Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1960)

THAT’S HOLLYWOOD FOR YOU BY SIDNEY SKOLSKY TAools rush in where wise men fear to tread, so here I go, rushing in to predict this year’s winners of the Photoplay Gold Medal movie awards. I’m an old motion-picture handicapper, and I’ve been predicting the Academy Award winners for the past ten years. My record is pretty good. But picking the Gold Medal winners is a lot tougher (maybe that’s why nobody’s ever tried it before in 39 years ) . It’s a lot easier to private-eye the doings of some 2,200 Academy members who vote for the Oscar, than over a million readers of Photoplay who are eligible to pick the Gold Medal winners. But before I narrow the field down to the leading contenders and then, from these, pick the winners — -or try to pick them — let me fill you in on the history of the Gold Medals. Did you know they predate the Oscars by eight years? Let’s flashback to the year 1920. It was the year A1 Jolson was making “Avalon’’ popular . . . Jack Dempsey was The Champ . . . Woodrow Wilson was President . . . Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford married . . . and a movie named “Humoresque” won the very first Gold Medal derby. Based on Fannie Hurst’s story, the movie made a star of Gaston Glass, who’s now production manager of the TV unit at 20th-Fox. The 1921 Gold Medal was awarded to “Tol’able David,” starring the extremely popular Richard Barthelmess and directed by Henry King, who’s worked in silent movies, early talkies, late talkies and now in CinemaScope, with “Be loved Infidel.” In 1923, the Gold Medal winner was James Cruze’s “The Covered Wagon.” Photoplay readers made a smart choice, because this epic began the cycle of movies depicting American pioneer life. I still remember the giant electric sign covering the entire front of the Criterion Theater on Broadway; it showed a covered wagon making progress across the prairie, and crowds always stopped and stared at it. The current actor joke of the day was: “I was in ‘The Covered Wagon’ . . . but you couldn’t see me. I was inside.” And when George Arliss in “Disraeli' won the 1929 Gold Medal, everyone said that, from then on, children would grow up thinking all men of history looked like Arliss, who also portrayed “George Hamilton.” Later on, it was believed children would think all great men looked like Paul Muni : to be followed by the belief that Alexander Graham Bell and Stephen Foster must have been look-alikes, because Don Ameche played them both. Then in 1939 there came “Gone With the Wind,” and after it a change in the Gold Medal Awards. You — the readers and voters — wanted to name your favorite actor and actress as well as movie. Clark Gable as Rhett Butler was certainly the most popular actor of the year, but he has no Gold Medal to prove it. In a few years, this situation would be taken care of — what the readers want, the readers get. Don’t forget the Gold Medal Award is the only movie contest of merit in which the winners are picked by you. and not by critics or exhibitors or members of an academv. The first actor and actress to win Gold Medals were Bing Crosby and Greer Garson in 1944. It was the year that Bing’s picture, “Going My Way, also won the Photoplay Gold Medal derby. And, surprisingly, for the next four years, Der Bingle was also voted a Gold Medal, making him a winner five consecutive times. The closest competitor to Bing is Ingrid Bergman, a three-time winner (194647-48). William Holden won twice (1954-55) and so did Rock Hudson ( 1956-57 ) . Last year, the winners were Tony Curtis, Debbie Reynolds and “Gigi.” The newcomer awards went to Edd Byrnes and David Nelson (a tie) and Sandra Dee. And now it’s time for me to put myself on the spot. Here goes: BEST MALE STAR Pat Boone: Promised in previous starts. Always a threat. He could take it. Edward Byrnes: Won last time out in Newcomers field. Is Kookie enough to move up in class and take this one? Tony Curtis: Knows this track. Won this Derby last year and could repeat. May go wire to wire. Have to catch him. Rock Hudson: Veteran in this clas j sic. Always hard to beat. Been winner here twice. Never been sharper. Picked To Win: Rock Hudson. It may be a photo finish with Tony Curtis, but 1 believe the Rock has j too much ( Doris Day and “Pillow Talk”) going for him. BEST FEMALE STAR | Doris Day: A fine filly who always * finishes in the money. Record shows J she won this Derby in 1951. She < has the speed and form to force the . , pace. Sandra Dee: She won in Newcomers f field last year. Like running com j panion Edd Byrnes, she could move ( up and take this one. There’s outside j chance last year’s Newcomers could be this year’s Best Actor and Actress. Carol Lynley: Comes from “Blue Denim” stable. Taking a shot at the moon. Kim Novak: Usually out front. She won it in 1956. This isn’t her year. ( Continued ) 4