Picture Play Magazine (Sep 1928 - Feb 1929)

21 tke B umps probably work harder to cause that laugh, This is an entertaining story of three of former. garet Reid y pleased executives that she was offered a fiveyear contract. Christie, however, retained her for the chorus-girl series, and she was philosophically content. More than ordinarily sage for her years, Frances is ambitious in a sensible way. "In this series," she says, "I'll have a chance to test whatever ability I have. I want to find out for myself just what my metier is. I never thought of myself as a comedienne, but they seem to think I have talent for it. My secret desire is for the sort of thing Janet Gaynor does. But I might not be able to do it at all. It is open for experiment. Whatever I do, I'd like it to be definite — either to make them laugh, or make them cry." After this series, in which she will have tried the former, she wants to have a fling at the latter. Being a sensible child, she will be satisfied if the experiment proves that her talent lies in the direction of comics and bumps. But being human and feminine, she would a little rather it fell in the more romantic area of the business Estelle Bradley flits decora tively through Educati onal comedies. She is a genuine blonde, paleyellow hair framing a baby face. A round face, incredibly pink and white, decorated with very blue eyes, a delicately chiseled nose, and a mouth that can only, I am afraid, be described as rosebud. Though she uses very little makeup, even for the ruthless comedy camera, not a flaw can be noted. Technicolor was thought up for such as Estelle. This angel was born in Atlanta, Georgia, twenty years ago. Of an untheatrical family, and with no particular yearnings for fame herself, the road to it was laid out before her — and carpeted into the bargain. To-day, grateful as she is for the ease with which everything has come to her, she feels vaguely guilty about it ; that she has had all the breaks, where so many get only broken and battered. At sixteen, she was elected "Miss Atlanta" for 1924. And, for once, a beauty-contest winner did crash through. I mean into pic Frances Lee is giving her comedy talents a try-out, but she secretly hopes to do work similar to Janet Gaynor's. Estelle Bradley is one of the few to have crashed the gates' of moviedom through having been a beauty-contest winner. tures, not into waiting on tables in some boulevard restaurant. The late Sam Warner, on a tour of investigation into the Warner Brothers' business circuit, visited Atlanta. A dinner was given in his honor, at which Miss Atlanta, being the local headliner of the moment, was present. Warner observed the camera proof ness of the Bradley ensemble and, before the assembled company, made her an offer. If Miss Bradley would care to give pictures a trial, he would pay the expenses of her and her mother to Hollywood and, on her arrival, would guarantee her a stock engagement with Warner Brothers. In Hollywood, Estelle found that Mr. Warner had arranged everything from New York, where he had gone. Immediately she went on salary. It was, however, the slack season at the studios, that annual lull following completion of the year's schedule. Unwilling to put her in extra work, studio executives wanted to reserve her for the time when production should be in full swing. But Estelle was eager for actual exploration into this new-found interest. She wanted to work. Warner Brothers amiably agreed to let her search elsewhere. Hearing of the need for a leading lady at the Educational studio, she went after the job and — things happening that way to Estelle — got it. Continued on page 96