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~ HE sudden announcement in Holly-
] .wood that Miss Anne Cudahy
had returned to her home in
Omaha and would not, therefore. be the
star of a pretentious film play which was
in preparation for production. seems to
have even more significance than the
Interesting disclosure that :little Miss
‘ Cudahy had thus brought to abrupt end-
- Anm- Cudehy is typ-
» airs.
i
' the
ing a most spectacular, it short, career in
the smiles.
A little taking stock among the studios
has disclosed that Miss Cudahy is not
the only young person of high social
estate who has. more or less incognito,
helped create something like consterna-
tion in the breasts of many film stars by
threatening to ’appropriate 9. great deal 0!
the latters' pres. ige.
it appears that quite a number‘of
daughters of families widely known for
their wealth and social position have
made‘ a lurk of "going into the movies"
and that some of them, including some
young wives who sought excitement and
to)! victims to the cinema lure, have made
so good that they
threaten seriously to
replace film stars
who have until now
thought their posi-
tions impregnnbie.
he case of little
lcal in some respects.
She appeared at
"extra" gate of
one of the Los An-
geies studios less
than a year ago. She
had' been driven to
the litiflhlmrhood by
her (litiufieiir. but
when she joined the
crowd of younc \vonlv
en waiting: outside
the “enro” state she
seemed different
from the rest. and
was careful to up-
penr just as non
descripi as the most
uninipreSsivc "extra"
girl" seeking work
that morning.‘
it?
A picture was then
being cast. which re-
quired a group of
young girls to supply
“atmosphere and
background" during
a lawn fth' sci-lie
supposedly
estate of u
The
supriying exit-:1 rm-
plt‘ hull hccn mitidetl
and thcy had
their prettiest girls
--or at least those
vho (ouid offer not only thcznswlves but a.
chir- afternoon and outdoor gown as well.
{ Miss (‘uduhy knew nothing or the re-
quireii.ciits-—-slie had just gone "as she
was" on a lurk. But she had chosen to
wear‘that morning an outdoor dress of
distinct Parisian lnodishness. Because of
the dress and her natural poise she was
chosen after one glance at her by the
casting director who came out to look
over the applicants.
She gave an assumed name. It was
takenifor granted she was an ekperi-
enced “extra person" and no questions
wore asked. They were paying $5 a day
for the “extras" at that stud-lo that day,
and she was so informed. As she did not
object to working for $5, she was told to
"make up for afternoon outing and be
ready to go on location." ‘
"Miss Anne had never “made up"——thut
is, not beyond a lipstick. perhaps, and an
eyebrow pencil. She crowded into the
big dressing room, however, with the
other fortunate girls, and by patching
keenly out of the corner of her eyes
"caught on." She had brought no makeup
materials, but she picked out a young
Woman who seemed to be of the right
sort, and, confiding her predicament to
on aim
fillili‘ill-
thins
ELL
a. tit
Their real
. this young person. she was promptly sup-
rlied the necessary rouge and grease
paints-r- .
After a tedious wait of several hours
Miss Anne was bundled into an omnibus
filled to the last inch of its standing room
between seats with twoseore ‘fextra peo-
ple” and taken on a long drive to the
Sir Frank,
directly across from him, in a scene in one of the
'ite feature p'ays.
Debutante Heiresses Steal Their Way to Fame on the
Screen by Staring '9lncognit0-,~ at . ire . “Extra” Gate of
the Studios——-How the Dang.
liter of; the MHlionaire
. cudahysljost Film Celebrity When l—ler Mother
Discovered What .She Was Doing ‘.
at left, and Lady Popbam-Young.
Sir Frank and Popham-Young
. an. widely known in America and went into the
motion pictures as a lurk and became fascinated.
identity is not mentioned in the adver-
tising of their films.
first exponent-c of the “moriew.” again
wood 3* the “extra gate" the next morn-
ing. She did not stand long. It seemed
as if the assistant casting director was
watching for her. He came out directly
end motioned for her to come into the
(.flice. There she was told. "the chief
pants to see you."
“The chief?” Miss Anne asked, greatly
impressed by the awe with which the as-
sistant used the word. ‘
“Yes, the director. you know. Say, kid,
you're a» lucky skirt. You made a hit in
that garden scene yesterday. The chief
went off his pins when he saw youblaz»
ing out of that bunch of ~‘extra' nuts like
a house on fire on the prairie. He wants
to get your number-go kid him good.
now. and maybe he'll cast you for a bit.
He's done crazier things."
Assistant casting directors are notori~
'ously loquaclous 'and nearly always seek
the "good side" of any one who has the
good side of "the chief." “No need miss-
ing a chance—you never know today
who‘s to-morrow’s star" is their philoso-
phy- - .
Miss Anne walked across the “lot" to
the director's bungalow oiilce, quite eager
over this twist to her lark. The director
-——one whose name is very well known
across the world—-turned as she entered
the office and then exclaimed:
“Good! They found you. What's your
name, Miss. and how much experience
have you had?"
Miss Anne repeated her assumed name
and blithely flbbed that she had “had
suburbs, where stood the “millionaire’s quite a bit" of eiperience.
house" which had been secured for the
“location." . '
Briefly the director explained to the
"extra" girls their duties and positions in
the scene about to be taken. Then the
star, languid and quite biase, stepped out
of her limousine and walked into her po—
sition. .
The "extra" girls, Miss Anne among
them, crowded around, obedient to the
g’ruif comments of the director. The
scene was taken two or three times and
then the party returned to the studio——
Hiss Anne again bundled in with the
crowd on the omnibus, while the director
returned in his car and the star rode
back in her limousine.
Ines Anne. much intrigued by this
“Good!" said the director. "I like the
way you looked in that scene yesterday.
<Saw. it on the semen last night. You
showed class, and some originality, too.
I'm going -to take-you in hand. I think
you'll make good. Stick around the lot
today and I'll have a part written into
this picture for you. _Give it to you to
night. How aboutsalary? Here, sign this
agreement for six months at a hundred
per—fifteen weeks' work guaranteed. I’ll
put in an option ‘for two years of your
services, if I make something out of you."
Miss Anne said she’d have to ask her
mother about signing—well knowing her
mother would put her on bread and water
if she had the least idea what she was
doing these days. That suited the direc-
Miu Anne Cudally. daughter. of
the late Jack Cudday. and heir-u
to the Cuddly minions. She ap-
peared incognito at a Loan Angela
studio and appliedvfor work u an
extra girl. After her-first fills she
was “discovered" by an enterpris-
ing director, who declared that ill:
would be .a. "nest? Maw 2l’ittkfiursl.’
Preparations were hmy and. to
star her in a costly film production
when-domains. told her mother;
and the was hastily called home.
tor, so she spent the. day watching the
taking of the scenes in and outside the
studio. That night the director called
her into the oth’ceand explained the part
that had been written in for her, and told
her to report the next morning.
It is Hollywood history-new how Anne
stood out in that him play. Her part
was very incidental to those of the main
Stella, Duchess de Lanti,
formerly
Miss Eloise Van Dam of New York.
whose marriage to the Italian Duke de
llliss Beatrice Bentley, daughter
of the wealthy Bentiey family of
Detroit, and
beautiful heiresses, who went di-
rect from csili‘ge
where under
Lord Peter Upcher, cousin of Lora
Lanti was an international. social event.
She upcretly entered the American film
world and was about to be given a
stellar role when it was discovered that
she was a Duchess.
to he starred, although clue still remains
She then refused
Baxter: of England, who
on at a Lot Angelcs studio as an
"extra" man, and who rapidly was
becoming a matinee idol c; the films
Then he returned
until discovered.
. star herself.
a “movie actress."
characters. But when she was “in the
picture” she was, as the assistant director
put it, "in with all cylinders hitting."
The director held<on to her and in the
next picture therewns a. bigger part—-
one almost as important as that of the
Then another picture, and
then the director insisted upon that con-
tract. The attaches of the studio now
took off their hats to little Miss Anne and
the assistant director took occasion to
remind her every day: “You see, Miss, I
told you so. Don‘t forget it was me who
called the chief's attention to you."
It was then Miss Anne just had .to con-
fide in her mother. And it all happened
as she feared. Her mother performed
that feat which the assistant director
would describe as "going through the ceil-
ing” and Miss Anne was bundled away to
Omaha and to .her duties as a debutante.
'The director was left flat with his
choicest oaths and a plan 'for a good him
play with a new Mary Pickford all gone
awry. But several young film stars who
were thus returned to the’director’s favor
slept easier in their Queen Anne and Em.
pire beds.
Beatrice Bentley. the beautiful daughter
of “the Detroit Bentleys,” already is a
popular star with a following asilargc
and as enthusiastic as any of the newer
film ceiebritim. She. too, earned her
beginnings» «by appearing. with an as—
.suxnexlwname. at the “exist-army” of ;
11me studio. It wasseterhl months
to England .‘nll, despite family objec-
tions, became thebero of
most important British film: of recent
years. “Tangled Hearts."
before a directornoticed her. Then her
rise was rapid; ’When at least she was
offered an important part in a film play
she thought best .to confide in her parents.
and she was more fortunate than her
friend little Anne. Cudahy. She won
parental consent-to make a go of it if she
could, and she promptly did. The com-
pany which “now holds Miss Bentley's
contract dismissed a star who had been
popular through several seasons to make
room for the new acquisition. '
“Somehow these society girls and
young matrons who are coming into the
movies display more talent and more
capabilities after a month of training
than the professionals acquire in their
whole careers." is the way one important
producer explains it. “They bring natu-
ralness and a total avoidance of'affecta-
tion to the screen. They seem to be born
«to fit into situations and to handle them
which the professional stars grasp only
to the extent of a director's explanation
of what is required of them. Little Alli-IE
Cudahy walked through a whole scene in
a drawing room with no further coaching
from her director than a brief explana-
tion of what was expected of her. Any
other actress would had to have been mid
what to do with her hands orher feet
through every foot 0‘ the-film-”
Another “society 8131’" who is 5““ b?’
ginning to appear in the limelight lS
one of that city’s most
to the movies,
an assumed name the
when 'her identity was discovered.
Size is one who has insisted upon
remaining in the studios.
1229 American Duchess
:ie Lauri. She is the
daughter of the New
York Olirers, and was
popular in yo‘ "zer so-
ciety until her marriage
to the Italian Duke de
Lanti just before the
war r. Her husband
served through the
war; and then. his es‘
tatcsfi-which were near
the Piave—ruined. he
came with his beautiful
young wife to this coun-
try.
The Duchess join-edit
party of young friends
at Los Angelcs in what.
vas to them a sort of
‘fslumming expedition.”
It was a “day with the
movies" as “guests" at
a banquet scene during
the action of a snniler
film drums. A few
days later 112c- Duihvss
“'3’ take“ applied at the studio
for more experiences,
taking the director into
her confidence and ex-
prtsflng a desire to be
takeuon her merits.
°ne of the She became "so fas-
cinated that she .1 2‘.—
tinued in t h e mov-
ies—a n d e v e :1 per—
suaded her husband to make a real iark
of it and join her in a scene. He stayed
on, too. “Stella de Lanti“ is now being
“featured" and is making rapid progress
toward individual stardom.
One of the Duchess de Lanti’s friends,
Lady l’ophum-Young, also American. .zn-i
quite popular in London society as a in»
(guent hostess in her town house. just off
lilayiair. was so impressed by the
Duchess's delight in "learning: to be a
screen actress“ that she. too. asked for a
trial. Like the Duchess. she made an
imitantaneous lllllil’155lclll.
Amimhen there is the daughter of the
distinguished millionaire cngineer John
Hays Hammond. who. also starting as an
unknown “extra" girl, worked her wayup
to such a station that only recently she was
called upon to sign a four year contract
which assures her continued stardom and
a number of imposing productions. And
there is Leigh \Vyant, who is a direct
descendant of the Vicar of Wakefield and
who was one of the most popular of last
season’s Washington (D. C.) debutantes.
Her name really is Leigh “like. but when
she timidly applied at Hollywood {or :1
place in the films she gave her name as
Leigh “Tank-so her family would not
hear about it wand her rise to fame was so
sudden t the producing company for
tunate enough to keep her in the movies
dare not throw aside the assumed name.
a
Norwalk Chronicler