Picture-Play Magazine (1933)

Hollywood High Lights :<5 Amateurs Fail as Alice. about looking for an "unknown yirl" for After much hullabaloo Alice in Wonderland," Paramount finally decided that they needed some one with a little film polish and experience. We can't say that we blame them. We looked at the "Alice" tests one day, and most of them when not actually silly were pretty awful. Despite this, scores of girls from all over the country probably had their hopes all steamed up because they thought they had a chance to frolic around with Tweedledum and Tweedledec, as portrayed by Jack Oakie and Stuart Erwin, and all the other gay characters in Lewis Carroll's classic. Charlotte Henry, who won the role, will be recalled for her early efforts in pictures like "Harmony at Home," "Courage," "Huckleberry bum," and "Arrowsmith." She was one of the youngest actresses brought from the stage in the early days of the talkies, and for a time was under contract to Fox. She is a better choice than anybody we heard officially mentioned for the part, though we did have a sort of preference ourselves for Janet Gaynor. Among those suggested for Alice in the colony at large were Lilian Harvey and Helen Chandler. Miss Chandler was tested, and for a time it looked as if Ida Lupino, niece of the comedian Lupino Lane, would be selected. New Dressing-room Rivalry. — The wildest shifting about of dressing rooms has occurred since Constance Bennett has moved into United .Artists studio, but Heaven forbid that we should attribute it to Connie's temperament. Twentieth Century, to whom she is under contract, just desired to make her comfortable, and every one seemed to join in the little roundelay. Added to that. Bill Haines, under supervision of Miss Bennett, undertook to decorate the establishment in helitrope, old rose, wistaria, and Nile green. Connie and he went in for very original and striking draperies and furniture. Formerly the motif was black and gold, although thai was only temporary. The dressing room that Connie acquired — and this is interesting! — was the one formerly occupied by Norma Talrnadge; and will the walls whisper when Gilbert Roland appears for a visit! Also Gloria Swanson held the dressing room as her studio domain for a time. More recently it has been Harold Lloyd's, but he moved into the vacated quarters of Douglas Fairbanks instead, which are more masculine in design, we must admit. There are three bungalows on the lot. One, a double bungalow, is now divided between Anna Sun and ('oilstance Cummings, and the other, the Pickford bungalow, was relinquished to Eddie Cantor by Mary while he was making "Roman Scandals." It is the first time that any other star has occupied it, and the same is true of the Fairbanks menage, with its club room and steam room. A Comedian with a Punch. — Max Baer. pugilist, is a cheerful little eyeful. He and Myrna Loy are the sparklers of "Prize Fighter and the Lady," and he has his own ideas' of comedy. We saw him in action in the ring scenes, and what a cut-up! Big Primo Camera was his opponent in the battle, and Jack Dempsey the referee. The high light of the afternoon was when Baer in an affectionate, bearlike mood, pommeled Dempsey a bit, and then kissed him on the ear. Another evidence of bis playful disposition came. when between carefully pulled punches, he danced around the ring with Camera to the tune of a fox trot. Baer was a comedian, but Camera acted like a tragedian, leaning heavily and glumly on the ropes when not otherwise occupied. Also Baer is the premier ladies' man of Hollywood, marriage notwithstanding, and the marriage to Dorothy Dunbar, formerly of the screen, seems always on the Continued on page 55 First glimpses of Garbo in "Queen Christina" promise a swashbuckling comeback. 1 The perennial Harold Teen is due to blossom again socn, this time with the breezy Dick x Was initiated into Neil s iiano by Dark" club — Friml's ncTSinding's "Rustle of Spring" being f the concert. Later, Neil played and fer Machree." He also plays the saxo \ steel guitar, and the xylophone, and eved that these four are the extent of his accomplishments. yen, he and I retired to the library, where, •eading, he learned his lines for the next rk, and with me as cue boy, recited it with terse call for "Line !" oreak fasted together before seven next • and were off to the studio. While Neil ving his make-up applied, Tom Brown in. Wre knew each other by correspond |Neil introduced me, with flattering results. oud morning, I met Billy Bakewell, an ^respondent, in the same manner. ■Lade me welcome wherever I went, and I lem two of the finest youngsters in Hol watched each of them working, and was I by Billy to Mary Boland, Hardie Al "■* Wallace Ford. > none who witnessed the mishap will Jean Harlow hits a new high in it the occasion when Tom's pajamas terior decoration when she has ru'denly in front of Claudette Colbert. dressing room done over to mate was a faked accident, but I thought her platinum blond hair. amassment quite genuine enough. Continued on page 62 -o