When the movies were young (1925)

92 When the Movies were Young An especially busy hour 9 a.m. when we were to start on a new picture. What kind of a picture was it to be? The air was full of expectancy. Who would be cast for the leads? How keen we were to work! How we hoped for a good part — then for any kind of a part — then for only a chance to rehearse a part. In their eagerness to get a good part in a movie, the actors behaved like hungry chickens being fed nice, yellow corn, knocking and trampling each other in their mad scramble for the best bits. This Mr. Griffith did enjoy. He would draw his chair up center, and leisurely, and in a rather teasing way, look the company over. And when you were being looked at you thought, "Ah, it's going to be me." But in a few minutes some one else would be looked at. "No, it was going to be he.', A long look at Owen, a long look at Charlie, a long look at Arthur, and then the director would speak: "Arthur, I'll try you first." One by one, in the same way the company would be picked. There would be a few rough rehearsals; some one wouldn't suit; the chief would decide the part was more in Owen's line. Such nervousness until we got all set! Indeed, we put forth our best efforts. There was too much competition and no one had a cinch on a line of good parts. When we did "The Cricket on the Hearth," Mr. Griffith rehearsed all his women in the part of Dot, Marion Leonard, Florence Lawrence, Violet Merserau, and then he was nice to me. Miss Merserau, however, portrayed May Plummer — making her movie debut. Herbert Pryor played John Perrybingle, and Owen Moore, Edward Plummer. Sometimes after rehearsing a story all day our director would chuck it as "no good" and begin on another. He