The Strange Love of Molly Louvain (Warner Bros.) (1932)

SEETICEIEE Chorus Girl Improvement Cited By Ann Dvorak, Featured In “Strange Love Of Molly Louvain’ By Kenneth Dawson The old order changeth—and so does the chorus girl. At least so says Ann Dvorak, playing the lead opposite Lee Tracy in the First National production of |'"'The Strange Love of Molly Louvain" at the .... Theatre. Ann, once one of the famous "Singing in the Rain" chorus girls, said to be one of the loveliest screen choruses ever assembled, for three years held down the job of dance instructress to choruses and stars alike at the studio which produced that first beautiful screen chorus. "The old chorus girl lived mainly for a good time—and the chorus of a burlesque revue was about as good a place as she could have picked for that. She lived for rich food, fine clothes, and the chance to marry one of the Johnnies who waited with a one-horse shay at the stage door. “Her sister of the chorus today is quite another sort of person. For one thing, she is far more independent. She doesn't enter the chorus as a stepping stone to matrimony. First of all she wants to succeed. On her own. Wants the chorus to lead to a ie id bibeanyis St z parts, it possible to stardomo——— ——— “The modern chorus girl is ambitious. She is very often a college-bred girl—sometimes a society girl. She reads, knows music, goes to plays, in an effort to train herself in the rigorous business of emerging from a chorus. That's one of the hardest jobs anyone ever tackled. Choruses are chosen largely for their good looks. And there are sO many ways in which looks can beat out talent. “But that's only a phase of it. The increased shapeliness, the finer minds, and the far greater percentage of genuine successes among chorus girls today prove them greatly superior to their sisters of twenty years ago." And who should know better than Ann Dvorak? After three years as chorus girl without being noticed, she finally was discovered by Director Howard Hawks, who has used her in three of his pictures, the last being "The Crowd Roars" opposite James Cagney—in a role which she handled so well that she drew unstinted praise from critics and fans alike. Her important role in "The Strange Love of Molly Louvain" followed her display of dramatic talent in "The Crowd Roars'’ and her work in "The Strange Love of Molly Louvain" has resulted in the assignment to her of an even larger part in "Competition,” in which she will be featured with Chic Sale. It would appear, therefore, that each successive role goes toward the establishment of Ann’ Dvorak as one of Hollywood's truly great screen players. Not at all bad for an ex-chorine. Lee Tracy Characterized As Screen’s Fastest Talker And Thinker By Albert Sanford Writers describe him as a "human dynamo of energy.” The term is descriptive, but doesn't quite ~o far enough. Page Six NEWS FEATURES If you can picture him, rather, as a pinwheel which starts with a great flare in one direction, and suddenly begins going in eight or ten different directions—you'll get a better picture of this Lee Tracy. He is the young man who created a sensation in ‘Front Page" on the stage. Before that he had had various degrees of success in depicting hard-boiled newspaper roles on the stage. He tarried in Hollywood for a while, did several successful pic ’ tures, and then returned to New York to do Norman Krasna's play of Hollywood press agentry, “Louder Please." He returned to Hollywood to do the role of the reporter in "The Strange Love of Molly Louvain," a First National picture, in which he will be seen with Ann Dvorak at the: Ss. Theatrese sy cs Freckled, sandy-haired, with metallic blue eyes—there is nothing to say either for or against his appearance when you meet him. Not until he speaks do you realize the reason for his tremendous success. His voice is pitched a little hiaher than the average, but it is the rasping metallism of its edge that first commands your notice—that and the speed of his speech. He speaks as fast as he thinks, and he thinks like lightning. But the unusual voice marks him. ~H#¥-250—werdsa-minute may be taken as average speech for a fast talking person. Tracy speaks around the 300 mark. The poice and the speech are not assumed merely for the stage or screen by this young man from Georgia. He talks that way on the stage and screen because that's exactly the way he talks when he's off the stage or screen. That, perhaps, has something to do with his becoming an_ actor. Originally, he planned a career as a lawyer. Law gave place to engineering, which in turn gave way to the theatre. There has been no desire to change since. His cronies are not people of the stage and screen. They are, almost down to the last one, newspaper men. Maybe it's association. Maybe it's because he was cut out for one. He doesn't know. But he has come to look like a newspaperman. He acts and talks like one. He has acted in so many first-rate newspaper plays that he believes he actually could cover a story with the best news-hound on Park Row. He lives with his mother, is unmarried; stands five foot eleven and weighs 153 pounds. : Like the newspapermen he emulates, his tastes are simple. First National studios had prepared a nice dressing room for his arrival. They also had a portable one moved onto the set the first day he went to work. He has never been in either. He sits about on the set between shots and chins with the other players, the props, the electricians, or anyone who will talk. His passion is people. There is nothing about them—how they think—that he doesn't make the object of his special attention. Possibly that's why he is such an excellent actor. Possibly not. But it does make him something quite human and likeable. And those are admirable qualities. You'll like him too, » ANN DVORAK ... A Silhouette e (NOTE: The following is an attempt to give you the most complete biography ever obtained about this star. While it has been written in vignette fashion in the form of a personality story, we hope you will also keep it in your morgue for future reference.) Ann Dvorak, now playing at the .... Theatre in First National's "The Strange of Molly Louvain," was born Ann McKim in New York City on August 12, 1912. name Dvorak—pronounced '"'Vor-zhahk'""—is a family name on her mother's side. The girl was educated at St, Catherine's Convent, New York City, and at Page School for Girls, Los Angeles. She wrote and directed plays in school and o sionally acted in them. She won two school tennis tournaments. Her earliest ambition was to write poetry and song lyrics. It is still her ambit to write song lyrics—(she has composed some rather good ones)—and she would | to write a good play, a good novel, and do dramatic criticisms. She would like, at 4 same time, to continue her screen work and be a very great actress. She says th there are many things she would like to do if she had the time. It is probably inevitable that she should become an actress because her mot" and father are of the stage. But for the girl to ,commence her career auspiciously something else again. She looked for film work at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio aad was accepted as a chorus dancer, although she knew nothing about dancing. Before many months she became dance instructress at this studio. Then Joan Crawford and others on the “'lot' became interested in her. Introduced her to Howard Hughes, who gave her a test, then signed her for the leading role in "Scarface." That was the beginning. She prefers the screen to the stage, declaring that she knows little about the stage except fér a brief timé In het-careerowhen-sha was_a dancer. Her favorites in picture: are James Cagney, John Barrymore, Greta Garbo and Joo up her dramatic work she would like to go in for SONG paper dramatic writing, as has been mentioned above. She is interested in all of the arts except sculpture. Has dabbed in sketchin: childhood. Most of all she likes music. She plays the piano very well. She li! music of George Gershwin. Of grand opera and symphonic composers she favor and Chopin. To keep fit she swims at every opportunity, plays tennis, and takes sun baths. He favorite sports are tennis, swimming and riding. Indoors she plays—the piano. Doesn't like bridge but plays chess fairly well. She likes to watch tennis matches. As a form of diet she goes in for very little meat, a great deal of tomato juice and fresh sliced tomatoes, vegetables of all kinds, and NO desserts. Her favorite dish is a special salad called "Dvorak's Own." Here it is: Peel and slice tomatoes, add some hearts of artichokes, asparagus tips. Then figs, swimming in French dressing. She says, "It's a big salad and a good one." Her beauty secrets are simple. She has a bath spray attached to the tub faucet and gives her face a sharp cold spray several times daily. Using a camel's hair tooth brush and good soap, she scrubs her entire face hard twice a week, scrubbing pores of nose and chin, then rinsing with hot, then cold water. Then she puts on good tissue cream for fifteen minutes, then removes and uses cold spray as already mentioned. Her hobbies chiefly consist of her piano and the beach. She reads a lot and likes the novels of Ernest Hemingway, Theodore Dreiser, Louis Bromfield, and the plays of Noel Coward and Frederic Lonsdale. She owns a Boston Bull—her name is "Buddy." Her pet aversions include heavy food and boiled dinners. She is not fond of watching athletic games, except fast tennis matches. Dislikes untrue stories which were once circulated telling of her early poverty. When she was asked her views on domesticity she declared: "It's all right if you f don't let it dominate you. | will never let marriage interfere with my work or ambitions." The day after she made this statement—March 17, 1932—she flew to Yuma, Arizona, with Leslie Fenton and they were married. Both had just finished work in the picture, ''The Strange Love of Molly Louvain." She had played the role of the heroine and Fenton had been the villain. Ann Dvorak is 5 feet 41/5 inches tall, weighs 110 pounds, has green eyes and brown hair. She is under contract to Warner Bros.-First National Pictures and her recent pictures ‘include: "'The Crowd Roars,” "Love Is a Racket," and the currently showing "The Strange Love of Molly Louvain.”