Screenland (Nov 1934-Apr 1935)

for April 1953 93 Will Rogers and Richard Cromwell in a scene for Will's new film opus, "Life Begins at 40." ani alcohol. If he were not to be an actor, then he must learn a trade, so he became apprenticed to a small dry-goods store, doing everything from cleaning the store to selling goods. Occasionally during this time, he saw a picture show, which aroused in him again the desire to act, whether for stage or screen. The director of the Old German Theatre in Prague gave him permission to sit in the wings and watch the actors. He worked in the store all day and sat in the wings at night. At last he was allowed to play with the extras, carrying a spear, eating a sausage, closing a door or any little thing like that. But he made these scenes stand out until he was stealing the show from the principals. Once in the background he was cleaning a room and he put _ such comedy in his work that the audience watched him instead of the principals and this led to what they called an "apprentice actor" for which he received the huge compensation of $1.20 a month. From this lowly beginning, he mounted step by step, doing stock through many countries. Finally he was offered the lead with the Mary Pickford of Germany, Henny Porten, in "Refuge." His success was so remarkable that he was offered one picture contract after another and might have become a second Croesus, had he been wanting only money, but he refused to work in any picture that he did not consider a good story. For years he continued to work in pictures during the day and at the theatre at night. When his great opportunity came in "Romeo and Juliet," he worked just as hard at the studio all day and barely had time to get his bath and make it to the theatre in time to go into his part. With all of this work back of him, it is not surprising to find him with a serious outlook. You know about his World Peace Federation, for which organization he has entirely separate offices and secretaries in another part of Hollywood. You can no more interview him and ignore his Peace Movement than you could talk to Ruby Keeler and forget she is married to Al Jolson. This is no pastime hobby with Francis. It is part of the very warp and woof of his being, and neither things past nor things to come will ever separate him from it. In addition, he is vitally connected with a dozen or so other organizations, one of which deals with the problems of the unemployed. To tell you all about these would take ten pages more. It is difficult to talk to Francis Lederer about intimately personal matters. You recognize so quickly that he would always respect another's privacy and you are embarrassed to question him as you do the average player. But I did ask him about the girl with whom he has been seen most frequently: Mary Anita Loos, the niece of the well-known writer, Anita Loos. With courtesy but restraint, he replied: "I would never discuss my personal affairs with any one, but if you must mention Miss Loos in my interview, I can only say that I consider it a very great honor to know such an extraordinary person. The association with her is a rare and delightful privilege." Now, your guess is as good as mine, but his reply does sound a little more serious than when he talked about the other girls. Of course, there is said to be a Mrs. Lederer, in Europe, from whom he has been separated for years. WHY BE FAT? Janet Tells Her Success Secrets Continued from page 19 long as the public likes me in this sort of part, it would be foolish for me to change even if I wanted to. "A romantic picture," she added thoughtfully, lifts an audience out of the rut of daily workaday living, even if only for the run of the picture, and that's why I really enjoy making pictures with a bit of romance. I want people to forget their troubles, and string along with the characters they see on the screen. "Incidentally, my screen parts are not quite so naive as when I began, but that's only natural. I'm not the same girl as when I came to Hollywood, and I wouldn't feel happy playing the same parts. But the change has been made so gradually, picture by picture, that it hasn't been very noticeable. "Good parts," she told me, "are essential to success on the screen, and because of this I believe in leaving decisions about parts, stories, and direction up to those in charge. Many stars try to have a voice in choosing their stories, but I know it's impossible for any one person to be star, producer, and scenario department all at once. If the studio believes in a certain picture, I'm willing to take their word for it!" She added, smiling, "In the early days I have been handed scripts which I didn't believe in, but I didn't make that the cause for an argument or a quarrel. I would go in and talk things over — and we'd agree on a different story." _ "Talking things over" may seem a decidedly unusual way of convincing a stubborn scenario department, but this, we learned, is typical of Janet. She doesn't sulk. No "I tank I go home" stuff for her. She simply goes to those in charge, without fuss or fury, and states her case. Perhaps you have gathered from her own statements in this story that she has a gift for putting her views clearly and persuasively. "I welcome competition," she told me, "even though you may have heard tales of established stars who are jealous of newcomers and rivals. At first I wondered if the custom of tearing down an established GRADUATE NURSE LOSES 27 LBS. Looks Better! 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