Picture Play Magazine (1938)

40 the script called for Merle to vamp the hero. There was delay in getting the lights just right, and the cast felt conversational. Merle winked at a prop man, slid out of the hot set, and walked over. "Don't you think Hank Potter is a swell director?" she said. We did. We had just seen his MGM effort, "The Shopworn Angel," and it looked good. "Well," said Merle, "did you know he was more a New York socialite than anything else four years ago?" We didn't, so she kept on. "Yes — and then he became interested in a Little Theater on Long Island." Somebody else said, "Mr. Goldwyn found him, and before long he directed 'Beloved Enemy.' He's been good ever since. You'll love this yarn about Merle, the rich girl, and Gary, the poor cowboy." Gary himself had been standing there in his usual silence. Suddenly he settled the whole problem. "This is swell," he said. "I'm a cowboy again. That's the way Samuel Goldwyn started me off ten years ago — in 'Winning of Barbara Worth.' Yep, it's swell." Whereupon they all went back to work again. Villain Foiled. — Bob Montgomery gave his final instructions to his butler, Reginald Owen: when the girl entered his penthouse, the lights were to go out suddenly — Owen was to enter and report the fuses were blown. Owen carried through as instructed. There was a knock at the door and the girl (Claire Dodd) entered. Montgomery gave the signal, then suddenly discovered she has brought her mother, Remember "White Collars"? Now it's "Three's A Crowd" with Bob Young, Lew Ayres, Ruth Hussey. Looks goodl Cora Witherspoon, with her. It is too late, however — the fuses blew out and Owen walked in, a bit on the smirking side, with one lone romantic candle. I watched the scene — the opening one of "Three Loves Has Nancy," as it was shot on Stage 12 at MGM. Montgomery finished the take with a flourish and walked our way. "Heigh-ho," he said, "and I'm the old playboy again. But maybe it's about time. I was a murderer not so long ago, and then a soldier in the mosquito country. Yep — it's not so bad being a playboy." I couldn't help agreeing with him. Claire Dodd, lovely to look at, starts making things interesting from the very first. And if that isn't sufficient, Janet Gaynor soon walks in to make things even nicer. Montgomery contributes wisecracks to keep things humming in between shots. It's a set you like to linger on. La-la — It's Zaza! — George Cukor was busy on Stage 5 at Paramount doing the first takes on "Zaza," starring Claudette Colbert and Herb Marshall. Between scenes Claudette was wearing a green dressing gown tied loosely around her waist. It didn't seem like a very decorative gown, and I asked her why she wore it. Claudette just shrugged. Later, I found out Claudette is superstitious. She believes if she wears that dressing gown during the opening scenes her picture will be a hit. Zaza, as you may remember, was a French entertainer with lots of "la-la." Claudette, wearing the clothes characteristic of the turn of the century, fits the role perfectly. I watched her scene with Marshall and Michael Brook, the Earl of Warwick, which called for them to approach the Alcazar (outdoor garden and theater), and for Claudette to leave a rickety carriage amid much laughter and excitement. She was, distinctly, the coquette. Before the cameras started grinding Director George Cukor enacted the whole thing for the cast, giving the scene an amazing dash and verve. Then the camera started to roll. I could tell he didn't like the last few seconds of the scene. But did he say it wasn't so good? He did not! He said, "I got my head in the way — that's too bad. Let's do it over — and this time put more punch into it." Good psychology, what? One reason why Cukor is a great director, I think. The technical advisor on the sidelines appeared to be nobody at all. She wore slacks and A scene from the famous old play, "Zaza." Walter Catlett, Bert Lahr, Genevieve Tobin, Rex O'Malley. dark glasses. I asked about her — and I found she was Nazimova, yes, Nazimova, the great, who a decade ago played "Zaza" herself! Director Falls Overboard. — Before us was an ideal love scene. Joel McCrea and Andrea Leeds were enacting a nice bit of "woo," and everything looked pretty hotsytotsy. It was a big moment in the (Continued on page 75)