Modern Screen (Jan - Nov 1940)

YOUR PET STAR'S LIFE'S AN OPEN BOOK TO US! WRITE FOR DETAILS NOTE: If you desire a reply by mail, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Information Desk, Modern Screen, 149 Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. Patty Todd, York, Nebraska. Reed Hadley, that rough and ready hero of the Zorro serials, was born in Petrolia, Texas, on June 25, 1912, and his real name is Reed Herring. He's six feet two and onehalf inches tall, weighs 187 pounds and has brown eyes and hair. There isn't a Mrs. Hadley yet, but Reed admits he's in the marriage market. Here's what he's looking for— a good sport who's outdoorsy without being an Amazon, attractive but not necessarily beautiful, who's crazy about animals and who has an extra-special sense of humor. Reed, who used to be a radio announcer before he was "discovered," is easy-going most of the time, but he gets positively violent on the subject of red finger nails, Hawaiian music and light novels. Things he says he couldn't do without are good biographies, Debussy's music, rare steaks and deep sea fishing. "Sorority Girl," Kansas City, Missouri Yes, you're right. That was a sorority pin you spied on Brenda Joyce. She's a Delta Gamma from U. C. L. A. Jeanette Frenn. Okmulgee, Oklahoma. You and your skyscraper cronies should take heart, for there are loads and loads of tall actresses. Hedy Lamarr, Lucille Ball and Gail Patrick are all over five feet seven. Myrna Loy, Binnie Barnes, Rita Hayworth, Ellen Drew and dozens of others are five feet six. Miliza Korjus, Cora Witherspoon and Fanny Brice are nearly five feet eight. As long as a girl is a good actress, her height won't hinder her, unless, of course, she's so tall she'd dwarf her leading men. We've never heard that large feet were undesirable in an actress. Hedy Lamarr and Anita Louise are among the lassies whose feet are on the large side. You ask what a girl should have in order to get into the movies. Well, by far the most important thing is talent. Looks and personality are secondary. Yes, it's a help to be able to sing and dance, but not by any means essential. Dorothy M., Chicago, Illinois. Yes, Miliza Korjus is being dropped by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She certainly has had a run of hard luck, between that terrific automobile accident and a long siege of illness. She's only made one picture, "The Great Waltz." Keep on writing her at M-G-M with a notation on the envelope to "Please forward." Jim Shank, East St. Louis, 111. Helen Parrish was just three years old when WHAT'S IN A NAME? It's an event when a movie star can get by with his or her own name. If it's not too stagey — like Joan Crawford's and Anne Shirley's (they were Lucille Le Sueur and Dawn Paris, respectively), it's too stodgy; like Cary Grant's (Archibald Leach). Even our four-footed friends have their troubles. Rin-Tin-Tin's name was too lowbrow (he was Fido), and Mickey Mouse's was too high brow (Michael Mouseltoff). In Hollywood there's lots in a name! Charles Edward Pratt is a name worthy of Britain's most solid citizen— and the studios wanted to ballyhoo him as the screen's No. 1 bogey man! Something drastic would have to be done about that confidenceinspiring monicker. Imagine cringing at a monster called Charlie! The studio dreamed up Boris Karloff, and our blood pressure's never been quite the same. When Frederic Bickei went on the stage, his dad's side of the family was scandalized. A change of name was in order, ana Fred decided to take his mother's maiden name. No, he thought, looking into a marquee-lighted future, Frederic Marcher's too long. He shortened the last name to March and discovered to his horror that his nom de stage had thirteen letters. He dropped an "e" and emerged Fredric March; In 1^23, a slick-haired, smouldering-eyed chap was signed by Paramount. A hot-blooded Latin if there ever was one, and his name — incredibly — was Jack Krantz! "That won't look so hot on a marquee," said one director. He pondered a minute, then announced— "He's got a new name! The only Spanish I know is what I read on my cigar bands, but how's this — Ricardo Cortez!" He'd combined the names of his two favorite smokes! We'll print more stories next month. If you'd like one about your favorite, just let us know. she was first recognized as star material. A casting director saw her puttering around his office one day and took an immediate fancy to her. It seems Mrs. Parrish was trying to get Helen's older sister into the movies, and Helen had just come along for the ride, so to speak. Sister never got to first base, but Helen, fourteen years later, is still going strong. An easy-going and fun-loving person, Helen nevertheless has very definite likes and dislikes; the former including roller skating, Frosty — her white Eskimo dog — New York City, fried chicken and roller coasters; and the latter — spinach in any disguise whatsoever and people who leer at her. She is seventeen years old, of Irish-English descent, and her one pride and joy is her long, brown hair, which she refuses to cut. Peg Graham, Worcester, Mass. George Ernest is the Roger you fell in love with in the Jones Family pictures. You'll be disappointed to hear that Twentieth Century-Fox has decided to discontinue that series,, but don't be too sad, for you'll be seeing George in "Four Sons" and other pictures. He's eighteen years old, and his birthday is November 20. His real name is George Ruud Hjorth, he's from Pittsfield, Mass., and his hobbies are collecting baseball stars' pictures and making model airplanes. You have a little competition, we are sorry to report, in the person of Jane Withers. Write to George at Twentieth Century-Fox, Box 900, Beverly Hills, Calif. Beverly Parker, Brookings, S. Dakota. The 1927-28 Academy Awards (the first presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) went to Janet Gaynor and Emil Jannings. The 1928-29 awards were presented to Mary Pickford and Warner Baxter. Norma Shearer and George Arliss walked off with the 192930 trophies, and in 1930-31 Marie Dressier shared honors with Lionel Barrymore. Singled out for 1931-22 awards were Helen Hayes, Fredric March and Wallace Beery. Katharine Hepburn and Charles Laughton won them in 1932-33. 1933-34 winners were Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable — will you ever forget them in "It Happened One Night"9 Bette Davis won an Oscar in 1934-35, as did Victor McLaglen. 1935-36's committee named Luise Rainer and Paul Muni as the year's finest, and Luise won another award in 1936-37, the year in which Spencer Tracy won his first. Bette Davis and Spencer carried them off in 1937-38, and, of course, you'll remember that Vivien Leigh and Robert Donat were this year's citations. Rebecca Biggerstoff. Fallston, N. C. You can get autographed pictures of the stars 6 MODERN SCREEN