Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1939)

Cal York's Gossip of Hollywood (Continued from page 63) Jane Wyman, lucky (?) winner of the vintage car donated by Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom at his preview to end all previews, invited Ronald Reagan and the host for a ride a particular delight in reciting to her various swains the rivals thus represented. Slsphappy Time at Slapsie Maxie's THE wave of super-super film premieres has hit its peak. When Warner Brothers failed to open his new short with sufficient fanfare, Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom gave himself what he called a "world premier preview" (sic) . Scene of the colossal undertaking was his own cafe, which is also the scene of much of the action of the movie dealing with Slapsie Maxie's night club and prize ring career. This cafe, of Maxie's is a zany enough place at any time. To give you a rough idea, when a waiter spots a bald head in the crowd, he sings out: "Hey! How about some Westmore inOU'DWttHER , HOTWATCH \ THE PICTURE Ever the thoughtful host, Maxie provided his preview guests with smoked glasses — the better to see his movie service at this table?" Then another waiter rushes over to slap a wig on the unprotected pate. But this night it surpassed itself. Maxie had everything, including a guard rail to hold back the lines of watching fans (Maxie got so excited he stood behind the rail himself with Gloria Dickson to watch the celebrities come in — he forgot it was his own show) . That is, Maxie had everything except faith in his picture, which was really a lot of fun. To bolster up his starring epic, he gave away a "beautiful" 1908 touring car, won by Jane Wyman — who was that pleased, despite the shouts of "Frame-up," until she found it had to be towed home. He had a Bank Nite, too, won by Binnie Barnes — who was paid off in pennies all evening long until the waiter, with a sigh of relief, counted off a grand total of five hundred coppers. There were dark glasses by the dozen for those who couldn't bear to watch the picture. And headache tablets, bicarbonate of soda and such as antidotes for those brave souls who did. To top it all, the host gave out with songs and poems from time to time — in such intervals when he was not being interrupted by Master of Ceremonies Benny Baker and his own waiters, bearing signs ranging from "Motion pictures are your best entertainment, after all," to complete charts for community singing. In short, a perfectly hilarious time was had by all. Or should we say by all those who had the nerve to go — ? Just One Big Heartthrob! I HE fact that he was on a deferred honeymoon in no way diminished the lure of Tyrone Power for thousands of London girls who literally mobbed the slim, black-haired star when he made a personal appearance at the Tivoli Theater in the Strand last summer. Eighteen people were injured, six girls fainted, the door of Tyrone's car was torn off its hinges and Ty himself was darn near denuded in the crush outside the picture house as women pawed at him, trying to rip buttons from his dinner jacket for souvenirs. Like a Greek chorus, the mob gave voice to the unanimous sentiment: "Isn't he marvelous? Just one big heartthrob!" Annabella stayed in Paris while Ty took two days out from his European holiday-honeymoon to boost British interest in "Jesse James" with five personal appearances. Tyrone and Annabella spent their six weeks' wedding trip motoring from Naples to Rome (where they were received by the Pope) to Venice, Genoa, Cannes (where they shared the spotlight at a prize fight with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor), Paris and La Pilat, near Bordeaux, where Annabella's family live. Holly wood-on-Vacation llESPITE the continued war scare, more American film stars visited Europe this summer than ever before. The registers at Claridge's and the Savoy in London read like a page of a Hollywood telephone book, and the beaches at Cannes and Antibes boasted almost as many picture personages in bathing suits as Santa Monica. Myrna Loy and husband, Arthur Hornblow, Jr., Paramount producer, stopped in Oslo, Norway, on a quick circle of continental capitals and caused more comment than ex-King Zog, who passed through the same city a few days later, lugging his crown around in a suitcase with a broken strap. Sonja Henie went home to Oslo long enough to redecorate her summer place on the fjord with pink satin wallpaper and fly to the Land of the Midnight Sun for some fishing. Norma Shearer lolled in ths sun at Cannes and visited Charles Boyer and After a Rosenbloom patron has been given "Westmore" service, his own mother wouldn't recognize him his wife Pat Pater son in their villa near by. Edward G. Robinson took a look at the famous Apaches of Paris and decided they weren't nearly as tough as American gangsters and George Raft rhumbaed and roulletted at Monte Carlo. Gene Autry took "Pal" to the Dublin Horse Show. Madeleine Carroll passed up her native England for the Riviera. Cary Grant and Phyllis Brooks held hands in a gondola in Venice. Bob Hope, who left England at the ripe old age of two, paid his first visit back to native soil and added to his radio earnings of 1939 by doing a skit for the British Broadcasting Company. His fee was the munificent sum of two guineas (about ten dollars) ! Geraldine Fitzgerald and her handsome horse-racing husband, Edward (Continued on page 72) Gloria Dickson and Slapsie Maxie joined the crowd of fans outside the entrance, but they couldn't fool Binnie Barnes! She stopped and got their autographs, anyway 70 PHOTOPLAY