Craufurd Kent — “Screen Stars I Have Wooed — and Won!” — 01 (1920) 🇬🇧
These confessions of a leading man who left England to play in films in America will be read with great interest by all picturegoers. Craufurd Kent is well able to speak on the subject of love-making, for he has been the central character in a large number of romantic scenes, and he has captured the hearts of the simple-hearted girl, the temperamental, the woman of the world, the beautiful doll, and, in fact, every type of femininity. Read what this prince of heart stealers has to say on this ever-absorbing topic.
by Craufurd Kent.
In London the other day I met a young lady of my acquaintance whom I had not seen for several years, not, in fact, since I left this country for America six years ago. Naturally, I expected that she would have all sorts of questions to ask me regarding the States, the conditions of living there, whether I found California all I expected, and so forth and so on. In fact, I secretly hoped that she would be interested in me and my doings, and the impressions I had formed during my sojourn abroad. But, alas, for masculine vanity! No sooner had we exchanged greetings, and made mutual inquiries regarding our respective families, than my companion settled back in her chair comfortably, and eyeing me with the utmost eagerness, said: “And now, Craufurd, do tell me all about them, and how you do it, and whether it is all really as nice as it looks!”
Feeling that one of us had suddenly gone crazy, I begged for further enlightenment.
“Why, my dear man, referring to all those perfectly charming creatures you’ve been making love to all these years!” she exclaimed. “On the screen, of course,” she added, noticing ray astonished expression.” Let me see — there ore Elsie Ferguson, Pauline Frederick, Marguerite Clark, Alice Brady, Ethel Clayton, Catherine Calvert, Olive Thomas, Mary Garden, Olive Tell” — she paused for breath — “and others. I’ve seen you! And I want to hear all about them and it — the art of love-making, you know — and whether being a screen lover to all these beautiful women is really as perfectly delightful as it appears!”
My Confessions.
Well, I told her. What else could I do? She was so interested, so — well, I told her. And do you know, in the telling I forgot that I had wanted to be asked whether the climate abroad had suited me, whether my passion for golf was as strong as ever, whether I would be sorry to leave London again — all the little personal things a fellow expects to be asked after he has been away a long time — for I lived over again all the happy times and delightful tete-a-tetes I have enjoyed as a lucky leading man.
But there, I thought, the matter ended. I was mistaken, however. A few days after, the Editor of The*Picture*Show invited me to lunch, in the course of which (such is the subtlety of editors) he asked me to write a few articles for this paper, and when I inquired what subject he thought the readers would like me to choose, would you believe it, he said: “Tell ‘em about the girls you’ve made love to on the screen,” adding, with what seemed to my sensitive nature, unnecessary bluntness, “They’ll be more interested in that than anything else!”
Well, ladies and gentlemen — but especially ladies — so be it. Here are the confessions and impressions of a leading man. told as they were first related to my young friend one summer afternoon a few weeks ago.
Business a Pleasure.
Love-making before the camera, as anywhere else in the world, depends for its pleasure first, last, and always, on the girl. I use the word “pleasure” advisedly. That professional love-making must be a success, an admirable counterfeit of the real thing, goes without saying. (Did it not appear natural, the audience would vote us rotten actors and walk out of the cinemas.) I am now speaking from a player’s point of view.
To the actor, of course, love-making is as much a part of his day’s work as balancing account, books is part of a clerk’s; nevertheless, the fact remains that business can also be a pleasure, and I think all of us will agree that two of the most important determining factors in the congeniality — or otherwise — of our daily routine are our surroundings and our co-workers.
Now a motion picture studio is not the most romantic place on earth, all lay opinions to the contrary notwithstanding. It is essentially a place of business with any amount of hard-headed, clear-eyed, business people about, in the persons of directors, assistant directors, mechanics, property men, and what not. It is a place of light and bustle and noise. And even then exteriors are taken and one is surrounded by all nature’s loveliness, the watchful eyes, the clicking camera, the whispered or shouted commands, are still there. Can one then, under such conditions, not only look romantic, but feel romantic?
It depends on the girl!
How It Is Done.
When the girl is sweet and charming, but, above all, a good actress, one forgets entirely the mechanical side of the business — the glare of the Cooper-Hewitts, the vigilant eye of the director, the recording angel (or the opposite) at the camera — and for the time being one is what one appears — the ardent lover, wooing the girl of his heart. In any case, real love words are spoken, and all the romantic things you can think of uttered; and, despite make-up (oh, horrible anti-climax!), real kisses are given; but it is only when one has the good fortune to play opposite an actress who is also an artist — a woman of heart as well as of brain — that one rises to the occasion, and plays the scene as it should be lived.
For my part, I have invariably forgotten I was acting when taking part in a romantic scene, so natural has the whole thing seemed to me; and my personal experience has been that professional love-making is usually quite as nice to the participant as to the spectator! That this has been the case I attribute to the fact that the stars I have played opposite have been such charming women and such excellent actresses that they have made my role of screen lover the easiest and most delightful occupation in the world.
How they have accomplished this, and what manner of women they are, both on the screen and off it, I now propose to tell you.
The Different Types.
Now screen stars, like other women, fall into various categories — roughly, of course, for the intricacies of a woman’s heart can never be fully catalogued! We have, for instance, the “baby” type, the passionate type, the reserved type, the tom-boy type, the aristocrat type, and so on. Methods of love-making vary accordingly.
Of all the screen stars to whom I have played the lover, there have been none more patrician than Elsie Ferguson. She is the aristocrat par excellence. She is, as you know, a very beautiful woman, and in addition to being a screen luminary, is one of the great stage stars of America. She carries her high honours accordingly. And yet, withal, she is what we in the States call “a regular person.” Away from the stage, or out of the studio, she is just a natural simple-hearted girl. Temperamental? Perhaps by reputation. Personally I have never found her so.
Our First Meeting.
I shall never think of my first meeting with her without a smile; neither, I fancy, will she. It happened when I was engaged to play opposite her in “The Song of Songs.” The director, a trifle overawed, I think, by Miss Ferguson’s reputed “temperament,” was rather nervous.
“Er — this is Mr. Craufurd Kent [Crauford Kent], Miss Ferguson,” he said. “He has been engaged as your leading man. Er — do you think he will do?”
There was a moment’s silence. Miss Ferguson looked me up and down.
Yes, I think he will do very nicely,” she replied quietly; and after another moment of embarrassment we parted. But the next evening she invited me to dinner with her and her husband, and when we knew each other better, we had many a hearty laugh over the awkwardness of our first meeting.
“I felt every bit as uncomfortable as you did,” she confessed.
I played with her in another film after that, “The Danger Mark,” and at all times I found her perfectly sweet. Never did we have an unharmonious moment in our love scenes — or any scenes, for that matter — because she liked me, and just let herself “go,” laughing or shedding tears, real tears, in my arms — simply, naturally, like the true artist she is.
An English Idea.
Alice Joyce, too, is the “patrician” type of actress. I appeared with her in “Dollars and the Woman,” which was finished just the day before her marriage to James Regan. Very graceful and dignified, she never makes a false move. Hers, by the way, was the wonderful English idea of having tea and cakes served in the studio about four o’clock in the afternoon, an inspiration much appreciated by the rest of the east.
(More of these interesting revelations next week.)
—
Elsie Ferguson and Craufurd Kent in “The Danger Mark.”
Collection: Picture Show Magazine, September 1920
—