Motion Picture (Feb-Jul 1932)

Motion Picture presents the greatest show on eart h — the intimate goingson of the stars at work and play Tk Charles Farrell and his wife, Virginia Valli, ducked down to the El Mirador Hotel at Palm Springs, the desert resort — and even there thev couldn't get away from cameras. Here they are, waiting to go for a morning canter. Finishing "After Tomorrow," Charlie needed a rest before starting "Rebecca of Sunny brook Farm" (with Janet Gaynor) lrcus By DOROTHY SPENSLEY A MURMUR of gratitude this month, Column-bines, to Miss Estelle Taylor. During her four-week sojourn in the hospital, convalescing from a fractured neck vertebra, local florists were able to pay all outstanding debts. Hollywood's beaux, as usual, showered Miss Estelle with plenty of petals. INCIDENTALLY, a new phrase has 1 been coined, and a florist (Chester Greetham who operates a popular blossom shop under the title of I lalchester's) is responsible. NOWADAYS when a lady is the recipient of orchids from her gentleman, Hollywood says he is halchestering her. Old-fashioned George O'Brien, however, continues to call it queening her. You should know, further, that George's favorite object of queening is Marguerite Churchill, which makes Also-admirer Russell Gleason want to crown him. That is, when Russell is not squiring Mary (Popular) Brian to the polo meet. FOR your further information, the floral Mr. Greetham knows more about the colony's tiffs, spats and heart affiliations than a certain Walter Winchell. But he doesn't broadcast it. Being a good business man, he prefers to let the gentlemen say it . . . with flowers. IN awarding the Rosettes this month, one goes to whoever was responsible for the line " Iss it your eyess?'' in the hospital scene of " Mata Hari," GarboNovarro's latest tussle with the Muses. Bandaged from pate to nostrils after a plane crash, Novarro is visited by Glorious Garbo who, after a moment's conversation with her muffled lover, remarks: "Iss it your eyess?" The impulse of any other man would be to answer, despite continuity: "No, dearie. Just a little sinus trouble." But Novarro is a gentleman. Novarro is also an artist. He proved that by graciously submerging himself in a minor role to play opposite the Glamourous Greta. ANOTHER choice line is that one in l\ \\. S. Van Dyke's "Tarzan, the Ape Man'' (no relation, incidentally, to the prowling Hollywood marauder who crashed news headlines some months ago). In this tasty jungle piece Heroine Maureen O'Sullivan, Poppa C. Aubrey Smith and Otherman Neil Hamilton are captured by a tribe of tiny African savages whose average height reaches to Maureen's shapely (and have you noticed too?) waist. It is, as the party is surrounded by a sea of tiny blacks, that Maureen speaks her immortal line: "Are these Pygmies?" IN justice to Director Van Dyke, who has been harassed enough with queries about the authenticity of certain scenes of his "Trader Horn," we must quote his response to this department's chiding: "Did you," he said in reproof, "listen for Hamilton's answer? He said 'No, they are dwarfs.' " This is probably what is known as "educational dialogue" by those in the " know." THIS department is still a little confused about Metro-GoldwynMayer's abnormal output this season. "Freaks," a story of sideshow monstrosities, is playing downtown; at Mister Sidney Patrick Grauman's Chinese Theatre the strange tale of a nymph-like lady known as "Mata Hari" is being unwound; and now "Tarzan," who learned about life from gorillas, is about to be unspun. Small wonder that Mr. Pissh, our confidential sleuth, got all boggled the other night, picked up his hat and rushed out shrieking that he was going down to see that new ape picture, "Matted Hairi." Applause Note ACTING honors of "Tarzan" are L divided between a champ and a chimp. What 's a vowel between artists? The champ is Johnny (What-a-body !) Weissmuller, swimming champion, and the chimp is Emma Simia-Satyrus of the Equatorial Simians. In short, a chimpanzee. Both perform with exceeding naturalness and a direct simplicity hard to duplicate in the better Hollywood acting circles. IN fact, this department knows a couple of ingenues that could take a few lessons, well-needed, from Miss Emma. CONSIDERING Weissmuller as a potential idol, Congressman Clark Gable's loyal constituencies need not fret. Johnny, according to our sly sleuth, will never be a Heart-Throbber like Gable, Valentino or Wally Reid, for the reason that, dressed, he looks like the Average Man. Which the Average Woman sees all the time and with whom, therefore, she is dreadfully bored. Undressed as Tarzan, Johnny looks too di-vine, as Tallulah Bankhead might say. Gable, contrarily, lost the Tarzan assignment because he looked too much like the Average Man when they tested him in Gandhi-wear. (Continued on page 72) 12