Screenland (May-Oct 1934)

SCREENLAND 62 HELEN MACK, for good luck, chooses the number "13." So loyal is she to that pair of digits, in fact that when she was approached by Paramount studio for a contract, she insisted on 13months years, instead of the usual twelve. "13 is my lucky number," she told the studio boss, "so my contract must be for that many months a year." The executive agreed, but after she had gone, he looked at the contract and realized that it was five months longer (over a period of five years) than other pacts. Whereupon he muttered^ to his secretary: "She's no fool!" MOST amusing was that visit to the Paramount studio of several girls who are students at a Los Angeles art school. The idea was for the girls to visit various sets and sketch the stars in action. The first set they visited was that on which Bing Crosby was recording a^ song for his new picture. When five o clock rolled around, the girls were still there, sketching the crooner as though their lives depended upon it. A VETERAN actor visited John Barrymore, and much to John's mingled amusement and embarrassment, insisted on telling of the early stage struggles of Barrymore. "John and a young writer named P. G. Wodehouse used to steal my gold-plate about twice a month, and pawn it for money to buy food," related the veteran. "I had an important role in a play (John had a small part in the same play), but I couldn t speak without my teeth, so the irate manager always had to redeem them from the pawnshop. "Well, it happened so often that finally the manager made me leave my teeth at the box-office every night. I had to hurry to the theatre every morning fo^my plate, so that I could eat my breakfast." Wallace Beery, as Pancho Villa, tells the Mexican government, represented by George E. Stone, just whafs what and why. This graphic studio scene was snapped during the filming of "Viva Villa." See Leo Carrillo? Connie goes medieval! Constance Bennett joins the costume-drama gins as the heroine of "Firebrand," a racy, swashbuckling film based on a popular stage success With her in this scene are Louis Calhern and Frank Morgan. AFTER a vacation trip to Europe with l\ his wife, during which they visited Moscow, Paul Muni is now back in Hollywood, ready to begin work on the film version of that sensational best-seller, "Anthony Adverse." ALTHOUGH, at the moment of going to l\ press, she was about to be cast in another picture, Gloria Stuart has not yet settled her difficulties with Universal Studios. Gloria walked out and threatened to quit the screen and go to China, unless she was given better parts in Universal pictures. Her fret was brought on by the fact that although she is under contract to the company, "U" executives were borrowing leading ladies from other companies for choice feminine roles. Studio officials gave Gloria the spot opposite Tracy to appease her, but she says that the truce is only temporary— if the good parts do not continue, she will break her contract, even if it means an end to her film career. Well, we'll see! WHICH pictures do you go to see? Are you a good critic of what the public-at-large enjoys? Following are the titles of 13 leading money-making pictures of 1933. How many did you see and en j oy ? "I'm No Angel," "Cavalcade," "Gold Diners of 1933," "Little Women," "Tugboat0 Annie," "Be Mine Tonight," "State Fair" "Girls In Uniform," "Rasputin and the Empress," "Animal Kingdom," "The Kid From Spain," and "The Private Lite of Henry the Eighth." _ _ . Delight Evans, vour critic and mine, tagged all but one— which is a percentage of°92 per cent. Amazing !