Martha Sleeper — The Face on the Wall (1925) 🇺🇸

If you want to get into the movies, come to Hollywood, have your family buy a home and sell it to a director. But be careful to leave a photograph of yourself on the wall.

That method — unintentional though it was, with no thought of fame to follow — served to interest Emory Johnson in pretty Martha Sleeper. He saw a youthful charm in the sweet, childish face and. locating her through the real-estate agent, gave her a role in “The Mail Man.”

At fifteen, Martha faces interesting opportunities. She is of theatrical parentage and as a child danced in Russian ballet and with Gloria Gould. Further youthful exploits included the winning of a swimming contest and of a tennis cup. And now Hal Roach is preparing to feature her in a series of short comedies concerning the adventures of a slavey type. She is the youngest girl to be paid such signal honors on a comedy lot in recent years, but Roach has confidence in her ability.

Martha, who is a lovely youngster with light-brown hair and hazel eyes, says ingenuously that her hobbies are eating ice cream and reading the fan magazines. She is quite, quite mad about the movies and thrilled at being in them.

And she is very glad that she forgot to take that picture down when their house was sold.

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Collection: Picture Play Magazine, June 1925