STUDIO TROUBLES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 303, 23 December 1933, Page 11

STUDIO TROUBLES

INCIDENTS IN HOLLYWOOD. VON STROHEIM AND GARBO Trouble with players and directors is becoming increasingly frequent at Hollywood, and the attitude of the studios is becoming increasingly uncompromising. The greatest star, of all, however, still maintain their old tactical advantage. It is &afe to say that Greta Garbo is still above “disciplining,” remarks Mr. Campbell Dixon in the London Daily Telegraph. If she dislikes a story she ha.s only to say so and somebody hastens to procure another; if she dislikes a leading man, that man is not employed in her picture; if she finds a certain actor’s personality unsympathetic, as happened in tho case of Von Stroheim, tho untouchable is asked to leave the floor while she is acting. Mr. Von Stroheim is said to have retaliated when his turn came by refusing to work while Miss Garbo was looking on, on the ground that her personality annoyed him. Just which of the two personalities contains the more grounds for annoyance is a speculation • that need not detain us. There was more than a suggestion that the latest candidate for disciplining was Silvia Sydney, who caused consternation by her hurried departure from Hollywood in the midst of making “The Way to Love.” When it became clear that Miss Sydney was definitely out and that four days’ work would have to be reshot with Ann Dvorak, at a reputed cost of £20,000, it is said that her employers were (in the Hollywood phrase) burned up. But now Miss Sydney has explained the incident quite charmingly, adducing a lovely throat as evidence. She is a gifted and deservedly popular actress, for whom the public is always clamouring, and tho trouble is practically forgotten. It generally is. As a rule it is only the popular favourites who rebel; and when dealing with popular favourites executives are notoriously bighearted, Mr. Dixon added. One of the stormiest of petrels is Charles Bickford, the “roughneck” hero who will shortly be acting at Elstree as Joe Prince, the circus proprietor, in Lady Eleanor Smith’s “Red Wagon.” Mr. Bickford is noted for the vigour of his opinions and his readiness to air them, and his favourite topic is executives. * ’ “Still,” observes Variety, the American show business’ candid friend, “he always bounces out of the kennel to bigger and better things. His last confinement was during the 50 per cent, cut, when he refused to take the slice. All the studios made faces at him, but Bickford paid no attention, devoting his time to his wholeboats, lingerie shop or gas station. He’s currently working in ‘White Woman,’ the cut incident evidently forgotten.” George Raft, the beady-eyed gunman of “Scarface.” whom Paramount are trying to exploit as yet another Valentino, was recently in trouble over “The Story of Temple Drake.” He declined to play the monosyllabic sadist “Trigger” on the ground that so unsympathetic a part would do him harm with his public. Tho studio was annoyed with him, but he stuck to his guns, and the part was offered to, and gratefully accepted by, Jack La Rue, who probably did it better. Miriam Hopkins, who was in the same picture, flatly refused to do “No Man of Her Own,” and Wynne Gibson and Carole Lombard have also been at loggerheads with Paramount executives. Even the great Lubitsch is not wholly exempt. He declined to make Noel Coward’s “Design for Living,” and only relented when the studio had agreed to certain important changes in the story. Von Stroheim, of course, was always in and out of trouble, owing to his prodigious extravagance, his habit of making a production drag over six months, and his general displays of temperament. Then he got into trouble again over “Walking Down Broadway,” and has stayed in it ever since. Gary Cooper has not endeared himself to Paramount by his African shooting expedition, and subsequent fastidiousness in the matter of stories. Ronald Colman hurt Mr. Goldwyn’s feelings by (a) running off to Europe and (b) sueing for a million dollars damages because of some publicity story, despite the explanation that it was all meant in fun. It is said that Mr. Goldwyn 1 will be only too glad to forget and forgive and have his star back on the lot. But Mr. Colman has al’ the wealth and all the fame he needs. What he wants now is peace. Marlene Dietrich, Josef von Sternberg, Lee Tracy and many other people have been at variance with their ‘ employers, but the most rebellious of all 1 is Greta Garbo. I Her invariable reply to all arguments, “Ay tank Ay go home now,” has 1 passed into national currency. Tho fact ’ that she can afford the luxury of moan- 1 ing it is her protection; it is safe to ’ say that hero is one star who will never bo disciplined. 'When in the fullness of < time the famous threat is uttered for 1 the last time without causing executives to blench and stammer and send orchids, ' that day will find Miss Gustafson in a > Pullman bound East. She will go home ‘ and stay there. 1 c Eddie Arnold will have the chance of his life with Eddie Cantor in “Ro- ' man Scandals.’’ Arnold is to play the 1 menace in the person of the Roman Em- t peror, a travesty of the role which '• Charles Laughton made famous in “The < Sign of the Cross.” Aileen Riggin, one < of the greatest of girl swimmers and 1 divers, has been engaged to appear as i a Roman slave. Miss Riggin won the 1 Olympic diving championship, and is a t loading instructor on physical culture. x After Goldwyn had completed the enrol- I nient of decorative femininity to ap- a pear with Eddie Cantor in “Roman t Scandals,” the producer and dance di- > rector, Busby Berkeley, sent out a call c for trained dancers to appear in the c slave market sequence. The casting offices, the agents and tho dance schools t all sent candidates. Goldwyn and Ber- t keley picked their group of 24 steppers 1 out of tho 550 who applied, knowing J only a few of them by name, and selecting them for grace in dancing and s appearance. After tho girls had been f rehearsing throe days someone diseov- i ered that the dancer entered on the ros- 1 tor as Eileen Regan was Aileen Riggin. as famous in athletics as Eddie Cantor I is on the screen. \