in many cases, for days and weeks. Solaray removes pimples, blackheads, freckles, eliminates body odors, reduces enlarged pores. Applied as a reducer to stomach, hips, ankles and other parts of the body, it gives truly astonishing results, without the aid of drugs or diet. Absolutely non-injurious — Solaray is easily and nuickly applied and removed. Full-size package mailed postpaid on receipt of $1.00. Or, sent C.O.D. if desired. Absolute money-back guarantee. Mail your order today. HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY LABORATORIES 614 Southwest Bldg., Los Angeles, Calif. wa LEARN NURSING PRACTICAL1^ Uft Jlnu AT HOME IN 12 WEEKS Marvelous calling. Earn $20 to $30 weekly caring for invalid in your vicinity while learning. We help secure positions. Write Miss Tull, B-6202 Winthrop, Chicago, III. STATEMENT OP THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, CIRCULATION, ETC., REQUIRED BY THE ACT OF CONGRESS OF AUGUST 24, 1912, of SCREENLAND, published MONTHLY at NEW YORK, N. Y., for April 1, 1929. State of New York, County of NEW YORK, ss. Before me, a NOTARY in and for the State and county aforesaid, personally appeared ALFRED A. COHEN, who, having been duly sworn according to law, deposes and says that he is the BUSINESS MANAGER of SCREENLAND and that the following is, to the best of his knowledge and belief, a true statement of the ownership, management (and if a daily paper, the circulation), etc., of the aforesaid' publication for the date shown in the above caption, required by the Act of August 24, 1912, embodied in section 443, Postal Laws and Regulations, printed on the reverse of this form, to wit: 1. That the names and addresses of the publisher, editor, managing editor, and business managers are: Publisher, MAGAZINE BUILDERS, INC., 49 WEST 45TH STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y.; Editor, DELIGHT EVANS, 49 WEST 45TH STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y. ; Managing Editor, DELIGHT EVANS, 49 WE ST 45TH STREET, NEW YORK N. Y. ; Business Manager, ALFRED A. COHEN, 49 WEST 45TH STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y. 2. That the owner is: (If the publication is owned by an individual his name and address, or if owned by more than one individual the name and address of each, should be given below; if the publication is owned by a corporation the name of the corporation and the names and addresses of the stockholders owning or holding one percent or more of the total amount of stock should be given) THE MAGAZINE BUILDERS, INC., 49 WEST 45TH STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y. ; ALFRED A COHEN, 49 WEST 45TH STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y. ; J. RAYMOND TIFFANY, 49 WEST 45TH STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y. 3. That the known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities are: (If there are none, so state) NONE. 4. That the two paragraphs next above, giving the names of the owners, stockholders, and security holders, if any, contain not only the list of stockholders and security holders as they appear upon the books of the company but also, in cases where the stockholder or security holder appears upon the books of the company as trustee or in any other fiduciary relation, the name of the person or corporation for whom such trustee is acting, is given; also that the said two paragraphs contain statements embracing affiant's full knowledge and belief as to the circumstances and conditions under which stockholders and security holders who do not appear upon the books of the company as trustees, hold stock and securities in a capacity other than that of a bona fide owner; and this affiant has no reason to believe that any other person, association, or corporation has any interest direct or indirect in the said stock, bonds, or other securities than as so stated bv him. ALFRED A. COHEN, Business Manager. Sworn to and subscribed before me this twenty second dav of March, 1929. (SEAL). Notarv Public, NATHAN REIGROD, N. Y. Co Clk's No. 55, Reg. No. 1R3. Commission expires March 30, 1931. Mary Pickford— Continued jrom page 29 appearance, I carefully kept any note of encouragement out of my voice, merely saying, "Proceed, please, I will be glad to hear them." Then, without further preliminaries, and with the utmost of self-confidence, the child began voicing the lines. And as she spoke, I marvelled at the clearness of her diction, the music of her tones. There was no slurring of consonants, no nervous juncture of words. I had but to close my eyes to imagine myself listening to the clear-cut, well trained voice of some debutante graduate of a fine finishing school. I watched her hands in the glare of the pilot-light, but there was not the slightest evidence of nervousness. The expressive fingers moved gracefully in time with her gesticulations. Her eyes gleamed with interest as she entered into the role she was assuming, while each of her changing postures was graceful in the extreme. I was sincere when I said, "That's very good," at the end. She had made a splendid impression under the most trying conditions. I knew then that I had found my Betty Warren, and I told her to come to the studio the next day. "But what a name for the stage!" I exclaimed when she appeared and announced simply, "I am Gladys Smith." "Yes, it is pretty terrible, isn't it?" she asked, laughing merrily after she had settled herself in one of my largest chairs, "but Daddy's name was 'Smith' and Mother chose the 'Gladys' part of it — so I'm helpless." "Possibly not as helpless as you think," I rejoined. "We must find a name expressive of your personality and your fine voice." "If I could have had a choice, I would have selected 'Mary,' for I love that name best of all," the child replied, "but I do not like 'Marie.' " "Very well," I replied, "but 'Mary Smith' isn't helping any. We must find a suitable last name, something like 'Fairfax' or 'Tolliver' or 'Hardin' " "One of my relatives married a man named 'Pickford,' " she suggested tentatively. " 'Mary Pickford,' " I ejaculated. "It was made to order for you. That is it: the perfect name!" It was thus she was christened in the name which has become so famous throughout the world. Already I was under the spell of the child's winsome personality and remarkably musical voice, but I believe it was the latter quality which attracted me most. There was an indefinable 'cello note in her lower registers, and a flute-like clarity and sweetness in her overtones, which told me beyond the question of a doubt that she would score as the daughter in my play. Master Richard Story also came to me providentially at the same time, and I do not believe there ever were two sweeter child characters in productions. The newspapers in those days paid scant attention to other than headlined players, but the critic of the T^ew Tor\ Press wrote after our home premiere: "A charming personality was revealed in little Mary Pickford, a child whose natural grace and beauty of voice should be cultivated." Subsequently, when the play went to Boston. The Globe had this to say of Mary: "Not the least striking persons in the play are little Miss Pickford and Master Richard Story as the younger children of General Warren. Both are delightful in the domestic picture of the second act. The little actress shows promise." Washington, D. C., also paid some attention to the little player, The Times saying: "Miss Mary Pickford as Agatha's younger sister is a very lovable little girl, winsome and with a big voice." These are indicative of the type of notices given Mary during the two-season run of the play. I often have wondered why it was not ordered that critics might have second sight as well as their other capabilities. Then they could see into a future such as that of Mary Pickford, and could predict unerringly which of the younger players some day would reach stardom. But it was not audience alone which felt the personal charm of Mary. First and foremost, I loved her. She was sweetly serious in her work, grateful and loyal to me, and always had that self-contained, dignified little smile of welcome for those she loved. Likewise she was a company favorite. I believe she looked on the beautiful Charlotte Walker almost as a second mother, so great was the affection between them. Down to the last member of the company — as well as the stagehands and musicians of the various theatres — all seemed to feel the spell of this sweet personality. With the close of "The Warrens of Virginia," Mary came to me and said: "Unless you advise against it, I think I will try motion pictures for awhile. I have had some tests at the Biograph studio and Mr. David Griffith has promised me regular work. I think I will like it, but I do not want to attempt it if you think it will interfere with my stage prospects. Tell me what to do, please, for you are my best friend and adviser." Here indeed was a problem! I knew that the child's beauty and sweetness would make her a positive success in pictures. But on the other hand the stage would be losing these qualities, plus a particularly melodious voice. . But in the end I nodded approval. "Will you make me one promise?" I asked. "Anything — of course," she replied. "I feel that my future belongs to David Belasco. I never want to play for anyone but you." But I pledged her to forget the speaking stage definitely for a time, and to give her best efforts in the new field. "It may be that they can advance you more rapidly to the heights than you can rise in the legitimate theater," I told her. "But I want you to learn once and for all whether there is fame for you in the films." She left with protestations that it was silly for anyone to think of her going onward into the future with anyone but me — and she patted my hand in farewell with that curiously old-fashioned gesture so familiar to students of the moving pictures. Her success was instantaneous and I watched her rise with pardonable pride. But Mary came back to me in 1912 to play the role of Juliet in "A Good Little Devil," a fairy fantasy. And strangely enough there were cast with her other juveniles destined to score successes later. Among these were Ernest Truex, cast in my play as the Scotch orphan: Lillian Gish, Wilda Bennett and Regina Wallace. Each had an important role. Mary brought back to the theater a new expressiveness of feature, her remarkable ■