10
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX. PORTTv.XT, DECEMBER 21, 1919.
JAPANESE GIRL AMONG
REAL STARS OF MOVIES
Osieru Oaki, Tragedienne in Nippon, Schoolgirl, Dancing Girl and
Motion Picture Actress in America, Describes Notable Career.
It Is easy to classify her as the yellow
peril, for there Is just the faintest tint of
saffron in the coloring of her skin and she
imperils your allegiance to other picture
favorites. Tragedienne in Nippon, school
girl, dancing girl and motion picture atar
in America. Tsuru Aokt is the subject of
the third article that The Sunday Orego
nian is printing on moving picture stars.
BY RAY W. FROHMAN.
i Copyright. 161B, by Evening Herald Pub
lishing Co.)
IN THESE days we find much in
the public prints about "picture
brides" and what they do or
don't.
Tsuru Aokl is not a picture- bride
but she makes a wonderful picture,
whether as a bride or not.
And what she does or doesn't Is
of very great Interest the moment
that one comes under the spell of her
winsome personality In interviewing'
her.
For O Tsuru San Is the "Macjame
Butterfly" of moving pictures the
only Japanese girl star on the silver
screen In all America.
ComellncHs Is Typical.
Her cotneliress is typical of the
maid of the land of the rising sun.
The rouge upon her eyelids and lips
blends well with the natural tan of
htsr complexion. Her mass of resplen
dent jet-black hair is done up In
quaint fashion, with sweeping lines
curiously suggestive of the prow of
a model ship the rolffure of the aris
tocratic girl in Japan.
Dull blues and greens and white
hlend pleasingly in the figures of
her simple cotton kimono the sort
that Japarese girls wear to school.
A "shlmada" (tiny headdress) of
cOral and white, and a wide brlght
hlue "obi" (sash) with gold figures
upon It. tied In a huge bow In the
back, and with a touch of orange
beneath it, lend brighter touches.
Her feet are clad in a sort of thin
white socks ("tabi"), reaching only
to the Instep and cleft with the
strings of the "zori" (sandals).
She is like the pictures of dainty
geisha girls we all have seen.
Her 'Father Is Stern.
Her rtern. gray-haired "father"
looks as if he has just stepped out of
an old Japanese print. He is wearing
a divided sklrt-llke garment of smoke
gray, with a silken black overgar
ment. But he is her father only on
the screen.
On either hand are Jlnrikshas and
groups of Nipponese men and women,
the 'rikshaw runners wearing loose
jackets and shirts of dark blue and
full-length hose the gardener's cos
tume, the "happi," consisting of
"hanten," "haragake" and "momo
hiki." Great white pancake-shaped
hats, called "kasa," complete the
bizarre medieval costumes.
Just Like Japau.
Tsuru was really "on location" in
these outdoor scenes of her Japanese
home and garden some of which
were taken at night althougih she
was still within the vast enclosure of
the Universal studio-rancho. She was
making a Japanese photoplay con
taining scenes in Nippon and Wash
ington, D. C, in which she has the
biggest emotional part she has ever
played.
It was somewhat of a shock, amid
this realistic scene of romantic Ja
pan, to have young Pat O'Malley,
maintaining unstable equilibrium in
a 'rikshaw and puffing on a common
place and strong pipe, call my atten
tion to a fly on the end of her fath
er's ncse, which necessitated a "re
take." But it was really none of O'Malley's
busiress if it took Tsuru's Japanese
maid an hour to fix her hair that
way; and I tried not to realize that
lhe stirring, eoft music wafted from
the sidelines, to inspire Tsuru while
"emoting," emanated from a. pain
fully American plano-accordion.
Yet there were the Santa Monica
foothills no Fujiyama In sight.
From "Stage People."
"He Wants to interview you," said
"Mike" Boylen to Tsuru.
"Oh, I'm so fine to interview!"
Tsuru replied with a pleasant, bash
ful little smile. "How do you do?
What ehall I tell you?"
"All my people were stage people
in Japan not my mother and father,
but my uncle, aunt, sisters. I started
to act when- I was seven-: I was born
itt Tokio played child parts till I
was nine in melodrama and histor
ical plays, something like Shake
speare all, of course. In Japanese.
"Then I came to this country with
my aunt and uncle and their Japanese
repertoire company In 1903. They
were the first company like that ever
to come to the United States, and
played in San Francisco, Chicago,
New York and Boston: but I only
went with them as far as San Fran
cisco. I went to school. In convents,
in Pasadena, Chicago and Colorado
Springs., finishing a high, school
course,
Asjked Into Pictures.
"About six years ago. when I had
just finished school, Fred Mace he's
dead now wanted to produce some
Japanese comedies in pictures. He
couldn't find a leading woman. He
had, U-ift itti.l-ftni-eiiarnti UetUie to-iAt dressing room.
the position. I said I'd do the best I
could."
Mind you. Tsuru hadn't acted for
11 years; and then she had acted In
Japanese in spoken drama (not com
edy) in Japan, and only in child part3
when she was 9 year3 old.
"Wasn't it entirely different in pic
tures?.' I asked.
"Yes." she replied, adding with an
other dainty little smile: "There were
many 'retakes!' It was an entirely
new art to me. It was almost as new
to me as if I had never acted.
"They were making split reels then.
Mr. Mace was the star. It was at the
new Majestic studio on Boyle Heights.
He saw that the first one was all
right, so he had me make another
one.
Gete a New Play.
"A few months later, at the same
studio, Lucius Henderson was di
recting an emotional drama, 'The
Oath of O Tsuru San,' written by
'Bill' Nye, the man who directed the
filming of Ambassador Gerard's My
Four Years In Germany." It was one
of the first two-reelers ever made
they thought they were taking'a ter
rible cbance making! eucrt a long pic
ture. "Mr. Henderson starred me In that.
It was the first time I had starred.
It was also the first drama I had
been In in pictures.
"Then Thomas Irpce signed me to
star at Inceville. for six months. Later
I signed a contract there for a year
mort. making it about the end of
1914. Of course, I made many pic
tures there, but the most important
one was a six-reeler, "Wrath of the
Gods.' I co-starred with Henry Wood
ruff in "The Beckoning Flame,' an
East Indian picture."
Enter at this juncture the only
other Japanese screen star before the
American public, the handsome and
accomplished. Sessue Hayakawa. well
known formerly in support of Fannie
Ward and now as a star himself,
principally, like Tsuru, in Japanese,
Indian and East Indian dramas.
Sessue Hayakawa (pronounced
Sess-you High-ah-kah-wah, with the
accent on the "Sess" and the "kah")
and Tsuru Aokl (pronounced Too-roo
Ah-oh-kee, with the accent on the
Too" and the "oh") don't mention
it! were both at Inceville at the
same time. They had known each
other many years.
Both were Japanese, both were
stars, and both were unpronounce
able. Therefore, obviously, what
could be simpler than changing her
name to "Hayakawa." and thus cut
ting the public's difficulty In two?
Nothing. It was done.
Next Tsuru went to the Lasky
studio for a year, until about the be
ginning of 1916; not merely loving,
honoring and obeying her Hayakawa,
but "supporting" him as well speak
ing in dramatic parlance, not finan
cial. Among" the many pictures she.
made was Hector Turnbull's "Allen
Souls," in which Tsuru and Sessue
co-starred.
But, somehow or other though dis
cerningi souls Interested In art and
ability, as such, are exceptions the
public, particularly the younger, more
sentimental, unmarried portion of the
public, and married folks who are
weary of their mates, likes Its ro
mance unmarried, as it were. It didn't
seem too good to "the powers that
be" to have Sessue and his spouse In
the same pictures.
Get Star Contract.
So obliging little Tsuru stayed out
or pictures tor about a year and a
half except for starring in one Ess
enay film, '"The Curse of Iku."
Hayakawi, about the middle of
1917. started his own company at the
Brunton studio with William Worth
lngton as director the "Ha" and the
"Worth" producing the name "Ha-
worth for the company, and the
company producing five-reelers
Tsuru has been playing there off and
on as leaJing lady for her hubby,
until a couple of months ago, when
she signed a contract to star in three
Universal pictures.
Tsuru tells me. in case vou'd like
to know, that there are many Japa
nese picture companies making films
In Japan for the Japanese, but de
spite the wealth of natural scenery
in the island empire thev are malt
ing all their pictures on the stage.
Also. Tsuru, all of whose roles have
been emotional ones since the two
comedies made during her first pic
ture ergagement, "would like to do
light comedy not 'slapstick" if she
can find a suitable play."
""How did it happen," I asked her,
"that only a couple of months after
you started in pictures, Lucius Hen
derson starred you In that emotional
drama. "The Oath of O Tsuru San'?"
She uttered a quiet little laugh at
the question, and then replied:
"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Henderson were
fond of me. They thought I'd do bet
ter in dramas than In comedy. They'd
already bought that Japanese drama,
and there weren't very many Japa
nese In this work. I suppose I was
lucky."
And then the qunint. charming lit
tle Japanese Bernhardt flitted with
her maid into a most commonplace
American automobile and was wafted
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