Two Against the World (Warner Bros.) (1932)

6 NEWS FEATURES Page Six Advance Saturday or Sunday Feature Constance Bennett Very Human and Very Sensible The seeret of what observers and interviewers of Constance Bennett would have you believe is ‘‘temperament’”’ (with a capital T) is revealed. It’s not Temper—meant or unmeant. It’s an over-developed sense of humor; the motivating spirit of the practical joker, coupled with a sensible realization of her physical limitations. Connie, who comes to the ................ Theatre .... ccosey in the Warner Bros. feature, ‘‘Two Against the World,’’ is just a tiny bit, physically, but a large quantity in terms of screen importance. Naturally, it tickles her to exercise the imperious authority that her position gives her. But, if the truth were known, she giggles up her sleeve as she sees large groups of ‘‘big’’ men ‘‘snap into it’’ at her command. She’d have the casual watcher be: lieve that she’s a shrew and a martinet rolled into one package. Obviously, she couldn’t be. No one as com: panionable as she is, offstage, could be. It is questionable if any woman star, in private life, has as many smart and real friends as Constance Bennett. They like her and she likes them. In the studio, however, she’s always pretending she’s a terror, when in reality she’s simply protecting herself against a physical breakdown. For instanee, her working schedule provides for her to finish at 4 p.m. Only rarely will she consent to pose after that deadline. On more than one occasion she has been known to turn her back on the camera while the director pleaded for ‘‘just one more close-up.’? P Why does she do that? Temperament? No! The reason is that when she is working, THE Bennett is very thrifty of her strength. She’s only a little thing, you know, and a day before the camera is very tiring for even the strongest of men and women players, Must Conserve Strength She measures off her day and her strength in exact portions. Up at 7 a.m., she breakfasts lightly, is tubbed and at the studio at 8 o’clock. Ready to work. At noon, she knocks off for lunch, a sustaining meal. Back to work again until 4 o’clock, when, figuratively, the whistle blows and she turns her back on the camera. At 4:30 she is at her home, has a shower and a glass of orange juice and, at 5 o’clock, she is in bed for a rest which may last until dinner time —7<30-——or until the next morning. Thus, it’s not temperament that makes her turn her back on the camera at 4 o’clock but, instead, the exigencies of a routine which she has evolved for the conservation of her strength. While a picture is in the making, Connie eschews social affairs almost complotely. A small dinner party at home now and then, maybe, but no big drawing room parties or tennis or other diversions which featuro her loafing time. It is infrequent that TITE Bennett is quoted in an interview—you’ll note the absence of quotes here, probably —because she doesn’t like to be interviewed. She has an old-fashioned idea that audiences are interested only in what artists can give them as entertainers. She doesn’t like to refuse to seo interviewers, but she doesn’t like to be interviewed, either. In the studio cafe, Connio is as impish as a terrier. Sho’ll get picky about dessert and bawl out a director or anyone else who tries to tell her what to eat. Rough on the Boss Then she will wink at the waitress, walk over to the service table and let the girl tell her what to eat. On the set, she will get off by herself and glare forbiddingly at potentates or producers who show signs of wanting to talk to her. Next minute, she may grab hands with some lowly member of the east and go skipping through the stage. She seems to have her tongue in her check, even when she is apparently at her stormiest. And do you know what she does for diversion on the set? Knits: Honestly, all during the making of ‘‘Two Against The World,’’ her new Warner Bros. picture, she was deftly knitting a white wool beach robe or blanket, or whatever it is that nice people spread on sand under those big, bright-colored umbrellas. Before she took up knitting, she did cross word puzzles for excitement. Can a girl like that be temperamental? ‘*Two Against The World’? is Constance Bennett’s second starring produrtion for Warner Bros. Her first: ‘*Bought,’’ having previously scored a tremendous international success. The screen play was written by Sheridan Gibney, from a story by Marion Dix and Jerry Horwin. It was directed by Archie Mayo and the cast supporting Miss Bennett includes such splendid players as Neil Hamilton, Helen Vinson, Gavin Gordon, Allen Vincent, Walter Walker, Eulalie Jensen, Alan Mowbraw, Roscoe Karns, Hale Hamilton and Oscar Apfel. Advance Saturday or Sunday Fashion Feature Constance Bennett Wears 22 Gorgeous Costumes in **Two Against the World’’ Constance Bennett, voted by many the smartest gowned woman. in the world, wears 22 original creations specially designed for her by Hattie Carnegie, famous New York and Hollywood stylist, when she comes to the ................. Seen Tee... ’ in ‘‘Two Against The World,’’ her latest Warner Bros.’ produc While the gowns were made to display the personal beauty and superb figure of the star, several have the additional interest of being created to set new styles, and Miss Bennett, womanlike, while filming the picture, many times expressed her joy at the new creations. First, perhaps, in point of originality, is a simple evening frock of black flat crepe, over which is worn a matching crepe jacket ending in an extremely wide belt of brilliants, mirrors and rhinestones, which, coming to a point in front, gives a new version of the raised waistline. Further interest comes in shoulder detail, which includes a pointed inset of silver sequins starting at the end of the short sleeve and reaching the neck in a dash of brilliance along the shoulder seam, Women who go to cocktail parties, seeing friends off to Europe, and other occasions requiring extreme smartness with a lesser degree of formality, will like the mannish little costume patterned after the dark trousers and white mess jacket of the Advance Saturday or Sunday Feature Lots of Excitement When Constance Bennett Works There is nothing calm about the sets when Constance Bennett makes a picture. The Marquise de la Falaise de la Coudray has inherited too much of her father’s colorful temperament to trade a lot of dullness for a little dignity. So it turned out that the Warner Bros.’ stage where Miss Bennett and Neil Hamilton and a considerable east of players were making ‘‘Two Against The World,’’ under the direction of bouneing, boisterous Archie Mayo, was a noisy place, full of hard work. pleasant associations and many good natured arguments. There aro other sets on the same studio grounds, equally efficient, where the atmosphere generally is the exact opposite. Ruth Chatterton’s picture, ‘‘The Crash,’’ for example. It is almost painfully quiet. The Star a Fighter The hushed feeling is more noticeable than on a set where George Arliss is working. Miss Chatterton is severely aloof. Mr. Arliss is a mild gentleman whose quict insistence is always backed by a friendly smile. Miss Bennett is not aloof and she is not quiet. She fights for her opinions openly, in front of the assembled cast and crew. Miss Bennett and Miss Chatterton are probably the two most interesting women in Hollywood today. They frequently work in pictures that are of the same general ‘‘type.’’ Yet they are as different from the studio workers’ standpoint as two people could be—and both are popular in their own way with the studio staff. Miss Chatterton is always cool and calm. If she argues about a sceno or a line or a situation—and she does sometimes—it is in a far corner of the studio or in some private office and her irritation is expressed most often by a mere slight tapping of a dainty toe. Miss Bennett, on the other hand, is almost never calm. She ‘‘blows up’? on occasion, blows up completely and whole-heartedly — goes all to pieces with a splendid abandon. She does so in ‘Two Against The World,’’ her latest Warner Bros. picture which is . Theatre But after she has blown up she is apt to grin and go and do exactly the thing she has blown up about doing. When she ar coming to the gues, as she does often, about a scene or a line or a situation, she paces the floor in front of the players, the technical workers, the electricians, hairdressers, carpenters, grips and prop erty men, emphasizing her arguments with generous gestures, Shades of Richard Bennett telling an unresponsive audience a thing or two! **But then I would be ‘acting,’ Archie,’’ she will say. ‘‘T don’t see it that way at all. I don’t feel it. T ean’t do it!’’ Bennett—Fast Talker Sometimes Mayo becomes — eon vineed she is” right. shows her where she is wrong. **She talks fast,’’ Mayo agrees. ‘*She likes to argue. But T’ll say this for her. She ean be convineed , that she’s wrone. And until von’ve worked with someone who is. never Sometimes he wrong, you don’t know what a splen did quality that is in Connie.?? seine sedate and dignified is al most impossible on oa picture which Archie Mayo directs. Tle radiates good humor from off all of lis seant three hundred pounds. Tle has the endurance of a beach ball, whieh he somehow resembles, and an unfailing and saving graee of comedy. Te re fuses stendfastly to be impressed although he has not as vet directed Miss Chatterton. But he has directed John Barrymore and Barbara Stan wvek and Kay Francis without e&or having that smile wiped off his face. Mayo calls Miss Bennety °*Con nie.?? When he is partieulariv anxtous to have a seene successful he drops into the same affectionate terms with her that he uses to all plavers who work in his pictures, **Let’s take it now, dearie,’’? he will say, ‘Sif von feel the urge.’? Or again he will beg, {Do von feel up to it, girlie? Can’t we take it now? Tt’s got to be real. Tt’s all up to vou. You’re in every seene in this pieture.?? *€Pamous Inst words,’’ Jennett. “4Tf von tell me again that it all depends on me, T’ll scream. And when T seream-—’’ *T know,’? says Archie quickly. **T know. You’ll seream!’? *¢TTe makes me Jaugh,’? Miss Ben nett tells her confidants. ‘‘Tt’s worth 7) warns Miss a lot to laugh, sometimes. There is a strong supporting cast with Neil Hamilton, who made sueh a suecess in ‘‘The Sin of Madeline Claudet,’?’ playing the male lead. Other important plavers are Tlelen Vinson, Gavin Gordon, Allen Vincent, Walter Walker, Roseoe Karns, Alan Mowlhrav and Hale Hamilton. OOOO eee eee tropics. In black broadcloth, the skirt is long and narrow, while the jacket, of heavy, rough crepe, has the short cutaway effect, single-button closing, and, clever note, an enormous raggedy flower of bright red. An old friend, the jumper, or guimpe dress, finds a new smartness in black crepe, made long and fitting perfectly by means of bias cutting, with the cut-out neckline and straps revealing a sheer blouse of white, cross-barred organdie, very puffed and short as to sleeve, and further allied with two large organdie roses worn low on the bodice, Even the raincoat, formerly a wardrobe item less cherished for beauty than for service, becomes a thing of beauty with Constance Bennett, in a medium of shining white rubber contrasted with black. Military in spirit, with high, tight belt, high collar and side closing, it has four large black buttons toward the shoulder, and hangs free in a growing flare toward the black-stitched hem. For an_ out-of-doors breakfast party, the star selected another unusual costume, this time a jacket frock fashioned of a heavy pebbly material in white, called sharkskin, and tailored from its wide lapels to the flat kickpleats at the bottom of the long skirt. This, double-breasted as to frock and short as to bolero, becomes the more distinctive through a double row of large red buttons down the front, and matching, ragged flower of red touched with green, at the shoulder. Other notes of interest which will be seen when ‘‘Two Against the World’’ is seen on the sereen, include an evening gown of ashes of roses crepe, for which the shirred bodice and twisted belt are new; a broadeloth suit for fall, with lei-collar of point fox; and a baby blue crepe suit showing three-quarter sleeves that blouse into a double bell because of a tight elastic band worn snugly about the forearm. Helen Vinson, a newcomer to the screen, shows great promise as another fashion exponent, with a lovely wardrobe created for her role as ( stance Bennett’s sister by Orr studio stylist. Neil H» Vincent, Gavin Gorde bray have im: Against * dir