Screenland (May-Oct 1936)

musiciAn.. ^tjL Tims Aer awn 'ruu&l SCREENLAND Ask Me! By Miss Vce Dee Miss Phyllis M. Fred Astaire lias danced liis way into millions of feminine hearts but has had few changes in his dancing partners. His first was his sister Adele who appeared on the stage with him until her marriage in 1932 to Lord Charles Cavendish of England. Fred danced for a time alone in "The Gay Divorce," a stage show that ran for months in New York and London. His first picture contract was for a dance number with Joan Crawford in "Dancing Lady," then came "Flying Down to Rio." The Astaire-Ginger Rogers team r-ade a big splash hit in "The Gay Divorcee," changed from "The Gay Divorce," followed by "Roberta," "Top Hat," "Follow the Fleet," all with Ginger Rogers. The Astaire-Rogers team is now making "Swing Time," with Jerome Kern music. Jane C. K. Tiny Lily Pons, the great soprano from the Metropolitan, is one of opera's best gifts to the picture world. She was born April 13, 1905, in Cannes, France ; is 5 feet tall, and weighs 104 pounds. She married a Dutch publisher, August Mezritz, but they are now separated. Lily made her opera debut in "Lakme" in Alsace in 1928; and sang the Bell Song from the same opera in her first motion picture, "I Dream Too Much." Yes — Pons will make another picture soon. Young Charmer. That's admitting a lot, or are you just being very modest? One of the men of the hour seems to be John Howard. His recent picture is "Thirteen Hours by Air" with Joan Bennett and the very engaging Fred MacMurray. Ruth Chatterton was in "Lady of Secrets" with Otto Kruger. Now Ruth is playing in Walter Huston's film version of "Dodsworth." She's also in "Girls' Dormitory." M. H. D. I'm sorry to tell you that David Landau passed away during the past year. He was a very fine actor, both on the stage and screen, and his work will be greatly missed. One of his first screen appearances was in "Street Scene," followed by "Union Depot," "Judge Priest," and "Death on the Diamond," as well as other films. Elsa R. "The lady with the lovely voice and real beauty" who played the wife of H. B. Warner in "The Garden Murder Mystery," starring Edmund Lowe, was Frieda Inescourt. Among the other lovely ladies in the cast, Virginia Bruce and Benita Hume, Frieda rather dominates the picture. Miss Inescourt was well-known on the Broadway stage. Watch for her in "The King Steps Out," with Grace Moore ; and in "Mary of Scotland." with Katharine Hepburn and Fredric March. Hollywood Says: Watch That Hair-Line Continued from page 60 to reveal it ! Please notice, however, that her bangs are soft, not too heavy, and artfully arranged with a slight curl to allow turning the ends to one side. This avoids the harshness of a straight line across the forehead which is almost universally unbecoming. Bangs which suggest a beautiful forehead only partially concealed are far more intriguing than thick ones which hint they have something to hide. Only the ultra-beautiful, with clean-cut chiselled features, should attempt the hairdress with a braid across the top of the head. Irene Hervey can do it, and she can wear an undisguised center part, too. This type of coiffure gives the impression of stately, mature beauty, and it accentuates perfection of features. However, it is ageing to those of us who can't afford to look older. Avoid it if you have the slightest suggestion of heaviness around your chin and lower cheeks. If you're blessed with youthful looks, plus classic features, it may lend you an air of distinction that's priceless. Be sure, though, that you set the braid far back from your forehead. The flower in one's hair that showed its first bloom last Spring is such a delightfully romantic accessory to evening allure that it threatens to become permanent. A fragrant gardenia at the side-front of a gal's coiffure adds much, and at the same time it intensifies the fairness of her skin and whiteness of her teeth. Now I've talked myself out on the subject of natural-looking coiffures and how the movie stars achieve them. Except for the lucky few who are blessed with naturally curly hair, you must depend upon the right permanent wave as the basis of the "studied abandon" that's as smart as it is becoming. The eld days, (I won't say good ones), when the value of a permanent was judged by how long it lasted are gone for ever. No well-groomed woman nowadays wants to go through three months of "kinks" for nine months of curl. And — it isn't necessary. Permanent waves have been immensely improved. However, you yourself should contribute something to the success of your wave. Have oil treatments or give yourself soapless shampoos a month or so before your new wave. Let your hair grow fairlylong before — and have it cut after. Hair is always thinned out toward the ends so you must expect a tighter curl there. The haircut will do most of what's necessary to get those ends in shape. And here's something you can do yourself to help train those curls you roll around your finger : put a little hair ointment or tonic oil on your comb. You'll be surprised how much it helps the curl-making process 1 It's excellent treatment for any new-born permanent to brush your hair regularly and vigorously every day until the softness and sheen are as much of a joy as the curl. Oil treatments or soapless shampoos are helpful following the wave, too. Naturalness in hair styles goes double, as it includes color, too. Extreme artificial shades are fading out of the picture. No doubt Jean Harlow had a lot to do with this trend when she renounced platinum blonde tresses for her natural "brownette." Brighten up your hair, bring out its highlights and disguise embarrassing grey, by all means, but avoid obvious extremes. Don't pull out grey hairs. Cut them close to the scalp instead. There really is something in the old warning "pull out a greyhair and two grow in," according to a prominent hair specialist I talked with lately. Pulling out a firmly entrenched hair is likely to injure surrounding color glands, and frequently more grey hairs actually do appear.