Modern Screen (Jan-Nov 1944)

ORDER By HIL.fflOdl HOLLU UJOOD spend those last precious few days with him at La Jolla . . . Mady Christians was brought out from New York to play the housekeeper role. Originally the part was assigned to Katina Paxinou, but when Madame Paxinou's illness took a turn for the worse, presaging a long recovery, RKO was forced to substitute Miss Christians . . . Ginger and Bob have more love scenes in this film than she s had with any of her leading men since "Kitty Foyle." The writer is the same man who adapted "Foyle," incidentally— Dalton Trumbo, an A No. 1 movie scripter who turns in his work in actual shootingscript form with camera directions, notes to the actors, etc., already incorporated Works at home, because he thinks most studio writers' offices are "like rabbit hutches, with the wind blowing in under the door." THIS IS THE LIFE Click trick dress that goes to the office and out on n\ dates with the greatest of ease! Beautifully tailored of lovely new "Frostpoint'-the fabric find of the year! Designed especially to trim you -slim you! Smart -Chinese-y" monogram right over your gay, young heart! Sizes 9 to 17. $8.98, plus postage. Send no money. We mail C. O. D. BETTY CO-ED of HOLLYWOOD Dept.594 «402 HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD, HOLLYWOOD (26), CALIFORNIA PROMPT DELIVERY! If you ore not completely ««sfiea>e wil^gj^ly_r^dj^r^ney •"bETTY CO-ED OF HOLLYWOOD, Dept.594 I A402 HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD, HOLLYWOOD (28), CALIFORNIA I Please send "Round -Towner", ot $8.98, plus postage. If I had to hitch my wagon to a particular star these days, I'd pick young Donald O'Connor. The lad is going places fast In this latest picture he has toned down a bit, and some of the rough edges have been smoothed, with pleasing results. He still has that natural charm that makes friends with you right away. Susanna Foster plays the object ot his affections. She has a beautiful voice and she's an attractive girl, but somebody ought to tell her not to wear her hair up. It looks awful! As Angela, she plays an 18-year-old, in love / in a moon-struck fashion with a man twice her age. The man is Hilary Jarrett (Patric Knowles), a surgeon and a major in the United States Army He is convalescing from tropical fever at the little country hotel run by Angela's Aunt Betsy (Dorothy Peterson). When Hilary sees that Angela is talking herself into thinking she's in love with him, he leaves for his home in New York. Before he goes, he confides in her worried boy friend, Jimmy (Donald O'Connor), that he's interested in her only as a friend —particularly in her vocal career. However, Angela follows him to New York gets him in a weak moment and wangles an engagement ring out of him. By the time Jimmy manages to get to New York, too, she is flashing a diamond the size of a golf ball and talking" airdy about "when Hilary and I are married. Jimmy feels completely sunk till he accidentally encounters Hilarys svelte, blonde ex-wife, Harriet (Louise Allbritton), and realizes that she and Hilary are still in love. He executes a complicated series of maneuvers to get them back together again, most of which blow up m his face. One does work, though, eventually, and everybody lands in the right set of arms. Peggy Ryan, as a dancer with Kay Eberle's orchestra, is an exuberant brunette edition of Betty Hutton. She and Donald put on a couple of hot routines that will have the cats in the aisles. Better dig it, kids. — Univ. department and help the crew move props during his spare time . . . Last picture for Patric Knowles for the duration. He s now civilian flight instructor at an Air Corps Cadet training school in Oxnard, California . . . "Smokey," two-year-old terrier, trained by the famous dog trainer, Henry East, literally steals the picture. He appears in 283 scenes out of a total of 321 shooting sequences . . . Smokey was almost suspended during scenes on set of interior of a Brownstone mansion in New York. Marble floor had to be faked with painted linoleum, and Smokey's claws were making such a racket the dialogue in the scenes wasn't clear. Henry East saved his doggy career by putting small pieces of rubber tubing over the toenails. HEAVENLY BODY This is what used to be known as "drawing room comedy." Meaning that it's witty, urbane and very, very civilized. It's a gay story of a husband who neglects his wife for a comet. Hedy Lamarr and William Powell, who made such an attractive couple in "Crossroads,^ are married again in "Heavenly Body. And, by the way, any resemblance between the title and Hedy is strictly coincidental. The title refers to the comet. Professor William Whitley (William Powell) has discovered this comet sailing steadily across the heavens, and he now spends all his nights watchmg it through a telescope from his observatory on Mount Jefferson. This leaves Vicky (Hedy Lamarr) at home with a good book. One evening, however, she selects as reading matter a horoscope which she s had the local astrologer cast for her It states flatly that on the twenty-third ol this month her "true love" will enter her life. Vicky has always supposed that Bill was her true love, but now she begins to wonder. Maybe, somewhere waiting for her is a man who will have no interest whatever in comets. She finally tells Bill about the horoscope and moves him into the guest room till she can look over the expected arrival. Bill is bewildered and indignant, but helpless. On the twenty-third no handsome stranger shows up, and Vicky breathes a sigh of relief as the clock strikes 12. She (Continued on page 22) BLACK □ BLUE □ BROWN □ Siie: 9 II 13 IS 17 (Mark 1,1 and 2nd t 16 P. S. Tenth consecutive co-starring picture for Peggy Ryan and Don O'Connor . . ■ Susanna Foster fans will love this one. She sings four famous and familiar numbers: "Open Thy Heart," "L amour Touiours L'amour," "With a Song in My Heart" and "Chiri Biri Bin." During production Miss Foster was visited by members of the national music society, Sigma Alpha Iota, who presented her with an honorary membership card . . • Uon hadn't yet turned 18 when this picture was being filmed and had to attend studio school three hours a day. He hated it. Would rather poke around the wardrobe ALL GOD'S CHILLUN HAVEN'T SHOES Itfs nice, slipping into your snug, quilted housecoat and watching the snow collect on the window sill. Feeling warm and secure and safe.^ Nice till you open a paper and read, "During this terrible winter we (Greeks) have had to bury our loved ones without clothes. Almost everyone is in rags, and for the sake of the children we had to save the clothing to protect them from the bitter cold. That comes from a letter sent the Greek War Relief last year. This year it's worse. And the awful, achy part of it is that you've probably stacks of good, warm clothes in your own attic. You will go through your house today, won't you, and send whatever blankets, shoes and clothing possible to the Greek War Relief Association, 730 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y. . . . or to your local chapter. If you don't know its address, just drop a card to headquarters in New York, and they'll tell you. But do it now. It's so frightfully urgent.