Chats with the Players — Raymond Gallagher, of the Universal Company (1915) 🇺🇸

The time, nine-thirty a. m.; the place, dressing-room of Raymond Gallagher, star and leading man of the Powers-Universal Company; the cast: me perched on a muchly labeled trunk. Enter: Raymond Gallagher. Result: read on and you will see.

“Good-morning, and how — Why, where’s that chair?” and he vanished, but reappeared in a few moments with the missing bit of furniture and: “Everybody runs off with my things. Now, as I was about to ask before —”

“Ray-Ray Gallagher! Hi, there, Ray!” broke in most effectively on what Mr. Gallagher was about to say and sent him to the door on the run There was some one making inquiries about a story he had asked Mr. Gallagher to read, and he demanded immediate attention. While waiting, I made the most of the opportunity to look around and see what I could see.

The absence of the usual type of decoration is most marked in this particular dressing-room; there are only a few photos on the walls, and these are likenesses of warm, personal friends, pile of opened letters took up a bit of room at one end of the dressing-table, while the rest of the available space was given up to “make-up” preparations, combs, brushes and mirrors. Back of a partly pulled-to curtain I saw costumes and suits all hung in a nice row. Everything looked mighty shipshape to me, and the only things out of place seemed to be my gloves and bag I had thrown down on the table.

“I was born in San Francisco, the 17th of April, 1888,” Mr. Gallagher started in, in response to my request. “My mother died when I was only two years old, and my father when I was ten, so I have been pretty much alone during my life. My grandmother brought me up, and I think the world of her, for she sure is some grandmother, but one misses not having a in other or father. Ever since I was able to throw a ball the great American game has been my favorite sport, and when I was just a youngster I was considered quite a good catcher and all-around player. I attended the public schools, and when I had completed the grade course, I was sent to Sacred Heart College, where I took up the study of electrical engineering. At that time it was a comparatively new course, and I could see a big future ahead for those interested and qualified in the work, consequently my enthusiasm ran high. During the first year things went along fine, but after that baseball and college dramatics claimed a greater share of my attention than did my studies. My love of baseball dated from my childhood days, while my desire to become an actor was born when I first saw a stage performance. I wanted to be an actor even more than a great ball-player, but didn’t imagine I had any talent along that line until I made a success in a small but important part in one of the plays our class put on. From that time on, to get on to the legitimate stage was the aim of my every-day existence. I completed my college course, graduated and obtained my degree, and then went right to the stage manager of the Central Theater and asked him what prospects I’d have in getting on. He was a friend of mine, had coached me in our college plays, and I guess he must have thought I had ability of some sort, for he gave me a part in ‘The Resurrection’— a mighty small part, I’ll admit — but it was a start, and from then on I went right along. I played the juvenile lead in R. L. Stockwell’s play, Mrs. Temple’s Telegram, for one season, and then went back into stock in San Francisco for five or six months at the Central Theater. After that I was on the road, mostly in stock companies, for about five years. I figured in Belasco’s The Girl of the Golden West. My last stage engagement was at the Alcazar Theater in ‘Frisco, and it was there Mr. Méliès [Gaston Méliès], of the Méliès Film Company, saw me and approached me with the proposition that I enter the Motion Picture field. He was looking for a leading man who had dark hair and eyes, and dimples; he said I was just the person he wanted. I was kind of dubious about it, but said I should try it for a while. The first two weeks I didn’t like the work a bit and was going to quit, but Mr. Méliès and my director predicted a great future for me and held out such inducements that I decided to stick to it a little longer. Then a trip around the world was planned for me, and I went and enjoyed myself. We made all sorts of pictures in all sorts of countries and under all sorts of conditions, and things were going along fine; then I got homesick and traveling was no longer a pleasure. I left the company in Japan and came back to California. I joined the Lubin Film Company at Los Angeles, and played leads in Western casts for one year. The Universal Film Company saw some of my pictures and hunted me up and offered me a better position and salary, so I joined the company and was engaged to play leading business for Edna Maison, but lately they have put me in comedy work opposite Louise Glaum — high-class comedy work, you understand. [I understood.] And — well, here I am. Is there anything I haven’t said!”

I assured him that he had been most kind; that he had given me a fund of information that I wanted, and so put up my notebook and pen and suggested that we “visit” a while. So we just talked.

Mr. Gallagher says he goes to see all of the pictures he features in and calls that his method of “keeping track” of himself. He likes to go into- the movie shows alone, and finds the comments of people who criticize and praise of much benefit and interest. It seems wonderful to him to be able to see himself act, and he has quite transferred his love for the stage to his movie work. He delights in playing odd parts, and quaint and eccentric old-man character impersonations that enable him to bring all of his art of acting into play. He likes to watch himself “carry a thought,” and thinks the possibilities of changing and varied emotions that the face and actions alone can register, without the medium or assistance of the voice and forced gestures, are unlimited. And now let me tell you a bit about Mr. Gallagher himself — the man, and not his career. In personal appearance he is five feet nine inches tall, weighs one hundred and sixty pounds, has dark brown hair and eyes and a most winning smile; his features are light, but clear-cut and regular. He is well built, and his out-of-door life and strenuous exercise in some of his picture work keeps him in fine trim. He motors, rides and hunts; loves animals, and can work up plenty of enthusiasm over a baseball game. He has a mighty tolerant view of things and a most broad outlook on life. He sees the good in every one; wants to see everybody happy and likes to have his friends around him. One is impressed by his quiet, forceful personality and realizes that he is a man from whom may be expected still bigger things than he has yet accomplished. He told me, in his quiet way, that his ambition is “to be the biggest star in pictures,” and I hope he soon will be.

I wish that each one of you who read this could meet and know Mr. Gallagher personally. His courtesy, wit and kind tact endear him to all of his acquaintances, while those who are really truly friends — well, everybody loves Ray Gallagher!

Virginia West.

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Collection: Motion Picture Magazine, March 1915