With his fair bride, Eleanor Hicks, who had been playing “leads” with
Ellen Terry, while he stage managed, Mr. Powell had just returned from
England. But Miss Terry and London triumphs were now of the past, and
Mr. Powell was glad enough to end the tiresome hunt for a job, and his
temporary money worries by becoming the first actor to be engaged by
Mr. Griffith at the fancy price of ten dollars a day. Mr. Powell was
well worth the ten for he had good presence, clean-cut features, and
wore good clothes. He became our leading aristocrat, specializing in
brokers, bankers, and doctors--the cultured professional man. David
soon saw that he could take over little responsibilities and relieve
him of many irksome details not concerned with the dramatic end. So
he became the first assistant, and then a director of comedies--the
first--under Mr. Griffith’s supervision.
In time he went with William Fox as director. He discovered the
screen’s first famous vamp, Theda Bara. Against Mr. Fox’s protests--for
Mr. Fox wanted a well-known movie player--Frank Powell selected the
unknown Theda from among the extras to play Mr. Kipling’s famous
lady in “A Fool There Was,” because she was a strange-looking person
who wore queer earrings and dresses made of odd tapestry cloths.
The picture made William Fox his first big money in the movies, and
established his place in the motion picture world.
“His Duty” was Frank Powell’s first picture. In the cast were Owen
Moore and Kate Bruce. “The Cardinal’s Conspiracy”--the name we
gave to “Richelieu”--marked Mr. Powell’s first important screen
characterization. It was taken at Greenwich, Connecticut, on Commodore
Benedict’s magnificent estate, _Indian Harbor_. Soon came “The Broken
Locket” which had a nice part for Kate Bruce.
Fortunate “Brucie,” as her confrères call her! She seems never to have
had to hunt a job since that long ago day when D. W. Griffith picked
her as a member of the old Biograph Stock Company. Little bits or big
parts mattered nothing to “Brucie” as long as she was working with us.
David hunted movie recruits not only at the dramatic agencies, but also
at the Lambs and Players Clubs of New York City. It was at the Lambs
he found James Kirkwood, and determined right off to get him down to
the studio. He had to be subtle. He never knew what mighty indignation
might be hurled at him for simply suggesting “movie acting” to a
legitimate actor. But Jim Kirkwood made good his promise to come, and
no effort was spared to make the visit both pleasant and impressive.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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