Screen-Struck Sirens

NZ Truth, Issue 863, 10 June 1922, Page 1

Screen-Struck Sirens

During the last few months "Truth" has noticed several advertisements appearing m different newspapers, and has obtained possession of circulars, which make it quite clear that schools for the teaching of movie acting are springing up like mushrooms — and liying about as long — m the principal towns of the Dominion. . When it is • stated that., the motion picture industry 'is the thirU largest at present, 'and .is still growing, ;it will be generally conceded that the movies have become something 1 of a craze, arid it is not ftt all surprising that the business or /profession, should . be exploited, not '©hy by those plosely m touch with the producing of moving pictures, but alby those who can see m it a road to getting rich, or at the worst an easy living. Let "Truth? say at once that ♦he schools springing up -here and there m New Zealand rriay pot be "snide" schools— it is quite possible that those at the 'head of the classes tire well able to teach movie acting, but it is alsd possible, and very likely tnore probable, they are not, and it would, be interesting to know what experience ■ and qualifications those Who have charge of classes lossessAuthorities, men and wbment with years of association with the moving picture industry., m all its departments, are emphatic 'that screen acttog cannot be taught, , and that >c'tors and actresses are "born" ..not , "made' , But even if this were not sa one', cannot help wondering what the outlook >ie for. any screen-struck siren who Joins any of the classes m the Dominion. Of course, we all know the al- ' luring circulars sent out, and .remembering that there is a saying "a mug 1b born every minute," there are always possibilities of some foolish flappers, whose ambition is to beat Mary Flckford to a pulp, falling to the enticing bait held out m the' circulars. That motion . pictures could be produced m New Zealand is n-t only possible, but is an established

fact, and those who saw "The Bloke From Freeman's Bay 'Will not require to be told what I 'sort of picture It was. They could judge for themselves. To produce a 'good picture .costs a heap of money, and it is said that the ay^rage cost Of an American feature film would run into something like £ 60,000. •And yet we read of schools for 1 the teaching* of actihg'arid the .producing v of suitable pictures .being established m the- Dominion! Only a few months ago -"Tr;uth"' read- ari advertisement m one of tlie Auckland daily, papers mwhich it was set out that classes were being formed' to' teach motion picture r acting, and pupils ., desirous of enrolling were asked to call : upon the manager whose name was published m full. And the manager was no other than a racecourse-guesser, and. a convicted thief v at present .on probationIt came as no surprise, therefore, a day oi- two later to readj another advertisement informing/the public' that the "gentleman" m question, was not the manager a.t-all and .that the classes would be con ducted-, by Mr. . And Mr. has been-figuring on the police records of late as , a -drunkard and vagrant! Still another company m Auckland was peered into by a "Truth" representative, and as the prospectus set out that, the; industry was to be covered 'from A: to Z, even to the extent of building the company's own theatres, m fact, there is nothing m the movie biz "that the company did not prooose. to do, it ■came as something of a shoek 1 to learn that the capital of this "great ' concern was a miserable £500! Maybe,, the promoters have found the longlost Aladdin's lamp— they wUI require something of the kind. > . .