Hollywood (1942)

You guess how many girls looked sad. In the same scene he spied two girls working on gum. "You!" he said sternly, "I will not embarrass to point you out (characteristic, that, of Koster consideration) but you know who you are. Give me the smile without the chew!" Eventually one learns not to take Koster too literally. One bit of action called for by-play and a few lines of dialogue at a table in the crowded nightclub with the dancing action in the background. Perfect timing was essential. "Beautiful!" Koster enthused after the first "take." Then, "Now we do it again." Again the scene was run through, "Swell, boys and girls," he said happily. "Once more, please." A third "take" was made. Middleton (Robert Cummings), a young millionaire who always is rushing to battle for the downtrodden, and James decides Caroline is a mistreated and unhappy child who needs help. Hilarious complications naturally ensue with everyone trying to conceal the truth. Center of the mad mix-up is Caroline's business manager (Andy Devine) who never does get the score straight. Eventually a black eye and a can-opener help to straighten out the mess. The newest of the Barrymores to win stardom has a good head on her shoulders — a very alluring pair of shoulders, by the way, topping an equally lovely body. Admittedly, Diana enjoys the trappings of stardom and having people ask for her autograph. "It's the ham in me," she blithely said, "and no one can deny that at times a slice of ham using paints to get color values, the entire set was painted a flat white and then dressed in color by the use of colored filters. And the molded glass pillars were achieved by the simple expedient of gluing together dozens of large glass ash trays from the 5 and 10 cent store! It was ingenuity of a different sort which solved the problem of the make-up for Diana as a 12-year-old. For days the experts tried this grease paint, that powder, the other rouge and mascara to get the desired effect. Each time the experiment flopped. Diana still looked more 21 than 12. Finally she herself came through with a suggestion. "Why don't you just wash my face of all make-up and try it that way?" she asked. They did. The result was perfect. Diana had a forthright solution for another problem. One scene called for Bob Cummings to give Diana a resounding slap on the cheek but, chickenhearted, he ^ DA^HTER__As sh£ really is "Print it," he said quietly. "That was good." The story of Between Us Girls concerns a talented young actress, Caroline Barnes (Diana Barrymore) , and her mother, Christine Bishop (Kay Francis) . Caroline has been playing in far away stock companies and returns home for a visit, only to find her erstwhile Prissy Prue mother has become a night blooming Cereus, since falling in love with wealthy and handsome Steve Forbes (John Boles) . Lest he guess her real age, she has represented Caroline as a mere child, away at school. Caroline agrees to continue the subterfuge and when Forbes finally meets her, she is dressed and behaves as an irritating kid of 12. With Forbes, however, is James SEPTEMBER, 1942 pops up in the Barrymore gang." Ironically typical of Hollywood, Between Us Girls also has three players who were great stars when Diana was in her crib. Aileen Pringle, Jack Mulhall and Maurice Costello are seen in brief bits. .Speaking of yesterday, the picture proves what can be done when necessity dictates a tightening of purse strings. The night club set once would have cost around $15,000 to build, but under orders the Universal magicians turned it out for a mere $2,000. Ingenuity and a ransacking of old sets was the answer. The palm trees and modernistic decorations were fashioned from old cartons, scraps of cellophane, and glassine straws. Instead of tU£ BOtf? fttf^' pulled his punch each time with a resultant lack of realism. "Forget you are a gentleman," Koster implored. "Let her have it good!" "Please DO!" Diana added. "I've taken seven slaps already and I'm getting tired. Sock me and get it over!" Still the Cummings chivalry would not permit the necessary blow. Then Diana had a brainstorm. As Cummings raised his hand for the ninth try, she lifted her foot and jammed a sharp French heel squarely on his toes. Startled, he forgot about pulling punches. The "take" was a beauty. Q 29