REAL THRILLS FOR FILM STARS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3378, 13 June 1927, Page 7

REAL THRILLS FOR FILM STARS.

The recent serious illness of Miss Betty Balfour, the film actress, due to exposure during the making of a film, surfrised many thousands of cinema-goers, ew people would have believed that a star of her eminence would be agreeable to subject herself to such dangers. Indeed there is a general idea that, whenever there is any dangerous work to be done, the star is represented by a “double.” Many highly-paid stars, in fact, have refused to take any risk whatever, and their parts have had to be played by lowly actors and actresses who were ready to face real dangers for a salary that was scarcely a hundredth part of what the star received for being supposed to do the job. But most of the “doubling” film production occurs when the star is unable, though not unwilling, to play the particular part. One screen beauty, for instance,, often appears as a horsewoman. As a matter of fact she has an unholy dread of horses and for the past three years she has retained the services of a girl, very like her in build and capable of making up facially as an almost perfect double. This girl does all her riding and it is amusing to those in the know to see how for fear of. possible detection she is generally half hidden by something or someone during four-fifths of her performance.

Most film stars, however, are willing to take risks themselves, and would scorn to use deputies. When Mary Pickford was making “Human Sparrows” she had to play in a swamp an artificial one, it is true, but none the less muddy or sticky for that and on one occasion she came perilously near to drowning. In her latest film there is not a single bit of trick photography. Had Miss Pickford, for instance, fallen off the branch across which she carried her proteges she might have been badly hurt. Peggy Carlisle, the heroine in “Hindis Wakes,” had a couple of narrow escapes within a few days. One of the scenes is played, in a real cotton mill in Lancashire. The sunlight arcs were glaring and two film cameras were clicking merrily, when suddenly one of the foremen in the mill made a dash for Miss Carlisle. For a few seconds nobody could realise what had happened, “I’m afraid you’ve spoilt the scene!” said the film actress.

“Ay, and ’appen you might have spoilt scene if I’d waited !’’ replied the foreman, grimly. What had happened was that Miss Carlisle’s overall was blowing out towards the machinery, and had not the foreman spotted it she would have stood a good chance of being drawn in and mangled. A few days later, while at Blackpool, she had to go out in a November sea, which was to furnish the watery grave the heroine eventually finds. “The presence of the local lifeboat crew standing by for duty was a cheerful start,” said Miss Carlisle. “The camera men were in another boat, and no sooner had they got into position for the ‘take’ than the two boats were smashed broad- > side|on together.” That ended the work for that day, and several other attempts had to be made before the the scene could be finally completed.

In John Barrymore’s biggest sea picture, “The Sea Beast,” there are some sea-storm scenes which are claimed to be the most realistic ever filmed. In fact, they are so remarkable that even experts expressed the view that they could only have been done artificially in a tank. The producer did, as a matter of fact consider this idea, but he felt he would not gef, the realistic results he wanted, and, whent a gale sprang up suddenly off the Californian coast Mr Webb sent to the captain'of The Three Brothers, the whaling vessel which was bought for the film, to ask how- long he thought the storm would last and whether his vessel would weather it.

The captain said he thought the gale would last anything between five days and two weeks, and a few hours later a great trainload of electrical equipment left Hollywood for the harbour at San Pedro.

The Three Brothers was transformed into a floating studio and put to sea with 98 people, including the crew. Work was started in the gale, and continued with only short intervals for meals and sleep for five days. Several men were washed overboard, fortunately without loss of life, but practically everybody on board with the exception of the crew was sea- ' sick.

The gale did not abate for seven clays, and during that time Hie Three Brothers had been driven so far off her course that it was 18 clays before sbe got back to harbour agdin. Hoot Gibson, the cowboy actor, and probably the greatest rider on the screen, had a narrow escape from serious injury during the filming of exciting chase scenes in “Taming of the West.” With him was his leading lady, Marceline Day. Speeding across a ranch in a racing car, the two'reached a heavy gate made of strong timber. The director had ordered the property man to saw the gate nearly through so as to eliminate clanger os far as possible, and the actors were instructed to duck their heads and plough through the gate. But the property man had forgotten. Gibson bore down on the gate at about fifty miles an hour. There was a crash and the parts were scattered in the air. One pole, which was ripped loose, swung round and grazed Gibson’s head. Had it hit him square it would have been the end of the 'picture—and the end of Gibson.

As it was, the car, after staggering and skidding straightened out, and the filming of the picture was continued as though nothing unusual had happened. Gibbon’s extraordinary escapes while he has been riding bucking broncos for the films might be expected of a young man who, going from a ranch to Los Angeles, calmly fell over a cliff with his horse in order to convince the director that real reel thrills could be made by real cowboys.