Hearing the name Hollywood, you probably think of super movie stars. However, famous actors are not the only important people in the entertainment business. Directors and producers are important, too. Hollywood is full of producers and directors, of whom DeMille is one of the most famous and successful.

DeMille was born in Massachusetts in 1870. Both his parents were writers of plays. His father died when he was twelve years old. His mother kept the family together by establishing a theater company, which DeMille joined as an actor. He worked in the company until 1913. That year, he joined another two man to form the Feature Play Company.

The three men, deeply interested in the creative and financial possibilities, started making motion pictures. They began working on a movie, Squaw Man, set in American West.

DeMille insisted the movie be made in the real American West. He chose Flagstaff, Arizona. He and the company traveled there by train. When they arrived, he thought the area looked too modern. They got back on the train and kept going until they reached the end of the line, where they saw a quiet little town called Hollywood. DeMille decided this was the perfect place to film the movie.

“Squaw Man” was one of the first full-length movies produced in Hollywood. It was a great success. DeMille is considered the man who helped Hollywood become the center of the motion picture business. He quickly became a creative force in the movie industry. His success continued with “Brewster's Millions”, “The Call of the North” and “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine”.

DeMille's movies were known to be big productions. He combined a lot of action, realistic storytelling and hundreds of actors to make some of Hollywood's best movies. He produced and directed seventy movies altogether. In 1949, he got a special Academy Award for “thirty-seven years of brilliant showmanship”. He died of heart failure in 1959.

DeMille is remembered for his excellent movies and his continuing influence in the motion picture industry. He led the way for movie producers and directors of today and those still to come.

Two men were sitting together in a plane. They were on a long journey. One of the men was a businessman. The other was a farmer. They sat without talking for a while, then the farmer said, “Let’s do something to pass the time.”

“What do you want to do?” the businessman asked, “We can ask each other riddles.” The farmer said, “You start.” “Let’s make the rules first, ”the businessman said, “That’s not fair. You are a businessman with much knowledge. You know more things than I do. I am just a farmer.”

“That’s true.” The businessman said. “What do you want we should do?” “If you don’t know the answer to a riddle, you pay me $100. And if I don’t know the answer, I’ll pay you $50.”The farmer said. The businessman thought about this, then he said, “OK. That’s fair. Who will go first?”

“I will,” The farmer said. “Here is my riddle. What has three legs when it walks, but only two legs when it flies?” The business man repeated the riddle, “What has three legs when it walks, but only two legs when it flies? Mm, that’s a good one. I’m afraid I don’t know the answer.” He gave the farmer $100,then said，“Tell me the answer. What has three legs when it walks, but only two legs when it flies?” “I don’t know.” The farmer said and gave him $50.

A young woman one day said something that hurt her best friend of many years. She regretted it immediately and would like to do anything to take the words back. What she had said hurt her friend so much that the woman herself also felt very painful. To make up what she had done, she went to an old wise man in the village and asked for advice.

The old man understood the young woman’s suffering. He knew he must help her. He knew he could never remove her pain, but he could teach. And he also knew the result would depend only on her character.

“Tonight take your best feather pillows and put single feather on the doorstep of each house in the village before the sun rises.” he said.

The young woman hurried home to prepare for it, even though the feather pillows were very dear to her. All night long, she made her efforts alone in the cold. Finally it got light and she placed the last feather on the step of the last house. Just as the sun rose, she returned to the old man.

“Now,” said the man, “go back and refill your pillows with the feathers you have put on the steps. Then everything will be as it was before.”

“You know that’s impossible! The wind blew away each feather as fast as I placed them on the doorsteps!” The young woman was surprised.

“That’s true. “said the old man,” Each of your words is like a feather in the wind. Once your words are spoken, no matter how much effort you make and how sincere you are, you can never return them to your mouth. Choose your words well and protect people you love from being hurt.”