Hollywood Low Down (Jan 1935 - Apr 1938 (assorted issues))

Page 38 January 1, 1935 The Hollywood LOW-DOWN ♦ Youth In Hollywood ♦ By DON DONALDSON (Ed. Note Don Donaldson, who will have charge of this page during the coming year, is well known in the east as an educator and a writer of children’s books. He is familiar with children’s problems and the problems of the juvenile film player and will treat them sympathetically.) * T 7 NLESS children have attained the eminence of Shirley Temple, which none has been able so far to do, the movie gos SALLY ANN HARPER sip columnists do not regard them as good copy; yet these youthful film players are an integral part of the industry. In these columns, accordingly, we will chronicle the doings of these juvenile actors and actresses — what roles they have — what they do in their spare time — just what sort of little people they are. Youth in Hollywood will be handled much in the manner of a column about adult players, but adult players will have no part in it. Youth in Hollywood is for Hollywood’s children. ♦ In the ranks of the younger film players, none is more outstanding, with the exception of those children whose studios are pushing them for stardom, than Joyce Horne, a beautiful child of nine who, in six short months in Hollywood, has played roles in five important pictures, among them Columbia’s “Carnival,” with Lee Tracy, and “Reckless,” the Jean HarlowWilliam Powell picture. Film players who have worked with her hail her as a coming juvenile star. She comes from Houston, Texas, and now lives in Hollywood, where her mother plans permanently to make her home. ♦ Then there is Billy Heeb. Billy is twelve years old and ‘his understanding and execution of difficult,, technical saxophone parts surpass those of musicians three times his age,’ in the opinion of Rudy Wiedoft whose protege and pupil he is. Billy has a brilliant musical career before him, Wiedoft — one of the greatest saxophone players and teachers in the world — believes. It is Billy’s ambition to have an orchestra of his own when he is older. To this end, he maintains a rigid daily practice schedule and is constantly bringing his tone and technique on the instrument nearer and nearer perfection. ♦ Sally Ann Harper, four-year-old Huntington park child, is another for whom the future holds unusual promise. She has real ability as a dancer, has a prodigious memory for a child and is now scheduled for parts in two important forthcoming productions. Since little Miss Temple made her meteoric rise to fame, the studios have been beseiged with juvenile talent. Of these hundreds, Sally Ann Harper has an excellent chance of success, for which Alexander Carr, veteran stage actor, is grooming her. ♦ Here’s my personal nomination for the title of juvenile serial queen — Benadetta Sebastian. She has just completed a role in “Rustlers Of Red Gap” at Universal with Johnny Mack Brown. “She’s a real trouper,” Brown said when the filming of the picture was completed. “So is Mr. Brown,” replied thirteen-year-old Benadetta. Shortly after the first of the year, she is scheduled for a featured bit in a Universal picture now in preparation. ♦ Because of her flawless performance with Lionel Barrymore in a Christmas presentation over station KFI and the NBC network, Sherry Ardell, tiny dramatic actress, has received a number of other important radio assignments. Sherry is a pupil of Nellie V. Nichols, well known Hollywood dramatic instructor. ♦ Juanita Luce, four-year-old North Hollywood child, was the star of the benefit performance offered by children from the Rainbow studios in the North Hollywood community a week ago. Arlene Wiseman, Faye Gore, Marilyn Smith, Patricia Scott, June Jacobs, Lotus Corelli, Rachel Sock and Marie Ayers were outstanding on the program. Loys DeKay and Ovidia Holther directed the dances. ♦ In a swift-moving production whose pace did not flag from the opening chorus to the novel bell-ringing finale, Fanchon and Marco presented more than 250 exceptional child pupils at the Paramount theater last week. The show, which augmented the regular screening of “Broad way Bill,” was titled “Christmas Around the World.” In rapid-fire fashion Peggy Sessions, Pauline Eadington, Doris Schaffer, Saxy Eppey, Johnny Pirrone, Jr., Speed Johnson, Barbara Jean Wong, Mary Lee, Neal Brown, Claire Lawrence, Joyce Kilcoyne, Patty Lacey, Hal Belford, Dorian Johnston, Bettina Bennett and Gloria Marco DORIS SCHAFFER presented their song, dance or novelty acts and bowed off the stage so quickly the audience could scarcely accord them a burst of applause. The ensemble numbers were excellently offered under the direction of Alice Goodwin and with the flawless rhythmic accompaniment of the orchestra, directed by the capable Rube Wolf. ♦ Randolph Connolly, ten-year-old film player, gave one of the outstanding performances in the presentation of Dickens’ “Christmas Carol” over the NBC coast network Christmas day. Lionel Barrymore had the leading role, while Randolph was Tiny Tim. At the close of the broadcast more than a score of listeners called station KFI to discover the identity of Tiny Tim. Some of the pictures in which he took part during the last year are “Kid Millions,” “The Old Fashioned Way,” “Dante’s Inferno” and “Winning Ticket.” ♦ The most unfortunate thing about a column of this size is that you can’t mention all the deserving youngsters in each issue. But over a period of months I plan to include stories about every Hollywood child player of talent. I hope to say something about them, to describe each one’s particular type and, if possible, help out in the search for screen work.