"CHARACTER COMFORT."

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 2, 3 January 1931, Page 5 (Supplement)

"CHARACTER COMFORT."

"Character" comfort is an essential of every player on the screen, regardless of the importance of the role he plays. An actor must "feel comfortable" in his part before the expected characterisation can be convincing, whether it be comedy, tragedy or drama. That is the theory held by Frank Tuttle, film director, who recently had charge of the production of "Her Wedding Night," Clara Bow's newest • talking screen farce. "Any player who is ill at ease in any part or bit, even an obscure little piece of business, is certain to give a bad performance," Tuttle declares. Charlie Ruggles, he holds, responds to the "feel" of a comedy unerringly, and the director made it a habit to ask Euggles if he "felt comfortable," before ordering the "take" of any of the scenes in which ha played in the picture.

silent screen. He is noted for his clever portrayals of "suave well-mannered, well-dressed men of middle age," which is quite a reputation to live up to.

"The Cat Creeps" with sotuid these days—by which I mean that the talkies have taken over the thriller which has been done on the stage and in silents, and have shown just what sound can do to your nerves, plus a mystery story which is paralysing in itself. There is no question that a hoarse shriek or a hair-raising yelp actually heard, puts more goose flesh on the human frame than the picture of the shriek plus the garnishings of one's imagination.

The suspense of "The Cat Creeps" — and by the way the picture was incorrectly reported to have been scrapped for all time—was more or less lost on me by reason of the fact that I had seen it so many times before. When you know who the villain is and are but waiting for him to be captured, you can't put the fine fury of horror into it that one can bring to a story which is going to turn surprise on one. Casts are picking up in Hollywood. . For this mystery story we had Helen Twelvetrees, Raymond Hackett, Blanche Fraderici, Lilyan Tashman, Neil Hamilton, Jean Hersholt, Montagu Love, and other well-known players. What more can you ask in one picture? Time was when one or more of these would have been considered a good quota.

Hollywood was not at all surprised when Gloria Swanson filed suit for divorce from the Marquis Henri La Bailly de la Falaise de la Coudray, as their friends knew that they had been living apart for some time. The technical charge, however, was desertion, and the marquis has announced that she need not fear his contesting the divorce.

"If Miss Swanson wants to put a legal stamp on a situation that has existed for some time, it is all very right with me. I wish her every happiness in the world, and if it is a divorce she wants she may have it if the courts will give her one." The gallant speech of a worldling and a gentleman, equalled only by Gloria Swanson's comment. "We will always be very good friends. I like Henri, and appreciate his difficulties in being married to me. I am so devoted to my career that my first interests are naturally in my screen work." ;

Now that we have long dresses, waistlines where once we vowed we'd never have them again, and a tendency to leg-o'-mutton sleeves, there is a decided move on foot to have every woman dress to her type. Clara Ray, the wife of Charles, Ray, who left motion pictures for the legitimate some time back, dresses individualistically, and is the correct type to do eo.

Jimmy Gleason's latest definition of Los Angeles—"six suburbs in search of a city."

A Hollywood hoctess who had entertained one handsome. youth until her doorway was worn practically threadbare by his feet was invited by him to the theatre. It was the first response of the sort he had made to any of her hospitality, and she was touched. When the afternoon of the day arrived her husband found he could not attend. "Just ring him up ana tell him you'll come with someone else," was his generous gesture. The lady demurred, then thought she would give the young man an opportunity to invite another guest himself. "My husband can't come," she said. "Would you like to invite another guest, or would you care to ask another couple that you owe something to instead?" "Well, I really would," he answered, to her horror. "You see, the So-and-sos are terribly important here, and it would be very good for me to be seen with them. I'll just ask them and take jou and your husband some other time. Boys will be boors, sometimes!

Hollywood has gone Spanish, if one is to judge by the number of the colony who continue to patronise the cafes _ and theatres of Olvera Street. This a block in the heart of Angeles which has been reconstructed in the original Spanish fashion with, I suspect, just a dash of atmosphere thrown in. Here one can dine, dance in a dimly-lighted, patio, enjoy a very clever puppet show, stroll through the open-air bazaar, where, if you're Mexican-pottery-minded, you can get almost anything or visit an art shop or a book stall. Just the good old Spanish days in a condensed edition. Most -of the movie crowd, go to the "Golandrina," a little basement cafe that has excellent Spanish food and good music. Sometimes the guestii are persuaded to take a hand in this.

They're still crashing the gates in Hollywood. When the Tibbetts gave an opera party recently, with 125 invited — members of the colony and the Singing Guild—one of the first things tc be attended to was policing the door. Guests were announced by the butler in a firm, loud tone which made one feel very much as attending a levee given by a king. But don't think it isn't necessary. The host and hostess were stationed near the entrance listening to catch any unfamiliar names. Many a Hollywood host has met someone he never heard of before; has thought he was brought to his home by some group of late-comers and haS accepted him smilingly and graciously only to discover on investigation that he wandered in all by himself.