SUDDEN FAME

Southland Times, Issue 23335, 20 October 1937, Page 8

SUDDEN FAME

Amazing Record Of Luise Rainer Luise Rainer detested motion pictures until she saw Helen Hayes on the screen. Miss Rainer, who won an academy award “for best performance” in her second screen appearance, “The Great Ziegfeld,” has trained exclusively for the stage. She was sixteen when she decided upon a theatrical career, and began her studies at the Luise Dumont Theatre in Europe. Two years later she enrolled in the Max Reinhardt Theatre in Vienna. In no time she had Vienna at her feet. She played leading roles in many of Reinhardt’s plays. “Six Characters in Search of an Author” was the last one. Until then she had no desire to become a film actress. “I never wanted to be in films,” she admits. “But when I saw Miss Hayes in ‘A Farewell to Arms’ I changed direction right, as they say in the army.” But while Miss Rainer had seen Helen Hayes on the screen, a roving Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talent scout saw the Viennese brunette on the stage. A contract followed, and for the first time in her life Luise wished she could speak English. In ten days she took ten English lessons. On the boat crossing the Atlantic she continued her studies. When she reached Hollywood she had learned enough words to carry on a brief conversation.

Her first M.G.M. picture was “Escapade.” In this her love scenes were with William Powell. Her second was “The Great Ziegfeld.” Powell again was her screen sweetheart. As Anna Held she won the special film award o£ 1936.

After her O-lan in “The Good Earth,” Luise Rainer has been cast with Powell for the third time. Such is her amazing record as a motion-picture star. In Hollywood two years; number of pictures, four; with William Powell, thrice; Paul Muni once, and already an academy award winner!