Picture Play Magazine (1938)

And now Sigrid Gurie has cast her shadow as the Garbo of 1938! New, streamlined, yet in essence a viking daughter — and in spirit an exotic girl from the land of fjords and Midnight Sun. To be sure, her destinv is not vet full-fledged nor does her gypsylike portrait in '"Algiers" fit into the "divine" Garbo pattern: but innately, at least, she has the qualities of her Nordic predecessor. And she reminds me much in manner of the Greta Garbo I had the . pleasure of meeting when she first arrived in Hollvwood. under the artistic sponsorship of Mauritz Stiller, celebrated European director. In the beginning of her Hollywood career. Miss Garbo was social and friendly. One guested with her at dinner L parties given by Mr. Ernst Lubitsch and Dr. Ludwig I Berger. While never talkative — she was a trifle too de I lached for that — still she was cordial and gracious. It was the death of Stiller, her discover, that sent her into retirement from social and public life, and undoubtedlv . ast the veil of secrecy about her. Miss Gurie in no way resembles Miss Garbo physically, et she has certain definite qualities that remind one of the Swedish star. For instance — her simplicity and natural , ness. her courtesy and gentle reserve. But above all. the lorceful assurance which she carries underneath an ex: terior of great calm and quietude. However, Sigrid Gurie's arrival on the Hollywood scene was, in some ways, less auspicious than Miss Garbo's. Success in European films had already attached to the Garbo name and, consequently, it had glamour, which was augmented by the imposing sponsorship of Mauritz Stiller. Iier director and discoverer, who brought her to the MGM -tudios. To Sigrid Gurie, the name of the astute producer — Mr. Samuel Goldwyn — lent prestige to her introduction. He -ent forth a mighty publicity campaign announcing her as I his new Norwegian star! The next thing, she became a mystery woman. No one saw her — no one knew what she was like. And then one day, out of the blue, news stories broke into headlines telling the surprising fact that Sigrid Gurie was born in Brooklyn! Simultaneously it was announced that she was suing her husband, Thomas W. Stewart, for divorce, whom she had married in the little town of Cucamonga. California— the place W. C. Fields always kids! The blast of this news spelled popular disillusionment A scene from "Reunion in Vienna" — Gurie's screen test. Sam Goldwyn took the bait in a great big way. Picture on opposite page was taken after Hollywood made her over. m I he tiery, tempestuous gypsy girl Sigrid portrays in her newest picture, "Algiers," conveys little of that serene, passive quality she possesses that is so like Garbo's. and therefore also a high hurdle for a new and widely publicized "star" to jump. The manner in which Miss Gurie rose above this barrier proved that she is both smart and discerning. She evidenced she knew the value of keeping her own counsel. This was apparent again and again during the time she was under fire during the litigation between herself and husband. She kept an impressive, sphinxlike silence quite befitting her Nordic ancestry. How one enters Hollywood in the long run becomes a question of little consequence. Sigrid Gurie pursued a path that was not unfamiliar. After all. she is not the first star who was really different from what she seemed when she arrived on the movie scene. Only a few years ago Margaret Lindsay was practicing the deception of pretending to be an English actress and winning her first big chance in "Cavalcade" — and then right on the heels of this came Robert Cummings. He is getting his first real opportunity in "The Texans." He. too, went British to gain entrance to the studios, and now has dropped the broad "a" and acquired a long one to appear in the saga of the plainsland. Granted Miss Gurie was born in Brooklyn — and she is the first calmly to admit it — she was transported bv her mother and father to the capital of their native land within one year after her birth, and remained there for the better part of her life until four years ago. when she came to Hollvwood. In other words, a mere accident of birth scarcely could be regarded as changing the influences of heredity and environment to the extent where Miss Gurie would be deemed Brooklynese rather than Scandinavian. She wants to be known as an American, but momentarily her accent would deny this. And the Number One axiom of the screen is that appearances mean a lot more than facts. If an actress has a Hungarian accent and looks Hungarian, she might be born in Borneo but she'd still be a Hungarian as far as the movies are concerned. Anyway, Mademoiselle Gurie has (Continued on page t>8) IB