THE SCREEN AND ITS STARS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 11382, 6 December 1930, Page 10

THE SCREEN AND ITS STARS

\ THEATRE.

To-day//.To-night,'' Monday and Tues- ’ day/ —GfCaughtShort’’ MetroGbfdwyniMayer . comedy, starring Mario/ Dressier and Polly Moran. Thursday and Friday—“Th(# Four./Feathers” —Paramount ‘“drama/; starring William Powell, Richard/'Arlen,, Fay Wrav, Clivo !Brobk‘and;'N'<jah Beery. l '

' AJESTIC THEATRE v , AvV- •

To-dayTo}Night, Monday and Tuesdayir.‘ } ‘Tho /Marriage Playground” —Paramount drama, . featuring Srfiiily Tashman, ahd Freddyick s'March j and ‘ ‘Undertow’ featuring Mary Nolan. Wednesday, Thursday. and Friday“The^Gamblers” Wall .Street dratna, -featuring H. B. Warner, Lois./Wilson,Jason Robards and .'George ? Fawcett.

NORMA.SHFARFJt TALKS ON MARRIAGE PROBLEMS.

It seems odd that - .an actress so ..happily married as is Norma Shearer, should so prominently. be identified with divorce on. the screen. In ‘"Their Own Desire.” divorce tivaiion. Then in **_■ one of the .starkest itirtfithDdramas ’ was- revealed. And in r; 4 ‘tet.t'tJs sfi Gay,” again onorfliids the'-st-ar in the midst of a diVo fee) maelstrom.

'ln ( i ’jtho . subject with ■ B s s}i!fyttyyorip' .discovered 'that ■.'tHothoVof/ these. ■ eharacterizahad'^ivCnTier Considerable seridufl,.'reflection? , .- wo should find divorce, so lcothihoh a problem as to fltidfifeyroflec'tibntin.literature, stage aft , d"Ascr'cen , \o;fi tO-day,” she • said. realise tho situatibn?:is: present; , and face it in tire full.-'ijgHt'<bif;facts as wo fmd them.

“In; the first iidaco, I believe the majority of ■ present-day divorces arty fotindcd■ on ..pro-marital mistakes, rhistake.s made honestly, perhaps, but nevertheless mistakes that should ha.vodjppn-rectified at their inception. HUshancls-'.aTidy myes it seems, are duty, too wiljing fo irecognise these mistakes'after. marriage and make the most. of them m the divorce court instead of making least of them in the home.

“Most of these troubles on tlie surface appear insignificant, but in placing them under the microscope of. fault-finding husbands and wives, they , become magnified beyond all proportions. ■ How much easier TV6iild.it bp to try" and overlook petty matters that bring about discord, and_ pay more attention to the really irtoro important' and worthwhile affairs of; a/happy, union.

‘Every married couple liaS certain problems which it has to solve in its own way. Frankness in discussion rather.: than evasiveness should go a long way in reaching. a solution.” Robert Z. Leonard directed Miss Sheerer •in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayor’s picturization of the Pi,achel Crothers play.-

A SEED FOP. FIVEFENCE

MASON'S HOLLYWOOD INSULT

There' is a barometer peculiar to Hollywood,; in which, letters,. not mercury,. guhge the popularity of a screen player, says a writer in the "Daily Mail.”

They are known as "fan” letters .the ■word/,,"fan” being tbe American, abbreviation - for. fanatic. . There are varieties -iqf "fans”; baseball fans, bbxitfgxfans, Lindbergh fans, but the greatest •’ army ■of them all is the one that.’-'idolises v-the.. movie stars. : From everytllaicrdfami’-in -every language are the'lefitersl that' .come at the rate of more . 'than 500,000 a m'onth to the Hollywood, studios. • .Proposals of marriage, requests for money,; poems, criticism and- praise, advice.on ! how.to become a star (from old; and. young), broad hints that, Se-cond-Hand' clothing would be appreci-ated—-letters on every subject imaginable..-,. Also a writer never fails to ask .for^-a. signed photograph.

.fjb .-hiige ;is/ this-demand for pictures (hat the studios Have been forced to aslc that, 5d ho sent with requests.

Producers-do not want to discour-age.-the .practice, as it is a.very definite//, test- of>• a player’s popularity, arid guides the officials in the matter of'lasting and-■salaries. - 1 An unfortunate mistake occurred recently when a letter, -of . praise .was written by the British author,- A. E. Wp Mason, to Bichiml Arlen for his performance as. the hero, Harry FevefsHam, in ' the picture of Mason's, "The . Four Feathers.”

.Naturally, the-stars rarely even see Iho •; letters addressed to them at the . studios. - : A : department takes care .of them,, answering, by form letters, and whenever; the 53. is enclosed a photographis ; immediately dispatched to the/seUder.-•. '• .Masoh’s. letter, wont the way of all othera./How. could a . little girl .clerfc be expected to .know A; E. W. Mason from tho. Begum of •Bhopal?. Consequently.’ one/May morning in; England, ►Mason, received a letter from the Para-, mount, studios . at ./Hollywood thanking." Klin for displaying such an. ititore.^ttin/ifr; Richard Atlen’s work, and addihg-!ihft.t|if'|he .would send Ad they wquTdbb'p *,;TQrys- ijflarl to sendhim.. an of,,that actor, > "(ffio/ffletler was .printed, of course, 'M!uion s apparently.ignored what must # hdvelllQpkedtdike an-insult, but, the ately^il^njhi;s:;return. from the Roclci&? : A*lmP?was.>informed,• and wrolfe the’; letter- to .Mason' '■ .my - return #bmC:au- : ;‘bxt€>Tided -.vacation,, I found thah--y6U'MTad ; =b.eeri greatly slighted; diie ;• to 7 tin V; oversight on out ' fan >; mail you will aforgiye my. humbloto ; .know that vbuHAelt'sMtindlyi-'to -iny • eharactensatibn^b^your^hero,■ ■ 'Harry Eoversham asking vtoo , great; a

SILVER SHEET AND MICROPHONE.

(By the Movie Fan).

NOTES AND NEWS

The screen’s first fight, photographed by the old Biograph Company in 19(50 for al short-reel. picture, titled "The Moonshiners,” was tho most momentous event in tho history of tho motion : picture industry. It marked the first attempt of tho producers to develop and follow a., story ideai, and tho first fight, combining action with drama gave tho early film-makers the ideal subject material for their awkward little features. Many were tho lights that followed this one to the screen, the vogue culminating in the memorable battle between’ William Farnum and Tom Sautsch’i iit tho . first filming- of Box Beach’s story “Tho Spoilers.” It was this fight that, director Edwin Carewe "topped” in the recently completed talking version of "The Spoilers,” and which forms tho dramatic highlight -of tho film,- In tho new production the notable light was between, Gary Cooper, star .of the picture, and William Boyd who portrays MAcNamara. . - •’ .. •

favour would greatly cherish an autographed edition of your glorious book. ‘‘Having served with the Royal Flying Corps during the war, I feel a great friendliness to my British friends and I assure you it has distressed me greatly that you have been grossly slighted' and again I ask 'your indulgence.”

! . "Gloria.. Swanson’ ”- the film star, has been awarded an interlocutory decree -of divorce from her husband, the Marquis Jacques Henri Lialmilly i.de, Falaise do la Courdray, oil a charge of abandonment. The Mafquis did not • contest the application.

Joan Marsh, 15 year old blonde i beauty, recently placed under con-tract-by Universal, is finding plenty of cornpetiton in her screen romance • with Kane Richmond in “The Leatli,er Pusher's” 1 series. Douglas Z. !.Doty who wrote the' script, is to blame .•because, to add spice to the already ‘active chapter plays; he also gave :romantic roles to Kora Lane and /Sally Diane. Just what the outcome of the screen romance will bo Joan does not know, but -she is willing to /trust Mr. D'oty to give her “a big beak’’ in : tbe‘finale episode of “The Leather Pushers,”

Decided blondes, b lunettes and J rod-heads are the best screen, types ;to' Succeed in Technicolor pictures. Players whose features present • strong color contrasts also have/ an ‘excellent, chance for success. Tin's jifs the word passed out by John .Francis Dillon, who directed his second all-technicolor picture, “Bride of :the Regiment,” First National and ! Vitaphorio romantic operetta. “A 'rich shade of brown or auburn hair, : or u. golden blonde are what tho screen is seeking now,” said Dillon. “Contrast is important. Brown hair and blue eyes, with a fair complexion is an excellent, combination:” Vivienne Segal,- who portrays the leading role in “Bride of the Regiment” as been cited ks an example ’of a fine blonde type. She has. light hair, deep blue eyes,- and a* fair complexion. Walter Pidgoon, Allan Prior, Louise Fazenda., Myrnn. Loy and Ltipino -Lane, support Miss Segal.

“Never again,” said Lillian Gish to tho movies in September. Returning to America from abroad on tho liner Paris, she said she would, nov,er acti in another picture, but would confine her activities to the- legitimate .stage “because I prefer the stage.” As the principal feminine player in a revival last spring of Chekhov’s “Unr.lc Vanya,” she returned to the stage from motion pictures for the. first time since her childhood, and achieved a personal success. She said she had not-been asked to play opposite Paul Robeson, negro star, in a.n American production of Shakespeare’s “Othello,” but'“if Robeson is, as one hoars, tho greatest actor of “Othello”, in the world, I should be glad to play opposite him.”

Professional stunt men. who at one time performed in all the. hazardous action scones in place of the star, passed permanently out of existence with the coming of the- talkies, the younger' generation of players preferring to do their own stunts. It now appears that doubles have been similarly- dispensed .with by the feminine stars. In the talking version of "Manslaughter,” in which Claudette Colbert and Fredric March are .featured, Miss Colbert insisted on doing her own driving in the sensational motor smash which forms a highlight of the film. "I am an expert driver,” she calmly told the somewhat perturbed director, George Abbott. . "There is' no reason why I should not do it.” She' further participated in a- convict fight called for in the script, and made the battle so realistic that first aid was required for two big bruises on her shins. Another example of her versatility and spirit was given when aquaplane races were filmed at sea, off Catalina ‘lsland. ' She rode 'the bobbing sniffboard as it was towed through the waves by the motor boat- a.t- a speed 'of 40 miles an hour.

AL Jolson is the first big American star to go to Germany to make an all-talking and singing pictiire entirely in ’tho German language. 110 expects to return to Hollywood this month to start work •on "Sons o’ Guns,” in which Lily Danuta will play the feminine lead.