IS THERE A GARBO JINX?

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 471, 4 June 1932, Page 24 (Supplement)

IS THERE A GARBO JINX?

111-luck has Dogged Swedish Star’s Leading Men. Is there a Garbo jinx? And if there is will it affect John Barrymore, who plays her lover, the burglar-baron, Gaigern, in the recently-completed screen version of Vicki Baum’s 44 Grand Flotel,” American film writers are asking. One writer lists all of Greta Garbo’s leading men and points out how ill-luck has dogged their footsteps since they acted with the fascinating Swedish star. The writer perhaps overrates the Garbo menace to her leading men, but just their names and their subsequent careers is interesting. Greta arrived in California during the celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of California’s admission as a State of the Union. She was in San Francisco on September 9, 1925. She had not yet been to Hollywood and was under the guidance of her discoverer, Mauritz Stiller. Greta Garbo has always felt deeply grateful to Stiller. He was something of £n idol to her. He failed as a director—he made 44 Imperial Flotel ” with Pola Negri, a flop—and went back to Sweden, where he died shortly after his return. He made Greta Garbo his heir. Ricardo Cortez was the first leading man to act with the Swedish woman—that was in 44 The Torrent.” The picture was a success, but there were no new roles for Cortez and troubles hurtled around him, the sad story of his wife, Alma Rubens, clouding his life. Five years went by before he was fully back in pictures, but he is in demand now, so the jinx, if there is one, has worn off. Antonio Moreno came next in 44 The

Temptress.” Shortly afterward the calls for Moreno's services ceased and he went to Mexico, where he directed Mexican pictures. After that came the exciting John Gilbert episode. He was Greta Garbo’s leading man in 44 Flesh and the Devil ” and in 44 Love,” which was Tolstoy’s ‘‘Anna Karenina.” Once during that magic period the pair motored to Santa Ana, according to the writer, to be married, but decided against such a step. Gilbert has found the going bad since talk came to the screen. His vogue seems gone. Lars Hansen came from Sweden to play with Garbo in “ The Divine Woman.” There was nothing more for him, and he went home. Another Swedish leading man followed, Nils Asther, who acted with the lady in 44 Wild Orchids ” and 44 Single Standard.” He was out of pictures for two years. Conrad Nagel survived the Garbo infection. lie was in 44 The Mysterious Lady ” and 44 The Kiss,” but he is still active. Gavin Gordon made one picture, 44 Romance,” with La Garbo, and has not since acted on the screen. Charles Bickford resisted the spell, although after 44 Anna Christie ” he had troubles with studios. Recent leading men are Robert Montgomery in “Inspiration”; Ramon Novarro in 44 Mata Ilari,” and Clark Gable in 44 Susan Lenox.” They still breathe and eat three meals a or more when the spirit moves them. Maybe the writer had this jinx thing wrong. Now in England. Roland Young, whose good-natured fatuity has decorated so many Hollywood pictures, is back in his home town —London. lie went on the New York stage many years ago, and, although never naturalised, fought with the American Army during the war. Roland Young is to appear in a picture called 44 Wedding Rehearsal,” which Alexander Korda, the Hollywood director, is making in England. Janet Gaynor’s Next. Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell’s next picture for Fox Films will be “The First Year,” the stage suggess written by Frank Craven a few seasons back. 44 The First Year” was one of greatest successes ever produced byJohn Golden. It was presented ac ; Little Theatre in New York with 1 Craven in the leading role and ran for j eighty-five weeks to a total of 729 per-1 formances.