Walter Huston Condemns Hollywood's Long Hours, Easy Money for Actors

"The movies are a refuge for actors with little skill and greedy pocketbooks," Walter Huston said yesterday when interviewed in his backstage dressing room at the 46th Street theatre. "You can make a lot of money in the cinema, it's true, but, compared to the stage, it's no fun at all.

"The working hours in Hollywood are terrible. When I was making 'Abraham Lincoln,' we started work at nine in the morning and worked straight through to six, grinding all the while," he continued.

Each Performance Different

"Of course it's a fact that on tife stage you act the same part through eight times a week as long as the play runs, but each performance brings an entirely new audience and an entirely new experience to the actor. With meaty lines, such as I have in 'Knickerbocker Holiday,' there can be a variance of delivery with each performance.

"I think that of all the pictures I've worked in, I preferred 'Gabriel Over The White House,' the veteran actor said. "But just like so many other Hollywood productions this was produced to fit the times. Although it was very interesting and a propos at the time, it could never prove a success today."

Huston was vociforous in his praise of Maxwell Anderson, claiming, "With the possible exception of Eugene O'Neill, Anderson shows more genius in handling his script than any other play-wright. An actor can't rush through his lines the way he can with other play-wrights. Each speech must be digested and presented so that the audience can grasp every word.

"Each presentation of 'Knickerbocker Holiday' is a new experience both for the actors and those among the spectators who are seeing the play for the second or third time. I've spoken to some people who've seen the play more than ten times, and they claim that they discover something novel with each succeeding visit."