Movie Classic (Sep 1935-Feb 1936)

Sally Eilers Plays Hostess *-%:. , * Exclusive Movie Classic photo by Charles Rhodes SINCE her marriage to Harry Joe Brown, the producer, Sally Eilers has blossomed out as one of the most brilliant and most successful younger hostesses in Hollywood. Her little "dinners at eight," of which she gives four or five a month, have become patterns for successful entertainment. They are by no means lavish, but Sally's gifts as a charming hostess make each of them distinctive, individual, dramatic. And you may obtain some new ideas from her for your own next dinner party. She attacks her problem of entertainment, not as a successful motion picture star, but rather as a young wife whose husband's friends and her own friends she wants to have around her. It is a healthy mental attitude because her own eager friendliness is transferred to her guests, and the formality of the dinner itself never defeats the sparkling atmosphere she creates at her dinner table. Cooking is a hobby with Sally. It has been ever since she was a child, when she displayed her passionate interest in the culinary art by deluging her mother with questions about how cakes were mixed and roasts prepared for the oven. In fact, when Sally is a guest, it is not at all unusual for her to ask her hostess for recipes, and no chef in any restaurant in the world is safe from her! She will wheedle and cajole until she triumphantly carries away the secrets of the dishes that have beguiled her. And, as likely 56 as not, sbe will spring a new dish at her next dinner party certain to elicit "oh's" and "ah's" from her appreci • SURPRISES are half of the secret of the success of any wellremembered dinner party, Sally believes. "No matter what your menu is, it must always have a dramatic quality," she says. "It must have surprise and visual delight ; it must not only be — but look — appetizing. Your dinner is a success only when your dullest guest makes brilliant remarks. Your table is a success when it catches and holds the eye. Your menu is a success when everything is eaten and evidently enjoyed." In these repeal days, every dinner of course begins with cocktails. Simple hors d'oeuvres may be served. Sal No one in Hollywood is more successful or popular in the role. Let Sally give you ideas for your own next dinner party! By Sonia Lee ly suggests that tiny pig sausages impaled on toothpicks and the toothpicks stuck into an apple or a grapefruit, like porcupine quills, are extremely attractive and inexpensive. Cottage cheese mixed with a little horseradish, chopped green onions, and a suggestion of tabasco sauce, placed in a large bowl, and framed in potato chips, makes another excellent hors d'ociivre. A third favorite of Sally's is peanut butter spread on tiny strips of bread, rolled and folded into bacon, then browned in the oven. As the guests sit down, her table has a crisp look. Sally places importance on the visual delights of her table. The centerpiece of flowers is always flanked by candlesticks, with candles of a harmonizing color. A dish of nuts and a dish of chocolates invariably grace the table. She makes sure that there is pepper and salt within easy reach of every guest, and cigarettes and matches and ash trays at every place. A thoughtful hostess, of course, will always try to remember the brand of cigarettes each guest prefers and provide those. • "I SERVE several types of dinners," Sally reveals. "One I call 'the roast beef dinner' and another 'the steak dinner.' With so many women calory-conscious today, a hostess no longer plans a dinner for women. She caters to the tastes of men. That is as it should [Continued on page 87]