Movie Classic (Sep 1932-Feb 1933)

♦ MOVIE CLASSIC TABLOID NEWS SECTION ♦ Above, Helen Hayes with Neil Hamilton in "The Sin of Madelon Claudet." Right, she receives gold statue for mother role — and mentions own motherhood By DOROTHY DONNELL HOLLYWOOD'S FOUR HUNDRED— the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — have voted Helen Hayes the best actress of 1932 for her performance in "The Sin of Madelon Claudet," and Fredric March the best actor, for his work in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Helen, who won the award for her acting in her very first picture, triumphed over Marie Dressier in "Emma" and Lynn Fontanne in "The Guardsman." Fredric, who had suffered tortures in his make-up as Mr. Hyde, won over Wallace Beery in "The Champ" and Alfred Lunt in "The Guardsman." The other Academy awards for the year's "bests" went to Frances Marion for the best original screen story, " The Champ " ; to Lee Garmes, for the best photography of the year, in "Shanghai Express"; to MetroGoldwyn-Mayer, for the best-produced picture, "Grand Hotel"; to Frank Borzage for the best direction of the year, with " Bad Girl"; and to Paramount, for the best sound reproduction of the year, in "Shanghai Express" and "Broken Lullaby." And Walt Disney, creator of Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies, received a special award for his originality. " Mickey came very close to saving our industry in this last terrible year," said Conrad Nagel, new president of Hayes And March Win Year's Acting Honors Helen Acclaimed "Best Actress' Performance In "The Sin Of Mad By Motion Picture Academy For elon Claudet" — Fredric Wins Title Of "Best Actor" For "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" the Academy, who solemnly promised the celebrated guests at the awards banquet that there would be "no long speeches" — and kept his word. Fredric March's little speech, as he accepted his gold statue from Lionel B ar ry more, last year's winner, was de1 i g h t f u 1 1 y whimsical. It seemed a bit i r o ni c , to Freddie, after reading in the papers that the Freddie Marches and the Wallace Beerys had both adopted babies, that they were "nominated for the Best Performances of the year!" And Freddie, so they claim, did not know that he was on a nation-wide hook-up at the moment. Helen Hayes was actually trembling with nervousness as she received the gold statue from Norma Shearer, winner in 1930, who cried with vexation, "I take back all the nice things I've said about Marie Dressier, for not being here tonight to give you this." After sighing a heartfelt "Oh, dear!" into the microphone, Helen confessed, with emotion, "On the only other occasion when I ever felt like a superb woman, the only thing I could find to say was, 'Gosh, isn't she red!"' Then it was suddenly discovered that Wal lace Beery had received only one vote less than Fredric March and so he, too, was given a statue. (Do they buy them by the gross, we wonder — and do the fortunate winners have to keep them in plain sight in their drawing-rooms forever after?) Then suddenly a radio brought the voice of Marie Dressier from New York. "I was the first to know you would get it, Helen," said Marie, who was last year's winner. "God bless you, dear!" The promise of the Academy that "everyone can be home by eleven o'clock" was literally kept. Hollywood thought that Conrad Nagel should have received a gold statue, too, for the adept way he master-ofceremonied the affair — and prevented Above, Conrad Nagel, president of the Academy, presents the award to Fredric March. Left, Fredric in the painful make-up of the horrifying Mr. Hyde any such speeches as dragged out last year's banquet interminably. To Hollywood, that was the Very Best Performance of the year! 30