CINEMALAND PRANKS

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 27 February 1935, Page 10

CINEMALAND PRANKS

HOLLYWOOD’S QUEER PARTIES

SUBLIME TO RIDICULOUS No group of people in the world are more birthday-conscious than Hollywood film stars, birthday celebrations vary from the sublime to tlitridiculous.

Clark Gable, for example, forgot liia birthday one year. Not--so, however, Helen Hayes, Victor 'Fleming, the director, and the cast of "The White Sister.” On one pretext; and another they kept Gable on the ‘set the whole afternoon, telling him they'were going to film a scene of Liny in; an aeroplane wreck. At six, the makd-iip man came and smeared him IT))hi .head to foot with grease. When. ’ Gable was thoroughly ruffled and looked as if lie had gone through a sawliiilt' a "flat” was pulled aside and a hhge birthday cake stood revealed, also a tray full of presents. There wag, for example, an elaborate camera w’liieh fell to pieces the minute Gable touched it, a rubber gun,.the barrel of which stretched and bent (in memory of Gable’s favourite hobby), and many others. Charles Butterworth had a birthday. Cast and friends didn’t celebrate on- the set, but calmly filed into his home that night, bringing ail their own decorations and food. One of the photographs they hung on the wall was a

picture of Butterworth signed "To my wife, you lucky person.” Greta Garbo participated actively in a birthday “gag” pulled on- an assistant director, Red Golden, on the set of her recent picture. Herbert Marshall, the leading—man, called Golden to the centre of the set and made an elaborate speech applauding the young man, before presenting him with a beautifully wrapped package. Beneath layers of tissue paper were carrots, onions, turnips, etc. But at the bottom the real heart of the company was disclosed in a nicely inscribed cigarette case.

W. S. Van Dyke, an incorrigible practical joker himself, knows that lie has to expect “some” birthday, and to like it too! During the filming of a recent picture lie bit into a cake carefully filled with soap. During the filming of “Manhattan Melodrama” a curtain' was pulled asluc disclosing a glorious cake. But when Van Dyke sat down to cut it the chair t>roke and the knife fell to pieces in his hands.

Proper Clothes Vital. “Screen clothes are just as important to the success of a motion picture —from both the players’ and the audience’s point of view—as are a good scenario, clever dialogue, inspired acting and outstanding direction.” So says Louise Dresser, one of the distinguished cast, including Madeleine Carroll and F rancho t Tone, of “The World Moves On,” Fox Film’s “love story of a century,” which will be seen at the Opera House to-morrow and on Friday. The picture was produced by Winfield Sheehan and directed by John Ford from a story by Reginald Berkeley.