Alias the Doctor (Warner Bros.) (1932)

* Richard Barthelmess is NEWS FEATURES Richard Barthelmess Only Star In Hollywood Who Has Made An Inferiority Complex Pay! By George H. Thomas Of all the stars in Hollywood, the one young man who has made an inferiority complex pay. There is no one in the entire film eolony quite so shy and retiring— and who really is shy and retiring. Some pretend to be, but it’s a pose. With Barthelmess it’s a fact. Barthelmess who comes to the aes. Theatre:.......in “Alias the Doctor” is really a little bit touchy about his profession. He dislikes to smear makeup on his face, and whenever he can play roles without makeup he is happy. He will not let photographers meet him at trains. He sneaks into New York on his occasional visits there, hoping that no one will find out he is in town. He never will pose for “gag” pictures, or do stunts for publicity and never has, not even in the days when he was struggling to get a foothold. Public appearances are absolutely taboo. He is a little sorry that he’s not a broker or a professional man, so that he could go about his business without a ballyhoo. And he really ——imeans it. Yet Barthelmess has been on the “top of the heap,” cinematically speaking, for a longer time than any star in pictures—without a single exception. He has maintained his popularity through good pictures and bad — for it is impossible during a long career to avoid bad pictures, as any star can testify. 4 Silhouette Of Richard Barthelmess His hair is darker than you imagined ... and his mouth smiles erooked ... has a girl’s skin . you have to stand close to him if you want to hear everything because he talks too low... all his clothes come from England .. . he’s considered the most conservative dresser in Hollywood ... drives a green Lincoln coupe three years old ... himself... and brings no valet to the studio ... he goes to the big social affairs in Hollywood but... you know ... little too noisy ... he has a little yacht that he’s been trying to learn how to operate for years ... his best friends predict that a boom will take his head off some day... he plays tennis with Bill Powell regularly ... and beats him regularly . .. just as he can beat any player in Hollywood... all his hats have slouch brims... and three out of four are green... in hot weather he eats nothing but Page Five Back in the days when “Hulda From Holland” and “A Wall Street Tragedy” were considered good “box office” titles; when Mary Pickford was struggling for stardom and Charles Chaplin was getting $40 a week as a stage comedian in small vaudeville theatres, Barthelmess played a bit in “War Brides” with Nazimova. Within a few months he was on his way to stardom and his name has been in lights since that time. He is now on the crest of his popularity —yet he is the same retiring, modest and shy sort of a person who diffidently asked for a part in “War Brides” — rather hoping he wouldn’t get it. He has never forgiven himself for letting studio officials talk him into taking eredit for singing in “Weary River.” It was when the talkies were new, and Barthelmess didn’t realize the reaction the publie would have to his singing—didn’t think it mattered much until he began to get Rudy Vallee mash notes on his voice. Then he issued an ultimatum that he would play no more singing roles, and he never has. “Ym no John McCormack nor Rudy Vallee,” he said, “And I’m not going to pretend to be. If I haven’t enough qualifications of my own for pictures, ’ll quit.” And that was that. In Barthelmess’ most recent role, that of the young surgeon in “Alias the Doctor,” he has a part that might have been written for the real Barthelmess, although it wasn’t. He has made very few close friends, but those he has have been his friends for years — William Powell, Ronald Colman, Ernest Torrence and a few others. Another was the late Frank Bangs, celebrated salads . . . in cold weather he eats two orders of lamb chops and iced tea ... once on a dare he dived into a Hollywood reservoir with all his clothes on ... the stock market is supposed to have done things to him —+-but—_nottoo much-.-= he has traveled more than any one in the film colony ... and intends to spend a good many years of his life doing just that ... his contract with First National was arranged to give him six months off a year... his featured playing has gone on for fifteen years ... and there is no one male star near him by ten... he’s a Psi Upsilon, Beta Beta Chapter of Trinity ... he has to sleep with his face toward the window... and if he’s sleeping outdoors he’s on his back ... he once won a contest for the most perfect teeth but he can’t find the certificate ... he has a lot of hair on his shoulders . .. he doesn’t use vaseline or grease on that black hair ... and half his motion picture shots are done without makeup ... for a grown up adult he has the babiest face ... « theatrical photographer who was for a number of years the still photographer on Barthelmess’ pictures. An incident typical of Barthelmess occurred a year or so ago, when the photograph department of First National Studios burned. Barthelmess knew that Bangs had some very expensive imported camera lenses in his office in the building. While the fire was at its height he rushed into the smoke-filled hallways and brought out these lenses: A studio photographer who was photographing the fire dashed over to take Barthelmess’ picture. down on the pavement and ran. Another real friend of Barthelmess was the late Milton Sills. story. When Barthelmess’ picture “The Patent Leather Kid” opened in Los Angeles, Sills was master of ceremonies. In introducing Barthelmess he mentioned the fact that the star at last “had a good picture which would bring him back again to his many friends.” Sills was attempting to pay Barthelmess a tribute in that he had remained successful through poor pictures. Barthelmess thought that Sills had stated the case rather badly, and was considerably rattled, coming on the stage flushed and nervous. Sills was extremely sorry and apologized later, but friends of the two kept sending word to Sills that Barthelmess was “on his trail.” Some time later Sills’ first talking picture “The Barker” opened in Los Angeles. Barthelmess was asked to officiate and although he made it a rule to avoid personal appearances, he immediately accepted this offer, much to everyone’s surprise. Soon the reason became known. he won’t tie his left shoe in the morning before his right because it’s unlucky ... and he won’t start ‘a picture on Friday ... his middle name is Semler .. . he doesn’t know how he got it... he writes to his mother in New York once a week . and baby letters to his little girl . . . he doesn’t like people to ask him if Barthelmess is his real name... because it is... when he isn’t working on the set he watches the carpenters... he likes to bet them he can drive in a nail with less strokes than they can... he’s never won yet... a doctor once told him he shouldn’t eat certain foods but he’s lost the list and the doctor’s address, he claims, and he eats what he feels like... last year when the announcement came in that Barthelmess had been killed in an automobile accident he refused to go in a car for two days ... he once saw a little girl get run over and now he drives his Lincoln about thirty miles an hour at top speed . . his best picture is always the last one, until he starts the new one He laid the costly lenses And_ back of that friendship is an unusual * Sills was told by several that Barthelmess was at last going to have his revenge. That in introducing Sills he would “burn him up.” Sills, always extremely sensitive himself, worried for days about the situation. When the night of the opening came, he was almost a nervous wreck. Barthelmess, clad immaculately in evening clothes stepped before the curtain and paid Sills one of the most remarkable tributes one artist ever paid another. After complimenting him on his great performance in “The Barker,” he paid his respects to Sills as a man, and a citizen, saying that Sills had always been one of the outstanding credits to the film industry. And he said it in a way that everyone in the crowded theatre knew he meant it. Sills came out on the stage with tears in his eyes and was almost unable to speak. From that day to the day of his death, Sills and Barthelmess were the closest of friends. It was the “revenge” of a shy young man, who was really anxious to pay a tribute to a fellow artist whom he knew deserved it. But it was one of the few public appearances of the shy young man who prefers his quiet Malibu Beach cottage to adulation and hullabaloo; who refuses to let newspaper photographers make pictures of his daughter because he feels it is not in good taste; who hates makeup and who wants his screen appearances to speak for “Alias the Doctor,” which opens at 13 ls eee ieee reer A Theatre next Sra a speaks volumes for Barthelmess as a movie star. You’ve got to know him personally to realize his excellent attributes as a gentleman. 4 . . authors think he changes too many lines of their scripts ... but Jack L. Warner lets him do as he pleases, after “The Dawn Patrol,” “The Finger Points,” and “The Last Flight” ... he’s a little sorry about Johnny Murray doubling for his singing in “Weary River,” but he thought it was a joke at the time... as a matter of fact he has a swell voice but it looked like a good idea to have a professional sing ... he once threw a tennis ball over the Broadway Store on Hollywood Boulevard ... he has more pair of tennis flannels than he has of business clothes... he likes pictures fine ... only-he likes traveling better ... he doesn’t want to remake any of his old successes of silent days because he feels his personality has changed .. . if you call him Richard youw’re liable to get a sock on the nose... and he can do it... coming to the........ Theatres eo ee in “Alias the Doctor,” his latest First National picture — has two lovely leading women in it—both blondes—Marian Marsh and Adrienne Dore. ~ themselves. ae