Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1936)

Cal York's Gossip of Hollywood [ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 ] THEY tell now, just how Irving Thalberg ac' complished the magnificent death scene in "Romeo and Juliet." It seems the scene had been rehearsed for weeks between Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard with each growing more unsure of themselves with every rehearsal. The scene, in fact, became a dreaded thing between the two and the director, George Cukor. And then, one Saturday afternoon about four o'clock, producer Irving Thalberg walked onto the set and spoke to the director. He then telephoned Norma to come to the studio at once. Leslie Howard was also summoned. "Get into your clothes for the death scene," they were ordered. And because neither had expected it or had time to worry about it, they sible moment we could be married after Roger's divorce became final and the three-day time limit expired. "Besides," she smiled, "we wanted to set out on our hoeeymoon right away." Will midnight weddings become a new fad, we wonder? I ITTLE songstress Frances Langford learned '—the other day that Director Van Dyke has followed a policy of opening his swimming pool every Sunday to the kids of the neighborhood — and she thought that was a very pretty gesture. " Nice," she commented. " You know what? There are about five kids who live on my block and I bet they'd like to use my pool once in a Two newcomers and a famous director at the tennis matches. The beauties are lune Travis and Simone Simon. The man is William Wyler whose latest success is "Dodsworth." He is the former husband of Margaret Sullavan went into the scene and gave it all the beauty and sweet sorrow it holds on the screen. "I felt," said Irving Thalberg, later, "that both Norma and Leslie had given it too much thought." No wonder Hollywood misses the tactful and splendid producer. IF you have ever ordered an O' Sullivan 'salad at the Hollywood Brown Derby and wondered about the name, let me tell you the story behind it. The chives, watercress and herbs that go to make up its goodness were grown in Maureen O' Sullivan's own garden and sold, if you please, at a pleasing profit, to the Derby. Hence the O' Sullivan part of it. K /AARklKI) ;it midnight and not an elope' " 'merit When Ann Sothcrn and Roger Pryor stood before a minister in a Hollywood church to be married, the clock hands pointed to exactly one minute after midnight. The three days' requirement after the license was issued was up at exactly midnight on a Saturday night. "We've waited so long." Ann said, "we see no reason fur waiting longer. It's the first pos while — " So she called to the little boy next door and told him to get his friends and come on in. But she'd forgotten that children, like ants, have a grapevine communication system; forty-three youngsters put in an appearance within an hour. And what's more, since the invitation was a standing one, they continue to show up every Sunday, just when she wants to give swimming parties. \ V/HILE we're still on the subject of pools, ™ here's a small saga of a most resourceful hostess. Carole Lombard had invited a round dozen of friends for an afternoon of swimming one bright sunny morning, but the California fall was nosing in and about noon a sharp, chill breeze came up from nowhere. The guests were already arriving. So Carole sent her secretary posthaste to a toy shop with instructions to buy every' model racing yacht in the place. And she turned the swimming party into a miniature regatta, with all the guests on their knees around the pool sailing the little boat^ in the water. One of the most successful afternoons she'd ever had, too. C UCH activity as goes on these days in ^Hollywood badminton courts — because the Tones are sponsoring a tournament. The Gary Coopers, Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck, and the George Murphys will fight it out almost any night now with Joan and Franchot. Joan herself ran up the prizes — and they're so nice she's determined to win them herself. Now if someone would just set a candid camera up on the Tone house wall. \ / ADGE EVANS has solved the party prob' v Hem at last and if you don't believe it drive past her Beverly Hills house any evening and count the cars parked in front. She'd been, time after time, in the Troc bar, you see, and had watched the clusters of people who let their drinks warm and their dinners cool while they played the horse-racing machine there. So finally came the Idea and next day she had her playroom lined with similar game machines — football and polo and even two little iron men who fight each other when you put a slug in. Like a penny arcade. But the first night she gave a party after that she was so embarrassed — because she'd forgotten about the coins that have to be dropped in, and afterwards she discovered she'd collected every cent the guests had brought with them! So she took the fifty dozen nickels, or whatever, and bought a new machine — and a dozen boxes of lead slugs to use instead. \VJHILE Bill Powell and Myrna Loy w and all the "Libeled Lady" cast were up in the High Sierras for the trout fishing scenes, the mountain folk from Kennedy's Meadow came over one evening and announced they'd planned a regular old hillbilly dance in honor of the stars. So everybody went down, and ate too much, and had a swell time, and afterward there was a contest. Everyone did his best, but guess what — it was rotund Walter Connelly who, despite his size, won the title as "The Most Graceful Dancer In These Here Mountings!" THAT Joan Crawford-Barbara Stanwyck 1 friendship, by the way, has turned into rather a nice thing. It all began, really, when Joan stopped in to visit Barbara after the "Chained" broadcast. "You can hear yourself on the screen," Joan complained, "but when you talk on the air there's not a chance. I wonder how I sounded?" Barbara grinned, got up and turned on her phonograph. Out of the loudspeaker came the entire broadcast, just as Joan had spoken it an hour before! "I thought you might like a record of it," said Barbara, who had caught it on her recording machine. KA RS. SPENCER TRACY and her little son ' " 'decided to spend a few days at Arrowhead, leaving behind with Spencer little fouryear-old Susy, their baby daughter. Hand in hand Spencer and Susy walked down to the 9^