Picture-Play Magazine (Sep 1928 - Feb 1929)

43 Sky — But She's Getting On Jean Arthur was literally forced into the movies by Norma Shearer when both were posing for artists, and she hasn't quite recovered from the surprise of making good. By Patsy DuBuis TWO young girls raced down Hollywood Boulevard in a high-powered roadster. They were hurrying to the Montmartre to finish luncheon before the big midday rush began at that popular cafe. Soon they were seated in a remote corner of the restaurant. And, taking simultaneous breaths, they turned to regard one another. It happened to be the first time they had met. In the rush of introductions and hurrying from the studio, they had not had a chance even to become acquainted. So now here they were at last, looking at one another. The lovely, brown-haired girl in the white hat and sports dress was Jean Arthur. The other girl was the interviewer. "How long have you done interviewing? Do you like it? Did you ever work on a newspaper? Why didn't you introduce me Jean Arthu and talks well-bred girl. r looks like a college to Gary Cooper?" This was the opening sally of the "interview" and, as you may see, the questions were all on the part of Miss Arthur. She was thrilled, because she thought interviewing must be exciting, that newspaper work was more so, and because Gary Cooper had stopped in the studio corridor to speak to me. He is one of her favorites and, though they work on the same lot, she had never met him. With such queries being volleyed at me by such an eager questioner, I was soon lost in their answers. Eventually we were both deep in finding out all about one another. The interview was forgotten. We had found in each other a friendly soul. The fact that one was an actress and the other a businesslike interviewer, completely eluded us. We were merely two girls indulging in confidences. It is for this reason that I cannot tell you the things about Jean Arthur that other interviewers might consider important. I haven't the faintest idea where she was born. I don't know whether her parents are English or Tasmanian. Nor did I learn where she went to school. I was not interested in these stock details. I was vitally interested in her immediate likes and dislikes, in her rather unusual personality, and concerning her first days in Hollywood. So, I warn you, that is what this story offers you. In the first place, I'll try to describe Jean Arthur. She is small, and unusually good looking. Not beautiful, nor languid, nor ethereal. She does not look like an actress, in the least. She talks and acts like a sensible, well-bred college girl. Jean Arthur apparently has always been shy, even in New York when she was posing for commercial artists. She could not un derstand why they chose her to pose for them. She was very sure that she had no personality and only a fair amount of good looks. And there were such beautiful girls who wanted to pose. She and Norma Shearer posed for the same artist. Jean thought Norma the most beautiful girl in the world, and still does. She talks about how successful Norma is, and what a wonderful person she is. It was Norma Shearer who urged Jean to take her first screen test. Fox was looking for a promising girl to play leading roles, and quite a number of beautiful girls in New York took tests for the place. But it was shy, little Jean, pushed into the Fox offices by Norma Shearer, who won the coveted honor. "And so," Jean told me, "I came to California with my mother, father and two brothers." That was four years ago. And Jean has never played extra or bits in pictures. She's been the heroine of countless obscure dramas and horse operas. She had a background of fine training when the big chance came, and Paramount offered her a five-year contract. "When I was called," she said, "to play opposite Richard Dix in 'Warming Up,' I was so S^-v excited that I didn't sleep and couldn't eat. I thought I'd be afraid of Mr. Dix. And I thought he'd high-hat me. But did he? Well, I should say not. He changed little scenes around so that I'd have more to do in them — he made everything perfectly wonderful, and taught me a lot about acting and direction that I'd never known, and could have learned in no other way. I'll never cease tQ, be grateful to him." I wish I could really describe little Jean to you. She is so entirely different from other starlets I've known. She gives such a definite impression of being on the outside, looking at the inside of the industry to which she gives her time and talent. She asked if I had seen Mr. Dix since his illness. When I replied in the negative she volunteered that neither had she, and wondered how he appeared. Her voice told me that she looks upon Dix of the film world as of another and higher sphere. She thinks of herself as a prosaic little home-body, who periodically acts before a camera with these glorified personalities. She was busy hanging curtains when I visited her home. Her hair was tousled, her hands were grimy, and she was ridiculously happy. She had just been notified that she was to play Emil Janning's' daughter in "Sins of the Fathers." Only the day before she and I had gone to the studio to see the test made of her for the role. We had vowed to one another Continued on page 105