Walter Wanger Maker of Stars

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23381, 24 June 1939, Page 18 (Supplement)

Walter Wanger Maker of Stars

HOLLYWOOD REPUTATION Walter Wanger has the reputation of a highbrow among producers. He is the one who deliberately set out to dabble in intellectual subjects ("Private Worlds" was an attempt) or topics of world significance (see .Blockade"); who writes erudite and ardent articles on raising screen standards. It is ironical that Wanger seems to bo in a fair way to making a much bigger reputation as a common or garden maker of stars like any hokum producer before him. Or rather, not quite a common or garden star-maker. Rather a booster of borrowed glory. It began, of course, with Hody LaMarr in "Algiers." Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lent him an unknown foreign girl and lie sent her back the sensation of the season, and ho has just done the same for John Wayne in "Stagecoach." Of course, he has in his time built up stars very carefully. He made a star of Charles Boyer, starting with "Private Worlds" and "Shanghai" after Boyer had been wasted or ignored in Hollywood. Wanger put Madeleine Carroll on the Hollywood map. With a nucleus of these two he had quite an interesting small stock of contract stars when he went into independent production. Now he is lei ting tlicm all go. They may work for him in films, lint he does not mako enough films to warrant Keen, ing them on long contract —especially when his new-won reputation gives him the pick of other studios' leadings.