Picture Play Magazine (1938)

38 II O L L V W O O II COMES the time of year when forecasts are made of Academy winners in Hollywood, an election which is surrounded with a great deal of fanfare — more, sometimes, than seems justified by the actual selections. But then Hollywood always manages to celebrate this festival with abundant eclat, and has its own peculiar and private way of picking its favorites. Normally, first honors on the masculine side should go to Paul Muni for his Emile Zola, but since he won the Award last year for "The Story of Louis Pasteur," this will doubtless put him out of the running. It is almost a tradition of the Academy that no actor may be singled out two years in succession for a golden statuette. Furthermore, it is in the cards this year that Spencer Tracy shall receive the tribute. He's immensely well liked, and he played in "Captains Courageous." Hollywood is about of one mind to-day in regarding Tracy as its triumphing actor. Just so, while many of the public might be inclined to vote for Garbo's "Camille" to be supremely feted, the movie electors will unquestionably choose Barbara Stanwyck because of "Stella Dallas." Nor is there any denying her worthiness, because Barbara gave the role everything that the story permitted. It was an acting feat. Because of "The Good Earth," Luise Rainer might be in the running, but she, too, had the misfortune to gain the prize last year. The picture, though, is very likely to be reckoned the best production of the year. Its closest rival will probably be "The Life of Emile Zola" — unless the colony suddenly becomes comedy minded, as it did two years ago when "It Happened One Night" swept the board, and picks the newest and most clever of merry scherzos, "The Awful Truth." This picture will likely figure as a directorial triumph for Leo McCarey who, oddly enough, was also responsible for the weepy "Make Way for To-morrow." THE comedy craze has lately gone to the wildest extremes of insanity in Hollywood. "Double Wedding" and "Love Before Breakfast" take the most violent liberties with hitherto polished and reserved players. Particularly does Herbert Marshall suffer indignities in "Love Before Breakfast," climaxing with his being bashed on the head with a cake, remnants of which remain to trickle on his face. Most people were disgusted with the result at the preview, because of the character and quality of previous Marshall portrayals. He also sustained a black eye inflicted by Barbara Stanwyck, who endured her share of being mauled. The beginnings of this "trend" are traced to "My Man Godfrey," with Mischa Auer's imitation of a monkey, and William Powell's antics while supposed to be inebriated. But these goings-on were mild. The tendency proceeded much farther with the wrecking of the automat in "Easy Living," and the adventures of Ray Milland and Jean Arthur in the DeMille-ish bathtub setting. However, that again was mild in comparison with the unadulterated slapstick tactics in the two newer exhibits mentioned. "Double Wedding," with Bill Powell and Myrna Loy, and "Love Before Breakfast" possibly typify the darkness that prevails before the dawn of a better day in comedy. "The Awful Truth" seems successfully to escape knockabout humor, and manages to be an excellent picture partly on that account. The more physical comedy should be left to the Ritz Brothers, and considering the course they took in "Life Begins in College," they'll even have to do a great deal better. It might be mentioned that "Double Wedding" was the Powell picture that was in progress at the time of Jean Harlow's death. ^UE to "Stage Door" Andrea Leeds, who attracted first in "Come and Get It," is now named as one of the most prominent of young rising stars. She's under contract to Samuel Goldwyn, looks a bit like Olivia de Havilland around the eyes, and has become auburn-haired instead of dark. Goldwyn has installed her in the "Follies," which naturally spells no great opportunity for her except to be beautiful. Revues, by this time, should be infamous for not adding much to the artistic stature of talented young actresses. As leads they can at best onlv look decorative while playing in such movie vaudeville. Somebody has suggested that Miss Leeds would do ideally for the story of "Serena Blandish," if Goldwvn could bring himself to make that. The thought is inspired by a musical revival of the stage version, which met with only moderate success when originally produced. Serena Blandish herself is a charming character around whom to weave a story. The novel bore a subtitle about the "trouble of getting married," and had to do with the heroine's romantic ad\entures and misadventures — mostly the latter. It is the part that requires just that delicate shading that Miss Leeds proved she could give to her frustrated young actress in "Stage Door." THE storm has scarcely died down as yet that resulted from the visit of Vittorio Mussolini, son of II Duce, who was the guest of Hal Roach, comedy producer. The whole affair had aspects of a political imbroglio that might even stretch across the seas. And the "inside story" reveals decisively how keenly anti-imperialist feelings run in some quarters of the movie colony, for it was the anti-Nazi league which leveled a heavy barrage at the visitor. Leading figures in this organization are the novelist. Donald Ogden Stewart, the Fredric Marches, Franchot Tone, James Cagney, who wasn't on the scene at the time, and others. Certain utterances attributed to young Mussolini at the time of the Italian invasion of Ethiopia concerning war being a sport were seized upon by the anti-Nazists (who are also anti-Fascists ) and heartily denounced during the Italian's visit. Members and sympathizers were advised to shun the presence of this Vittorio. Roach gave the chap a part) on the occasion of his twenty-first birthda\. but there was cold-shouldering of this event, and in the end the Roach deal for the production of pictures in Italy was called off. The only break that followed for II Duce was the reuniting of Laurel and Hardy in pictures. This may have been a concession to Mussolini, because he is fond of the two comedians, and mourned to Roach during his visit to Italy the fact that the "Fat and Thin" men had been separated. (Continued on page 72) \\ Y E I) W I N AND E L Z A SCHALLERT