WHAT PRICE CAREERS?

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 23, 28 January 1939, Page 7 (Supplement)

WHAT PRICE CAREERS?

WTHE coat of launching a career 1 in Hollywood has gone up, definitely and sharply," declares a well-known publicist.

"It takes more than ability to break into pictures, because jou can't demonstrate ability until J*>u can exhibit it; it takes more than beauty and charm, because the town is so full of lovely and delightful ytrls that t'he eve is too used to thetw 'A<u*ets to notice them anv more. It tak*>s patience and pluck, and it take* n.toney, A girl must have enough mroiey behind her tn last long enough toamake an impression." There such unique case* ah that nf Arisen W helan, who had the luck of the Irish. A year ago, Arleen wa« a manicurist in a barber's shop, making £H a week. A director saw her greeneyed. flame-haired, piquant face bent »ver her manicure tray and signed her as a possible movie goldmine. But Arleen is an exception.

Thousands of girls, some of them as pretty, an ts\veet an<l as appealing as the Irish colleen, have tried to get past the studio gates this year and had no luck at all.

Consulting a quartet of already arrived feminine star*, I found them unanimous in agreeing that a bank-roll is essential to success on the screen. "Without it, a girl may manage somehow to get extra work now and then, or even rise to playing bite, but she can't get a part without some sort of fairy-tale good fortune," olwerved Alice J aye, sharing a section of bombed doorsill with me on the set of "(Jirl From Brooklyn," which apparently deals with war-torn China. "All I know is she'd need a miracle if she didn't have £»! a week!" Alice tossed back her honey-coloured curls and smiled her slow, sweet smile. "What would she do with it?" she echoed. "In the first place, there's her wardrobe. She must have a'good wardrobe to begin with, and she in net keep adding to it and altering it with the

seasons or the demands on it. She must have something to wear to whatever comes along, and she must never look cheap. "She will find it a help if ehe can make some of her things—knit sweaters and scarves, invent odd belts, whip up a hat, and so on. "Then there are the beauty shops. "All this takes money, and you can't skimp on the things that may bring on your big chance." Loretta. Young considered the problem from her dressing room couch. "To be perfectly frank, I think any girl who tempt* fate in Hollywood is fool in h unless she has a certain sum on hand to pay her way. That is true not only of Hollywood, but of any larjre city where a girl is on her own' and is looking for a job. "Jobs are scarce in all attractive lines. In Hollywood there are at least a thousand youngsters for every extra job, and extra work pays very little uniess you can get enough of it. You have to hang on and hang on. keeping everlastingly after it, being seen, going places, and so on. "Determination may land a girl a job in stock. If ehe W> content and not particularly ambitious, she may be able to make ends meet and get by; but if she has aspirations to go higher, ehe will need cash." Loretta puzzled over the problem of just how much a Hollywood beginner will need. "She should have enough so that ehe can spend at least £8 a week over a year's period," she concluded, after some figuring. "She might be able to do it on less, but that will require pretty thin slicing, and economising might mean a lessening of the chance to step out of extra ranks into worth-while roles.

"It takes money to look trim and neat and well dressed. Cheap clothes are simply out of the question, and ill-kept hair will just about ruin the girl who wants a job in Hollywood.

"You should confine yourself to few clothes, but have these good basic garments that can be varied. Get one very frood, well-cut black dress to de]>end on for semi-formal occasions. This can be varied by wearing different hats, a simple one with a feather or a nice ornament for elaborate affairs. Maybe a colourful bolero would help. If you can manage two such dresses, get the other in a colour that you can wear with accessories that will also go witfti the black dress. Say a gvod, rich green or a warm beige.

"Have a nice suit. Xot one strictly tailored and not a dressmaker type. Get a soft suit in a good dark colour —not necessarily black --but something that is becoming and with which you can wear the hats you have for your dresses. You can keep a definite colour scheme. Then vary the result with scarves, with s|K>rt hats, with soft satin blouses and dressy hats, and so 011.

"lou can wear sweaters with this suit, but you can buy a separate skirt for your sweaters, and you'll need wellcut slacks if you live in Hollywood. "For evening, get a dress that can be varied, that won't be so conspicuous that nobody can forget it. Sometimes a belt, flowers, tiny fitted jacket of contrasting colour or material will change an old gown. "You must put money into your shoes. But if you keep them out of the tricky class, they may last longer. Flat-hecled suedes, alligator shoes, are wise selections because they aren't too definitely sjxirt-s to bo worn with something else. Evening sandals arc inexpensive. "You must have a good daytime coat, but unless you can afford good fur. don't get one with fur on it. Use attractive scarves instead." And so to Phyllis Brooks, slim blonde, wflio has juat finished work with the trio of daffy Riitz brothers. Phyllis agrees with Loretta about the £8 a week minimum. "I think that should give a girl a touch of distinction and make it possible for her to save a little against emergencies. If a girl is living by herself, £8 a week ought to be ample. I know, because I lived on lees than that myself for two years. It won't provide all the luxuries a girl would like to have, >but iit will cover the essentials necessary. "Naturally, clothes are the main factor. But if you go in for quality rather than quantity, you can get by on less money. Don't go in for flimsy things that will tear or soil easily. Unless a garment can lie cleaned, it's foolish to buy it. Don't follow every whim of fashion. Be careful about spending any considerable sum on a dress that will be 'out' next season.

"Hair is as important as clothe®. A poor hairdresser ruins any girl's chances. An established player can afford to let her hair fly. because she has arrived. But a beginner—never A star can run around in slacks and shorts and opentoed sandals, but a girl who is trying to make an impression had better think twice before she does it. "Don't forget to put a certain amount of the £8 into care of the hair. Have your hairdress changed often, too, so you will attract more attention and not tend to melt into the scenery.

"Yes, on £8 a week a girl should be able to do pretty well, and even lay sometliinjr by; that is, if she is careful of her clothes and doesn't go in for a lavish wardrobe." .Time Lang shook her head. "Ten pounds a week isn't too much for a girl who is trying to break into pictures," she said. emphatically. "The going to-day is so much tougher for a newcomer than it was years ago. "For instance, in the old days, if an aspirant had looks and some acting ability, that was about all she needed. Nowadays they require ever so much m ore. "You can't come to Hollywood and ju*t ritand around Wing seen. You must be able to do (something well. In order to have any kind of chance of making good, yon should take singing lessons, dancing lessons, voice, diction, or even skating. If you can do something different. so much the better. A ski exjiert, maybe, or a new kind of musical instrument player. "Add the cost of such training to the Hot lies, beauty shops, food, rent and whatnot, and you won't find £10 a week too much." So if you are coming to Hollywood in search of fame, look at the bank-roll first!