IT PAYS TO BE A “VILLAIN"

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 4 May 1938, Page 8

IT PAYS TO BE A “VILLAIN"

It pays to be bad in Hollywood these days for the screen villain is back in favour and cinema meanness \ paying big dividends. One of the busiest men in pictures is Basil Rath bone, possibly the slickest villain who ever faced a camei a. He isn t idle a week and jumps from picture to picture. He stepped out of “Confession.” in which he was a knave, into Tovarich" in which he is even more so. And now he has a very rascally role in -The Advenlures of Robin Hood.” Claude Rains is another screen rascal who is making villainy pay. For his meanness in "They Won't Forget” he has won critical plaudits. Next he's heckling the hero. George Brent in "Gold is Where You Find It.” B:. on Mac Lane, one of the screen’s meanest characters, goes from picture to picture, so docs Boris Karloff. Craig Reynolds didn't do so well until he took up s- n skullduggery. Now he’s rid'ng high. Ricardo Cortez, who used to be a leading man, has jumped in favour since he became a bad man. Look over any studio talent sheet and you’ll find that villainy pays—there are more of them working than there are heroes. But in private life they are usually' the most decent chaps to be found in a long summers’ day.