MGM Studio News (December 3, 1938)

u I N W Award Winner Tells Youngsters To Start in Small Theater Jobs Movie-struck youngsters should cast aside their pride and find the most menial jobs in theatres. Such is the advice of Gale Sondergaard, who has found success both on the stage and in motion pictures after a long and difficult uphill climb. Luise Rainer Makes Another Bid For Academy Award In Dramatic School' Twice winner of the Academy Award, Luise Rainer seems headed for a third gold statuette in the one picture she has been most anxious to make since her screen debut in “Escapade.” It is “Dramatic School,” which Miss Rainer urged Metro-Gold- wyn-Mayer to purchase for her because in many respects she relives Raider Has Acted Since She Was 16 Luise Rainer, starred in Metro-Gold- wyn-Maye/’s “Dramatic School,” is a prodigy of the theatre, but did not come of theatrical parentage. Born in Vienna on January 12, her father, Reinz Rainer, a merchant, gave her the advantages of the finest schools in Europe, eight in all. As a child, Miss Rainer traveled ex- tensively with her father, touring Switzer- land, France, Austria and Italy. Although tremendously interested in music, art and modeling, she decided upon a theatrical career at the age of sixteen. ♦ ♦ ♦ STACE JUVENILE Alan Marshal, who plays the handsome marquis who wins Luise Rainer’s love in Metro-Goidwyn-Mayer’s “Dramatic School,” has been on the stage since the age of five. Today she stands at the peak of char- acter actresses with performances in “An- thony Adverse,” “Maid of Salem,” “Sev- enth Heaven,” “Emile Zola” and “Lord Jeff.” Her new role is as Luise Rainer’s and Paulette Goddard’s instructress in Metro-Goidwyn-Mayer’s “D r a m a t i c School.” For her first film role, as Faith in “An- thony Adverse,” Miss Sondergaard was awarded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award for character acting. “Those young ones who wish to suc- ceed in motion pictures should get a job at once in a theatre,” Miss Sonder- gaard advises. “No matter where the theatre is, no matter how lowly the job is, movie-struck youth should be willing to do anything from scene-shifting to off- stage noises. Some day, someone will fail to appear and you will get your chance to step into that person’s place.” Sinclair lecomes Leading Director With Two Pictures With only two motion pictures to his credit, Robert Sinclair has become one of the outstanding film directors. A distinguished stage director, Sinclair took his bow as a screen di- rector recently when he directed “Woman Against Woman,” which was acclaimed an im- mediate success. As his reward, Mer- vyn LeRoy, producer, Sinclair entrusted to him Metro- Goidwyn-Mayer’s “Dramatic School,” starring Luise Rainer and Paulette God- dard. “Dramatic School” is the story of a typical dramatic school in Paris, revealing the inner secrets of the school, the strug- gles, joys, jealousies and final triumphs of pupils ambitious to become great ac- tors and actresses. The picture also is unusual in that it serves as an actual dramatic school for no less than thirty-five young actors and actresses who have had experience simi- lar to the roles they play and hope to gain their first firm foothold in motion pictures through their work in “Dramatic School.” ♦ ♦ ♦ Lana Turner Wins Screen Recognition Lana Turner, who provided the com- plications in Mickey Rooney’s love life in “Love Finds Andy Hardy,” and who was hailed as a new edition of Clara Bow fol- lowing her work as the younger sister in “Rich Man, Poor Girl,” won official rec- ognition of her rapid climb when she was cast in a featured role in “Dramatic School,” with Luise Rainer, Paulette Goddard and Alan Marshal. Miss Turner is seen as Mado, young romanticist whose ideal is to marry a millionaire, and who has no compunctions about poking fun at her very earnest fel- low-student, Miss Rainer. ♦ ♦ ♦ PAULETTE’S STUDIES Paulette Goddard studied for two years with a U. C. L. A. professor as her in- structor before she consented to accept her first talking role in motion pictures. She appears in her second talking role with Luise Rainer in Metro-Goidwyn- Mayer’s “Dramatic School.” ♦ ♦ ♦ LOVE IN THE BALANCE Anthony Allan must prove he is suc- cessful in Metro-Goidwyn-Mayer’s “Dra- matic School” before his sweetheart to whom he is engaged will consent to marry him. ♦ ♦ ♦ FENCING FEMMES Ralph Faulkner, former international fencing champion, trained thirty-six young players in Metro-Goidwyn-Mayer’s “Dra- matic School” in the art of fencing. her own experiences as a dramatic school pupil. Miss Rainer plays the role of a poor factory worker, who struggles to become a great dramatic actress against the most dis- couraging odds. Her role gives her her best opportunities as a dra- matic artist since “The Great Ziegfeld” and “The Good Earth.” LeRoy Alan Marshal, rising young leading man who appeared in “Par- nell” and with Greta Garbo in “Conquest,” plays the wealthy marquis who wins and later loses Miss Rainer’s love. Paulette Goddard, who co-stars with Luise Rainer, as Nana, has the most important role of her young career. Henry Stephenson por- trays the school president and Gale Son- dergaard is Miss Rainer’s ruthless in- structor. Pupils of the dramatic class include Virginia Grey, Lana Turner, Jean Chat- burn, Ann Rutherford, Dorothy Granger and thirty-five talented young actresses and actors who make their first big bid for screen success. “Dramatic School” is Mervyn LeRoy’s first production at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and he has planned it as a worthy suc- cessor- to all his earlier successes. The picture is the second directorial task of Robert Sinclair who, as a stage director, produced such plays as “Dods- worth” and “Pride and Prejudice.” ♦ ♦ ♦ Mervyn LeRoy Draws Tough Casting job Mervyn LeRoy, who produced Metro- Goidwyn-Mayer’s “Dramatic School,” starring Luise Rainer and Paulette God- dard, faced one of the most perplexing jobs of his career when he had to select sixteen young actresses for a dramatic class, who had to act like actresses who did not know how to act. The girls se- lected were Barbara Weeks, Valerie Day, Priscilla Totten, Anita Carmargo, Norma Thelan, Mimi Doyle, Ona Munson, Robin Page, Alene Carroll, Marcella de Beau- volers, Carol Parker, Kay Stewart, Marta Downs, Ocean Claypool, Ruth Alder and Beryl Wallace. Rings Go Up! Instead of rings on her fingers, Paulette Goddard has started a new hairdress fad. She wears rings in her hair. Recently, she appeared in public with two huge emerald rings woven in her hair over her left brow. When Mervyn LeRoy, producer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's “Dramatic School,” heard of those rings in her hair, he suggested that she intro- duce the new style to the world from the screen. So now she wears her two big emeralds in her hair in the formal party sequences of “Dramatic School.”