Motion Picture Magazine (Aug 1928-Jan 1929)

LEFT OVERS By Walter Ramsey Hollywood ¥lGHTAM)DAY Scenes as Seen: June Collyer blushing when someone asked her about Prince George — Lili Damita looking equally self-conscious at the same question — Why do Joan and Doug always come down the aisle late for the second act? — It looks like the Montmartre is losing business on Saturday afternoon — The stars sure like their football — Lina Basquette dropping two lumps of sugar in Pev Marley's coffee — Isn't that just two sweet for syllables? — Knowing the headwaiter is passe — You must know the orchestra leader these days — Especially Prof. Moore at the Roosevelt and Gus Arnheim at the Cocoanut Grove — Seems like all the picture people were at the tennis games — Norma Talmadge forgetting to speak — Oh, well — I 've only met her four times — Dick Arlen wearing a false beard and eating soup in a studio restaurant — quite an art, ain't it, Arlen ? — Where do the Chinese waiters come from? — I thought there was a law agin' 'em — ■ Apartment house owners are using movie stars in the lobby for grand openings — -and the tourists love it — Has everyone congratulated Cedric Belfrage and Virginia Bradford, his bride? — You 're too late, anyway — I 'm going to stand behind a curtain and listen to the conversation while Molly O'Day gets her pictures tooken by Lansing Brown — Who knows? — Maybe she'll talk about her operation — ■ Fred Kohler and William Powell trying to kid Clara Bow—Can you imagine any more painless way of passing the time? — Young juvenile actor entering a beauty parlor to get his hair touched up — A bit touched before he went in, I guess — ■ Ronald Colman and Ernest Torrence entering the theater unrecognized— and the crowd all knew Buddy Rogers — Such is fame! — They're all waiting for talkies to do a flop, or else — so we can get down to a little steady work again ! Believe it or not, Hollywood has a set of commandments that are as rigid as Moses's, though slightly less moral in tone and a little more humorous in application. In other words, there are things one does, and things one doesn't do — and he who does those things he ought not to have done and leaves undone those things he ought to have done is lower than an extra on the United Artists lot. * * * If Moses were in Hollywood, he'd have a great re-write job on his hands. For verily I say unto you that the ten modern commandments of our little burg are these: First: Thou shalt be a success, and how! It makes no difference if thou fly an aeroplane, act in the movies or get thyself elected Mayor of New York, thou shalt be top-most in thy line. At least! Second: Thou shalt refer to successful people familiarly in thy conversation — the more successful the person, the more familiar the reference. For instance: "I says to Joe Schenck — " 16 Third: Thou shalt own a large and bright-colored motor car, a home in Beverly Hills, a fur coat and a diamond ring, no matter how tough it be on the pay-check. For I say unto you that appearances are everything — and he who looks like somebody is more Hollywoodwise than he who is somebody and looks like nobody. Fourth: Thou shalt be late to all social occasions, particularly dinner parties where thy hostess is having difficulty in keeping her man-servant and her maid-servant, anyway. Fifth: Thou shalt religiously attend all movie premieres that cost over five bucks a seat. And thou shalt offer up corsages and boutonnieres to films of Yon Stroheim, Von Sternberg, and other furriners. Sixth : Thou shalt set aside a sacred hour of the day to read thy press-clippings and fan mail. And thou shalt believe all that is printed therein. Seventh: Thou shalt lavish gifts on thy mamma and — totally ignore thy papa. Eighth: Thou shalt keep the press well fed on caviar and prewar hootch. For mud is the name of the shining star who has nary a press dinner nor a reception tea. Ninth: Thou shalt not get thy name connected with any scandal. For yea, this is the sin unforgivable. Tenth: Thou shalt read the five-foot shelf, indorse cigarettes, laundry soap and hair tonic. Verily, I say unto you, this is publicity! * * * All the broken down actors who haven 't had jobs on Broadway for the last three seasons are finding Hollywood a happy hunting ground since the talkies started enunciating. They used to be plain Mr. and Mrs., but things are different now. They call themselves Madame and Monsieur, and draw from three to five dollars per lesson instructing ingenues how to pronounce their own type. Broaden thosea's, gals, broaden thosea 's; and don 't forget s sounds like That 's making things too realistic. * * * There's a couple of boys in Hollywood who never see a studio or a camera, but they are very much in on the movies. They rent the imported automobiles you see in the five-reelers. In most cases it's an old body repainted, twenty thousand in looks, worth fourfifty in cash. Invariably the engine is some common American model of six cylinders. One day Norma Shearer of Metro-Goldwyn steps from the orchid limousine, and the next day it 's liable to. be Esther Ralston of Paramount. It costs the studio $75 a day for the convenience of class. * * * As Wally McDonald says: "Imagine the embarrassment of the fellow who was engaged for a talkie only to find he was to play the deaf-and-dumb waiter." R. H. Louise Gifts to the gifted: Aileen Pringle tries her best to follow the instructions on the first of her Christmas presents and not open them until the proper day a hiss over the Vitaphone.