The New Movie Magazine (Jan-Sep 1935)

Little Women, produced by RKO, is a phenomenon — t his is the second year it won an award. Right: Norma Shearer, the fans' choice for the best actress of 1934. Above: The Barretts of Wimpole Street, picked as the best "all around feature" and also the winner in two other classifications. Clark Gable, winner of the "best actor" award, and at the right "It Happened One Night," which won the award for Gable, and also won the award for the best comedy. TheWinners Anies Daye. Jr., of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is the winner of the trip to award the People's Academy Prizes for the current year AS OLDER readers of New Movie know, each year our People's Academy of Motion Pictures, which New Movie sponsors, names the twelve outstanding motion picture achievements of the year past. Readers fill in the coupon which we print in the magazine each month, mail their selections in to us, and we tabulate them and pick the winner. The prize going to the winner is a trip to Hollywood or New York, to present the gold medals to the stars, producers, and directors involved, who are there to receive them in person wherever production schedules at the studios permit. The thousands of coupons have now been tabulated, and the results are announced on this page. From towns and from great cities where people see pictures every night, the votes have poured in. The final tabulation gives a remarkable insight into what the men and women of America really like in the way of film entertainment. In some cases they agree with Hollywood — which presents its own yearly prizes. In others they do not. But here is what New Movie readers like in 1934: BEST ALL-AROUND FEATURE PICTURE. "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" wins this, with "It Happened One Night" a close runner-up. "The House of Rothschild" was a strong bid for third place. BEST PERFORMANCE— ACTRESS. Norma Shearer wins. The two actresses voted into second and third place by readers trailed so far behind Norma that it would be unfair to mention their names. BEST PERFORMANCE— ACTOR. Clark Gable wins this. This is really amazing. Clark is an old stager, in pictures, now. His first novelty has worn off long ago and, when that happens, a star usually begins to lose popularity. But Clark, after all this time, is holding up as strongly as ever! BEST MUSICAL PICTURE. "One Night of Love," as you might have expected, wins this hands down. Second choice was "The Gay Divorcee." BEST HUMAN INTEREST PICTURE. "Little Women," of course. To explain the enormous popularity of this picture — and people are still talking about it, after all these months — is no easy job. It is not enough to say that it swept the country because the book from which it was taken similarly swept the country, when our mothers and fathers were girls and boys. By one of those accidents which sometimes occur, cast, direction, everything connected with making the picture just happened to strike the perfect note, the perfect mood. This is the second year "Little Women" has won a prize. It shows that the picture not only has remained in people's memories but also that it is still playing theaters. BEST MYSTERY PICTURE. "The Thin Man." Here, again, everything connected with the picture, from the personalities and performances of Myrna Loy and William Powell down to the crackling dialogue and the cute dog, just happened to strike the right note. Not that it was an accident. If producers put as much thought and wisdom into all pictures as they did into "The Thin Man," we would have a lot more such sweeping successes. BEST ROMANCE. A duplication, here. "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" wins in this classification, too, with "It Happened One Night" again following. It is interesting to note how our readers differ, in their insistence upon "The Barretts," from the Hollywood Academy, where the awards for the year were chosen within the profession itself. Hollywood voted "It Happened One Night" first prize. Our readers, much as they liked that film, disagree. BEST COMEDY. But here "It Happened One Night" comes into its own, with New Movie readers, taking first prize {Please turn to page 63) The winner of the trip to New York: Anies Daye, Jr., of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Closest Runners-Up: Roberta Bender, 241 1 Western Avenue, Davenport, Iowa. Claudine Culp, 1009 North Merrifield Avenue, Mishawaka, Indiana. Leona Leo, 4027 S. Campbell Ave., Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Daye has by this time been notified of his good fortune and will be in New York at the time you read this. He will present the awards at a party at which the representatives and stars of the various companies will be present. You may win this trip next year. The New Movie Magazine, September, 1935