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Job Hunting in Hollywood
All Work And No Play A-Tall – BY LOUISE GALLAGHER
I have been playing for the past three weeks a circuit of one day stands. No work has lasted for longer than two days on anyone set. All extra part players are leading a grasshopper existence with the jumps from one studio lot to another, using up much of their time and all of their energy. I think I could shut my eyes and tell by the way an assistant director or prop man yelled at me just what state he is from.
Playing several roles in one week adds to your experience but not much to your comfort during hot August days. Two of the big studios have shut down for the month to give their office help a vacation all at one time so that production will not be crippled later in the year by vacations long drawn out.
Out at Sennett’s only one company is working and that one using only the leads. Harry Langdon is having trouble with his eyes from too constant work before the Kleigs and Ben Turpin has a slightly sprained ankle. A lot of big productions are underway at other studios, but they have little to offer for the small part player.
If I ever write a novel-just to show Rupert Hughes or Elinor G. that I could if I wanted to-I shall write in a great many café and ballroom scenes and put in a lot of characters that the studio scenario writers just can’t leave out. I may, from my knowledge of the hard life of the extra talent, claim in my contract that every single person in my story be left in.
Out at the Ince Studio where they are filming “Christine of the Hungry Heart,” only about 10 people have been used in the cast so far, and the picture is about half completed. You couldn’t expect the lesser lights in movie circles to have a kind word to say for Kathleen Norris when she has so overlooked their interest. “The Iron Door,” another big production eagerly waited for, has proven very disappointing. The cast so far has included only about 15.
I worked one day on the “Streets of Cairo,” featuring Priscilla Dean and Dorothy Phillips. It was a cafe scene and we did everything we could to string it out, but the director was evidently of Scotch ancestry for he hustled through the day and took all scenes using several players out of sequence so as to finish up with us in 10 hours.
A Kind Heart.
My next work was with Vivian Martin and Mildred Harris out at the old Myer Studio, quite a little distance from Hollywood. This was a back stage set using eight dancers, headed by Miss Martin. We worked two days and were all crazy about Vivian. She kept us keyed up during long waits and loaned me an evening dress so I didn’t have to send home for one when the director switched me to another part. Mildred Harris is lovely to look at, with features as clear cut as a cameo, but aside from being an ornamental piece of furniture, not very interesting.
The hardest part of working around at so many diferent lots is the time spent at costumers. While they have all sorts of costumes on hand, there are always alterations that must be made and this means standing while the seamstresses fit you.
The most interesting two days work this week was with Percy Marmont’s company down at Laguna Beach. We had quite an exciting experience. The two small hotels the place afforded were right together and run under the same management. Our company of 50 just took over both of them. The food was poor, but the mosquitoes were friendly and did their best to make us feel that we were welcome. So did the parrot, who mistress hung him on the front porch of the hotel every morning. At first he was rather- aloof, not being sure that it was quite the thing to get too intimate with the picture folks, but Lucille Rickson soon won him over. He did take a special delight in teasing Malcolm MacGregor.
Poor MacGregor couldn’t come on the porch without Polly greeting him with, “Well, you big stiff, are you going to make me work today?” The inhabitants of the village acted as audience for us daily and kept the prop men busy keeping them back out of camera range. The second day we were there we had three big scenes, starting to work at 8 o’clock and working until 7 that evening.
Helpl Helpl
Half of us were scheduled to start back to Hollywod the next morning, so we tumbled in as quickly after dinner as possible. About 12, I was awakened by a strong light in my window and some one yelling “fire.” I hurried down stairs and found the dining room, which was separated from the main building, on fire. The hotel staff of about five and all of our company formed an amateur fire brigade and succeeded in keeping the flames from spreading to the main building. Not a native appeared on the scenes, though some of them did come out on their porches and watched us carrying water. When the fire was out, Percy Marmont told the hotel proprietor what he thought of his neighbors. The man had no explanation to make. He couldn’t understand it himself. The next day some of the leading citizens were astounded to learn it had been a real fire. They thought it was just a studio set fire and that we were using a lot of fake chemicals to make it look real. Everybody has been just a bit excited over who would win out in the contest to be held to see who would represent Los Angeles at the national bathing beauty contest to be held in the East. Every girl in Hollywood and vicinity thought she had a fair chance. The papers had been full of it and each studio was to send out a few of their best bets. Society was to be well represented, as well as the middle classes.
The four girls sent by Sennett had new suits made for the occasion, designed by the best possible artists, for when it comes to turning out a snappy beach vamp, Sennett is past master. My skirst were all curled up like the petals of a rose and were so fragile and lovely a good sea breeze would blow them quite away. Another of the girls was in white fish scales that made her look like the queen of all the mermaids.
The large dance hall down at the meach where the contest was to be held was ablaze with lights and when we arrived the crowd was already so dense the police had been obligated to rope off the entrance.
Suits and More Suits.
All of those entering in the contest had to wear bathing suits, but what a different idea people have of what constitutes proper swimming apparel. There were onepiece suits that must have been bought by the inch, fance frills and ruffles, gorgeous chiffons and satins that a drop of water would ruin. Ziegfeld himself, would have had to put on blinkers to stand the dazzle.
There was not a single homely or strong-minded bather in the lot.
Extra applause greeted the Sennett girls and we were given first place on the stage. A big red-faced man got up and started off with the usual compliments. His voice sounded like the buzzing of a big bee and nobody paid any attention until he announced that the judges had decided that the Sennett girls were not eligible to enter the contest. Being professional bathing beauties it would not be fair to the others to allow them to compete.
We were all speechless with indignation. Our manager took it very calmy and acted as though it were more of a compliment than otherwise. We did have the prettiest suits there and as when we walked down the runway got a regular ovation. It is more than probable that the Sennett Studio knew before we went out that we would not be permitted to enter, but considered it good display advertising.
Had a letter today from a boy in Birmingham asking what his chances would be in the movies if he worked and saved enough money to last him a few months out here. Well, Doug and Mary are back and Doug says he wants only young men in his organization. He says that young men are essential for the type of pictures produced by his company. The oldest man on his staff is 35 and the rest range between that and 17. Mr. Fairbanks thinks that young men have the imagination, spontaneity and dauntless enthusiasm that rejoices at obstacles.
He doesn’t say what the obstacles are, but from what I have seen of the youngmen around casting offices, I would say it constitutes not being able to get more than two days work a month and keeping a stiff upper lip when told that your type is not going over in pictures just at present. Conquering the movie world on an empty stomach might not be as much fun as it sounds, even to young blood.
