Modern Screen (Dec 1934 - Nov 1935)

Between You And Hie If you are enraged or delighted with a star, a mouie, or a bit of gossip, write us about it the St ea If Joan Crawford is so ambitious, why doesn't she learn how to act? I'm sick of seeing her in one smart picture after another doing nothing but wearing a series of incredible clothes which would be utterly impossible for ordinary people to wear in ordinary life, and sporting a different hair style in each scene. She is the essence of artificiality, both in her screen roles and in her highly publicised "private life." It makes me furious to read of people running down Shearer because she usually has well-known . actors playing opposite her. Look at Crawford ! In "Chained" she had Gable and Kruger ; in "Dancing Lady," Gable and Tone; in "Sadie McKee," Tone again, and the grand acting of Edward Arnold to save the picture from being a ghastly flop ; and now in "Forsaking All Others," she has Gable and Montgomery. Crawford leaves all the acting to her leading men, and just struts about in fantastic garments, pouting that ridiculous mouth of hers. It seems this glorified clothes-prop is a tremendous favorite in America, but believe me in England we prefer people who can act, and films that have some resemblance to real life. — Star-gazer, Cornwall, England. &tcAidd to A/otma A great load of orchids to incomparable Norma Shearer for having attained a home, ' V husband and babies en tirely minus ballyhoo and without endangering her career. Truly the very perfection of Twentieth Century womanhood.— Iris Billing, Manchester, England. team Jlovet I have recently seen "Scarface." I missed it when it played several years ago but by special request the theatre that I patronize happened to show it again arid I made up my mind to see it. Yes, Paul Muni was magnificent but I had eyes only for George Raft. The moment I saw him my heart just puffed up so full of emotion and everything that it hasn't got back to normal yet and that was nearly two weeks ago. 58 I am a very emotional person and have many moods. I go into my rose and gold castle and dream of the ideal lover that someday I hope will come along— in my dream world, understand — and until I saw George Raft in "Scarface" there had never been a dream lover, but now I am content. I never miss a picture he plays in ; if I do the family and boy friend have to put up with my nasty temper for a good while. — A Devoted George Raft Admirer, Exeter, Rhode Island. A/o Hole um I have just finished reading "I Have Said Good-Bye to Youth" in your July issue. I have never before been interested enough in a press story to comment on it. Stars are made out to be something more than human, glorified in every possible way and interviewers seem to vie with one another to put forth a dish of nothing but plain hokum and expect an intelligent public not to get indigestion. So it was with a sense of appreciation and gratitude to come across a story sans hokum. This article dealing with Richard Barthelmess was of interest to me because I had for a while back been fed up on parts Mr. Barthelmess played. I had always "liked" Barthelmess on the screen, then, due to the roles he played, I had no desire to enter a picture house where he was featured. Then I saw "Four Hours to Kill," mainly because of the other players in it. However, I came out with one thought in mind : I have seen gangsters played often but never had anyone played the part as Barthelmess played it. When you feel admiration where once was disinterest, it certainly proves that an actor gave a wonderful performance. Dick was acting a part suitable for him and not the too young roles that had turned me away from him. So in "Good-Bye to Youth" I found plain truths. Truths, because I knew the facts from my own deductions. Mr. Barthelmess must be in real life a man with plenty of common sense and the ability to face facts as they are and to act accordingly.— Mabel Hughes, Williamsport, Pa. If you would like to have your letter published in these columns, you must write us something interesting about a movie personality or a phase of motion pictures that will interest everyone. Address: Between You and Me, 149 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y. Mote -@ltou.t &toonet& There seems to be a lot of furore between the Crosby-Ross fans and Marie Rippel. I do not believe she thought very much before writing what she did about Bing Crosby and Lanny Ross. As a matter of fact, I thought she was very unjust, but I think the people who write replies to her were still more unjust. No doubt Janice Bronson has no crows handy, so she has to listen to the next best thing, which, it seems, is Dick Powell. How sad ! My condolences to you, Estelle, and I wonder what you'd look like on a string ! And Romaine Fox, you say Dick isn't "fit for sea gulls to listen to," but he is fit for you since you've listened to him. I wonder how regularly he bores you ! You must have been brought up on something worse than "limburger cheese" when you say that about Dick, Evelyn Sachs. Why couldn't everyone have been as sensible as Estelle Myers who merely said : "While I agree with her in what she said about Dick, her comments on Lanny and Bing were unjust." And also orchids to Sue Albizati,_ Betsey Seipel and Lillian Ohr, for writing such intelligent replies. — Robert Bradford, New Bedford, Mass. (Jolly Dtfoltmar* For over two years our family has enjoyed the interesting manner in which your magazine portrays the screen world. Previous to our acquaintance with Modern Screen we were of the opinion that one could not expect much of interest in a ten cent movie magazine. But you have certainly changed our thought on this subject. The pictures of the movie stars always do justice to them. The articles and comments about them help to give us greater appreciation of their talents and lives. There is one member of the screen world, however, whom we enjoy seeing so much on the screen and who seems to pep up every picture in which he plays that I am wondering how it is he has been overlooked by your good magazine during these past two years. I refer to Frank McHugh, that jolly Irishman who is so full of fun and whose quaint laugh never fails to give us a kick. So many of our friends feel as we do about him that I am sure an article about him would be greatly appreciated by your readers. — James Taft, San Diego, Calif.