Star-dust in Hollywood (1930)

The [Movietone in France extent that he lost what spirit he ever had. He cringed into the scene. They couldn't change him because a lot of the film would have to be taken again, so they tried another trick. They began to praise him extravagantly. Now he is convinced that he is the best actor on the lot. But at any rate, as you see, he has lost his slink.' ' A little later the young man approached us. " I say," he called to C , " did you see my photo with Menjou's in the papers yesterday? But, dash it all, they cut out my name." "He paid to have it put in," said C in an undertone. " That, of course, is usual. Everybody who wants to get on in this job has to pay the Press in France. But the cheek to think that they would print his name with Menjou's ! They daren't do it. Menjou would come down on that. Why, it would give him hundreds of pounds' worth of advertisement. You bet that Menjou's publicity manager keeps an eye on who appears with him in the papers." The afternoon drifted away much as had the morning, except for the antics of Alexandre. Several good-natured efforts had been made to induce him to leave the set, but he proved the truth of the old maxim : " Scratch a Russian and you'll find a Tartar." In Hollywood six strong men would have clutched him and would have cast him summarily into the road, to show his face no more, but in France they are more humane. An appeal was made to his self-control. He was implored, in the interests of the actors and of the company, if he must remain on the set, to keep perfect silence during the filming. Alexandre agreed like a gentleman, and the trouble was over. I spent half of the afternoon trying to catch the attention of the assistant director, the other half in an endeavour to remind him that he had to capture the director. The assistant director approved of me, but the director, [291]