When the movies were young (1925)

\ 228 When the Movies were Young by Mr. Griffith. In "The Unseen Enemy" the sisters made their first joint appearance. Lillian regarded Dorothy with all the superior airs and graces of her rank. At a rehearsal of "The Wife," of Belasco and De Mille fame, in which picture I played the lead, and Dorothy the ingenue, Lillian was one day an interested spectator. She was watching intently, for Dorothy had had so few opportunities, and now was doing so well, Lillian was unable to contain her surprise, and as she left the scene she said : "Why, Dorothy is good ; she's almost as good as I am." Many more than myself thought Dorothy was better — for she was that rare thing, a comedienne, and comediennes in the movies have been scarcer than hen's teeth. She proved what she could do when she got her first real chance as the bob-haired midinette in "Hearts of the World." Four or five companies working on the big stage these days made things hum like a three-ring circus. From the dressing-rooms a balcony opened that looked down on the studio floor, and here Blanche Sweet could often be seen, her feet poked through the iron rails of the balcony, her elbows resting on the railing, her chin cupped in the hollow of her hands, her eyes bulging as she watched every move the director made. For Blanche was worried. Would Lillian or Mae be chosen to play in the next big picture ? Mr. Griffith kept all the girls worried. All but Mary Pickf ord. She was the only one who dared demand. With Mother, Mary came up to the new studio to see what she could put over in the way of a job. She'd now a legitimate reason for making herself costly. In January, 1913, Miss Pickford made a second appearance on the dramatic stage