Screenland (Nov 1936-Apr 1937)

bone for regarding himself as trained and qualified by years of experience and accomplishments in his profession to essay a more varied type of acting than has been permitted him these past couple of years in Hollywood. Gilbert Miller, stage producer who is not given to praising lightly, has said he considers Rathbone one of the most completely equipped actors he has ever seen on a stage. From his beginnings in the theatre, Basil Rathbone, starting in Shakespearian roles in England, has interpreted with distinction a wide variety of dramatic characters. His Iago won acclaim in England ; his performances in Shakespeare and "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" with Katharine Cornell were roundly applauded here in America. "He Who Gets Slapped," "Peter Ibbetson," "Command to Love," and a number of other important plays found him winning the plaudits of critics and public. Since his return to Hollywood in "David Copperfield" — he had played in pictures before, with Norma Shearer in "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney" as the most important of several earlier films — Rathbone has been playing mostly the same sort of thing since his memorable portrayal of Murdstone in "David Copperfield." And we, the screengoers, have as much trouble remembering him in anything but such merciless creatures as the Dickens villain as do the producers who cast the pictures we see. "Tale of Two Cities," "Anna Karenina," "Captain Blood," all found Rathbone as more or less rubber-stamp villains of the deepdyed sort. A rather thankless part in "Garden of Allah," and a better one, Tybalt in "Romeo and Juliet" about complete the list of more important things Basil Rathbone has played since his return to the screen. But in all these he proved too convincing a Menace Man to be forgotten. Last fall he packed his baggage and his candid camera and with his wife set off for London, mainly to make a picture at a British studio, but also to travel and vacation a bit. Perhaps this would offer some change in the kind of parts he might play. But lo, and behold, the villain that Hollywood discovered in Basil Rathbone went ahead of him to the land of his acting nativity. And there waiting for him was a nice villain part, opposite Ann Harding in a play about a woman who marries a seemingly attractive man who turns out to be a pathological case subject to fits of mania to murder — particularly women. This, of course, is "Love from a Stranger," adapted to the screen from a very successful London stage play. There's an amusing side to the manner in which Hollywood turned Basil into the screen's most velvety villain. Hollywood itself doesn't seem to know just how it discovered the bad in him — because Basil asked. "David Selznick," he relates, "sent for me after I had closed a tour with Katharine Cornell in Los Angeles. We had played 'The Barretts of Wimpole Street' and 'Romeo and Juliet' there. Selznick made me a flattering offer to do Murdstone in 'Copperfield.' Later I asked him : 'in heaven's name, what did you see in me in those plays with Kit Cornell to pick me for this part?' And to that he replied that he didn't know precisely, but felt sure I would play Murdstone exactly as he wanted it in the picture." Which is just another illustration of how shrewdly these top men in Hollywood guess — if guessing it is. They found a Romeo and turned him into a Murdstone, and the whole world cheered the feat — Hollywood's as well as Basil Rathbone's. Now Basil Rathbone is everybody's discovery at being so good at being bad that nobody wants him to be anything else. Take Linit baths for beauty from tip to LOVELY as a day in Spring is the way — every woman likes to picture herself this time of year. You buy new dresses, smart suits and crisp blouses to make you look charming and fresh. But don't forget the girl inside the new clothes ! For the kind of beauty that captivates, begin at the beginning— the skin on your body. One of the very best aids to body beauty we know is the Linit bath. Pour a generous amount of Linit into the tub while the water's running. Then swish it around. It transforms ordinary water into a creamy liquid that gives you a grand feeling of luxurious languishing. After you've bathed with your favorite soap and dried yourself, feel your skin. It will be soft and velvety. The fine, soft transparent film Linit leaves takes away shine so you won't need a dustingpowder. Besides making your skin look and feel like a million dollars, Linit is healing to irritation and wonderfully soothing to chapped or windburned areas. emi-nijhos Spring Fever and Beauty! Elizabeth Arden's new English Complexion Make-up gives smart light tones. rouge that lasts is Po-Go — from Pa WHEN you look your most ravishing in your new Spring clothes is just the time you don't want the odor of under-arm perspiration to ruin the effect. Where this sin against daintiness is concerned, we're all vulnerable. It takes very little effort to apply a safe and sure deodorant, and it's certainly worth it to know you're above reproach. We're enthusiastic about Hush cream deodorant because it does the job besides being kind to the most sensitive skin. There's a Hush liquid deodorant, too, for you who prefer that form, and a very efficient deodorant powder. And if you want to carry your daintiness insurance right along with you, you'll like the little purse-size stick. Hush cream deodorant keeps under-arms as fresh as a daisy. nEACHES and cream 'complexions are coming back in style! Elizabeth Arden, who is always one of the first beauty authorities to recognize new trends, has just brought out English Complexion Make-up to give that natural-looking, light-toned effect for which English women are famous. Brunettes may continue to use deep suntan shades, but we're willing to wager a great many blondes will "go English" with a result that threatens to be utterly devastating ! The make-up starts with a foundation lotion called Ocre Lille de France. Then comes Royale rouge, Rachel Illusion or Naturell Cameo powder (sometimes both), eye shadow in Gris Brun (brown), or Blue Corbeau, Black Cosmetique on your eyelashes, and Royale lipstick. The sum total is a make-up that's delicate and smartly sophisticated at the same time. WE DON'T like to admit we've been wrong, but it's our plain duty. We didn't think it was possible for a dry rouge to last right through a strenuous day, like cream rouge. But we've proved to our complete satisfaction that Po-Go rouge does ! It's imported from France, still it's not expensive, and you can get it in leading department and drug stores. The secret of its "staying power" is that it's moulded by hand. It comes out perfectly smooth and soft, and it spreads over your skin so evenly it seems to be a part of it. It comes in five lovely shades and there are three shades of harmonizing lipstick. I UST as we were be*J ginning to think lips weren't getting their proper share of beauty attention, along comes a new product for complete care of the lips. Its name is Lip-youth. It's not a cream and not a pomade. We don't know just what it is. but we're certainly sold on what it does! It makes, and keeps, lips soft, smooth, firm, and young-looking. Apply a little before you go to bed and you'll wake up with a pair of lips you can be proud to own. What's more, it contains those youthifying vitamins D and F that counteract the withering or parching effects of continued exposure or advancing years. 65