When the movies were young (1925)

Getting On 139 of tense love, the girls were supposed to be divinely rapturous and to show no discomfort — not even know it was winter. But the breathing was a different matter, for as young Blanche uttered endearing words to her lover, a white cloud issued from her mouth. Now that would look dreadful on the screen. So in the nervousness of the situation Mr. Powell yelled at her, "Stop talking, just look at him, this is supposed to be summer." She obeyed, when from her delicate nostrils came a similar white line of frosted breath at which the director, now wholly beside himself, yelled, "Stop breathing, what kind of a picture do you think this will be, anyhow." So little Blanche proceeded to strangle for a few moments while we secured a few feet of summer. In "The Day After" — four hundred and sixty feet of a New Year's party picture, showing what a youngster she was, Blanche Sweet played Cupid. Kate Bruce had become the leading character woman. Little Christie Miller, frail, white, and bent, played the kindly old men, while Vernon Clarges interpreted the more pompous, distinguished elderly ones. Daddy Butler was mostly just a nice kind papa, and George Nichols played a diversified range of parts — monks, rugged Westerners, and such. George Nichols had been a member of the old Alcazar and Central Theatres in San Francisco, where Mr. Griffith in his stranded actor days had worked. Of the children, little Gladys Egan did remarkable work playing many dramatic leading parts. Her performance in "The Broken Doll" should be recorded here. Adele de Garde was another nine-year-old child wonder. These children were not comiques. They were tragediennes and how they could tear a passion to tatters ! The Wolff children