Screenland (May-Oct 1931)

for May 19 31 Dot Dashes Along Miss Lee's young life has been one mad rush toward stardom By Constance Can N O. It isn't bad language. Dot. Dash. (And how she dashes. ) Dot. Dash. Exclamation. Exclamation. Exclamation — (from crowds). Dot! Dot! Dot! Star! Yah ! Old suspicious ! See, it's an impressionistic story of the career of Dorothy "Midge" Lee, the girl with the John Held Jr. legs, you know — or didn't you? Dot dashes. Hurdles. Runs the hundred yards, the relay. Pole vaults and cartwheels. She's dashed into this and that. Onto the stage in "Hello Yourself.'" Just recently dashed into marriage and certain stardom with R.K.O. All in four years or so. You can't keep up with her. She's a bundle of pep. An even five feet of pep appeal. She looks like the little girl you knew in grammar school, round straight legs, round face, perky nose. But the eyes are reminiscent of Clara Kimball Young's. Languorous, full of come-hither. She's nineteen and still just a kid. Wanted a twowheel bike for Christmas. All the kids on her block have them, she says. And, anyway, it's miles walking from set to set on the R.K.O. lot— where she's been providing Dorothy and her partners in chuckles, Bobby Woolsey and Bert Wheeler. The trio may be broken up soon to permit Dot to be a solo star. the feminine laughs with Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey. Remember "Cuckoos" and "Half Shot at Sunrise?" As it was, she had to ride one of the men's bikes. That's Dot. Walking isn't fast enough. She dashes. Xow "Midge" is a voting matron. But she makes a petite moue when you call her that. She was married not so long ago to James Fidler. "But gee, I don't feel settled at all," she says. "I always wanted a home of my own to fix up. Xow I have it. But I like to be working. It's more fun coming home at night, having this place to come to — and Jimmie. than it would be staying around all day. doing nothing." You can't for the life of you imagine Dorothy staying at home "doing nothing.''" She never did. She kept the old home block all agog when she was growing up. Climbing trees. Playing with the boys. Tombov. Peck's bad girl. Dashing around. "Remember the time we got caught smoking cigarettes ?" giggles Dorothy, appealing to her cousin, who has been her pal since they were knee-high ( Continued on page 108 ) Jackie Coogan's Brother, BOBBIE A XOTHER Coogan. the five year old brother of Jackie, makes / \ his debut in "Skippy." / ^ It had not been intended that Bobbie should make his debut so early, but he was taken on the set while big brother Jackie was playing in "Tom Sawyer." This was Bobbie's first visit to a studio since he was a baby, and he was thrilled over the fun the boys seemed to be having. He wanted to play like that, too ! It happened that the studio was hunting a half-pint youngster for another kid picture. Mama and Papa Coogan allowed tests to be taken of their Bobbie, which turned out so well that the role of Sooky in "Skippy" was promptly his. "They let me wear these nice old clothes." he beams, "and I can pull a funny wagon around made of boards, and play in the dirt all I want to. Xow let's go and play gold mines." Bobbie announces that he. is not going to be an actor all his life, no thank you ! Acting is all right for Jackie, but "I want to make money, and I'm going to be a gold miner when I grow up." "When Jackie heard I was being an actor." confides Bobbie, "he wished me luck and told me it was a hard game. I haven't played any games that were very hard yet. Do you know any hard games?" Bobbie was required to sit for some stills. He moved slightly while being photographed, and was told he must positively try to keep quiet. "But isn't this a moving picture?" he asked indignantly.