Los Angeles lawyers are laughing up their sleeves over the story
whispered in connection with the divorce suit of Agnes Schucker, known
to the screen world as Agnes Ayres, the Lasky leading lady, recently
elevated to stardom through the kindness of Wallie Reid. Because of the
fact that few people in California ever knew Miss Ayers under the name
of Schucker, the divorce suit of Agnes Schucker versus Captain Frank R.
Schucker, now with the United States Army in France, attracted little
if any attention. Thus it was, the gossips report, when pretty Agnes
Schucker recently entered the court room of Judge Summerfield, attired in
a plain brown dress and inconspicuous black hat, there were few in the
spectators’ gallery and none recognized the demure plaintiff as the Lasky
star.
Tearfully Agnes’ mother told on the witness stand how she had to care
for her daughter, because of the alleged failure of Captain Schucker to
support Agnes. The mother’s testimony aroused the sympathy of the court
and the spectators, and there was a mention of a co-respondent “Lillian.”
Everything was going lovely for Agnes until a cinema person from
Hollywood recognized her in the court room and unceremoniously tipped
off her identity to the judge. Hizzoner appeared peeved because Agnes
put on a little cinema drama all her own in his court room, assisted by
mamma’s weeps, and he threw the case out of court.
Agnes’ lawyers then reopened the case on the grounds of desertion and
soon she is expecting to be traveling in single bliss. According to the
gossips, Agnes came back into court in the second trial her own real
movie self, and attired in a champagne colored gown trimmed in green,
and wearing a lavender hat trimmed with ostrich plumes. Mother, so it
is reported, explained later to the judge that she “misunderstood” the
question and that she merely meant she and Agnes lived in the same house;
not that she had to support her “victimized” daughter.
Incidentally, Agnes has Wallie Reid to thank for her rapid rise in
filmdom, and Wallie, by the way, gives so many teas and dinners that it
is said he has to have two homes in order to accommodate all the parties,
the second one being somewhere in Laurel Canyon, and Agnes is rated among
his favorite dinner guests.
* * * * *
We have heard a story concerning our good friend Samuel Merwin, and if
it is true, we will have to give Samuel a gold medal. Sammie is out west
writing for the movies, and recently attended an exclusive house party
at Riverside. The story goes that on the homeward drive he was permitted
to escort a beautiful English girl. About two miles had been traveled,
so ’tis said, when the chauffeur reported the usual “blow-outs” and
“missings” and that Merwin and the girl had to wait long weary hours
during the “fixing” process.
All of the young eligibles in California have been trying to land the
lovely English girl, but not Merwin, according to our bevy of Whiz
Bang Bunkers, because even the most loose-tongued gossips admit the
probability that during the two hours of waiting, Merwin went to sleep
and let the London beauty wait alone.
Ah, romance, to where hath thou departed?
* * * * *
It wasn’t many months ago when J. Parker Reid, the director, with his
star, Louise Glaum, and other members of the company, took a little trip
to Tia Juana and San Diego. Of course, they went over to the Coronada
Hotel for dinner and there J. Parker Reid met a bevy of society folk.
Now, you haven’t any idea how the society folk at Coronada fuss over
movie people. The Coronada crowd are an idle set with plenty of money,
little to do and an ambition to be considered clever. By informally
hob-nobbing with the writers and players of the movie colony from
Hollywood, they gain a new mental punch and are able to assume some of
the glamour, always emanating from the people who do interesting things.
Louise Glaum has been conscientious in her art, you know. She is one of
the really hard working, conscientious women of her profession, and
we’ve heard she has some dependent relatives to support, and that she
never had much schooling, but has studied very hard by herself, and that
altogether her life hasn’t been an easy one.
Louise’s pictures stopped making money a year or two ago, then she became
friendly with J. Parker and the tide in her fortunes seemed to change.
Reid perhaps fell in love with her, at least temporarily, and she perhaps
with him, and besides he raised capital to star her again. The pictures
were a success financially, and all the world seemed rosy for the hard
working actress.
But, that trip to Coronada. J. Parker Reid, it seems, was fussed over a
wealthy Mrs. Piper. To her, a great motion picture director maybe was a
new idol for adoration.
We wonder how it’s all coming out. J. Parker Reid some weeks ago made
it clear to Louise that their affair was over. In June he married Mrs.
Piper. Life’s a funny little game after all.
* * * * *
We are sorry to learn that some of the scandal mongers are whispering
derogatory rumors anent Jack Mulhall, because of the suicide of Laura
Mulhall in Hollywood while the decorations of the seventh wedding
anniversary party were still on the walls of their pretty home. Those who
are well acquainted with Jack declare he always was a “square shooter”;
that he had a splendid disposition and as a husband was as nearly right
as he knew how. He and his wife were constantly together and as far as
friends could see, she had been happy with him. The scandal peddlers
fail to appreciate the damage which they are doing to the future career
of Mulhall, not to mention the shadow placed over the three-year-old
freckle-faced boy.
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