Screenland (Jun-Oct 1932)

72 SCREENLAND I ncreasing fame! Now Joan Blondell has a brand of stockings named after her. Have a look at a pair of "Joan Blondell Nets" in a perfect setting. OOD News! Lilian Harvey, the foreign film girl Screenland "discovered" and told you about, is coming over from Germany to act in American films. We almost feel as if it were our idea, inasmuch as we were the first to feature her on this side of the water, in a story which appeared in our June issue. Lilian, who gave such a delightful performance in the German-made "Congress Dances," is of AngloGerman parentage. She has been signed by Fox, and is expected in Hollywood in October. Her name is already mentioned for the film version of "Bitter Sweet," Noel Coward's operetta which Fox will produce. Don't disappoint us, Lilian — we're for you! Garbo's plans? At this writing she is supposed to be on her way home to Sweden ; on the other hand, she also is said to have signed another year's lease on her Hollywood house. Still another story insists that all of her belongings have been removed from the Metro lot, the inference being, of course, that she is through. The question, as everyone knows, has been whether M-G-M would double the $7,000-a-week salary on her recent contract and pay her $14,000 on a new one, or allow her to quit and make good the famous "go-home" threat. The preponderance of opinion here, however, is that the studio will come across with the $14,000 — and furthermore, that it has intended doing so from the very start. If such is really the case, all the sound and fury of uncertainty about the outcome of the matter will prove to have been just one more smart publicity stunt. Here's Hollywood! News — gossip — picturesplayers— all the talk of Screen Town Rumors about Mickey Mouse are still flying fast. The latest is that Mickey threatens to go home to the hole under the pantry floor because he was turned down for the leading role in "A Church Mouse." Will Rogers tried out a new Garbo gag in a recent broadcast, but returns from the listeners indicated that they didn't care much for it. The story Will was stuck with was that Greta is not Swedish at all, but a former Ziegfeld Follies lass whose real name is Una Hendrickson. Well — Will was only playing. Remarkable, though, how staunchly the Garbo lady's admirers stick by her when anybody tries to get sassy. So Jack Gilbert: is going to try marriage once again! It was one of the surprises of the season when Jack announced, coincident with the beginning of work on his own story, "Downstairs," that he was engaged to Virginia Bruce, who plays opposite him in the picture. The wedding will take place, he said, immediately after he receives his final divorce decree from Ina Claire on August 15. Although Jack had been seen occasionally with Virginia, he likewise had been seen with various other girls, and had given no indication that his affections had centered in any one direction. This, if nothing happens to change his plans, will be his fourth marriage, all of them with picture girls. His first wife was Olivia Burwell, who never rose much above the extra ranks. His second was Leatrice Joy; and then came the famous and illfated match with Ina Claire in 1929. For Virginia, who is about twenty-two, the contemplated marriage will be her first venture. When Paramount suddenly decided that they had to have Herbert Marshall, the engaging English actor, for the role opposite Marlene in "The Blonde Venus," Marshall was playing on the Broadway stage in "There's Always Juliet." But Paramount couldn't let a little thing like that hold up production, so they "bought out" the show for the remaining five weeks of its intended run, and summoned Marshall to Hollywood post haste. Flattering to Herbert, to say the least — but don't be at all surprised if he proves himself fully worthy of it ! Things are going nicely with Cary Grant, if anyone should ask you ! Such things, for instance, as a nice new Paramount contract. It all started when Cary made his film debut in "This is the Night," and it continued when he gave a fine account of himself in "Sinners in the Sun" and "Merrily We Go to Hell." Now he has a featured role in "West Pointer." Well, we told you last month that he was a winner, didn't we? Carv stems from the Broadwav stage, where he