TIIE SUNDAY OliECOJiIAN, PORTLAND, JANUARY 18, 1920
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RACE OR SEX DO NOT ENTER
INTO SCREEN DRAMA ACT
Japanese Film Favorite Acts in Universal Language That' Is Under
stood by Audiences the World Over.
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Today w switch from the light to the
heavy and have with us Sessue Hayakawa,
who comes from the Isles of JCiPPon, yet
who has won a place high up among the
luminaries of the American art of motion
picturing. He speaks rather broken Eng
lish, but his acting and it was his acting
that won him his renown is of that broad
language of the world which everyone can
understand.
' BY RAY W. FROHMAN.
(Copyright, 1919, by Evening Herald Pub
lishing Company.)
i i ND one man In his time plays
many parts."
Great art knows no trivial
mortal bounds of sex or age or birth
or race it is international, universal.
Just as it is deathless.
And so, I give you the Arabian
Nights tale of the rise of "the great
Japanese" of the American screen,
Se&sue Hayakawa.
To Sessue Hayakawa, the only Jap
anese male star on the American
stage or screen, that splendid young
picture actor of fire and dramatic
skill, we are all indebted for much
that is exotic, colorful, fantastic in
our films, screen representations of
beauty and curious interest and grip
ping power which we would not have
without him.
Some Secrets Bared.
"Who says he's Japanese anyhow?
To the millions of his "customers"
Sessue has appeared as Chinese, Hin
dus, East Indians, Mexicans, Arabians,
Ilawaiians and various brnads of
South Sea islanders, as well as Japanese!
Who eays his name Is "Sessue"?
When I emiled at the Hayakawa and
eaid "Now let's tell our real names"
his real first name turned out to be
"Kinto"! And Tsuru Aoki's last name
was Kawakami before Sessue-Kinto
changed it to Hayakawa!
What do you know about Sessue,
anyhow?
Do you know that he translated
Shakespeare into Japanese, and was
the first to produce the world's great
est tragedies in the land of the ehrys
anthemum and cherry blossoms?
Are you aware that this handsome
youth, whom you have seen as a
primitive-iue dragon painter in a
wonderful love legend of Japan, or as
an "Englished" Hindu rajah "reeling
back into the beast" when scorned
because of his race, trod the boards as
Hamlet, Othello, Iago, Shylock in Ja
- pan years before he ever faced an
American camera?
Plays Baseball, Too.
Do you realize that this son of Nip
pon, within 18 months after he saw a
baseball for the first time, "made"
the University of Chicago varsity
team as a crack third baseman?
For whether Sessue was prince or
fisherman, Jap or Hottentot by birth,
he "has the goods."
I caught Sessue on the- "set" at his,
the Haworth company's, plant in Hol
lywood, formerly the Griffith studiol
I needed no identification expert to
find him, as he looked just as he did
Jn the pictures I'd seen him in which
is a compliment. He's a handsome,
black-haired chap of 30 looking much
younger, with straight, dark-brown
eyes and a complexion of a healthy
pink.
Nor was an introduction necessary,
for, contrary to one of those rumors
that rage from Kamchatka to the
Strait of Magellan, Sessue is not
"stuck up" not one bit! He's as ap
proachable as an oil station, as nat
ural and friendly as your roommate,
and not one-millionth as haughty as
;' the studio telephone girl or the
cashier in your office!
His Pictures Please Blm.
"Sess" had just finished making
picture in which he's a South Sea
island beggar price a picture with a
new theme and up-to-date moral, one
of the kind of pictures he likes be
cause it is "very fantastic."
When he talked to me he was on
the fence," speaking literally, not fig
uratively: for I lured him out into the
sunshine where he could bask and
smoke and eit down and talk all at
the same time
The slender, dapper youth, who
slanted his nicture salary in five years
from $2000 for an entire production
to over $5000 a week, was fashion
ably attired in the normal dress of
young men a tew jumps ahead of th
sheriff a new pearl-gray fedora al
mos
CO
and tan shoes,
Twin cigars lurked in his breast
pocket "all dolled up" in tin foil,
while he devastated a crop of cig
arettes out of his handsome mono
trammed gunmetal case.
I could only mark Sessue about 95
on his English, as he sat on his fancy
fawn-colored overcoat thrown over a
low fence on the "lot," crossed his
knees and talked, illustrating oc
casional points dramatically by ges-
ticulating and clapping his hands.
But that's a pretty good batting aver
age; and he's aware of his linguistic
limitations and too good natured to
care about being "kidded about them
English. - Is a Little Slow.
In obliging spelling out Japanese
names- for me, JVssue came to a curi
ous pause after pronouncing the first
syllable. But It's only verbally, not
histrionically or pictorially, that he's
of one-reel speed.
Where do you want to start, any
how in Japan? All right I'll put on
the Hayakawa record. B-z-z-z!
1 "Samurai, my mother and father
were. First come the nobility, - rela
tives of the emperor; then the sa
mural. My father, who owned the vil
lage of Chiba, containing about 700
houses we still own it. was in poll
tics. He was the 'guncho,' head man.
of a province.
"I was born in Tokio and graduated
from Tokio naval college before com
ing over here in 19J)9 to take political
economy at the University of Chi
cago. I was going to be in the bank
my uncle is president of a bank. After
my father's death I changed my
course and graduated from Chicago
in 1911 in literature.
"I had inclinations to the dramatio
line used to imitate actors when
playing with the boys when I was five
or six. I went to shows when I had
time, making a so-called 'sneak-out,'
from the house.
Amateur Tragedian Won Fame.
"Until I appeared on the speaking
stage in Los Angeles in 1912 in Jap
anese I had no professional experi
ence. But at college in Tokio I had
played the leading parts in amateur
one-act plays in Japanese, one a year.
mostly very serious tragedies.
"Yes, I played the 'lead' in the very
first one I appeared in. In fact, I was
the promoter hustled to get the
'props' and costumes. I was the only
one to put it through the 'goat.'
"At Chicago, I was having too busy
a time trying to get the right mean
ing out of lectures in English to act.
I learned English from Japanese
teachers in my high school, who read
and translated better than they could
Dronounce.
"When I first played in n;ngiisn. in
The Typhoon,' I read my lines per
haps a hundred times in rehearsal to
get the correct pronunciation. It was
ot perfect, but It could be under
tood.
In Japan I had read the modern
Japanese tragedy, 'Namiko,' and seen
played by the most famous Japa
nese actor, Fugisawa, and by Kawal,
So when I first came to Los Angeles
and saw it played by Japanese, in
Japanese in the old Elks' hall on
Spring street, between Second and
Third, and it was a so-called 'fizzle'
looked amateurish I went to the
manager and directors and said:
Drama Tour Blade. '
''You are playing it all wrong! Let
me direct the whole thing and' play
the star part, the naval officer.'
They did. 1 played and directed,
and it went big made a big 'hit.' We
toured six msnths, playing it in Japa-
losywhite, soft white shirt with stiff
oil;?, plain black tie, neat gray suit
nese before the Japanese colonies in
cities all over the Pacific coast."
What do you suppose Sessue was
paid for his first professional en
gagement? Not nothing par, or $25
a week if "the ghost walked," as were
others of our picture stars. He got
$500 a night! But they only played
three nights a month.
Sessue then translated most of
Shakespeare into Japanese for the
same Japanese company, and directed
and starred in the plays principally
"Hamlet," "The Merchant of Venice"
and "Othello," .in which he played
sometimes Othello, sometimes Iago.
This venture also went "very big."
He continued:
"Then I went to Japan to produce
Shakespeare, which had never been
played there principally those three
plays. I organized the company and
was star and director. '
'We opened at the Maigi-za in To
kio in 'Hamlet, playing "nothing but
'Hamlet' there for three months. 'Dur
ing our eight months in Japan, play
ing nothing but Shakespeare, we had
only time to play the six principal
cities. As I was the producer and got
profits, I received quite many thou
sand dollars.
Japanese Plays Bought.
I bought six Japanese plays and.
returning to Los Angeles in 1913, or
ganized three companies my own
and two other Japanese companies,
one for modern and one for ancient
plays. - I had another ambition why
not try an English play with Japanese
actors?
"That's when I first used American
actors and actresses. Playing Toku
rama, the part in which Walker
Whiteside had starred in the east, I
put on The Typhoon in Japanese in
the Japanese colony. As I couldn't get.
a Japanese actress, I used two Ameri
can actresses, one for Florence Reed's
part with W hiteside, the other for aTd
other prominent part.
Those two and the American men
in the roles of the poet and the pro
fessor played in English, so we
printed a long synopsis of the whole
play on the programme.
'We also played 'The Typhoon
downtown in English before high
class customers. The four Americans
and I and two other Japanese spoke
in English; the eight other Japanese
in the company didn't have to. as they
spoke only to me in the play. We
played it- in Fresno and Sacramento,
too.
Becomes Star at Once.
"While I was playing 'The Typhoon'
Thomas H. Ince offered me $2000, au-
tomoDiie transportation and $35 a
week for meals to play the lead in
'The Typhoon in pictures. So when
I entered pictures I starred in my
first play, as I had done when going
on the stage.
Gladys Brockwell, now a Fox star,
was the leading woman, and Frank
Borsage, now a great director for
Cosmopolitan productions, played the
poet. It was a slx-reeler, too big for
a K. B. programme picture, so they
sold it in 1914 to Paramount, which
was just starting.
"was it a success? Woa, yes!
"It made a great 'hit,' so Ince
starred me at Inceville in "Wrath of
the Gods." The leading womaYi was
Tsuru Aoki, who had played the femi
nine lead in one play with my Japa
nese company. Ince released ' this
himself as a special."
When this seven-reel spectacular
drama, which Sessue said was the
biggest spectacular picture ever pro
duced up to that time containing
'600 people, a volcano, fire, earth
quake and everything" had its pre
miere at the Strand theater, New
York, something terrible happened.
Sessue called it a housebreak!"
He explained that it "broke the rec
ord for attendance, and was a big
success, in Philadelphia and every
place they raised admission prices
and everything."
And Then He Married.
And right after that Sessue and
Tsuru got so-called "hitched."
At the end of 1914 Sessue accepted
an offer of salary and a bonus from
the. Lasky company, for whom he
made pictures for three years.
Then, with Director William Worth-
ington and two millionaires not other
wise connected with pictures, he or
ganized his present Haworth com
pany, to make 16 five-reelers "on his
own," releasing through Robertson
Cole. That's where his present in
come of over a quarter of a million
dollars a year comes in.
I was to make two pictures for
Lasky, and then be starred in the
third, and from then on, Sessue con
tinued. "But in the second one, "The
Cheat,' the exhibitors put my name
in the electric lights.
I liked that picture. It was Lasky's
greatest money-maker ever while I
was there. I didn't like 'Each to His
Kind,' but I liked Robert Louis Ste
venson's Hawaiian story, 'The Bottle
Imp." It was fantastic Woa, yes, it
was a big success.
"The last Lasky picture I made was
very nice The City of uim Faces,' a
very emotional Chinese play. But,
professionally, 'The Jaguar s Claw," in
which I played a Mexican 'heavy,' the
principal part, was the best pro
ducers and directors like that one,
He Likes Tragedy.
Of. the Haworth pictures, one of
which James Young directed, I per
sonally like the Japanese-American
tragedy, 'The . Temple of Dusk, the
best.
'I do not like roles portraying self-
sacrifice, which outside writers think
I'm suited for. I like sentimental roles
anything with dramatic values. I
like tragedy, with a light touch light
and shade must have laugh if tear.
One difficulty Sessue found when
he, the Japanese and English trage
dian, first faced the motion picture
camera. He said it was "the so-called
'get-over"!"
"On the spoken stage your thought
always goes to your vocal expression
you seem to forget your mental at
titude," Sessue explained. "It's how
you speak your lines rather than
what you say.
"In pictures, my theory Is: The di
rector tells you in rehearsal to say
the words written in the script by the
scenario writer; but better not pre
Dare any line. Get the meaning of the
thlnsr. studv the psychology of the
mood you're supposed to be in and
then speak in a more natural way
T7TT o FT7
7 Violinist
HEILIG THEATER Jan. 28
Direction Steers & Coman
Prices Floor, $3; Balcony, $3,
$2.50, $2. Add 10 War Tax.
Gallery (reserved) taken.
MAII, ORDERS NOW.
Orders will be filed in order
of their receipt and filled be
fore the regular seat sale opens,
if accompanied by check and
elf-addressed, stamped envel
ope sent to Steers & Coman, Co
lumbia Building.
what you feel in that attitude, using
your own words."
That's why Sessue doesn t act me
chanically.
Isn t he so-called wonderful?
And u I had time to tell you that
in addition to being a baseball 'shark
he's a jiu-jitsu and broadsword ex
pert, plays a mediocre game of golf.
and is taking up boxing, wouldn't you
admit that SessueMs so-called "versatile?"
OLD MAPLES YIELD SUGAR
TREES PLANTED BY OREGON
PIONEERS FOR SHADE.
Gaston Farmer Finds Sap Flows
Freely and Fine Quality of
Sugar Is Secured by Boiling.
McMINNVILLE, Or., Jan. 17. (Spe
cial.) Oregon maples which were
planted years ago by Oregon pioneers
as shade trees in all the towns of the
Wiyamette valley are sugar-produc
ing. This has been demonstrated by
young farmer, Willie Bullls, resid
ing near Gaston, who for a week or
more, has been tapping some 30 big
maple trees on his place with very
good success.
Samples of the sugar were brought
Tuesday to McMinnville by Thomas
Roe, a young neighbor farmer, in the
Gaston section.
Mr. Roe states that Mr. Bullls has
obtained about one gallon of sap
from each tree tapper each day. The
sap freezes at night during these cold
days and when thawing comes on.
the maple sap begins to trickle into
the bucket at the side of the tree.
Mr. . Bullis came from one of the
middle ' states and understands the
tapping of trees and followed the
same methods as used in other por
tions of the. country.
When the sap is boiled it turns into
sugar of fine quality, but slightly
different in taste from the commer
cial article obtainable at groceries.
LOANS AID EX-SOLDIERS
Commission Ready to Advance
Funds to Students.
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, Eugene,
Jan. 17. (Special.) Loans to supply
ex-service men with funds needed to
enable them to continue in college
are now available through the Ore
gon soldiers' and sailors' commission,
according to announcement made by
James O. Convlll, executive manager
of the commission who was a visitor
on the campus.
Any ex-service men who find it
impossible to continue college through
lack of money may obtain loans from
the commission by application through
the president's office, he said.
FARMERS TO HEAR SAPIRO
Address "Will Be Delivered at
Washington Convention.
WASHINGTON STATE COLLEGE,
Pullman, Jan. 13. (Special.) Aaron
Saplro of San Francisco, interested in
a number of successful farm market
ing associations in California, will
speak before the 14th annual con
vention of the Washington State Grain
Growers', Shippers' and .Millers' asao
elation, to be held at the state col
lege January 20. 21 and 22.
Mr. Sapiro Is now in Spokane a
TICKET OFFICE SALE OPENS TOMORROW
HEILIGB-NIGHTS, JAN. II
SPECIAL PRICE MATINEE SATURDAY
Return Engagement
ft I K ',? r "7-4
fjjite-frj?-"' s
OLIVER M0R0SC0
PRESENTS
Leo Carrillo
IN THE SPEED FUN
AND FASHION SHOW
Lombard!
Ltd.
By Frederick
and
Fanny Hatton
WITH
GRACE VALENTINE
R
6 DAYS STARTING MONDAY, JAN. 19
ALCAZA
Musical Players
With
Mabel Wilber
In the Delightful Comic Opera Success
ii iniij r i
MFLY!
50c
BARGAIN all
NIGHT MONDAY SEATS
The Biggest Bargain in Theatrical History
BEGINNING SUNDAY NIGHT, JAN. 25
S&S&k "THE RED WIDOWS
v.
-SPLEISTDID-
SUPPORTING COMPANY
SUPERB -
SCENIC PRODUCTION
EVENINGS Floor, $2.00. Balcony, 5 Rows, $1.50; 17 Rows, ?1.00.
Gallery, First 7 Rows, reserved, 75c. Admission, 50c. "
I
SPECIAL PRICE, SATURDAY MATINEE Floor, $1.50. Balcony,
9 Rows, fl.OO; 13 Rows, 50c.
PUB
C AUDIT
GRAND OPERA SEAT SALE OPENS TOMORROW MORNING AT
SHERMAN, CLAY & CO.'S FOR THE EIGHT PRODUCTIONS BY THE
-i CITY MAIL ORDERS RECEIVKD MOW V
rtr-JANUARY
SPECIAIi
PRICE
TV m 1 m ma -
J I - 1- I KUTT I V It
neing ineaier 29,30,31 mat.sat,
WALKER
WHITESIDE
SPLENDID SUPPORTING CAST SUPERB PRODUCTION.
IN ROBERT LOUIS .STEVENSON'S ROMANTIC DRAMA
"The Master of Ballantrae"
. I HOW TO SECURE TICKETS NOW BY HAIL I
Address letters, make checks and postoffice money orders payable to
W. T. Pangle. Mgr. Heilig Theater. ADD 10 .WAR TAX TO PRICE
TICKET DESIRED. Inclose self-addressed stamped envelope.
EVE'S
Floor. $2.00
Balcony, 5 rows, $1.50; 17 rows, $1
Gal., 7 rows reserved 75c, adm. 50c
SPECIAL PRICE
SAT. MAT, JAN. 31
Entire Lower Floor $1.50
Balcony, 9 rows $1, 13 rows.. 50c
LOEWS
IPPODSSME
fel '
1 ' HDD SH0W"
AMERICA'S GREATEST TOURING ORGANIZATION.
ONE HUNDRED PEOPLE. DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN STARS.
SYKPHONY- ORCHESTRA. BRILLIANT CHORUS. SUPERB STAGE SETTINGS.
THE OPERAS AND DATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Opening Performance Monday Eve.,
January 26 RIGOLETTO
Tuesday AIDA
Wed. Mat
TALES OF HOFFMANN
Wed. Eve. MADAME BUTTERFLY
Thursday, CAVALLERIA RUSTI-
CANA and PAGLIACCI
Friday LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
Sat. Mat CARMEN
Sat. Night IL TROVATORE
Pacific Coast Tour of San Carlo Under Direction Ellison-White Musical
Bureau. Local Engagement, Auspices of City of Portland.
Trirrn icht and Sat. Mat: Lower Floor, first 13 row. 20: remainder. IS row.
$l.lG. Dress Circle. 3 front sections, $1.00; sides. $1.10. Balcony, a front sections,
&.c. ; sides, 55c.
Wednesday Mat: Lower Floor, first 15 ro ws. "$1.6.i; remainder, IS rows. $1.10. Dress
Circle. 3 front sections, $1.10; sides, 8oc. Balcony, entire, 50c. All Seuts Placed on
Sate Tomorrow it 9.
ID)
4
ANTAGE
Fneqoslrd VaodeTllle BrosimiT at Aider.
Matinee Dally, 2i30. Twite JNlRUtlr. 7 and V.
Popular Prtcea Bom and Loges lteaerved.
1 Ma t wees Ovi r 3 JVghts
SuffpKTUSjrD. SUN.MON.TiES.
counsel for the wheat marketing' com
mittee of the farmers' union, in ses
sion there. The California man will
talk on the afternoon of Wednesday,
January 21, and his subject will be
Co-operative Farm MarRetlnsr."
Kipling Programme Given.
pirtPIf! UNIVERSITY. Forest
Grove, Or., Jan. 17. (Special.) The
lunior class eave a Kiplingr Pro
gramme before) the student body
Thursday. The resume or Kipling s
life was presented by Harry Komlg;
piano solo, John Stovar; 'K.ipllng-s
Works," Willis Hines; reading. Miss
Lena Duyck, and vocal solo. Arthur
Jones. aiiss Margaret morgan pre
sided. This is, the second class exer
cise to be given in the chapel hour
this winter, the seniors being first
when Bishop Sumner addressed the
students.
Eagle Dancing Studio
Standard 1)a acinar and La teat Jama
fetepa Taaitht by lrofrilonal
Teacbera. Try La.
EAGLE HALL
THIRD AD MORIUSOX STREETS
OAKS
NOW OPEJT.
I Largest and finest skating rink In the
northwest. Perfeat ventll '.ion. Health
I and exercise. Afternoon and evening.
Cars First and Alder.
Direction
ACKERMAN & HARRIS
Sucu, Mon., Tura Wed.
VAUDEVILLE PHOTOPLAY
LA FOLLETTE
The Great Protean Actor and Magi
cian The Man of Many Faces.
PERSHING
Dramatic Incidents in the Life of
America's
GREATEST LIVING GENERAL
Shown In Motion Plctnre.
CHARLES L. MILLARD & CO.
"A Durned Good Reason."
BERTIE FOWLER
"An InterestingWoman.
THE THREE RED PEPPERS
"Just Songs."
BROUGHTON AND TURNER
"Just Landed."
VIOLET AND CHARLES
Sterling- Trapeze Feats.
EVERY ACT GOES OVER BIG
The...O A FPO Mock
Famous O-TlJL-ilA. Company
The Cosy Playhouse of Perfect Acoustics
19th ANNUAL SEASON
Week Beginning Sunday Matinee, Jan. 18
Roy Cooper Megrue's Noted Melodramatic
Crook Comedy
WEEK COMMENCING TOMORROW MATINEE
THE LATEST PARISIAN SENSATION,
The GALLI TROUP
PRESENTED FOR. THE FIRST TIME IN AMERICA
IRENE TREVETTE "THE SCHOOL MASTER"
The Maid of the Allies. With the Hendrix-Belle Isle Co.
ROACH AND McCURDY PATTON, YANTIS AND ROONEY
In "A Touch of Nature." The Girls From Harmony Land.
FRANK SHIELDS . "WILD WAVES AND WOMEN"
In a Lariat Novelty. The Newest Sunshine Comedy.
CONTINUOUS PERFORMANCE TODAY, BEGINNING AT 1:30
g TT ttj- 7TI) TT ff MUSICAL
AlTfTlQ Stock : li-J irCilvL, COMEDY
iilLl a Company I : KEATING A FLOOD, Uusftn.
Uimdler
oveir
Immense Comedy Situations
t Tense Dramatic Climaxes
Matinees Sunday, Wednesday Saturday
Next Week: "HERE COMES THE BRIDE'
99
Matinee Daily at 2 Evenings at 7 and 9
Week Starting Sunday Matinee, Jan. 18
Those Incomparable Laugh Provokers
MIKE and IKE
Ben Dillon
IN
Al Franks
1
THE HEART
REAKER
A Gorgeous Outlay of Music, Merriment and
Pretty Girls.
New, Dashing and Up to Date
2 Special Feature Nights 2
Tuesday :
Country Store
Friday:
Chorus Girls' Contest
La