STAGE AND CINEMA.

Thames Star, Volume LIX, Issue 16788, 17 May 1926, Page 6

STAGE AND CINEMA.

HOLLYWOOD MEMORIES. MOVIE DIRECTORS AND ARTISTS (By SYDNEY HOBEN). Hollywood lies about five miles out of Los Angeles, away in the rough, shrub-covered hills. It is all somewhat! wild and countrified there, once one j leaves the splendid automobile roads. Very much of the “Wild West,” and ideal for the cowboy pictures! The small town of the ordinary suburban type before the movies invaded it. Now one sees fine hotels, theatres and shops in the long business street which runs through it. Whn the picture people started there, land was very cheap. There was a five-cent fare (2-gd) to Los Angeles, making it easy for “extra people,” and there was cheaper still, the glorious sunshine which floods Southern California from May to November, without any possible chance of rain or cloud. In fact, the sunshine lasts prettj- well the whole year. j Some time ago, after a busy concert j season, when my tours had carried me as far as New York, I decided to take my summer vacation at Hollywood, j Locating at a private hotel in tree-lined Cahuegna Avenue, close to most of the picture studios, I found myself in the centre of moviedom. Jack Holt was staying there. He had, after drifting about in Alaska and California, entered the movies as understudy for the heroes in dangerous feats of horsemanship, and was now working in “villain” parts at Universal City. This so-called “city” is merely a very large collection of studios out in the country, about five miles away from Hollywood, on : the San Francisco road. I Holt was only earning fifty dollars a week, and was always very hard up and in debt; but that did not worry f the cheery, good-looking Jack in the least, and presently Lasky’s offered him an engagement, and he made good. Now Holt has a beautiful residence in the Hollywood hills, a string of polo ! ponies, a pretty wife and a big in- j come. ' One evening we had a dance at- our '■ place, and Lois Wilson—a charming! girl who had begun life as a school teacher—jolly Herbert Rawlinson and other friends of Holt were present. Presently I was persuaded into the i movies myself, and before my vacation [ ended, and my piano recitals started j

again, I played in eighteen pictures, under the direction of Cecil and William de Mille, George Melford, Lois Weber and others. 1 was always cast for professional parts—doctors, lawyers, school teachers, etc. Cecil de Mille loks like a Jewish Shakespeare—bald, and always wearing the regulation leggings which directors affect on the lot. He lias a keen dramatic instinct (lie was a dramatist before becoming a movie director) for what is of interest. But the strangest taste! One day, in a society scene containing many people, one stout, vul-gar-looking woman came on the stage, wearing “everything but the kitchen stove,” and with an extraordinary headdress of gaudy parrots’ plumes. She was the last person one would ever expect to see in a drawing-room of refined people; but De Mille picked her , at once, and brought her prominently j forward in the scene. His brother, William, has not the same intuitive dramatic feeling, and his productions can lack interest but he has a more intellectual face than Cecil. The latter caused quite a stir in women’s club circles at Los Angeles at a talk he gave there, bv remarkinp- that bo considered

that marriages would be successful only when husbands had complete liberty, and that in all his years (eighteen, 1 think) of married life he had never ben at home on any Saturday night. He certainly stirred up things by his statement, and his ears must have burned for weeks afterwards.

Most of these studios have common hangers-on who toady to the directors and those in authority, and so are on the pay rolls as assistants, etc. And there is a great deal of waste time. One may have to wait round by the hour or day till the director has reached your scene. I remember once returning to the Lasky studio one afternon with George Melford, the director, Thomas Meighan and a few others from a scene which we had “shot” at a picturesque farmhouse in the San Fernando Valley and finding a crowd of “extras” had been “made up” and waiting since nine o’clock that morning, for th*e director. They were paid and told to return next day. Money is easy, and is often squandered* freely. The directors are paid tremendous salaries. Cepil de Mille possesses a splendid yacht and likes to have photographs taken of himself in naval uniform,

With Theodore Roberts, Carlyle Blackwell and Dorothy Davenport (Mrs Wallace Reid), I took the all-day boat trip from Los Angeles to San Diego, where scenes were taken on the J. D. Spreckels yacht (a dream of.white and gold beauty) in the harbour. The play supposed it to be Monte Carlo. i was the “minister’ performing the marriage ceremony on the eloping couple, with the irate Russian Grand * Duke (Nicholas) chasing after us in the royal launch.

Another time, I made the San Diego trip with Thomas Meighen and Valeska Suratt. Meighan is a quiet, pleasant fellow. This time the scenes, supposed to be on an acean voyage were “shot” on the boat, and, as Meighan had forgotten to bring a cap, I had to lend him mine. I was supposed to be a wealthy passenger.

The Lasky Company puts its people up at the most expensive hotels on such “location” trips, smart motor-cars wait round to take one wherever wanted and generally things are done in firstclass style.

Amongst those I acted with at Hollywood were Blache Sweet, Sessue Havakawa, Francis X. Bushman, Beverly Bayne, Dustin Farnum and Tyrone Power.

Thelatter Avas in Australia years ago with Williamson, playing Svengali in “Trilbv.”

With William Farnum, Henry Waltlial, Constance Collier and other celebrities, Power appeared in “Julius Caesar’ in an open-air performance in a natural amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills—a wonderful place for acoustics. So much interest Avas aroused in the event that thousand of people came from all over Southern California to witness it, and the production was an immense success. That Avas the start of the hoav famous

Hollywood Bowl, where orchestral concerts are given throughout the summer conducted by the world’s greatest conductors. Amongst these last summer was Sir Henry Wood, of London. The charge is small —one shilling—and vast crowds attend. Benches line the hillside and when these give out people cheerfully sit on the ground. Galli Curci sang to 25,000 people there, at a dollar admission, about a year ago; the huge audience coming from all parts, epen from the neighbouring State of Arizona. Tyrone Power was so delighted with the "success of “Julius Caesar” that he gave a week’s season of scenes from Shakespeare at the Mason Opera House in Los Angeles Through this movie picture meeting we had become friendly, and he chose me to direct the orchestra for the event and select the music. Sessue Hayakawa, like most Orientals, is a fine actor. He made his name in “The Cheat,” in which he acted the part of a relentless Japanesevillain. But presently he persuaded the managers to give him hero parts, and after that never acted any other. He bought a “castle” (erected by a queer old German) in the hills of Hollywood and prospered exceedingly. After some years he decided to revisit his native country, where he expected to be received with much honour. Alas, the Japs had never forgotten his offence c-f representing a countryman in an evil light, anil were waiting for him. It was only by the devoted help of his wife, and the cleverness of his disguise, that he was able to escape from Japan. On his return to America lie didn’t stay, but travelled on to London, where he took part in some pictures, but he has now dropped out of sight. Charlie Chaplin I met at the Los Angmles Athletic Club, a luxurious twelve-story building peopled with movie stars. The fact of having a large gymnasium and swimming pool. I presume, gives it the “Athletic” part of the name, for it is the usual residential social club. Chaplin laughs a lot in real life, contrary to his solemn demeanour on the screen, and-gave the

impression of a harmless, amiable little Jewish man. His wealth and fame have caused him to be often sought by designing women “with a view to matrimony.” He brought his mother over from England, and established her in a beautiful home at Hollywood. He has the name of being extremely careful of his money, but, then, he has known the lack of it in his younger days. One of the peculiarities of the movies is that a small orchestra—usually three-piece plays while emotional scenes are being “shot.” And as for originality of acting! The director acts every scene over first, and requires a close imitation. . At first one is amazed to see (usually about lunch time) men and women walking calmly about the Hollywood streets with painted pale yellowish faces (comes out white on the screen) and every type of costume, from decollete evenig dress to Alaskan furs. But no one pays the faintest attention to them. I have a recollection of-a particularly pleasant lunch one day at Universal City with the Kaiser, a darkbrowed vamp, Joan of Arc" a Spanish toreador and Macßeth. The company was mixed, but most sociable. All classes are to be seen on the “lots” at Hollywood, including sons and daughters of New York millionaires and members of the British peerage. Lord Glerawley, the son and heir of the Earl of Anneslev, was among the latter. But, although he had taken part in maiiy pieces in his six months’ stay,' he told me he had never been more than “atmosphere,” as extras are termed in the better species of film plays. Titles don’t “cut ice” with American directors, excepting Griffiths who brought out a production, taken mnstlv in Eno-linnd. which one felt

should have been entitled “Burke’s Peerage. ’ ’ But Cecil de Mille and other directors who are responsible for most of the film productions from the States, continue, in their society pictures, to choose the “lady of the parrot plumes” and other weird types which answer to'their peculiar ideas of distinguished looking people. Altogether, however, Hollywood is very interesting, and I enjoyed my little experience. But I wouldn’t care to stay in the movies longer than I did.