Photoplay (Jan - Jun 1931)

hatterton & J3 arrymore Ruth Chatterton and Nat Pendleton (the amorous lifeguard) in a scene from "The Laughing Lady," one of the four films in which Miss Chatterton scored RUTH CHATTERTON and John Barrymore were the most consistently successful performers in motion pictures during the year now ending. Nineteen thirty, being the first year of the talking picture's maturity, was a man's year on the American screen. Moreover, the year just fading in a cloud of dust saw stagewise rookies from the theater take a firmer grip on the motion picture situation and walk off with at least half of the laurels, medals and blue ribbons. These are just three of the significant conclusions reached after a painstaking analysis of the screen's best performances for 1930 as listed monthly in Photoplay's Shadow Stage. During the twelve months, 176 "best performances" were listed in this magazine's review department. They range from the glittering and consistent work of filmland's aces to stunning single performances by rockets of the industry, who shot up in a cloud of star-dust and then fell to earth with the stick, to be no more seen. Of these, no less than 108 were given by men — the other The incomparable Ruth and handsome John take the major honors in PHOTOPLAY'S list of best performances of past year in pictures sixty-eight being the property of the ladies. A man's year, my masters! Ruth Chatterton led the distaff division with no less than four best performance ratings, which gives the incomparable Ruthie an average of a hundred per cent, as she appeared in four phonoplays during the year. Her record was chalked up in " The Lady of Scandal," "Anybody's Woman," "The Laughing Lady" and "Sarah and Son." Chatterton touches no script which she does not adorn. n; O other lady of the floodlights approached Ruth with as many as three stars on her report card. Those actresses who gave two best performances were Mary Brian, Constance Bennett, Joan Crawford, Marie Dressier, Marion Davies, Greta Garbo, Dorothy Jordan, Norma Shearer, Jeanette MacDonald, Beryl Mercer, Marilyn Miller and Helen Twelvetrees. In justice to those who did not attain Chatterton's eminence, it must be remembered that several of the two-star girls appeared in no more than two pictures, thus making their batting averages a hundred, and so equal to Ruth's in clean base hits in times at bat. Garbo, for instance, made but two pictures in 1930 — "Anna Christie" and "Romance" — and cracked out a screecher in each. On the other hand, such able and admired ladies as Miss Dressier, Miss Crawford and Miss Mercer appeared in more, and thus stand lower in the averages. All in all, thirteen of the screen's fairest and best gave two or more best performances during the past year. Against this, set the astonishing fact that no less than twentytwo men are credited with two or more bests, and you will see that it was a virile year on the taut sheets of the republic. Leading the pack, as I have said, was Mr. John Barrymore, tried trouper, who some years ago left the theater to its own devices and sold himself down the river to the cinema mills. Largely profile and strip tights before the advent of the microphone, the ageing but still handsome Jawn found talking pictures directly up his alley, and in 1930 received four best performances on his box score of the year's labors. Beginning with "General Crack," in which he both wore uniforms and turned loose the Barrymorean larynx, his year was a great success. His Shakespearean bit in "Show of Shows" was the outstanding moment of that revue, his work in It was a man's year in the talkies, analysis shows 38