Screenland (May-Oct 1931)

for J u n e 19 3 1 21 really think of her? They tell then form your own opinion! brings the breath of life into the puppets of the dramatist's imagination. Hers is a personality that literally walks into the roles she imparts. She seems to possess an insight into the soul of character and she renders herself to its portrayal with little thought of self, content to register by the sympathy she feels for the character presented. This, in my opinion, purely bespeaks true art." "Gee, she's a marvelous girl," sighed Johnny Mack Brown. "I worked with "It's the secret wish of every young actor to be cast with Greta Garbo," declares Bob Montgomery. "To work with her is an education in screen art." Miss Garbo in 'A Woman of Affairs' and 'The Single Standard' and I'll never forget what a grand person she is. "Yes," Johnny admitted, when I mentioned Miss Dressler's reference to hard work being synonymous with a Garbo picture, "I worked hard, all right, but I never before or since enjoyed working hard so much as I did in my two pictures with Greta. To borrow a phrase from baseball, Greta keeps you 'on your toes,' but there is no nervous tension about it. Miss Garbo is so conscientious that she inspires the best that is in her fellow workers. "And she's a good scout, too," Johnny drawled, "and has a great sense of humor. She was very active between shots on the set of 'The Single Standard.' We tossed the medicine ball around and laughed and chatted just like school kids. "She is original," is theopinion of Gavin Gordon, the young actor who was Greta's leading man in "Romance." Charles Bickford, who played in "Anna Christie,'' says: "She's not a great actress, but an effective actress . ' ' (Below) "She's a peach!" enthuses Lew Ay res. "In the big scene of 'The Kiss' she threw the action my way. And she's the most even-tempered star I've ever worked with." Take it from me : Greta is a good sport all around, and as fine a person as I've met since I came to Hollywood four years ago." Conrad Nagel knit, his brows and looked puzzled. "What do you mean, 'Woman of Mystery'?" he asked me, after I had asked him what, in his opinion, made Garbo "The Great Enigma." "We worked in two pictures together," he went on, "and the only mystery about Greta was possibly in the title of the first, 'The Mysterious Lady.' 'The Kiss' was the other, her last silent picture. "I found Miss Garbo to be a thoroughly enjoyable person. Every day we would come to the studio with a new joke, and although Miss Garbo was a newcomer to this country and perhaps not fully acquainted with American humor, she was quick to get the point of every story. We had a delightful time, all through the making of those two pictures. "I suppose everyone has told you that she is a Trojan for work," Conrad laughed. "But have they told you that she always quits promptly at five-thirty, while many of us lesser souls sometimes have to work all night ? Greta won't work one minute over time. I admire her for it — and I'd do the same thing were important enough to get away with it!" Since the occasion seldom arises for Miss Garbo to have anything to say to the various studio technicians, her co-workers outside the cast itself know little about her. During the filming of "The Single Standard," however, when the yacht used in that picture was anchored off Catalina Island, an incident occurred which illustrates the Glamorous One's inborn curiosity and her pride of achievement. Emil "Doc" Ploen, electrician for "The Single Standard" unit, told me the story. "We had been anchored about 500 feet from the Catalina shore for about a week. The weather was too cloudy for shooting and so the whole company sat around, telling stories, playing cards and just killing time. Garbo and Nils Asther sat apart from the rest or walked along the deck {Continued on page 112)