The filmgoers' annual (1932)

Ibl The Filmsoers' Annual REGINALD DENNY After he had graduated from St. Xavier College, Reginald Denny made his stage debut with his parents in " The Mikado," " The Gondoliers," "Patience," " H.M.S. Pinafore," and dozens of other light operas. He went to the Continent, appearing in several cities. He gained experience in small stock companies and English travelling companies. " Once, near Manchester, the company went broke and I was out. of a job," he relates. " I didn't want to wire for money They held weekly prize fights in the town which were attended in force by coal miners. In college I'd been champion boxer. Well — I took on four-round bouts and in a month made enough money to get back to London." It was in New York, however, that Denny made his first break into pictures. Harry Pollard, the director, had made a couple of independent tworeelers based on H. C. Witwer's " The Leather Pushers," and Carl Laemmle had become interested in them. I'll buy the idea and have Pollard make 'em," Laemmle decreed, " if Witwer will continue to write the stories and you can get a good looking actor, with a real personality, who can really fight in the prize-fighting scenes." That night Pollard and Witwer attended a theatrical benefit — and saw Denny put on a bout with another boxer. The next day they had Denny in Laemmle's cffice and the deal was closed. To Hollywocd went Denny and Pollard; "The Leather Pushers" proved a brilliant success and Denny eventually starred in " Oh Doctor," " Red Hot Speed," and other hits. Then came his big role in Cecil B. De Mille's " Madam Satan," a contract under which he appeared as the composer opposite Grace Moore in her first talkie, " A Lady's Morals," and the part of the hero in Mai v Pickford's " Kiki." Born at Richmond, Surrey, November 21, 1894; height 6 feet; fair hair; blue eyes. MARLENE DIETRICH See Page 99. RICHARD DIX Richard Dix made his theatrical debut when a lad in St. Paul, Minn. He had been working in a bank in Minneapolis during the day and going to dramatic school at night. E. H. Sothern gave him a reading and the inspiration to break away from parental objections to his ambitions Sothern inspired him to quit his job and return to St. Paul, where he joined the local stock company. " The manager thought I was a pretty fine actor, because every night I received a big hand," Dix recalls. " He didn't know that my school chums attended evvi v pet lormance and felt it a personal duty to give me more applause than the star." Dix felt the lure of the Great White Way and journeyed to New York for Winnie (Laughter) Lightner brought new joy to talking pictures in " Gold Diggers of Broadway." fame and fortune as so many others had done before him. And like many others, his big opportunity came elsewhere. After vainly seeking work on Broadway for two months, he accepted the lead in a Pittsburgh stock company. He followed this with a season in stock in Dallas, Texas, whereupon he returned to New York and was given a part in William Faversham's play, "The Hawk." This was the turning point in Dix's career. Faversham took an interest in him, coached him in stage technique, and made him acquainted with the play-world's most influential managers and producers. When Dix played in " The Song of Songs," his family saw him on the stage for the first time. Following the performance, his father came backstage and withdrew his opposition to his son's stage ambitions. Dix toured the country in this play and then, following the war, came to Los Angeles and joined Oliver Morosco's stock company as leading man. It was inevitable that motion picture producers should become interested in so promising an actor as Dix and it was not long before Joseph M. Schenck gave him his first film role in " Not Guilty." His success was immediate and following his performance in " The Christian," with Goldwyn, Paramount signed him to a long-term contract. He played dramatic roles for this studio, and after his work in Cecil B. de Mille's " The Ten Commandments," was sent to New York to be co-starred under William Le Baron's supervision. Among his best-known successes are " Womanhandled," "The Ten Commandments," " The Quarterback," " The Vanishing American," " Redskin," " The Love Doctor," and for RKO Radio Pictures, " Seven Keys to Baldpate," " Lovin' the Ladies," " Shooting Straight," and "Cimarron." Born July IN. 1895; height 6 feet; brown hair and eyes. MARIE DRESSLER See Page 101. DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS When he was seventeen, Douglas Fairbanks decided he would be an actor. He decided also that the best place for actors was Broadway. He went to Broadway and became a stage star. When D. W. Griffith showed " The Birth of a Nation " in New York, Douglas Fairbanks was one of that historic audience. Griffith and " The Birth of a Nation " persuaded Fairbanks that there might be something in motion pictures ! For a period, he distributed his pictures through Artcraft, which was afterward acquired by Famous Players Lasky Corporation. These were produced by Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Corporation and included " In Again Out Again," "Wild and Wooly," " Down to Earth," " Man From Painted Post," " Reaching For the Moon," " Modern Musketeer," " Headin' South," " Mr. Fix It," " Say, Young Fellow," " Bound in Morocco," " He Comes up Smiling," "Arizona," "Knickerbocker Buckaroo." Afterwards, he allied himself and his own producing Company with United Artists Corporation, the other founders being Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and DW. Griffith. Fairbanks is still one of the owners and producing members of this corporation. As his own producer and star, he has made such films as " His Majesty, the American," "Th( Mollycoddle," " The Mark of Zorro," " The Three Musketeers," " Robin Hood," " The Nut," " The Thief of Bagdad," " Don Q, Son of Zorro," " The Black Pirate," " The Gaucho." and "The Iron Mask"; with Man Pickford, " The Taming of the Shrew." and with Bebe Daniels, " Reaching for the Moon." Douglas Fairbanks has always been original and progressive in his attitude toward the motion picture, sparing neither time nor money in achieving the particular end he may have visualized. He created a sensation by his production of " The Three Mus keteers," which cost him £150,000 Not content with that, he gave half a year of his time to research and production on a romantic drama twice as great in " Robin Hood." This film has been revived many times since its original presentation. " The Thief of Bagdad " was imaginative and thrilling A pioneer, Fairbanks imported from Europe three specialists in colour work, spending a fortune for technical advice and experiment before a foot ol film on " The Black Pirate " was tak. i Then he screened the romantic adventure tale entirely in Technicoloui contributing to the industry his genius has so largely affected, the first fulllength colour film by the new process In " The Gaucho," he brought forward a new leading lady in Lupe Velez. "The Iron Mask," being a sequel to " The Three Musket Born in Colorado. May 23. 1883 Height, 5 feet 10 inches. Eyes, gn Hair, black.