Photoplay (Jan-Sep 1937)

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HOLLYWOOD'S super colossal-colossal broadcast of the month celebrated Adolph Zukor's Silver Jubilee at Paramount and was given right on that lot with a huge warehouse transformed into a spectacularly modernistic theater. Practically all the glamour girls and boys on the pay roll reported for action, including friendly stars from other studios, such as Jack Oakie and Charlie Butterworth. Never have we heard more real talent on a major broadcast. There were names, names and still more names with Jack Benny doing a marvelous job as master of ceremonies. Paramount made a party out of the broadcast — and it was a handsome affair. There was a swank dinner for the bigwig executives and stars before the actual air ceremonies, with a host of others dropping in later. One of the high lights of the program was the comedy sketch by Charles Ruggles and Mary Boland. He was a henpecked husband trying to make a speech with Mary interrupting and telling him what to say. It was awfully funny. You didn't hear it, you say? It didn't go on, due to a little thing called timing. In a motion picture set, you can take and retake until things are right but radio programs are geared to the second. 'This one wasn't. Originally Paramount asked NBC for an hour's time. Later, rehearsal proved that the Jubilee program would run an hour and fifteen minutes. NBC gladly arranged for the extra quarter hour, but the night of the show things became unexplainably slowed up and the program really ran almost a full hour and a half — and that was why the Boland-Ruggles skit didn't come off and also why the announcer cut the program right in the middle of Buddy Rogers' speech. One Paramount star who was missing from the glittering array was Mae West. However, her boy friend, Jim Timony was on deck in formal regalia — wearing his overcoat; likewise, Jack Oakie. No sable wrap covered the tricky gold evening gown of the Lombard gal, however. Poor Carole suffered right through the chilling drafts without a murmur. (^UR new radio hot shot of the month is Fred MacMurray, now master of ceremonies of the Hollywood Hotel hour. He is tops with the whole crew because of his simple, unaffected manner. By the way, did you hear the giggles on the stage and hear those sudden and uncalled for bursts of laughter when Fred MacMurray and Louella Parsons were talking about Carole Lombard at the preview of "Swing High, Swing Low"? It was all Carole's fault. Embarrassed at the compliments tossed her way, she started making faces — horrible, leering faces, enough to frighten your great-grandmother out of her grave. She broke up Louella, and she almost broke up I red MacMurray, and she got the audience into hysterics. Speaking further of Hollywood Hotel, one of our nicesl moments last month was meeting Deanna Durbin, fourteen-year-old child operatic sl;ir. She appeared for Louella in a preview of "Three Smart Cirls." Orchids to the youngster for her lack of precociousness! She was wearing a burgundy wool dress, little burgund) hat, bobby socks of the same color, and a wine colored bow on her hair, when we met By MURIEL BABCOCK Being interviewed by an editor three thousand miles away was a big thrill for Deanna Durbin her and she made an effective picture in contrasts standing next to Binnie Barnes who was dressed in a jet black beaded dress, with transparent black hat through which you could see her yellow hair. It seemed Binnie and her beau, John King, were stepping out to a party after the broadcast, which accounted for her scrumptuous apparel. Mrs. Durbin, when we encountered her, was musing on the change of fortunes in the Durbin household during the past year. "Just think," she said, "a year ago we had no idea of ever getting inside a studio, and here we are an actual part of it all." ***<, <#«* ♦ 46