Screenland (Nov 1930-Apr 1931)

for January 1931 111 MR. AND MRS. HOLLYWOOD ENTERTAIN Continued from page 59 and Frank Fay winning tennis, and Billy Bakewell distinguishing himself at ping-pong. "I can ping, all right," remarked Elsie Janis, "but I never can pong !" The party had been an afternoon affair, and the sun was setting as we bade our cordial hosts adieu and wished them many happy returns. Louise Dresser reminded Airs. Gleason that her next anniversary would be a silver wedding, and Airs. Gleason responded that she knew it and that silver was her favorite kind of jewelry! "Married twenty-four years and glad of it !" exclaimed Patsy as we left. "I think that's awfully nice, especially in these days when you can get a divorce if your mate sneezes out of turn." MRS. OSCAR STRAUS is giving one of her lovely evening garden parties, and I wouldn't miss it for worlds. Mrs. Straus always trusts the California and Beverly Hills climate to behave nicely, and it just has to live up to her belief, I guess. Anyway, I'm sure if Mrs. Straus is giving an evening garden party, it will be entirely nice. Reginald Sharland is our escort." We three drove over to the Straus home in Beverly Hills, which had been chosen as much for its beauty of grounds as for its charming mansion, I'm sure. It had the added attraction, too, of a little studio building in the back garden, where young Irvin Straus could write and practise in peace. Though only nineteen, young Straus has written an operetta which is a success in Vienna. Mrs. Straus was lovely in a white satin gown, and she and Oscar Straus, her famous husband, greeted us in their cordial, cheerful manner, Mr. Straus, as usual, drifting about in his inconspicuous way, being nice to all his guests in turn and always saying the right thing. Ramon Novarro was almost the first person we saw among the guests, and he was looking as handsome and was as charming as ever. He had brought that highly interesting personage, Florence Barnes, the famous aviatrix, who is a large, strong woman, unpossessed, apparently, of a single nerve. She makes you feel as if everything is all right, so cheerful, radiant and reasonable is she. We found that Ramon himself had flown an airship almost the first time he went up. Speaking of Ramon reminds me of the party Lawrence Tibbett, the opera singer, gave at his Beverly Hills mansion, where Elsie Janis came out the worse of a little friendly bout with Novarro. Elsie is a great cut-up, but she only sits on gentlemen's stomachs on Thursdays — no other days. But let Miss Janis tell how it happened : "Ramon and I were sitting on a piano bench in Lawrence and Grace Tibbett's home during a party the other night. Rami hi made some little remarks and I said : 'Aw, go on home,' and gave him a little push. Then he gave me a little push. I pushed him back and the first thing you know we were at it hot and heavy. "We fell off the piano bench and I had him down, too, and was sitting very effectually on his stomach. The victory seemed mine, but he played dead, drat him, and when I was off guard he 'oomped' his stomach — you know, he sort of undulated — and I fell off on my shoulder. Even then it wouldn't have been so bad. But I wouldn't say I was hurt, so he kept on pummeling me until my shoulder was completely dislocated. "I didn't tell anybody, although it hurt like the dickens. I just waved goodbye to everybody with my left hand — it was my right shoulder — and went home. But the next day I had to have a doctor and so now everybody knows about it. "I hate to tell this on Ramon because he wouldn't hurt anybody, really. Ramon isn't a big bruiser. He's a gentleman. He just didn't know I was hurt and I was too stubborn to tell him." OH, Louise Fazenda is giving a housewarming party and a celebration for her husband's birthday !" chirruped Patsy who is always ripe for a party. Her husband is Hal Wallis, the producer, you know. But as for the house warming, she won't have to warm the whole house — just the new, built-on part! The party was to be given at Louise's Malibu Beach house, and there Patsy and I found our hosts welcoming their guests that Sunday afternoon. Hal told us comically that he was just twenty-six years old — a baby director ! Jack Warner was there with his lovely wife, Irma Warner, and their fifteen-yearold son, Jack, Jr., who is a manly little fellow. He has been working in all departments, from financial to acting, at the First National Studios, earning fifteen dollars a week, and was so entranced with his job that he wanted to keep right on working all during his vacation; but his ciad bribed him to take some recreation and stay at Malibu, promising him his fifteen dollars a week just the same, so Jack, Jr., was persuaded. Walter Huston was among the guests, and there were Darryl Zanuck and his wife, Bobby North and his wife, Stella Maury ; Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Kern, Laura La Plante and William Seiter, Blanche Sweet, Mr. and Mrs. Reginald Denny, Larry Darmour, M.\ and Mrs. William K. Howard, Mrs. Fazenda, Louise's sweet mother ; Minna Wallis, Mervyn Le Roy and Edna Murphy, his wife; Hedda Hopper, Mr. and Mrs. Ned Marin, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Irwin, Inez Courtney, and many others. We had a little chat with Walter Huston, who played Abraham Lincoln, you know. He declared that he hadn't found Lincoln so hard to play : "You see there it was, a wonderful story and a wonderful character, and they just played themselves," he said modestly. Then he told us some of the funny criticisms of the picture that had been made. One teacher wrote that she should on no account take her pupils to see "Abraham Lincoln," "because," she said, "he is shown loving one woman and marrying another !" Numbers of the guests went in swimming, including young Jack Warner, Edna Murphy, Mervyn Le Roy and Reginald Denny. Coming in to sit down on the warm sand, Edna Murphy showed us some of the bruises she had on her arms and legs, acquired playing in what she called the black-and-blue drama — serials. And Louise said comically that, although she had been so many years in slap-stick comedy, she found she still bruised ! Louise and Hal were preparing to go to Europe, and Louise told us that she had learned to ask "How much?" in five different languages. As it grew cold, we went into the house, and had a look at the upper story, which is the new part of the house, which a lot of the guests were admiring. There are two big bedrooms and a library, with wide windows overlooking the sea, and as Louise has a big collection of books, even at the beach, the library is most inviting. There were cards and dancing within doors, too, or if you wished, you could sit out on the wide, sheltered veranda, and chat. Supper was served at little tables, and we found that our hostess had cooked everything herself, even the spaghetti and the cakes ! Her prune cake is especially delicious, and before supper was over she had promised almost every woman guest present to hake one for her, until at last she said she didn't know whether she would get to Europe or not ! Characteristically, Louise had generously cooked more food than her guests could possibly eat, so when they left, she loaded them down with cake, chicken and potato salad ; so that Edna Murphy went home bearing a whole roast chicken and a quarter of a cake; Virginia Foxe had a big helping of potato salad ; and Irma Warner bore away half a prune cake, while Patsy brought up the rear with quantities of cake and sphagetti. Hal's birthday cake turned out to be an imposing structure — as good to taste as to look at. Even though we had lingered long, we found it hard to tear ourselves away, but finally did, wishing Hal many happy returns, and both Louise and Ha! a glad journey and safe return. All the feminine guests were telling Louise what to take on the trip and what not to take, and Irma Warner especially advised her to carry some American silk stockings over to a certain Parisian dressmaker, since such a gift, in Paris, where the French stockings are so bad, insures one the very best attention from a modiste. Suddenly, as we were bidding our last adieus, an uproar arose in the yard. It turned out to be a fight between Louise's Sealyham and Hal's Scotty. The Sealyham is an angelic blonde, like those in the Bertha M. Clay stories, while the Scotty is a brunette, also like the Clay villainesses. and when Hal had separated the combatants, he explained that the Sealyham stood just so much every time from the badgering Scotty, and then turned and defended herself. Once more we said goodbye, and were on our way. I LOVE going to yachting clubs," remarked Patsy, "they make you feel as if you were somewhere. And Louise Dresser and Jack Gardner are giving a nice speed-boat and supper party at Lido Isle. Won't it be fun! Lido Isle is that nice little island in the land-locked bay not far from San Pedro, where a lot of film people are building their homes, and where Louise and Jack have a new summer home." We crossed to the isle, after our drive down the lovely coast, on a speed-boat ferry, which took about five minutes, and no sooner had we landed than Jack and Louise said, "There's time for a speedboat trip around the bay and out to sea if we hurry! Come into the yacht house and put on your bathing suits, because you'll need them and your coats, too!" It was a glorious ride, and we were drenched with the wind-blown spray, but didn't mind it at all.