Screenland (May–Oct 1927)

90 SCREENLAND □ II I lllllllll I M I I I llllll iimiiiinillllllllllllpr| A step toward the Real Scenario Money with FRANCES MARION America's highest paid screen writer. Miss Marion has written thirteen scripts for Mary Pickford, a half dozen for Norma Talmadge, and in the past year has done the screen versions of "Stella Dallas," Winning of Barbara Worth," "The Scarlet Letter," and The Wind." She has seen too many "Minnie Flynns" come and go before her to miss any of the high spots in their singularly similar stories. She has made practically every one of the characters in her novel so faithful a portrait of an actual "movie" celebrity that many readers will guess the identity of each before they have read three chapters. The title of Miss Marion's book scarcely portrays its excellent qualities. An associate editor of Screen land, after reading this book said: "It has the true atmosphere of the Motion Picture Studios and should interest every screen fan." This book is in its 4th edition. It offers more insight to the screen than any current book. Write for Frances Marion's success: MINNIE FLYNN. Screenland Book Dept. (Desk 5) 49 West 45th St. New York City For the enclosed $2.00 please send me a copy of "Minnie Flynn." We have heard that the Russians love to be unhappy, and this looks like it. Fancy a man who desires to live always with unrequitcd love in his bosom! And here the answers to our wired inquiries are beginning to arrive. Ben Lyon's letter says, succjntly, "I adore blonde hair, and even though it be short, long may it wave." Brevity is the soul of wit. Ricardo Cortez's wire reads: "Do gentlemen prefer blondes? Well, my preference is proven by fact I chose Alma Rubens who is decidedly not a blonde stop. I like my brunettes dark and the darker the better stop. Lorelie would never tempt me on the rocks stop." William Powell says: "My preference depends entirely upon my mood stop. When I am in a gay irresponsible mood a blonde is the only type that appeals to me stop. When however I feel thoughtful a bit sentimental or sad a brown eyed black haired maid seems to fit the situation better stop. James Hall declares: "I preferred blondes decidedly during my career in New York but had a change of heart when I arrived in Hollywood where there are so many blondes small large peroxide and hennaed stop. Now and then of course one finds an honest to goodness straight from God golden crop stop. Now however I prefer brunettes and red heads because of their great scarcity if nothing else stop." Arch Reeve who takes charge of such matters in the west coast Paramount studio sent the following about Adolphc Menjou. You remember in "Blonde or Brunette" he preferred the blonde. Now read what Mr. Reeve says about him. "Adolphe Menjou prefers blondes and is therefore a gentleman stop. He cannot give a definite reason why he prefers blondes except that perhaps they come nearer a childhood dream he used to have about the kind of a girl he would have when he grew up stop. This dream girl was always a golden blonde with blue eyes." And now, Do Gentlemen Prefer Blondes? Off Screen Charm — Continued from page 19 Address E ■ ■mi i it in i ,i Minium inn • mi • "'0 Blanche Sweet was one of the first girls of the films whose personal charm got over on the screen. Young, blonde and beautiful, seven or eight years ago she was one of the greatest of our film favorites. Then suddenly she began to fade and everybody predicted, and deeply regretted, her imminent artistic finish. At that time she looked every day of thirty-five. Then she married Micky Neilan and a psychic miracle happened. Blanche not only began to laugh at the almanac, — she pushed it backward! In two years she was only twenty-eight! Two years later she was only twenty-two! ! And now, — well, I saw her splashing in the surf at the Beach Club last Sunday, and I swear that by all reasonable reckoning Blanche Sweet is now eighteen years old! ! ! With a figure like a young boy, skin tanned a warm olive, eyes blue and bright and blonde hair blowing in one of these letting-it-grow bobs, she radiated a joyous and youthful charm that made some of the young, blase flappers look like little old women. If Blanche continues to push back the hands of Time they'll soon be signing her up for Our Gang. Judging by Ramon Novarro's fan mail, his charm also gets over on the screen, and no wonder, for he is one of the most fas' cinating boys I have ever met. Joyous, romantic and extremely religious his intelligence has saved him from the vanities of success. Ramon is Mexican, and proud of it. He makes no grandiose claims to highfalutin Spanish blood, though his aristocracy shines forth quite transparently. They tell me his salary supports a large family of younger brothers and sisters, that he contributes generously to the church, and that two of his sisters are nuns. Nor has Ramon any silly notions regarding his 'fame.' In fact his ambition is to go mmstreling through the world as a singer, and in preparation for that romantic adventure he has an accompanist continually in his employ. He goes out little; he reads and sings, and sings and reads, and when he is working at the studio he turns in at ten . His one allurement is the hospitality of the Lubitsches whose big and beautiful garden, with its swimming pool, gay parasols and cushions, is the social meeting place of the motion picture intelligencia. Poor little "Mabel! that is the almost universal phrase applied to the star who is without doubt the most popular girl in movieland — Mabel Normand. From the first days with the old Biograph when the bright eyed girl came into motion pictures she was loved by everybody from the producers down to the last stage hand, every one of whom would have torn their shirts for Mabel. And why? Because Mabel would have done the same for them. Warm hearted and impulsive, she has kept herself poor by her extraordinary generosities. If anybody on the lot was hurt or in trouble, Mabel was the first to start the subscription. Then why the "Poor little Mabel"? Because she has had the cruelest and most undeserved publicity breaks in all Movieland, and the screen has all but lost one of its few great women comediennes. Perhaps now that she has secured the protection of marriage producers will see their way again to give to the world the Peter Pannish charm of this lovable girl. She and Lew sat in front of us at our little Beverly Hills theatre the other night. They seemed very happy. Even yet I'm unable to define that elusive thing called charm. Maybe it's just IT — not Elinor's definition of IT, but something gentler and sweeter. Phofncraph by Ruth Harriet Louise C[ Dorothy Farnum, the brilliant young scenarist, vjhose last contribution was "The Temptress", is now wor\ing on the script of "Jenny Lind".