Screenland (Sept 1922–Feb 1923)

examples of Coue-cuckoo triumph. "It is easy, I can do it" — and behold Rupert has gone and done it every time he tried. E. Elinor Glyn is a pretty good Coue-cuckoo, too. A n y w a y, one doesn't catch her letting intellect dominate very often, although willpower occasionally butts in. But, on the whole, Elinor's imagination appears to run things rather well. And you remember that M. Coue says quite emphatically that when there is a conflict between intellect and imagination, imagination always wins. You can see, therefore, how very imperative it is to have a well-bred and well-principled imagination— and, thank heaven, Elinor moves in the most aristocratic circles. A Coue-cuckooer of parts is that merry little Louise Fazenda, comedienne, at United Studios. Louise arrives on the scene ready for work, with the company in dismal desperation. They are making comedies and somebody has got to be funny. The director doesn't feel a bit funny, the rest of the cast feels anything but funny; there isn't any scenario, so no one knows exactly how to begin — just have to make it up as they go along. And nobody can do a thing until Louise has a funny idea, Nothing could be more fatally depressing. But Louise murmurs "Day by day ..." and beams 'round upon the sad and distressed company. Then she croons, "It is easy. I can do it" about four times — gazes at a ditch full of cold, cold water, not overly clean, and proceeds to fall into it. It is a cold, cold day, so Louise comes up shivering, but still gurgling, "Day by day, in every way, I'm getting better and better' — -and the director yells with triumphant delight: "Hurrah! Isn't ! .ouise the funniest thing?" So the story proceeds with Louise falling in and climbing out of the cold and clammy water, shivering a bit more realistically every time, and desperation and depression are turned into hilarious comedy — with Louise still grinning, "It is easy. I can do it." If that isn't pretty good Coue-cuckooing I don't know what is. I don't believe Bill Hart has become a really earnest Coue-cuckooer just yet. Or else he overlooked Page 13 on which M. Coue commands : "Shut yourself up alone in a room, seat yourself in an armchair, close your eyes to avoid any distraction, and concentrate your Bill Hart hasn't become a really earnest Coue-cuckooer yet, or else Winifred Westover Hart's imagination and will-power are doing team-work in the opposite direction. mind for a few moments upon thinking 'Such and such a thing is going to disappear,' or 'Such and ■ such a thing is coming to pass.' " After that, everything will depend upon whether Mrs. Bill Hart and Junior respond gracefully — or whether Mrs. Bill's imagination and will power are doing team work in the opposite direction. The Coue method as applied to children must have been most radiantly exercised by Mr. and Mrs. Coogan. The instructions require the parents to tiptoe into the bedroom after the lambkin is asleep, and, standing about three feet from the bed, murmur, softly, in a singsong, dreamy voice, "Thus and thus shall my child become." (O^ne can picture Jackie Coogan's fond. parents making this tender pilgrimage every evening — and blessing M. Coue, who opened the floodgates of light for them upon a problem which so many parents never, never solve. Of course, if you ask them, Coogan, mereet pere, will tell you that Jackie is such an intelligent little boy that they only have to reason with him. But some of us mothers have intelligent little boys of our own — and we know there is more, to the secret than that. The Coue system of inculcating virtue while they sleep has a good deal more to recommend it — and it isn't half so wearing. You can readily see what M. Coue is doing for Screenland. This dear, benign Frenchman and his little book are all the rage. Imagination, km IMAGINATION What triumphant possibilities do you not hold for us? 55