Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1938)

the whole company is hushed. It was that good. Then Henry Hull, who has been sitting on the side lines, tiptoes over to Spencer's dressing room on the set. He comes back with his hand behind him. Silently he walks up and brings out Spencer's own gold Academy Award statuette, which he has taken from Spencer's table. He bows — to Spencer Tracy. Then he turns and hands the statuette to — Mickey Rooney! The whole set roars. Mickey grins from ear to ear and so does Spence. But Spencer's eyes are serious. "If anybody deserves one of those," he says, "it's you, kid." We like people like that. I¥l-G-M is making up for lost time now with six pictures shooting. "Honolulu" is one we have down on our must list because Eleanor Powell does the hula and that ought to be something. Eleanor says the hula is one of the toughest dances she's ever had to master. It took three professional hipshifters to teach her how. They were the huladies with Harry Owens' famous Island band. One stood in front of her, one in back and one on the side. Then they all went to town and Eleanor just gradually caught the exotic undulations, like you catch a cold. But it ain't really cold — no indeedy! Our studio guide warns us solemnly against braving "The Great Waltz" set because for two days now they've been shooting rain scenes and everyone, cast and crew, is soaked. Gravet ("Gravy," the grips call him) plays Johann Strauss in this tuneful, dramatic story of the great composer's life and loves. Luise Rainer is the little baker's daughter who marries the genius and then tries to sacrifice her happiness to further his career. Miliza Korjus, a new Continental prima donna importation, Hugh Herbert and George Houston head the support with the Albertina Rasch ballet and a ninety-piece symphony orchestra. WE leave M-G-M and hitch on to some more history right away in Zanuckland. In fact, "Suez" has only five or six characters who aren't recreations of people who really lived. The rest step right out of our history book of the Second Empire. Ferdinand de Lesseps, the Empress Eugenie, Louis Napoleon, Disraeli — it's a long list. For "Suez" will bring to the screen the dramatic history-making struggles to build the Suez Canal and link Asia with Europe. Against an exciting European political background of the 1850's, Tyrone Power, as de Lesseps, fights for his dream of building the canal and for the love of Loretta Young. He wins the canal, at long last, but Loretta, as Eugenie, becomes Mrs. Napoleon. It's an important scene in the picture that we watch— where Loretta comes to Tyrone's Paris apartment. Tyrone sits at his desk as Annabella tiptoes in and strokes his hair. He chews gum viciously, but not when the camera turns. This is our first in-person look at Annabels. She isn't beautiful but so bright and cute that we fall right now. The hair-stroking scene is brief and when it's over Annabella gets herself a handful of Power tresses and yanks for all she's worth. "O-w-w-w-w-w!" yips Ty. "That," says Annabella, "ees a suppressed desire!" IT'S all Paris at Paramount this month. They have all the hired help saying "Oui" instead of "Yes." First, there's "Paris Honeymoon." This is Bing Crosby's very latest frothy film effort. Mostly, of course, it's an excuse to introduce Bing and his latest parcel of Robin and Ranger medloditties. But this time Bing unloads part of the vocal burden on Shirley Ross, a girl who is going places now at Paramount in a big way. Franciska Gaal, De Mille's "Buccaneer" protege, makes sweet love k) Bing, very much to the dismay of Shirley, says the script. The plot concerns American big-shot Bing's European jaunt to get a divorce and marry fiancee Shirley. But when he rents a castle in the Balkans to let the Paris divorce court situation clear up, he runs into Franciska, a Balkan cutie who won a week's stay at that very castle in a rose tournament. Wicked plotters haunt the place and scare Franciska into Bing's arms, which makes it tough for Shirley but very nice for everybody else. When we arrive we find Bing smoking a pipe and contemplating with a jaundiced eye a contraption the props are rigging up to tumble him down the long — and hard — stairs. Edward Everett Horton comes over to tell us he plays "one of those butlers no one would ever consider keeping around." Eddie says he has already made three scenes today. He's all through. Why, then, is he sticking around? "I might miss something exciting," says Eddie, looking sadistically at Bing. Bing winces. The stair-tumbling scene is ready. So, with a last comforting pipe drag, Bingo faces the music. But it's a disappointment when the camera rolls. Sound men make terrifying bump sounds, but really Bing comes downstairs like an elevator. No broken bones, nobody killed — nothing. We're disgusted. "Just like apple pie," smiles Bing, much relieved. "Not a mark on me, and I bruise so easily!" "If I Were King" catches our eye next. It's the old and familiar but always good story of the beloved vagabond — Frangois Villon. Ronald Colman stars as the bold ragamuffin who goes from rags to riches for a week. Frank Lloyd is running things when we make our appearance. Frances Dee and Heather Thatcher are in the Queen's ante-chamber, a Gothic room with a huge fire, when Lloyd speaks the cue. Swiftly the camera slides up on a fast dolley. Heather embroiders as she talks — no mean feat — while Frances pleads for Villon. She's lovelier than ever in a lemon chiffon mantle. Frances seems to give her best performances under Frank Lloyd — remember "Wells Fargo" — though why we can't imagine. Not once while we're there does he correct her. Neither Ronald Colman nor Basil Rathbone — he plays the whimsical king — is due to show up today, so we tiptoe out. WE can't dig up anything new or startling at Columbia this trip nor at RKO or Universal. Although "Gunga Din" will soon be before the lens at RKO, and Universal plans some interesting pictures we hope to cover next month — Deanna Durbin's "That Certain Age," Hope Hampton's return in "The Road to Reno" and "Youth Takes a Fling" with Joel McCrea and Andrea Leeds, for instance. PHOTOPLAY But Warners, as usual, are making hay while the summer sun shines. So over Cahuenga pass to Burbank we go. Right now, three Warner prodigals, Errol Flynn, Dick Powell and Bette Davis are back in the fold and Olivia de Havilland is punching the clock again after that slip-away jaunt to England. We find Olivia on the "For Lovers Only" set, where she's back emoting with Dick Powell, for the first time since "Midsummer Night's Dream." Dick gets a crooning vacation in this one, playing a young gas-station attendant who has the intriguing job of taming a spoiled rich girl in an up-to-date "Taming of the Shrew" theme. But everybody's lazing around on those sets now, so we skip to "The Sisters" and those other three little Gibson Girls — Bette Davis, Anita Louise and Jane Bryan. They're sitting in a row, wasp-waisted, pompadoured and ratted. Pretty as a picture out of a 1905 fashion book. "The Sisters," from the best seller by Myron Brinig, is really the story, so we're told, of Peggy Hopkins Joyce's family. It starts in a little town in Montana where three sisters marry — one for money, one for love and one for a home. From there it proceeds to San Francisco, through the domestic lives of the trio. Bette vindicates her choice of a love match with poor newspaperman Errol Flynn. The major production headache in "The Sisters," the camerman confesses to us, is the earthquake. Naturally the great quiver that wrecked San Francisco in that period figures prominently in the drama. Earthquakes aren't so tough to bring to the screen, but earthquakes better than the epic twister in "San Francisco" are plenty tough to stage. "Maybe," he decides at last, "we'll just borrow our earthquake from M-G-M!" We are just in time to see white-haired Anatole Litvak, one of Hollywood's handsomest directors, put Anita and Bette through a primping scene before a mirror. They're dressing for a dance. It's a cinch scene for Litvak. Who needs to tell a girl how to primp? The first take is perfect. After that we find ourselves surrounded by 1905 femininity as Bette claims her new initialed set chair — white canvas with a big flat arm on it — like a one-arm lunch chair. She had it especially made so she could lay her script on the board and take the weight off her elbows. We have to sit dumbly in the conversation that follows. It's about — their corsets! "I like them," says Bette. "So do I," says Anita. "I don't," wails Jane. "I'm about to die!" The reason for this difference in tastes is plain to see. Bette and Anita have tiny midriffs, while Jane is a chubby little rascal. When she sits down the stiff old-fashioned stays and tight laces bite. In Hollywood, as everywhere else, your viewpoint often depends on the shape you're in. OY GWENN WALTERS Clown buttons lend a mood of frivolity to this tailored striped crepe two-piece frock worn by Dolores Del Rio, who gets top ranking among Hollywood's ten best-dressed stars. Dolores selects contrast gloves, draped turban and sable cape to complete this outfit NATURAL COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY H U .1 t E U 56