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HE Queens of the Cinema now bow to
Hollywood’s newest king.
Before the cry of “Camera!” stirs to
tic action the stars of the motion picture
the wizard of make-up magic has already
he center of the stage and wielded his magic
u; I of make-up.
is a modest, grey-haired little man with a
>m as inscrutable as the smile that hides be-
his spectacles. One barely announces his
on the set, when every actor and actress is
on Ms trail—crowding to obtain an interview,
i thousand and one questions about make-up
to ask him.
One might envy his popularity; but that doesn’t
s ( rui to affect this genius—he hasn’t time to think
about himself or his feelings—his life is centered
upon his work and the problems of make-up de
velopment. Through his efforts make-up has be
come a recognized art—giving the women of the
world the freedom and privilege of public adorn
ment. Is it a wonder that the name MAX FAC
TOR is loved and revered by millions of women;
that he has been crowned KING OF MAKE-
1 P in the stars of the screen?
The men all envy this master of make-up, be-
cau>e lit* is always surrounded by the most famous
women, and if they are not so beautiful before
the\ meet Max Factor, they are beautiful after
tlie\ meet him.
He is the most photographed man in the world.
And he is practically one of the milestones on
which motion pictures climbed to the world’s
fourth greatest industry.
Max Factor is a factor in filmland. To his art
e\ er\ movie queen owes much of the alluring beauty
and charm we see on the screen. For twenty years
Max Factor has wielded the powder puff, the
lipstick and mascara brush over Hollywood—has
u ielded it with supreme authority ever since the
"101 Ranch” made slide movies; ever since Mary
Pick ford played in one-reelers and Gloria Swanson
"as a Sennett bathing beauty. He has painted,
perfumed and wigged every star of the cinema;
lias initiated a small army of extras and the movie-
mad into the mysteries of make-up and developed
in his laboratories beauty secrets now sought by
the world’s femininity, as well as that of the
Kleigs and footlights.
Countless times Max Factor’s genius has saved
picture or a star. When Rudolph Valentino
needed a special make-up for “T he Four Horse
men.” Max made it. He perfected the first body
make-up immune to perspiration for Douglas Fair
banks in "The Thief of Bagdad,” and when Rex
-tarn cabled him for underwater make-up for
Mare Nostrum,” Factor furnished that.
\ ery recently, back in the hot, dry interior of
Dinosaur Canyon, in Arizona, where the Pathe
^ unpany were on location filming “T he Painted
Desert,’ Max Factor accompanied Pathe’s make-
artist over almost impassable trails to rock-
' len terrain to make tests and perfect a make-
for Helen Twelvetrees and the hundreds of
rras on location that could withstand the un
mil excessive dryness and heat of the atmos-
pliere.
ireta Garbo’s kisses would be smeared all over
' er t Montgomery’s face and perhaps would
e changed the title of the picture from “In-
Ton to perhaps something not quite so in-
if it weren’t for Max Factor’s kissproof
M 'tick.
upe \ elez, of Mexican birth, and who is very
to type, has appeared as the Chinese char-
in East is West”; and as a typical Russian
ant in “Resurrection.” She was able to do
u ith the aid of Max Factor’s make-up.
er >' often marriage is wrecked early, either by
stupidity of the man, or the false modesty of
"oman. For example, the role played by
wa Shearer in “Let Us Be Gay.” It was al-
/niraculous to see the transformation from
in housewife who loses her husband because
er plainness—later as a beautiful, alluring
The "FACTOR
1/
Behind the Throne
By Leonard D. Smith
hc<w people know that Max Factor, the square little
man about 60, with fat red cheeks, soft grey hair, a
quiet manner, and a pronounced Russian-Jewish accent
is the creator, synthetically, of course, of most of the
dazzling beauty of the silver screen. Many of our
handsome heroes and fair heroines owe their pulchri
tude to him, and also such creations as "Frankenstein”
and Dr. X” are his specialties. Barring no one, Max
1 actor is the greatest success of his unique profession
that of creating beauty w'here there was none before.
Max factor’s career as a cosmetician began in Russia
as an ordinary Jewish lad of 13. Finishing "chedtr»
the only school he ever attended, he apprenticed with a
traveling opera as a make-up boy. In a few» years
he was manufacturing cosmetics under his own name,
owning a factory at Razan, Russia. In the H’orld’s
creature who wins him back from a girl very
charming and very much younger than herself.
Her work in this picture is excellent, and so is her
make-up.
In the old days the leading lady's ardent em
braces left white patches on her lover’s coat. Now
she may lose herself with no fear of laughter in
a serious moment, and her lover’s shoulders are
Max Factor applying lipstick to
l.oretta Young, Warner Bros.
First National star.
no longer plastered with powder
jVIax Factors’ foundation Cream
and Whitener make the powder
stick like the proverbial paper on the wall.
The Factor formulas are always tested at the
studios—that is, they' are given the usual screen
test—after which Max Factor sees the rushes. If
he is not satisfied with the effect, back he goes
to his laboratory, until he has perfected or created
a suitable make-up.
Before the master of make-up came to create
and direct make-up for screen royalty, he prac
ticed his skill on various beauties and members
of nobility in his native Russia. He began at the
ace of eight as an apprentice to a wig-maker apoth-
ecaC in a little town called Lodz. Twenty-five
years ago, in the land of the Volga, when the
Romanoffs ruled and reined in pomp—a beautiful
land in spite of the oppression suffered by the
populace—Max Factor’s romance began. At that
time Max, a very ambitious youth, graduated to
the rank of being make-up advisor of cosmetics
and wig fashions to the artists of the Russian
fair at St. l.ouis he lost his life’s savings in an attempt
to display his goods, but, undiscouraged, he went to
( tiltforma to begin again, llollymsood wuti unheard of,
but as the movie industry grew?. Max Factor grew with
it, and today, this former Jewish apprentice handles the
bulk of the movie cosmetic trade. Yet this trade com
prises about 3% of his business, for the Factors are
now important exporters to China, Japan, South Africa,
hurope, Mexico, and South America. Sharing owner
ship with this wonderful little man are his six sons
and all of his sons-in-law % —the owmers of a corporation
worth more than six million dollars. H’hen Mr. Factor
was asked how hr did all this, he showed his true
character—simple, direct, honest, self-confident, but
wholly unfompous—by holding up his hands and say
ing, "H’ith my ten fingers.”
Grand Opera, and his ambition was to become
the make-up advisor for the nobility of the Rus
sian Imperial Court. His work very shortly came
to the notice of the Czar, who appointed him
Court cosmetician. His ambition realized, Factor
left the Russian Grand Opera and became Court
cosmetician and special make-up advisor to the
family of the Grand Duke Alexandria (the
Czar’s uncle) but as Max Factor says, “I was
only a slave.” He knew no play; his work was
Though has was at the height of his
success and enjoyed a cer
tain amount of prosperity,
yet he was unhappy, and
when he went to Carlsbad
for his vacation, romance and
love entered hi* life. He met
the girl who could make him
happv, but who was leaving
with her parents for America
—the land of golden oppor
tunity—influenced by visit
ing Americans who led them
to believe that the streets of
the Western Continent were
paved with gold. The Rus
sian Court, however, did not
approve of Factor's romance
and tried to hinder his plans
for the American trip; but
love won out and Max Fac
tor eloped with his dream
girl to America—where she
became his bride.
He found new Y'ork a ter
rible place of crowds and
noise; a frightening place where hordes charged
up and down at a furious pace, jabbering in an
unknown tongue. He and his bride stood appalled
at the city’s gates and looked upon it; in fact,
Max stopped a fellow on the street and asked him
if there was some place in America where there
wasn’t so much noise and so many people in it.
He got out of New York as quickly as possible
and went to St. Unjis, where the World’s Fair
was in progress, and at this Fair, Max Factor’s
cosmetics were first introduced to this country.
The old Lubin, Biograph, Triangle and Selig
Companies learned of his art and patronized him.
About that time Hollywood loomed on the map.
Its potentialities appealed to the far-sighted Max
Factor. He followed a hunch that Hollywood
would be the magnet of the world’s beauties and
there his work would be appreciated.
Here in Hollywood Max Factor found his niche.
The earlier stars came to (Please turn to page 23)
Max Factor "making up” Joan
Blondell, Hamer Bros. First
National star on the "set”
SOUTHERN ISRAELITE *
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