When the movies were young (1925)

196 When the Movies were Young One friendly Norwegian loaned his shack as a dressingroom for the women. We "shot" the same shack for Annie's bridal home. The men made up in a stranded horse car of bygone vintage that had been anchored in the sand. We sent out an S. O. S. for a sailing vessel of Enoch's day, and we heard of one, and had it towed up from San Pedro. What would we do next? We did "Enoch Arden" in two reels. Wilfred Lucas played Enoch ; Frank Grandin, Philip ; and I played Annie Lee. Well, Jeanie Macpherson said I had "sea eyes," whatever that meant. Mrs. Grace Henderson kept the Inn to which Enoch returns ; Annie's and Enoch's babies grew up to be Florence LaBadie and Bobbie Harron (one of Bobbie's first parts), and Jeanie Macpherson powdered her hair and played nurse to the little baby that later came to Philip and Annie. George Nichols departed via the Owl for San Francisco to get the costumes from Goldstein & Company. There was so little to be had in costumes in Los Angeles. Mr. Nichols had also journeyed to San Francisco for costumes for "Ramona" the year before. The exhibitors said they would accept "Enoch Arden" in the two reels, show the first on Monday, and the second reel Thursday. And so it was first shown. And those who saw the first reel came back in all eagerness to see the second half. And that was that. The picture was so great a ?uccess, however, that it was soon being shown as a unit in picture houses ; also in high schools and clubs, accompanied by a lecturer. And so "Enoch Arden" wrote another chapter of screen history. Sustained by its success Mr. Griffith listened to the call of the desert. With two thousand feet of celluloid to record