New Britain Herald Newspaper, June 29, 1928, Page 27

VI T . W T lar careers in the movies, love, laughter, wealth and hppiueu—t.ll this was pro W0 young wives by the dashis suitors who had wooe and won them. But when the brides of the double wedding awoke to a realization of things as they ! reelly were, they | found their romances | punctured, their | dreams of success and fame on the screen dis- | solved, and their | smooth-spoken mates contenders for a prison sentence, No crueler awaken- ing can be imagined than that which cli- maxed the unrealized dreams of these pathetic would-be hero- ines, in which their unfrocked heroes and s flock of stolen mobiles figured. Hopes of cinema re- nown shattered, ro- mance a permanent “fade-out,” "the two movie aspirants, 19- year-old Lillian Hodkynson and her younger sister, Violet, the disillusioned three-day brides of James Maher and Joseph Winder, now sit at home in St. Louis, plaintively voicing their dis- gusted opinions on all men in general and two in particular and wondering if they will be able to get back the prosaic, but ever-so-reliable, jobs that they deserted for—what? “l never want to see a man again,” shrilled Lillian. “] hate them. None of them is any good. And as for marriage —never again for me!” Her bitter recrimination was the echo of a aream that was headed in promis: sory language for the stars—earthly stars, Hollywood stars. But the romance never got as far as the Hollywood ph —an automobile smash, charges of rob- bery blocked its progress. Now the double wedding faces a double annulment. Over a year ago Violet and Lillian first made the acquaintance of their respective husbands-to-be. They met at a party, danced, chatted, joked and went home and promptly forgot all about each other. But they were to meet again. A year later the same foursome attended another party and this time they did not forget so easily, for they discovered a mutual love—the movies. They exchanged opinions on their favorite stars, discussed recent pictures, repeated bits that they had culled from film magazines. A friendship of hours developed to the pace of years in the warmth of their mutual interest. And then one of the cinema-struck four fathered a brilliant idea. Jimmy Maher said he had a 2-year contract with an automobile company in California. Why couldn't they all get married and xo out West, where the girls could try their fortunes in the films? It was a thrilling ides to toy with. Hollywood, fine clothes and gay parties. “Miss Violet Hodkynson in ‘Love and the Moon’ "—*Miss Lillian Hodkynson (or wou!d she shorten it to Hodsyn?) in ‘Life’s Greatest Gift!” " Imagine actually ang to. Hollywood and getting to know loria Swanson and John Barrymore and Dick Barthelmess! Mayvbe not at first of course—after whey'd been there a few months. Dreams of success fed the idea. Others had been lucky—why not they? They laid their plans for departure in 8 state of blisufur anticipation, picturing themselves in their favorite cinema roles, escaping villainy, clasped in the arms of righteous heroism. It seemed too good to be true. s “Too good to be true!” That was ex- actly what mama thought about it— much too good! She frowned on the breathless plans when they were related as sure-to-come-true fact. Such things didn’t happen—unot often, anyway. But other things did happen—amon them youth’s disregard of the warm ad- vice of middle age. And so the maternal X/ HONEYMOON ia A’ California, stel- | o FINLESS FISH. Cedfish Symbol, After Vigerous Pretest Finless 1928 Cod. << Funny Rumpus Over with Auto Thefts. warnings were shelved for two marriage licenses and a double he B wedding took place at the reg- istrar’s office in Madison. Several days were needed in which to perfect the plans for The Jimmy Mahers and the Joseph Winders were to make machine. It would be a grand lark and a simply To celebrate the eve of departure, & bang-up party was given at the brides’ home, to which they had returned after the double ceremony But Hollywood and fame weren’t on the cards for the three-day brides. Re- from the party late on the morn- departure, their two bridegrooms ran their motor into an oncoming truck. Maher fled on foot and Winder was ar- it was alleged, thrown a pistol from his car. the Western trip. the journey in Jimmy's swell adventure. turnin ing o rested after, overtaken and the pair Police Headquarters, held for examination. Questioning a stolen car. It was later Joseph Wipder, Who Was Al Here are Samples of the 1928 and 1929 Massachussetts Automebile License Plates. The Latter Was Revised te Shew Fins en the Was Made Against the conducted to where they were revealea :hat the youths had driven to Madison to be married in charged that the boys had previously stolen other cars and engineered several hold-ups confessions by the boys of hold-ups were published in St. Louis dailies. e Viole Jailed. previous record. theft Boonville. files disclose. he had Maher was them to tears. Alleged Bridegroom, Cha, drive about the country for the remainder of 1928 with license plates showing a finless cod, and hide their shame as best they can. But in 1929 they will be able to hold up their heads again, for the drawing of the cod has been remodeled. with fina. At left you will see photographs of the two license plates When the 1928 one came out there were jokes, complaints, argaments and debates over the fish symbol Massachusetts autc owners pro- tested that it didn’t look like the “sacred cod,” because it had no fins. They recalled that the cod was not only the State symbol, but the father, in a way, of Massa- chusett’s wealth and culture. Hence the revision. Many auto plates carry State symbols as well as names and num- bers. A few of the symbols ar shown here. The pretty girl, Edna Bulat, i{s shown in the midst Becoming Movie Queens -~ Faded Out™ in a Stolen Motor Smash [nvolving Their Boy-Husbands Maher, the police announced, had s Io 1923 he had been ar rested for sutomobile thievery and sen- lost. tenced to Bellefontaine Farms, which, because of ill-conduct, he had been removed to the Boonville Reformatory. where he served his sentence. Again in 1924 he wae arrested on charges—specifically, church poor boxes—and again sent to Slightly more than a year ago he was released on oparole, the official Naturally the news of the incarcera- tion of their respective spouses was a tre- mendous shook to Lillian and Violet, all keyed up to make the important get-away Westward. They kept in the seclusion of their mother’s avartment at No. 4112 Shaw Avenue and would see no one. One glimpse around their living room reduced There, stacked on a read- ing table, were all the movie magazines James Maher, Lillian’s Husband, rged with Automobile Thievery. countless unwritten tragedies exist for the Fish on the Auto License Plate ASSACHUSETTS automo- bile owners will have to Thess Fouwr rides % Double Wedding > Woke Up!::-:m Dreams of 'DISAPPOINTED. Pretty 16-Year-Old Violet Hodkynson, of Madison, Wisconsin, Whose Aspirations to Be Another Gloria Swanson Were Rudely Dispelled. THE MIRAGE. “They pictured themselves in their favorite cinema roles, escaping villainy in the arms of righteo heroism. It med too good to be true. they had so hungrily devoured—symbols of everything they had aspired to and from And then the stream of their wrath broke, and they loosed tearful torrents of anathema on their erstwhile adored bridegrooms. Asked if they still loved their hus- bands, Lillian replied: “I should say not. We don’t ever want to see either of them again.” looting marriage are to be made by Mrs. J. N. McNamara, the mother of the girls. “They are very young and they were dazzled by the attention shown them and the promised trip to California,” she ex- plained. Lillian picked up the thread of com- ment. “Both of the boys always seemed to have lots of money and automobiles. Now I know that oue rented a car and the other got his without his family’s per- mission. Violet and [ believed them when they said they had good positions. We had ambitions to “break into the movies' and Jimmie Maher said we could all drive to California in his car. “We met them about two weeks ago,” she continued. “They began immediately to give us a ‘grand rush.’ We went to shows and movies and parties and had a good time without ever suspecting they were hold-up men. “We were to have left for California on Wednesday, the day that the accident happened that ied to the boys' arrest. The whole thing is just too horrible—and I hate them both,” she ended in & flood of tears. And while the girls grieve over their defeated hopes, their mother enjoys the triumph of vindicated judgment and is heartily thankful that the disillusionment came {efnre their departure for Holly- wood, where the struggle to win fame is bitter and where triumph is meted out to only & few of the hordes who seek real- ization of their day dreams. Thousands of girls flock to the gilded opportunities of moviedom, only to find that the supply of success is greatly ex- ceeded by v.fi. demand for it and that Aute Licemse Plates Carry State Insignia_the | one of Texas, the Star of h New Mexice. at Upper Left of a pile ot license plates merely because the cameraman thought she looked well thers. Omyrient 1973, istermstiona) Fosturs Service, fme., @reat fritain Rights Seserved. every meteoric success story. Numbers of weary extras hang around movie studios and find that the only roles of- fered them are those of the Great Unem- ployed in a pictore entitled Starvation. For these, disillusionment is much more bitter than the awakening from a smashed school-girl dream. Cash registers and tele- phone boards may not be crowded with romance and excitement, but they ARE reliable. Statistics, officially estimated in Hollywood, disclose #n appalling nu- merical overplus of people in the movie waiting line. The list of principals on Efforts to obtain annulments of the *tap for directors is estimated at 1,000. Of these some 700 are continuously em- P!oy_ed But of the pathetic 30,000 ‘waiters” not more than 3,000 are ever in great demand Said a photoplay official whose knowl- edge of the situation was gained at first hand: “An average of ten extras a year elevated to stellar positions would be a high rating. Within the past ten years there have been only thirty instances of the extra who has become a ‘name.’ “Just because Norma Talmadge was given a long-time contract after having served 8nly two days as an extra on the old Vitagraph lot, every movie aspirant believes that the same good fortune will be awarded her talent and beauty. But that was when the moving picture industry was in its infancy. For every hundred extras with whom Miss Tal- madge had to compete, their are thou- sands for the present day “super.” Tal- ent has to be a gleaming candle indeed to be discernible beneath that bushel of surplusage. “What do the employed extras earn? Some of the 3,000 ‘standbys,’ the regu- lars, get $75 a week; from $40 to $50 is about the norm for the rest. But the joker in that statement is the vital fact that out of his pay must come wardrobe expenscs which are apt to be heavy, for uniforms of all kinds, evening dress, and sports clothes, all are imperative. “The margin of surplusage among the principals is not alarming; it is too nar- row to pinch anyone severly. But the extras-——! In spite of the palpabie overstocking, these extras, mostly girls, have been inundating Hollywood at the rate of 200 a day “Types, always desirable, are scarce. 1 DOWNCAST, TOO. Violet's 19-Year- Old Sister, Lillian, Alse an doubt if, of the 30,000 on the lots, there are fifty men who could creditably play bankers, preachers or diplomats., ‘Ladies and gentlemen’ for ‘atmosphere’ are scarce. “Not unnatyrally, though quite illogi- cally, the disgruntled aspirants for screen honors, feel that there must be something crooked in a system that refuses them their chance. ut there fsn't. steady call for the 3,000 standard types the disappointed ones see favoritism and discrimination. Nothing of the sort; merely the desire to engage dependable types instead of unknowns. “A great many types are cast from life. It the director needs a policeman in a feature, he knows from experience that if he goes around the corner and hires Patrolman Slattery in his oft hours, he's apt to get better results than if he relies on a histronic greenhorn. Bootblacks, hoboes and street sweepers, the flotsam of the cit{—men emerge with more ver- acity on the screen when the ‘real article’ is requisitioned. “But ‘hope springs eternal’ and the Niagara of humanity pours in from week to week and settles down, sometimes in actual penury to await that golden event. “At the Central Casting Agency which is a pooling device for hangdiing the ine superable ‘super’ problem, two clerks are employed for the sole purpose of exlain- ing to the embryonic Navarros and Pick- fords just why they cannot hope to ‘land.’ But the incoming mob s not seemingly much impressed. [t may be true with re- lation to all the rest but ‘I'm sure I'll get there—Why everybody back home said [ looked just like Leatrice Joy, or Norma Shearer or Marion Davies, and so forth,’" The Hollywood Girls Club, spurred te pity and sympathy by the plight of the many young women on “their uppers,” es tablished a fund for temporary emergen- cies. Donations and annual subserintions from the studios keep this going, and many a girl has been tided over a rough bit through the club’s altruism. But this does not help to lessen the evil. The mad rush goes on with heart- break, disillusionment and sinking finan- cial resources for those girls led West— and astray from sensible paths—by er- rant ambition, the will-o’-the-wisp of the silver screen. So Mrs. McNamara smiles and is glad that an innocuous motor smash prevented even greater despair for her daughters. In time Lillian and Violet may arrive at their mother’s opinion, but for the pres- ent they sit at home facing defested hopes and weeping over the disappear- ance of their Hollywood mirage in the mists of the never-never land. This Unique Display of Discarded Liconse Plates From Every State in the Uniea Was Photegraphed in Les Angeles, With Miss Edna Bulat in the Center of the Picture.