THE STJPTDA T OREGOIOAN, PORTLAND. NOVEMBER 14, 1920
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The Famous Artist's Own Story, Illustrat
ed by Himself, Explaining Why He Gave
Up "Stanlaws Girls" for the Movies.
I ,fW.2S -ii-'-!::;-::1;:??;; I ? fl - "In the morning; the suitcase brisrade arrives, fresh and' eager for the day's work."
J f "" f1 " .
Fenrhyn Stanlaws at -work In the movie studio.
Mythology teaches us that ages ago,
when the good folk of this mundane sphere
believed In myths at least, when a greater
percentage of them so believed there lived
a sculptor who fashioned such a perfect
woman that his creation stepped forth from
the clay one day a living woman. It was
quite a story. It was the kind that in
spired the ancients to achieve those works
of art that reached their zenith in the age
f Pericles. But what profound joy it must
have been to the artist when he beheld this
woman of his modeling step out of the
clay.
Penrhyn Stanlaws, whose canvas crea
tions have delighted a generation, whose
Slrls were Inimitable for daintiness, is now
enjoying something of the elation that the
mythical sculptor must have felt when his I
eold clay assumed life. Artist Stanlaws, in
the movies, behind the screen is directing
real folk, actors and actresses, bow to put
into their acting the grace and daintiness
which made all his pictures stand out,
temporarily abandoning the artistry of his
pen for the artistry of the moving picture.
The movies, ever on the search for
finesse, bas attracted his wonderful sense
f the artistic to enhance Its portrayal of
motions and happenings. The shrinking
figure of terror, the helpless appearance
of the girl in the power of the villain, the
haughty pose of the woman of much volup
tuousness and little convention, the fright
ful mien of the maniac gibbering and rav
ing, ara the finished product today of the
artist rather than the stage manager or
coach."
As might have been expected, Mr. Stan
laws has made some very Interesting dis
coveries about the film art and movie
people since entering movieland. And to
day he tells about them In a very enter
taining way, embellishing his story with
sketches which he drew especially for this
page. , .. .
BY PENRHYN STANLAWS.
CTION. impelling, swift-moving
action and rapidly changing
events, where co: edy travels
side by 'side with tragedy and melo
drama' lives next door to burlesque,
mark the activities of the modern mo
tion picture studio and make it one of
our most alluring institutions. Fas
cinating romance lurks in every cor
ner. For gripping interest and kalei
doscopic changes, which almost throw
one into bewilderment, the machinery
of motion picture making is more en
chanting than the circus with its
three rings and. many stages. It is
no wonder all the world Is interested
In the movies. It would be more in
terested if it could take a peek be
Jiand the ecreen and watch the proc
esses. From the quiet of an artist's studio
to the busy buzz of a great motion
picture studio the largest in the east
where houses are planned and com
pleted before dark, is a far cry, but
after a day I was captured, com
pletely fascinated. .
Studio, however, is. the wrong word.
in a sense. The place where pictures
arc- made should be called a motion
picture "studio-factory," for so many
agencies combine to make the work
of art we call the motion play. To
work in a studio-factory one must
get accustomed to co-ordinating with
carpenters, scene painters, electri
cians,property men, actors, extra peo
ple, directors, assistant directors and
continuity clerks. Everything seems
to be action sans thought to a new
comer, but as a matter of fact there
is a great deal of thought. Careful
' plans are made before a picture is
started and once the production gets
launched it goes swiftly and smoothly
to the finished negative and appears
as a work of consummate art for the
public to behold.
When searching for models for my
work as an artist I used to wonder
where all the pretty girls kept them
selves. . Now I know. They're in the
movies. The minute I stepped into
the moving picture studio and cast my
eyes on the groups of charming, love
ly girls adorned with beautiful gowns,
I became aware of the reason the
artists today have a difficult time
getting models and keeping them. No
'But at night, after a hard day's work, they present a very different picture."
eager for the day's work. The grand
old lady holds her head high; the hero
steps forth briskly; the leading lady
has a sparkle in her eye; the portly
gentleman who plays "father" comes
In breezily; and the Ingenue fairly
exudes youthful vitality. But at night,
after a hard day's work under a mer
ciless director,, they present a very
different picture and make their way
home, bedraggled and worn. Life In
the movies Is anything but easy! Shop
girls,' take warning! Stick to your
vocation!
Movies Demand Color.
No lights are needed in the studio
when an" actress such as Billie Burke,
if there Is one, arrives. Her winsome
smile 'lights up the entire place. At
least, that's what the otheas think.
Just a look at Billie is Intoxicating
ar.d fills one with the "thought that
perhaps thetge is happiness In ths
world after all. The demure Blllla
gives the idea of being vastly amused
at everything that acting for the
Famous Players camera is a pastime
rather than work. Billie Burke is a
little "Miss Happiness-."
Without color a motion picture
would be a drab and dreary thing.
Just Imagine what a picture would
look like if the actors performed be
fore only a plain "drop." Sam Klein is
the colorlst for one of the largest pic
ture concerns, and his brush adds
much to these artistic motion plays!.
Without such as he how stale the pic
tures might look!
They might appear as devoid of Ufa
as a frozen brook, as devoid of color
as an old-fashioned stereoptlcon ex
hibition which used to amuse the pub
lic before the movie came.
GERMAN GRIP ON RARE SUGAR
INDUSTRY IS BROKEN AT LAST
Most Expensive of Sweets Cost Several Hundred Dollars for Pound
and Play Important Part in Scientific Research.
"Carpenters drape themselves comfortably from the rafters . . . . aid all the extra people gather to watch the spectacle.
sooner is a pretty gfrl's face painted results are to be obtained. Arthur
Such Is life la the movies."
cr drawn than some movie directory
comes along and the artist Immedi
ately loses a model. -1
The Mm Behind the Camera.
The camera man there's a name to
conjure with. He is a scientist, artist
and photographer combined. When
the name of the camera man appears
on the title of a picture not many
people In the theater pay much atten
tion, but if they knew what a good
camera man means to a picture they
would take a second look at the name.
The various effects of light and the
refraction of light through the lens
must be studied carefully if proper
Miller, camera man for George Fltz
m'aurice, even grinds his own lenses
in order to get proper effects frdm
light and shadows. The painted pic
ture gets much of its charm and ap
peal from beautiful lines and deep
luminous shadows, which give ah ap
pearance of softness; out in the mo
tion picture, where the scenes must
be flooded with light, soft focus' work
is one of the fine arts and taxes the
ingenuity of the man at the camera.
The camera man who can get this
effect must.be a physicist as well as
an artist. The color of, the actress'
hair, the draperies in the background,
the furniture, tablo -decorations, light
through windows, and a myriad of
other little details that the uninitiated
would never think about are continu
ally presenting problems to the man
who grinds the camera'.
The psychology of the camera is a
funny thing. A girl can walk around
the studio floor clad in tights or a
flimsy kimono in preparation for one
of the near-undressing scenes that
sometimes find their way into the pic
tures and no one pays any attention;
but let the same- girl, dressed in the
same garb, appear before the camera
in her scantiness and all work stops
all eyes are turned toward the scene.
carpenters drape tnemseives com
clans almost forget to turn on the
spotlights, the "prop" boy suffers a
lapse of memory and all the extra
people gather to watch the spectacle.
Just let the camera man start grind
ing and it is a signal for the clan of
eurious onlookers to gather. Such is
life In the movies.
More Work Than Play.
If you have never worked before
thr" camera you haven't any idea how
exhausting this form of acting is. You
knew how you feel after a morning's
session with the photographer get
ting your Christmas photos. The
movie actor feels the same way after
day in the studio. In the morning
rortabiy from the rafters, the electri- the suitcase brigade arrives, fresh and
N1
EW YORK Germany's grip on
the rare sugar Industry has been
broken at last by several Amer
ican manufacturers who are now able
to. produce those costly sweets used
in the detection of disease germs.
The most expensive of these, quot
ed at several hundred dollars a pound
Is far beyond the reach of the average
housewife, and yet it plays an im
portant part in scientific research
and must be obtained.
At the outbreak of the European
war, the group of rare eugars used in
our laboratories was manufactured
in Germany. The Teutons had such a
hold on the processes that they were
able at any time to destroy compe
tition. One of these sugar Is of exception
al value in the detection of typhoid,
as the organisms of that disease are
so fond of It that they naturally se
lect it and so multiply upon it that
their presence can readily be detected.
The military hospitals of the United
States called upon members of the
American Chemical society to co-operate
In the' making of rare bacteri
ological eugars for typhoid work and,
according to a bulletin issued lately
by that society, these efforts soon
proved successful. The fact that the
health of the American expeditionary
force in France was so good was
largely due to the quest for typhoid
germa which was made possible by
the preparation of these unusual sac
charine substances in laboratories of
the United States. The Investigations
which developed from the employing
of these agents did much to forestall
outbreaks of typhoid fever and to in
dicate the need of special vigilance in
vaccination against that dread dis
ease which In the Spanish-American
war caused more deaths than did the
bullets of the enemy.
Other rare sugars are used as
guides In the detection of cholera
germs and are therefore invaluable
as weapons against the pestilence
which walks In darkness.
Bacteriological or rare eugars re
quire the utmost care In handling, for
the presence of any Impurities or of
another kind of sugar renders them
unfit for the precise purposes for
which they are intended. It requires
the utmost patience and scientific
skill to put them through the various
Bteps of purification. Often through
some slight slip or mishap days of
work may be lost and it -is neces
sary to go back and repeat the
processes in order to obtain the re
quired standard.
This elaborate care is responsible
for the seemingly enormous prices at
which the rare sugars are listed.
High as these costs may appear they
are said to yield only nominal profits
to the manufacturers.
The most expensive rare sugar
quoted in the catalogue it dulcitol,
for which $375 a pound Is asked.
Mannose is worth $140 a pound.
The Ivory nut, better known as "veg
etable ivory," is Imported In large
quantities from Ecuador, and is used
for the manufacture of buttons for
coats and gowns. The chemist makes
mannose from the scraps of the but
ton factories, but the high cost of
the resulting product is due to the
many accurate processes through
which he must put it in order to ob
tain absolute purity.
Another sugar is mannite, derived
from manna, that nutritive gum
with which the Bible tells us the
children of Israel were miraculously
fed during their wanderings in the
wilderness. Manna is secreted from
a tree and forms In thin scales, which
at certain times and under unusual
weather conditions may be blown
high into the air by he wind and
then deposited upon the ground. The
Biblical narrative recounts that the
Hebrews found the bread from heaven
lying upon the earth In the early
hours of the morn. As manna has a
delicate and delicious taste which
resembles that of a sweet wafer, it
is not so good when long exposed to
the air as is also Void In Holy Writ.
Xylose, held at $120 a pound, is
made from the lowly corn cob.
Inulin is derived from the bulbs of
the dahlia, but can be obtained at
only certain seasons of the year.
Other rare sugars are: Aribinose.
for which $100 a pound is asked:
levulose, an $80 a pound product,
and raffinose, for which the manu
facturing chemist receives $75 a
pound.
Only small quantities of these
sugars are employed at a time In the
laboratory, so they are usually sold
In 25-gramme bottles, or by the ounce.
An ounce of some of them would last
even a busy bacteriologist a year.
American chemists feel that in
placing these aids to medicine at the
disposition of research a distinct step
has been made in the road to chem
ical independence.
Range Cattle Dipped.
CALGARY, Alberta. Probably the
greatest gatherings of cattle that the
Canadian west ever-saw, were re
cently witnessed "X the general
mange dipping in Alberta when hun
dreds of thousands of animals were
dipped In gigantic troughs as a pre
caution, against mange.