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Alright, can you tell me, did Willa Parsons work at SNA?

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Oh yes.

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She was in charge of scripts as they would come in, be sent to the studio.

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She would edit them and say this one would be appropriate for such and such a star and

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director and was very, very well liked in that department.

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And then she finally became also secretary for Mr. Bushman, who was male, was increasing

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to a great extent and she used to do that sort of on the side.

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But I always remember Luella, she and her husband, Captain McCaffrey I think was the

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name, and my mother and father played bridge together.

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And every morning Luella and I would meet at the corner of Wilson where we had to walk

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up to the studio and she would tell me about scripts and people and we'd gossip about

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the inmates of our studio and so forth and it was all very interesting.

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So I remember Luella very pleasantly.

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She had a little daughter, about eight years old I guess.

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I have her pictures and she's in some of them.

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They called her Baby Parsons, is that right?

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Harriet, well I don't.

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Harriet is her name.

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Well I guess when she may have worked in a picture or something they might have dubbed

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her that.

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Now tell me about this.

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You talked about acting as a memory that is activated by imagination really.

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Observing.

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Observing.

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Observing life and characters and people.

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What do you think about this rather belabored, I'm loading the question unfortunately,

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Stanislavsky.

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You mean the method of acting.

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Well I think it's rather ridiculous.

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And I don't believe that it is fair to a company of actors for someone like we'll say Marlon

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Brando who claims that he's the best exponent to one day feel that he's got the right touch

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and then rehearses with his people and they are told just exactly what to do by their

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director and he doesn't feel good for that particular performance so he just lets them

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down, lets everything fall flat.

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Now I think that from the first day a play opens until its last curtain, anyone who pays

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money the last night of the show is entitled to a good performance and if you have a good

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director he sets a pattern like a symphonic director, a diminuendo, legato, whatever

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and you should always approximate what he has told you to do because there are times

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that one might get very bad news or be ill or something but if you do it in a routine,

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a like manner and always try to approximate the climaxes and all then you won't let your

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company down and you will approximate what the play or what your character is required

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to be in the play and the audience won't be aware that you've had a telegram that your

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mother's died or that you don't feel quite up to it that night but if you do like Brando

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does just on inspiration you can be let down night after night.

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Tell me this then, what about the company, did you find that they were troopers that

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they didn't let people down for instance at SNA that they worked without?

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Oh yes, they all worked hard together because it was a new medium and everybody was so thrilled

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in the movies you see that they realized that they should work together and create this

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new technique, be part of it.

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I'll just stop this now because I'm fine.

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Well I would like you to know that they did comedies as well as dramas at SNA and somebody

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thought of a series called SWEDI and they had to have a real big robust buxom man play

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this part to see because part of a woman cook or whatever and so they found Wallace Beery

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in Chicago somewhere.

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I don't know whether he at one time was with carnivals and circuses whether that's where

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they picked him up but anyway he was perfect for this part and very very funny in it.

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He wore huge shoes you know that flapped when he wasn't usually one toe was sticking out

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and a blonde wig and a gingham dress, blue and white gingham dress.

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And about this time Gloria Swanson used to come up the studio just like I had to see

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how movies were taken and hopefully she would see the casting director and say that she

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loved to do a ballroom scene or maid or any small part that they had and she became enamored

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with Wally.

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Very shortly he finished his series and received an offer from Keystone Cops you know in Los

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Angeles and Wally joined the company and Max Senich you see and about six weeks afterwards

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Gloria and her mother packed bags and went out there and very shortly thereafter Gloria

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and Wally married and she became a bathing beauty for the Max Senich.

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Tell me this I was told that she was married in the back lot at S&A could that have been

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true or not?

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Well I never heard that.

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There was a wedding there.

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I never heard that.

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I see.

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I don't know.

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It could have been at the Max Senich lot.

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It could have been there too.

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Either place.

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But anyway Gloria became very very popular and shortly I don't know how long it was they

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were divorced and then she married Herbert Somborn and then two or three others after

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that.

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But it's so interesting to know that a lot of those people oh yes and Charlie Chaplin

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came to the S&A.

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Tell me how did this start?

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In Chaplin's autobiography I read that ultimately on the west coast Bronco Billy Anderson then

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really activated this and came back then with Chaplin I believe to Chicago.

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Is this what happened?

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That I believe is something that follows.

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You tell me then about your association with Chaplin.

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Actually I don't think I ever did anything more than to speak to him.

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How do you do?

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And he introduced you see all the time they were on a time schedule you know everything

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had to go so fast.

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Now may I ask you that since you've said this.

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Chaplin speaks about the accountant mentality at the S&A studios.

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She didn't like.

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Of course.

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And you see I told you we'd do a whole picture in one day and that went along until other

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directors would say well I can't do it.

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I've got to take an exterior that'll take up to tomorrow.

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So gradually the time was lengthened on these pictures and but naturally the accountants

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were watching it very closely.

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Well Chaplin came and lo and behold he screened in all his sets and he would take as long

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to do just two or three little scenes and the studio was going out of its mind.

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You see where people finishing a whole.

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He would work on just one scene a man going through a door with a step ladder and he turns

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around knocks everybody down or whatever you know some comic.

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Did he direct his own?

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And he yes as I recall he did.

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And he was very meticulous and of course it helped the rest of us.

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We loved it that he was getting more time because we knew eventually we would.

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Well I left I think shortly.

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So I didn't know Chaplin.

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Yes you must have because he was there in 1915.

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And then you left after that.

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Tell me the people who are in Chicago who knew Chaplin when he was there have not very

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nice things to say about him.

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Was there a general feeling at the studio that Chaplin was a prima donna?

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Well of course he was very demanding and of course the rest of the directors that weren't

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getting the same attention they rather resented it.

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So I suppose maybe there might have been some feeling there.

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Of course.

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He did one film when he was in Chicago called His New Job.

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And do you remember anybody rehearsing for this at all?

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I see.

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No I do not.

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Gloria Swanson is in that one.

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She plays a bit part of a receptionist.

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I see.

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Now coming to you really we're talking about other people.

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We should be talking about you.

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When did you meet then Frances X Bushman?

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Oh the first picture that I did I think.

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No I didn't.

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No.

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Oh this is very funny.

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The script, the first script that I played the part of Marion in was called The Lone

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Shark.

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Now could you have a more commercial title than that?

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And I played with an actor who had never played in movies before.

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And I can't even recall the name now isn't that sad?

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And very shortly thereafter I played with all the leading men, Bryant, Washburn, Bushman,

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oh let's see who were the others?

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I'll tell you what there were a number of them.

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Did you, the man who played the little colonel in Birth of a Nation was there too was he

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not?

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Walthold?

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Yeah H.B. Walthold.

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No I never played with him.

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Was he there in S&A?

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No.

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Because he did some pictures for S&A.

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He may have but I did not know him.

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And well anyway then shortly one summer Joseph E. Totten, one of the directors had a farm

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down near New London Connecticut and he took a few of the stagehands and he built a platform

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out in his garden and just a few props and things like that for interiors.

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And we tried to do everything that was outdoors you see plays or pictures that were just exteriors.

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And he had a direct, he directed and just as I say a few stagehands and a few actors

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maybe four or five then he'd recruit from the village itself anybody that he thought

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he could.

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They were all from S&A, the five were from S&A though.

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Yes the five actors.

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And while I was there Mr. Bushman had left the S&A company and had asked me to go as

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leading lady and I didn't care to.

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And so I was down at New London Connecticut playing in this little summer company and

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I got a telegram asking if I wouldn't meet him.

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You were still however, excuse me, you were still at S&A.

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I was at S&A.

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But you weren't playing on the stage in this.

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No, no, no.

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This is a movie.

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An entire movie company from S&A went to New London you see.

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And Mr. Totten directed it and tried to make as good movies as he could with his limited

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means.

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And while we were there at the end of our season, Mr. Bushman sent a wire from the coast

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would I meet with the head directors and the vice president of Metro in New York City.

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So Mother and I went down there and they made me a very fine offer to return as his leading

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lady in the coast because he had taken someone and the public felt that he didn't play as

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well as he did with the little dark eyed girl, the round faced girl who happened to be me.

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In those days you know we didn't have much publicity.

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They just sort of identified you.

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Mary Pickford was the girl in the New York ad and people like that.

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You were one of the few who really was identified however am I correct, who were identified.

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Your name was accompanied the publicity releases on a good many places.

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Oh yes, oh yes.

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You and Frances X.

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Yes.

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Well we were considered like Norma Talmadge and Eugene O'Brien and Lockwood and May Allison,

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romantic teams you see.

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And the public were all caught up in great romantic dramas in those days.

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And oh my land you had to be so careful if you kissed a man you know.

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Oh may I tell you this about my first time in this Lone Shark.

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I had to kiss my husband, the character who played my husband.

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And I can remember of blushing at Felix as though all my ideals had just collapsed and

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just gone down over the falls.

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And I went home that night and I cried myself to sleep in my pillow.

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And about two o'clock in the morning I wakened and I thought well now you've got to play

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the part.

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If you're married to the man or it's romance you've got to kiss the man.

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Now if I'll just look at it as business.

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I'll just look at it that it's a job to be done and that I'm not being wicked or anything

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like that.

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And then I went to sleep and from then on I was all right.

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But I had a beau at that time that I wrote a letter to and it's the most fabulous thing.

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In this letter I tell about he had graduated from Hyde Park High School and had gone to

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Cleveland and was working with his uncle who owned the Hanna Company there.

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And I had written him a letter about how dreadfully I felt when I talked about mushy kissing with

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the leading people and all that and I didn't like to do it.

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But I'd finally come to the conclusion that it was all part of a day's work.

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And so in this picture I say and would you believe it I was made immediately the leading

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lady of Company Number One.

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And I said but I will never rest until my name goes up in electric lights over a legitimate

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theater.

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Well I sent this letter to this boy in Cleveland.

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I married Mr. Bushman and I would say maybe four or five years had elapsed from the time

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I'd written this because it was when I first started in the movies.

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And I was in this play of Oliver Morasko's called The Master Thief and we were playing

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in Battle Creek Michigan and my name was up in electric lights in the theater.

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And after the performance as we were going to do many times actors do not eat a large

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meal before a performance but they go back to their room and have a hot supper sent up.

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So my husband and I were sitting there having our dinner and our manager Bill Calvin called

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up and he said Beverly the most fabulous story you would think it was a Madison Avenue

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advertisers dream as just walked into this hotel.

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He said there is a man here who years ago was buying he's in the waste paper buying

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business down in the freight yards where all of this waste paper was bailed together and

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he saw one letter that looked intact and he picked it out and he said it is a letter

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that you wrote to a boy in Cleveland years ago.

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And he's kept this all this time because he wanted to see whether you followed through

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on your statement that you would never rest until your name went up in electric lights

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over legitimate theater.

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It's remarkable.

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Did you did you get a copy of or do you have that letter?

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I have it.

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I'll show it to you.

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That is a marvelous story.

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I keep it in a safe.

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I'll tell you what I don't and I'm sure you don't either.

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This is we really should know however about people but Francis X Bushman had come from

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the East am I correct?

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Yes he'd been in stock companies.

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I see and his director then was hired by SNA.

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Mr. Baker who had been at a stock company in Jersey or Baltimore or somewhere on the

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East Coast went to Chicago and became a director at SNA and then he in turn sent a telegram

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to here's a stock actor again.

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You see they use stock actors because they seem to be available and Mr. Baker they called

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him sent for him and he Mr. Bushman had been there quite some time and then after a while

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I played in a few pictures and the public seemed to like the two of us playing together

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and as I say he left and I finally some months later joined the company on the coast.

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Now tell me about SNA the character of SNA you've talked about you know we've talked

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about Chaplin's evaluation of sort of an accountant mentality yet I have seen the little I have

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been able to see the nitrate that still exists of really rather good films and well photographed

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well filmed.

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I have a little one that I bought from the Mohawk films but I've never been able to use

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it because it's a small one.

254
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It's 8mm.

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8mm.

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00:19:52.300 --> 00:19:53.520
Yes they reduce them to 8mm.

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Silly millimeter.

258
00:19:55.820 --> 00:19:56.820
What's that?

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00:19:57.180 --> 00:19:57.460
Cigarette?

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00:19:57.460 --> 00:20:02.660
Well that's what it is and under royal patronage it's called.

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Under royal patronage.

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And I would love to see it sometime if I can ever find anyone with a machine.

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I hope that they recorded that at the right speed.

264
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Yes well I do too.

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00:20:16.500 --> 00:20:21.420
It's very important because otherwise everybody looks as though they were popping around like.

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Well you were used to the weather then obviously in Chicago but Max Linder and Chaplin really

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were.

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Well I was born in Minneapolis and for five months a year we walked with our school books

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on our hips and fascinators and caps and ear laps and goulashies and leggings and what

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not.

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Five months of the year we waited in snow up to our waist and that's why I think I built

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up such an aversion to cold and wet weather and to snow that I always used to say when

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I retire I'm going to go to a sunny island and bask like a salamander on a stony wall

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for my rekindling days.

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So my son and I came here in 1956.

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1956.

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And fell in love with Arizona and he and I had been reading a great deal about the great

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Southwest and we wanted to see whether I should go back to the coast and whether we would

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like to live in Beverly again.

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Beverly Hills that is.

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You lived there until 1956 then am I correct?

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No no I was living in New York.

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Oh in New York.

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Pleasantville, Westchester County, New York and Richard was working in New York City and

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commuting every day.

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And so we got sort of tired of all that and we thought well maybe it might be fun to go

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back to a warmer place California.

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But we passed through Scottsdale and fell in love with a village like unhurried resort

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area that it is and decided that we liked it very much.

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Went to the coast.

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Came back and almost bought a house.

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The first weekend.

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And then went back finished our vacation of three weeks and went back east and got in

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the midnight of a Tuesday at our home in Pleasantville and put the house up for sale on Thursday.

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Sunday which was Mother's Day the 13th of May.

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A man and his wife came to the house and said they liked the house very much.

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Came back at 3.30.

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My son Richard took them all over the grounds and we had over an acre of ground and oh the

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most beautiful spot.

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Completely covered with ancient dogwood trees.

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It was the most exquisite house.

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I'll show you a picture later.

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And he said Mother this is Mother's Day.

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00:23:10.100 --> 00:23:14.000
You're going up to Pound Ridge with me Emily Shaw's for dinner.

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00:23:15.320 --> 00:23:20.700
At 9.30 we drove into the garage and the bell was ringing and I answered and it was the

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agent and she said Beverly I have $2500 cash in my little hothead.

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Your house is sold but you have to be out the first of June.

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This is 13th of May.

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I said how can I ever do it?

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How come?

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Well as a matter of fact we couldn't, the mortgage couldn't be processed and everything

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until the 5th.

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About 7 o'clock the 5th of June we were on our way and landed here the 10th of June midnight.

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And we loved every moment of it.

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I wouldn't live anywhere else.

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I went back to New York to look to like if looking liking move as Juliet said in April

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and May and part of June and then in September went over to the coast to see if I'd like

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it over there and decided that I wanted to spend my remaining days in Arizona.

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I just love it and the climate and everything about it.

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It seems to be very vigorous here too and at the same time I mean I'm talking about

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00:24:26.920 --> 00:24:28.760
terribly hot in the summer.

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00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:38.200
Well imagine we landed here at June 10th and in an un-air conditioned car and we were in

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and out all day long for two weeks looking for houses you see.

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And I didn't mind it.

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00:24:47.720 --> 00:24:49.100
You don't perspire.

326
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Isn't it a dry heat?

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Yes it's a dry heat and your blood thins down and you become accustomed to it.

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And I had had a very bad whiplash two years before coming here and I couldn't turn my

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head to the right.

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I had to turn my whole body and after the two weeks that I was here I could turn my

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head and never had a return of it.

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00:25:14.340 --> 00:25:26.540
You see all the impurities are exuded through the pores but you never are perspired if I

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00:25:26.540 --> 00:25:29.260
Well the air here is also much cooler.

334
00:25:29.260 --> 00:25:36.780
Oh and I love the summers 118 five days once and it goes to 115.

335
00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:44.040
Oh but it's nothing like Washington or St. Louis or any of the eastern cities with humidity.

336
00:25:44.140 --> 00:25:50.680
It's just utterly dry and we have everything air conditioned our cars our homes so there's

337
00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:51.920
no problem at all.

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00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:52.740
That's excellent.

339
00:25:53.220 --> 00:25:54.620
Let's stop down now and begin.

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00:25:55.180 --> 00:26:02.740
Dear Frank your prayers united with those of others evidently were answered as we really

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00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:06.100
made the biggest hit on the program at the Society Circus.

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00:26:06.340 --> 00:26:08.460
Everyone complimented us highly.

343
00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:10.880
I certainly thank you for your prayers.

344
00:26:11.380 --> 00:26:12.600
It is dandy.

345
00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:17.360
Friends so thoughtful and so forth to ever see anything so childish.

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00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:25.280
I'm very glad you had such a delightful time while all your Chicago friends were there.

347
00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:26.900
I quite wait wait.

348
00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:31.360
Oh wait I'm glad you had.

349
00:26:32.180 --> 00:26:33.220
That was right I guess.

350
00:26:33.600 --> 00:26:36.860
I quite agree with you on your decision about your vacation.

351
00:26:37.120 --> 00:26:42.700
I'm sure the absolute rest in this country will be much better for you than the terrible

352
00:26:42.700 --> 00:26:48.200
busy time you would be bound to have not saying anything of the money you would spend.

353
00:26:48.660 --> 00:26:53.940
Wish you the bestest time ever while you are in the country.

354
00:26:54.380 --> 00:26:59.940
Every spare moment you have why not sit down and write a little lady who would be delighted

355
00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:01.140
to hear from you.

356
00:27:01.360 --> 00:27:02.280
Three question marks.

357
00:27:02.580 --> 00:27:08.840
It would be so nice to see you here for it has been some time since we last met but know

358
00:27:08.840 --> 00:27:10.120
the rest is what you need.

359
00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:16.640
If I could go on a vacation now I would be a very happy person but it seems they have

360
00:27:16.640 --> 00:27:22.800
made a big change in the company at the studio and I have to wait for a month or so.

361
00:27:23.040 --> 00:27:28.100
It seems when some of us would be especially good in the picture then all the directors

362
00:27:28.100 --> 00:27:30.420
would want that person in their picture.

363
00:27:30.880 --> 00:27:36.640
Consequently some were worked overtime etc. while others would sit around for weeks and

364
00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:37.960
have nothing to do.

365
00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:41.980
Now I'm exaggerating the right voice on this.

366
00:27:42.360 --> 00:27:47.880
Now they have divided the company into two separate companies and when a director wants

367
00:27:47.880 --> 00:27:54.360
to use a certain person he has to use all the people he needs from that group and that

368
00:27:54.360 --> 00:27:57.620
certain person belongs to him.

369
00:27:57.620 --> 00:28:04.680
As I am cast for leading woman of company number one I have to be there most of the

370
00:28:05.280 --> 00:28:09.960
As there is no one to put in my place isn't that wonderful to be wanted.

371
00:28:12.360 --> 00:28:13.380
Just think of it Frank.

372
00:28:13.440 --> 00:28:19.840
I thought it was wonderful when I was leading Anjanu but now to be leading woman of company

373
00:28:19.840 --> 00:28:23.060
number one I feel extraordinarily happy.

374
00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:30.240
When you think of it it is fine as there are people there who are old timers at dramatic

375
00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:36.620
etc. and that I should be over them my cup runneth over.

376
00:28:37.320 --> 00:28:43.080
Nevertheless I don't intend to stop there until I get to the legitimate stage and see

377
00:28:43.080 --> 00:28:46.660
Beverly Bain in so and so in electric lights.

378
00:28:47.220 --> 00:28:48.900
You may be proud to know me yet.

379
00:28:48.920 --> 00:28:50.360
Anyway I hope so.

380
00:28:50.700 --> 00:28:56.020
George brought over ten boxes of filigree chocolates this morning which were left over

381
00:28:56.020 --> 00:28:57.480
from the society circus.

382
00:28:57.480 --> 00:29:00.840
We'll have to send you a box of divinity pretty soon.

383
00:29:01.100 --> 00:29:04.160
Wish you might have some as I have the candy.

384
00:29:04.600 --> 00:29:11.640
I just mentioned a box of Heiler's Beverly chocolates box whipped cream chocolates and

385
00:29:11.640 --> 00:29:12.480
some divinity.

386
00:29:12.780 --> 00:29:16.780
If I don't ruin my disposition complexion and teeth it will be funny.

387
00:29:17.060 --> 00:29:20.040
She'll take some to studio and give it all away tomorrow.

388
00:29:20.340 --> 00:29:26.760
Some of the ten goodness but it is fall like a fellow who is leaving for school.

389
00:29:27.600 --> 00:29:31.260
Illinois is coming in a minute or so to say goodbye.

390
00:29:31.840 --> 00:29:34.700
Thank goodness I don't have to worry about school anymore.

391
00:29:34.980 --> 00:29:37.040
Think we will go in a machine.

392
00:29:38.300 --> 00:29:43.040
Machine for a short ride into the coolness of said September weather.

393
00:29:43.420 --> 00:29:46.600
Oh do you ever hear anything like it.

394
00:29:46.600 --> 00:29:52.480
If you want to see an article in Motography get the last issue and you'll be able to see

395
00:29:52.480 --> 00:29:54.180
about my life as a movie.

396
00:29:54.640 --> 00:29:55.360
Funny joke.

397
00:29:55.360 --> 00:30:01.720
Now Frank have a grand rest and go back to work feeling dandy fine but don't forget to

398
00:30:01.720 --> 00:30:04.160
write to Beverly Bain.

399
00:30:04.420 --> 00:30:07.900
And that was 4601 Malden Street.

400
00:30:08.100 --> 00:30:09.180
4601 Malden.

401
00:30:09.300 --> 00:30:10.020
In Chicago.

402
00:30:10.040 --> 00:30:10.640
In Chicago.

403
00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:13.500
But look this is priceless.

404
00:30:15.620 --> 00:30:18.440
It says read the little note at top of letter.