Hollywood (Jan - Mar 1943)

Surprisingly enough he was recognized as a great comedian just about on sight, so that within a year he was snagging 3,000 pengos a week and almost as many fan letters, Hungarian women being partial to pudgy, roly-poly, apple-cheeked actors. He had become quite the bulwark of the Hungarian stage when a friend of his, about to produce a musical in Vienna, came back stage and offered him the comic lead. Sakall shook his head. "A question of salary?" the producer wanted to know. "Not exactly. It's a question of language: I don't know three words in German." "Thdt shouldn't ^.top you," the producer insisted. "You could learn the role by ear." "And not know what I'm saying?" Sakall protested. ' "You'd be funny merely reciting the multiplication table in Portuguese," his friend assured him. So he went to Vienna, played the part, and was showered with "Bravo's" by the critics who spoke of his "flare for inflection." A scout for a German movie company lost no time in signing him up. In time, he learned the language, and became one of the top-ranking comedians in Europe. When Joe Pasternak came to Vienna, he took an immediate fancy to him, and invited him to come to America and make pictures for Universal. "I don't know three words in English," Sakall protested, in good old Hungarian which Pasternak understands. "That shouldn't stop you," Pasternak insisted. "You could learn your part by ear." Which is precisely how he learned his first American role, that of the confused producer in the Durbin picture, It's a Date. The S. Z. Sakall whom you will see doing his old stand-by, a humorous waiter, in Casablanca, is not the same S. Z. Sakall who came to these shores in 1939 and took an awful beating mastering his medium, Hollywood style. For three pictures he didn't know what he was saying, but he learned fast. Directors nowadays find only one fault with him: his heretofore thick accent is wearing thin. Actually, he speaks English without any accent. For the screen he assumes one, typecasting being what it is in Hollywood. Not that he minds typecasting. Perish the thought that he hankers to play New England farmers, or British lords or deepSouth cavaliers. Just so long as people find him funny and laugh at his perpetual consternation and eternal bewilderment, he will find life not only profitable, but exciting. A player who forgets scripts and studios the minute he gets home, he spends his leisure painting. A musician, he plays the drum and the trumpet. A sporting gentleman, he cuts a svelte figure-8 on ice. He has one unrequited ambition: he'd like to meet that little ingenue who suggested he devote his time to acting, instead of directing. So he could give the lady her comeuppance? No, not S. Z. Sakall. His heart is filled with gratitude toward her. "After all, I have her to thank for my career— she started me on it," he added. ■ Does your One face cream do All these Four things? ■4tm -' &&* Is your skin dry and flaky? My 4Purpose Face Cream softens your skin— relieves dryness and flaking. Do you have blackheads? My 4-Purpose Face Cream thoroughly cleans out the tiny mouths of the pores. Tiny lines around eyes? My 4Purpose Face Cream helps smooth away little lines due to dryness. Do you have big pores? My 4Purpose Face Cream works with nature— helps nature refine the pores. I bring your skin 4 aids to beauty in a single jar of cream! By ts^-^^-C^^^ SURELY you aren't using a lot of different kinds of creams and lotions in times like these! But are you sure the one cream you use takes care of the 4 vital needs of your skin? Today more than ever the face cream for which you spend your money must do a "wartime job." It must help prevent the dryness that often causes wrinkles and tiny lines. It must help banish the three worst enemies of your skin: grease, grime and grit— especially if you are doing war work of any kind and exposing your skin to these dangers. You can count on Lady Esther 4-Purpose Face Cream by itself to help keep your skin fresh, radiant and attractive! For this one scientific face cream brings you 4 vital aids to beauty! (1) It thoroughly cleans your skin. (2) It softens your skin and relieves dryness. (3) It helps nature refine the pores. (4) It leaves a perfect, non-sticky base for powder. Send for your generous tube Mail the coupon below for a generous tube of my face cream! See for yourself why more and more busy, lovely women every day are changing to Lady Esther 4-Purpose Face Cream. 4-PURPOSE FACE CREAM Lady Esther, (82) 7130 West 65th Street, Chicago, 111. Send me by return mail a generous tube of 4-Purpose Face Cream; also 7 new shades of powder. I enclose 10^ for packing and mailing. (Government regulations do not permit this offer in Canada} 45