Picture-Play Magazine (1933)

10 itinucd from page 6 A Sourdough Speaks. STEELING my heart against an honest admiration, heeding not that 1 feel itment in concluding that my idol will never emathe brilliance I once fondly hoped would dazur picture planet, thrusting aside all discriminations and judging her in the cold, clear light . i merciless reast n. I say that Sylvia Sidney — bless cart— i not and never will be a great All the art in the world will m t counterbalance her physical defect?, i'.ut an old Alaskan sourdough will ever a warm spot in his innermost heart, a prominent place on his cabin wall for her picture, lor an exceedingly i harming wee lassie. How provocative life so often is. After seeing Dick Cromwell in "Tol'able David," I expected great things of him ; but, alas! ter work declares him a type. But, say, Picture Play, hasn't Frances skin you'd love to touch! William X. Craigie. Fairbanks, Alaska. Stanwyck's Tender Love. THERE'S been said about Clark ( raw ford's ej es, and now — help! — even Jean Harlow's dimple is c< ndemned. How silly ! As long as these players jflfAyV give good performances — ■ T* and they do — what do f ■ ' I looks matter? I think Joan is lovely. Her eyeare the most expressive »^^» I on the screen. The only thing that is not nice about her is her lower lip. It's too thick. But that's a small thing. We've heard enough about the wonderful Stanwyck-Fay marriage. Every time the Stanwyck name mentioned on to read about beloved Fi I think "Babs" should copy Garbo a lit— so much about her private life, ago we read oodles about the lerful Harding-Bannister marriage, you know. Bi n Nl< H0LS0N, Jr. R. R. 1. Matsqui, British Columbia, Canada. Honor "Gadgets" for Sherman. /\D\ A' irts led us to expect a ** men carbon copy of Gable when Brent was first called to our atn. Disliking copy cats, I almost 'I him up. How glad 1 am I didn't ! • impressed me as being quite the Gable— polished instead of suave rather than rough and or of a very charming nm r. I [e's the i . i himself, when re distributed 1 in ' " What equally capabl< f his Dee I Gi niui . Beauty, Goodm PI TarWrite zines, What the Fans Think newspapers, and the studios. No less than six fan clubs are starting a crusade to get more publicity for Peggy and more sympathetic roles for Jean. The editors and studios are waiting to see what the fans want. Let's tell them. Nothing is too good feir Jean and Peggy — both adorable paragons of genius, beauty, and goodness. Both love their fans. Let's lie worthy and make them proud of us. Some months ago, the press sagely declared that Clara Bow was through. We nized fans started a crusade to prove that Clara was not through, unless she herself chose to be. Now she commands her own salary, selects her own plays, and gets practically anything she wants. We can do the same for Peggy and Jean. Peggy's undoubted genius is not rewarded with half what she deserves. Jean deserves good-girl roles, lik^gjier true self. And how ,-ipprcciative.^HPare ! But b w about "Clara ? Strange and sad but true, not one word of thanks has Clara written to any of us, although many of US have written often to her. Why, Clara, don't you really appreciate the splendid loyalty of your fans? We hope you do, but why leave us in doubt? Mike Butler. Pox 154. Taft. California. Vive la Joan! HERE is a personal answer to Jacqueline Laurence, Isabel Burnap, and Terry G 'Iter, and a few more who are unconscious of the fact that there is really one great actress on the screen to-day. And she is the one and only Joan Crawford. Who was the great star that stood out above the glamorous Garbo, the hit-youin-the-eye personality of Beery, and the illustrious Barrymore brothers in "Grand Hotel"? Who is the most natural star that played opposite Clark Gable in "Possessed," and opposite Robert Montgomery in "Letty Lynton," and gave the most perfect performance of her career in ''Rain"? What actress dares to play the same role that tiie late Jeanne Eagels and Gloria Swanson made famous at the height of their careers ? What other great dramatic actress do you know who really worked her way up to the top by playing everything from cowboy pictures and with actors like Harry Langdon? None except Miss Joan Craw ford. Did you ever see GarJx) actually cry in one of her films, or make an attempt to -how emotion? It is not that I dislike Greta; no, in fact, I think she is a close runner-up to Crawford. So you see, there isn't a doubt that Joan lead them all in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, or any other place in the world; she shines above them all, making them appear as worshipers at her shrine. Crawford is magnificent ! Here's to. Joan Crawford! May she the American screen forever with her amazing portrayals, pleasant habits, and beautiful \ rude Barbara Perkel. 973 Fox Street, Bronx, New York. Cinema Gods and Head Waiters. THE race is generally to the swift and the battle t" the strong, so I am venturing that ten years of honorable ntitle Ramon Novarro to a high • in the cinema sun no matter what any "Adult Mind" might think. As for this particular adult bracketing Mr. Novarro with a head waiter, what is the matter with being a head waiter? My experience in many parts of the world tells me that to be a successful bead w '.\,r much. Surely it calls for "a' a man hath of delicacy and fortitude," as K< bert Louis Stevenson puts it. There are none so blind as those wdio will not see, but I dare say there is satisfaction to many of us that for ten years one man has carried intact, despite frequent miscastings, the standard of charm, distinction, good manners, color, warmth, and gayety, with radiance and always with intelligence. Mr. Xovarro is not responsible for his physical beauty, but he is to be credited with his admirable balancing of it. The incomparable Valentino — to my way of thinking the greatest of them all, living or dead — and the glittering Xovarro are secure in cinema immortality, if there is such a thing. It seems to me that the men, good-looking or otherwise, are running away with the honors these days, possibly because fairly strong stories are given them. But one good woman star is worth more than five equally good men stars. And, speaking of the women of the cinema, I should like to bow to Marlene Dietrich and to Genevieve Tobin. These women apparently are able to think. I find much delight in watching them and in listening to them, which is more than I can say for most of the others. The Lycaonians cried of Paul and Barnabas, "The gods have come to earth in the guise of men!" What would they have cried had Ramon Novarro walked among them ! Henry Kirk. 856 Brooklyn Avenue. Oakland, California. Tropic Storm Predicted. YES, I agree that Joan Crawford is striving to impress the public more and more with the fact that she is an actress. Too bad! I think Joan can act without much effort and all of this extra force and energy she seems to be using in her recent pictures is detracting from her appeal. She used to do her acting as Joan Crawford would do it. Xow she seems to be imitating somebody. Who? In each of her recent pictures, besides too much force, she has had too much poise, too*much lips, too many eyelashes — in fact, too much everything. Oh! For the old Crawford acting. She makes me nervous ; in fact, so nervous that I'm afraid to see "Rain." There may be too much rain ! Dorothy Keexe. 223 Second Street, S. E., Washington, D. C. The Way of Screen Reformers. PARENTS complain of the bad effects of movies on children, yet show no discrimination as to what they let them see. They know that all Garbo, Shearer, Crawford, Dietrich, and Harlow films are not for children. And if they feel the films are unmoral, why don't they do something about it? After all, the theme song of the movies is "You've got me in the palm of your hand" — -"you" meaning the public. What the public wants it gets. If it wanted to exert its power, it could have done so. It had its chance to put the ban on the most obnoxious film ever to come out of Hollywood. Every one of us knew, had discussed it for months — "Redheaded Woman.'' Knew that the main character was a bold, shameless hussy without a moral in her pretty head. But did we ignore it? Refuse to see it? We' did not ! We put on our best bibs and tuckers and left early for the show. We wriggled expectantly until the film came on. Then we gasped, giggled delightedly, laughed uproariously, and were Continued on page 12