Screenland (May-Oct 1931)

for May 19 3 1 Hollywood Goes Spanish! Continued from page 54 was a little apart, chatting cheerfully with anybody who sought him, but when left alone merely looking on with amusement and interest. He was particularly interested in a Spanish folk dance, in which the dancers joined hands and danced around in a circle, like children playing ring-around-rosy. It is called the Sardanas. Jose Crespo, who was dashing about as co-host, explained to us that it w:as a dance which was performed by all the populace in the plazas of Barcelona and other cities of Catalonia, in Spain, where the peoplegather of a Sunday afternoon and on holidays. "Oh, Anita Page is trying to flirt with the handsome Valentin Parera by using a dictionary !" Patsy whispered. "Well, they bcth have talkative eyes, so I suppose they'll get along all right ! Anita doesn't speak much Spanish, you know."_ Mr. Parera was gazing at Anita as if he meant to paint her picture. He is an artist and cartoonist, and speaks about four words of English. Suddenly there was a little stir in the hallway, and the butler admitted a little man with big, luminous eyes and classic features, and a lovely and interesting looking young woman. Jose Crespo dashed down to meet them, and they were introduced to us as the noted Spanish playwright, Gregorio Martinez-Sierra, author of Ethel Barrymore's play, "The Kingdom of God," and of "Cradle Song," and Catalina Barcena, who is one of the outstanding figures of the Madrid stage. Both were associated with Jose Crespo, when he was a star of the Spanish stage, one being his stage director and the other his leading lady. Both of the latest arrived guests were in street clothes, as they had just come, a trifle bewildered at everything American, from the train. Senor MartinezSierra is to supervise all the M-G-M Spanish pictures, and Senorita Barcena is on a mission from the Spanish government to look into the making of American pictures. She will work at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios also, appearing in Spanish versions. Buffet supper was served, and then a very funny little incident occurred. Patsy, thinking that nobody around her understood English, remarked to me. "I don't see any Spanish shawls except those on the stairway for decoration. I do wish some of these ladies would wear the native costume. It's a lot more becoming than our American clothes." Whereupon a beautiful young lady turned and spoke politely and with gentle reproof : "Thanks for your charming compliment. We like the native Spanish dress better ourselves, and we have man}' beautiful combs and shawls at home, but sometimes when we've worn them, they haven't been appreciated !" Patsy fried in her blushes. But she recovered a little when Conchita Montenegro donned a shawl and comb, and showed us how a Spanish girl flirts with her fan. After supper lovely Celia Montelban, noted Mexican singer, dancer and actress in musical comedies, danced a Cuban dance. She lately arrived from Paris, where she has been appearing. Cedric Gibbons had arrived with his wife, Dolores Del Rio. Dorothy Jordan came rather late, and was very popular. After more Spanish "folk dances, and some lovely songs by one of the Mexican guests. Mme. Alma Real, prima donna, we left for home, and saw the morning star rising! "\^7ELL, we'll probably just not go to » » bed at all tonight," remarked Patsy. "We're going to the opening of 'Trader Horn,' and then there's a big party afterward at the Embassy, given by Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Hyman. Mr. Hyman is an M-G-M official, you know." The excitement of "Trader Horn" seemed almost enough without anything else happening, but the party proved a very great delight. Almost the first person we met was Duncan Renaldo, who plays the lead in the picture. He was on crutches. After going through all the perils of South Africa, he had come home to Hollywood to break his foot in an automobile accident ! Jean Harlow was there with Paul Bern. "Paul takes more beautiful ladies to parties than any man in pictures, and yet he never seems to get a bit conceited about it," remarked Jose. Norma Shearer was there with her husband, Irving Thalberg. She looked lovely in a black velvet evening gown, made in Grecian style carried out in silver cut-steel bandings. She declared that watching the animals in "Trader Horn" had worn her out to such an extent that she could hardly dance, but she certainly looked radiant. Irving, on the other hand, said that the wild animals had made him keen to go hunting down there, but his wife said, "Remember you are a father now !" And Bess Meredyth reminded them of the musical comedy in which the circus widow had to keep her husband's grave green by watering the lions ! Anita Page came with her sweet mother as usual, and looked charming in white satin. Lily Damita, very happy to be back in Hollywood, she declared, arrived with our host and hostess. She wore a white satin form-fitting gown. Leila Hyams was with her husband, Phil Berg. She wore a black velvet gown with long black gloves. Harry Carey, director W. S. Van Dyke, Edwina Booth and others had a quiet little party next door at the Montmartre, but managed to come in for a few moments. Charles Bickford and his wife were among the guests, and Michael Curtiz, Marie Prevost, Carmelita Geraghty, Robert Montgomery, Air. and Mrs. Edgar Selwyn, Air. and Mrs. E. J. Mannix, Mr. and Mrs. B. P. Schulberg. Robert Leonard and Gertrude Olmstead, Harold Lloyd and his mother ; Jack Conway, — his wife was at home with a recently arrived baby ; — Wallace Beery and his wife, Louella Parsons and her husband, Dr. Harry Martin. Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Beaumont, Sam Wood, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Graves, Mr. and Airs. David Selznick, and many others. Charlotte Greenwood was among the guests, with her husband, the musician and composer, Martin Broone, and she says that she hopes she will remain in pictures, as she feels a house in Beverly Hills coming on ! We chatted a minute with Robert Leonard and his wife, Gertrude Olmstead. They have moved out of their house at Malibu, into an apartment in Hollywood ; and Gertrude said they experienced" a few very exciting minutes when somebody called them up from the beach during the recent fire which destroyed so many film folks' houses down there, to tell them that the fire was approaching their own beach house ! "I wanted to put a coat over my pa 115 THE CIGARETTE IS MIGHTIER THAN THE PEN.. No thanks, Mr. Webster ... no words today. OLD GOLD, the cigarette itself, tells its own story better than all the diction in the dictionary. One pack's worth more than a thousand words. 158 victories in 165 public taste-tests of the four leading brands show how convincingly even a f ew puffs tell OLD GOLD'S taste -winning, throat -thrilling story. Light up . . . and write up your own opinion. C IGARETTES NOT A COUGH IN A CARLOAD When you write to advertisers please mention SCREENLAND