Photoplay Magazine Cover — page 40: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

. ae | = 4 There was a young lady who came to see me about screen work. The moment she entered my office I was impressed by her. She had youth; sparkle; beauty; refinement—every- thing I was looking for. I talked to her and discovered she was also intelligent. She seemed too good to be true. Well, she was. In her screen tests she “registered” an entirely different personality. She lacked soul F I were not firmly convinced that somewhere in this coun- try there is at least one girl who possesses every require- ment for screen success, I should not be writing this. When I left California for the east, it was with a def- inite object. I was to find a filmable girl. That’s all. But it was enough. I was not to pass up a single possibility. I was to make a thorough search for beautiful, intelligent girls, and to have screen tests made of them. As far as it was possible, I was to scour the country, personally, and bring back with me, all tied up in celluloid, the most interesting young woman I could find. I have done this. I have interviewed literally hundreds of young ladies. I have passed upon thousands of feet of film. And now I want to tell you the conclusions I’ve arrived at, after this pleasantly harrowing beauty quest. Don't think it’s been easy. I am aware it sounds some- thing like a permanent first-row seat at the Ziegfeld entertain- ments, or a perpetual stroll up Fifth Avenue, or daily pil- grimages to the Smartest, the most individual restaurants of Manhattan. Well, I’ve done that. I have even followed a certain woman for blocks and blocks and blocks, simply be- cause her marvellously grace- ful walk made me think she “tests, THE FOUR ESSENTIALS FOR SCREEN SUCCESS Personality : Intelligence : Youth; Beauty. I put beauty last because it is at best. anillusion. A girl may seem to rival Venus off-screen; photographic- ally she may be a failure. By personality, I mean charm; magnetism; that indefinable something that hits you when you en=- counter it, and that you cant forget. Intelligence and youth you must have 40 might be a future film star. I have looked into limousines and disgraced a dowager by asking her granddaughter if she could arrange to meet my wife, Mrs. McIntyre, for an interview. I have been watching interesting women for weeks. Mr. Ziegfeld is not the only critic of Amer- ican beauty. Interesting women. Not particularly pretty women, or intelligent women, but imter- esting women. If a girl is interesting, she very probably meets our requirements of The Still Hunt Getting down to business in the Photo the actual canvass By ROBERT Robert E. Mc- Intyre, casting director for Goldwyn Pic- tures. who canvassed Manhattan for girls with pic- ture possibili- ties, ma de daily piulgrim- ages to smart restaurants in his quest Mr. Melntyre probably knows as much world. As the casting director for the interviewed thousands of girls, tested had parts which gave them opportunities to nearly as anyone can know, what consti- screen; if she has the dramatic spark. Mr. Goldwyn, commander-in-chief of the Gold- literally to canvass it for filmable girls. unt; a practical search for screen beauty. results of his hunt, besides giving you an beauty and brains. He 18, by the way, one play-Goldwyn Screen Opportunity. e will judgment is correctly considered of vital personality, intelligence, youth and beauty. If she does not interest you, it is hardly possible that she will interest the camera. On the other hand, the most beautiful young woman I met while in New York proved a perfect frost in her screen I’m sure I don’t know why. The camera is psychic; that’s all I can tell you. The girl had perfect yet piquant features; a beautiful body; a plasticity, very valuable; mar- vellous hair; gorgeous, soulful eyes. On the screen, cold as ice, and as interesting. Another girl possessed exactly half her beauty and charm; yet, because of a tilt to her head, re-inforced by a curve to her lips, she was an absolute knock- out in the films. And that’s the way it goes. Which makes a search for screen material exceedingly interesting, but a little difficult. Primarily, what we are seeking is a representative American young woman, who will get across on the screen the qualities Aspirants before the see the man who may Goldwyn Screen Op- we most admire. This girl may be in Manhattan; she may be a native daughter of Kalamazoo. That’s what we are going to find out in this PHotopLay-Goldwyn quest. I served as a sort of courier in the quest because it has been my busi- ness for some years to pass upon women and girls who are, or who want to be, actresses. My mission, to discover the young woman to play a certain ComMmicbookssco