Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1928 - Feb 1929)

22 Three Young Gals Photo by Hesser Sally Blane, christened Betty Jane Young, is not the most beautiful, but she has more personality than her two sisters. She doesn't yet know why she became Sally Blane, when Betty Jane Young seemed, to her, a much better name. But one doesn't quibble over a little thing like •that, with a contract sitting around waiting to be signed. She was given plenty to do — a role in "Casey at the Bat," and another in "Shooting Irons." In "Wife Savers," "Fools for Luck," and in "The Vanishing Pioneer," Jack Holt's new picture. Between times she was lent to F. B. O., and to Fox. Sally obtained a good start for Polly Ann, her older sister, as well. Having made the Young family what an ad writer would call "movie minded," Sally persuaded Polly Ann to try for extra work. She persuaded her to the extent of almost dragging her into casting offices. As I said, Polly Ann is shy; left to herself, she would never have had the aggressiveness to go about asking for jobs. But Sally would say, "Now come along," and shove her before the casting director's window. Polly Ann would stand there tongue-tied. "Well?" the casting" man would ask impatiently, and Polly Ann would be forced to speak up. It was good training, and Polly Ann had the looks, so she managed to get extra roles quite often. She was called upon frequently to double for stars, in long shots — Joan Crawford, the two Dolores: 'Costello and Del Rio. "But how," I demanded, "could she possibly look like both Del Rio and Costello?" It does seem amazing, Polly Ann being a brunette, but they say_that with a blond wig one could scarcely tell her from Dolores Costello. She and Loretta have the Costello mouth. Gradually Polly Ann got bigger and better bits, until she was given a good part in "The Bellamy Trial," and a contract with Metro-Goldwyn. Loretta, really just a child, had a movie career thrust upon her. A call came for Polly Ann for extra work, but she was away on location. I can almost hear Sally, the aggressive member of the family, urging Loretta, "Why don't you take it instead ?"_ So Loretta did. The picture was "Naughty But Nice," and Colleen Moore noticed Loretta among the extras. "That's a cute girl," Colleen told John McCormick, her husband and supervisor. Mr. McCormick arranged for a screen test, which came out beautifully. There was quite a little argument. After all, Loretta was only thirteen at the time, and that seemed really a bit too young for an ingenue, and Photo by Hesser Polly Ann Young is the shyest and quietest of the three sisters, and was practically pushed into pictures by Sally. too old for a child actress. But her screen tests were really lovely. "If we don't sign her," said John McCormick, "some one else will."' So Loretta was proffered a contract. Even though it was necessary for First National to wait several years before she grew up enough to be useful, the company decided she was worth it. Really, could a girl ask for better luck than that ? Apparently the Moore-McCormick judgment proved sound. Loretta played tiny parts from time to time, then a small role in "The Whip Woman," and. then she was borrowed by Metro-Goldwyn for "Laugh, Clown, Laugh !" in which she created quite an impression. Now she is back on her home lot, and recently finished an ingenue lead in Charlie Murray's new film, "The Head Continued on page 108