Motion Picture Magazine (Aug 1928-Jan 1929)

A hotel whose lobby recently swarmed with lobbyists: at the right, the Rice, in Houston. Below is the Democratic Convention Hall where Al Smith was nominated rives His Impressions vlen — and Women AMSEY ) his business activities, and as we sat on his shady porch . verlooking Hollywood Boulevard he compared Hollywood's business organizations with Houston's. Yes, Hollywood has business organizations. "Funny thing I've noticed about the difference in the lotary Clubs here and in other places. The boys out here n Hollywood get together and the first thing they attend to is a little close harmony. How these Hollywood Rotary boys sing! It must be the climate. This Hollywood Rotary Club has a quartet that could hold its own against Al Jolson, John McCormack, Werrenrath and Ted Lewis. I mean it. We don't do much singing at our meetings in Houston. I guess that's the climate, too. I'm proud of the fact that the boys in Houston asked me to be their President, but I have to spend so much time in Hollywood I'm beginning to like the Hollywood Rotary Club just as well. It's just a little club, it isn't a Class-A Club like the Rotary in Houston, but clubs can't have everything, and these boys have voices. Next to the Rotary Club, the Community Chest is my favorite side-line. Houston is always over the top in her Community Chest drives for a half-mil ,-. lion or so. I've noticed Hollywood can't boast such a record." He added with pardonable pride, "I guess they have to keep up their payments on their RollsRoyces out here, though. LONE STAR STATE STARS " T'VE been coming out to JL Hollywood six or seven times a year for a good many years. I've watched this little town grow from an orange grove to a little city. They've got the movies to thank for that, and the movies have Texas to thank for a lot of their stars. Did you know Corinne Griffith, Bebe Daniels, Madge Bellamy, Mary Hay, Joan Crawford, Dorothy Devore and many more of Hollywood's favorites are from the old home state ? And Houston is proud to be the home city of Florence and King Vidor. King comes of a fine family. His father lost some money in unfortunate investments just about the time King Highlights of Jack Dionne's Comment : The Hollywood Rotary Club has a quartet that could hold its own against Al Jolson, John McCormack, Werrenrath and Ted Lewis. The movies have Texas to thank for a lot of their stars: Corinne Griffith, Bebe Daniels, Madge Bellamy, Mary Hay, Joan Crawford, Dorothy Devore, and King and Florence Vidor. I thought Louis Wolheim was a mean boy in the movies. But you ought to see him play bridge. The thing that's wrong with the movies is the stories. Hollywood's flapper skirts are a couple of inches longer than the girls' in Houston. You can be as close to Hollywood in Chicago as you can walking down Sunset Boulevard. was growing up, and it must have made King ambitious to come out to Hollywood and make a fortune in the movies. "Howard Hughes, the producer of Thomas Meighan's pictures, is another Houston boy. I guess I helped raise that youngster. He is one of the finest kids I have ever known. Even his enormous fortune hasn't turned him. His income amounts to about two million a year, and if he keeps on making successful pictures like 'Two Arabian Knights' and 'The Racket,' I guess it will amount to about two million more. Everything he touches turns to gold. He is one of the few who have come to pictures untrained and practically inexperienced and made a go of them. HE TRUMPS A NASTY ACE WHENEVER I come out to Hollywood, Howard and I spend a lot of time together, playing bridge, golfing and chinning about Texas. I've had some great bridge games with movie stars up at Howard's home. Of the bunch Louis Wolheim is the best bridger. He may be a mean boy in the movies, but he plays a sweet game of bridge. Bridge is the greatest game on earth — and golf is the next. "I belong to the Houston Country Club down home, and out here I play at the Wilshire. Harold Lloyd is the only player who belongs to this club. I've never met this boy whom I consider to {Continued on -page up) 65