Monthly Archives: Dec 2023

There are the days when fair foreheads are puckered into lines of thought, and busy brains revole at the rate of sixty and one-half rotations per minute and thinking cap departments of all the big stores bear the label “sold out”. For somewhere between today and December 20^th, the vexed question, “What shall I give for Christmas this year”. Every movie star has a lengthy list of friends and relatives whom he or she positively must remember at Christmastide. Hollywood in recent years follows the British fashion of keeping up Christmas in the good old English way. Of course, fans from the world over seize this opportunity of showing their appreciation of their favourite film stars efforts to amuse them in the past year. Gifts of all kinds simply pour in; cards, calenders, little home-made offerings, and sometimes antiques and jewelry. Because it is frequently impossible to send similar presents in return, every star dons their thinking cap and with pen in hand, writes down their idea as to the best Christmas box of all. Whether giving or receiving declares Mae Murry “I think the nicest Christmas gifts in the world is a nice string of pearls or diamonds”. “I receive so many requests for my cast-off clothing from family” the exquisite Claire Windsor said recently, “I’ve a special letter printed to send to each received. “ I usually play in society pictures, and I think I’ve had some really lovely gowns and no sooner were they shown in movies I starred in do the requests come in”. Naturally, most of my film clothes are especially made by Studio ateliers and are not mine. I do what I can within my means but there really is only so many that can go around. Viola Dane is wanting something wooley and so does Katherine MacDonald, “sports coat for mine handknitted of course”. Rudolph Valentino appreciates the finer things in life “would love a new smoking jacket or to have his family around him during what he regards as a special time of the year to be spent with the ones who mean the most”. Constance Talmadge and Patsy Ruth Miller both love the idea of chocolate. “We like to revel in them just once a year, and we usually do it Christmas time”. Harold Lloyd always gives a big Christmas party to the Los Angeles Orphans on 20 December. It is held in the movie studio and over a thousand children are invited to attend. “My party is a sort of yuletide gift I give myself” he writes. Silent Actress Aileen Pringle prefers scent to anything else as a Christmas souvenir. She has her own kind made especially for her… and to a chosen few friends she sends an exquisite cut glass bottle of the rare essence. Theda Bara’s tastes have changed and are now more catholic. Buster Keaton prefers “old clothes are the things, I like showered upon me”. Theodore Kostloff prefers to give some poor soul dance lessons.