Screenland (May-Oct 1938)

Meet new personalities, renew old screen acquaintance in this lively account of Britain's movie colony By Hettie Grimstead "Discovery" of the London season is Michael Redgrave, at right. Above, left, Dame May Whitty, who at seventy-one^ made her screen debut with Robert Montgomery in Hollywood s Night Must Fall" and now is featured in British films. Right above, Kent Taylor, borrowed from us to play opposite Jessie Matthews. I had to say "Hail and Farewell" in one breath to Wallace Beery who looked in on London for a single day during his travels. Then to a smart cocktail party to greet Marcelle Rogez, exotic blonde star from France who is making an English comedy film before going on to Hollywood. I fancy she will create something of a sensation even there for her tastes in life are emphatically individual. Her bedroom is all looking-glasses. The walls are completely mirrored and the dressing-table has a mirror top and even the bed is made of antique pink Venetian mirrors draped with red brocade and you walk into it up three wide mirror-glass steps. She is taking the entire outfit to California with her so that she won't feel strange there. (Don't ask me how Marcelle tells which is herself and which her reflections when she tucks herself up for the night!) I said "Au revoir" to black-eyed Bebe Daniels off after finishing her film at Warners London studios. It's called "The Return of Carol Sawyer" and second leading lady is Chili Bouchier, who comes close to winning the title of Britain's unluckiest actress. After good work in films here, she was put under contract by Irving Asher and was due to go to Hollywood at the same time as Errol Flynn but fell ill a few days previously. Then she recovered and sailed for America with the next Warner talent consignment including Patric Knowles, but got sick again on the ship and had to come back to England and be carried down the gangplank on a stretcher. Now she is due to leave again this summer and is fervently crossing her fingers and hoping that adage about "third time lucky" is true. One important duty of the London social season is to visit the Royal Academy in Piccadilly and walk through the stately rooms admiring the best pictures of the year. This time the finest portrait is of Leslie Howard and many distinguished visitors pause before it, recent ones including King George and Oueen Elizabeth, the Princess Royal, the ex-Queen of Spain, Princess Marie Louise and the Oueen of Norway. So if you are a Howa'rd fan too, you are in exclusive company. Queen Elizabeth admires his screen work immensely and some of his newest films have been shown before the Royal house-party in the great Red Drawing-Room at historic Windsor Castle. ~ Lots of hand-grips for Mary Pickford and Alexander Korda who are both among our constant Atlantic commuters these days. Mary is definitely going to direct "The Bat," a mvstery film to be made at Denham Studios this summer and at the same time her husband Buddy Rogers will be here too appearing in a new musical with Tune Clyde as his leading song-and-dance girl. Another musical is promised from Jack Buchanan, home again after his seven months in America, slimmer and more deeply sun-tanned than ever. With the tennis season in full swing nowadays you can generally find quite a lot of famous folks gathering at Clive Brook's Georgian house at Hampstead on Saturday afternoon. Stars of the racket such as Kay Stammers and Bunny Austin play with stars of the screen like Conrad Veidt and Anna Neagle and John Lodge, as well as the imperturbable host. Afterwards everybody o-athers for tea and soft drinks in the lovely drawingroom which Mildred Brook has just done over m palest green Her new drapes are jade and yellow printed linen and each of the deep chairs and couches is covered m crushed velvet in a different color— rose, grey, purple, silver or pale pink. Vivien Leigh gave us an informal sherry party the other evening at her new flat where she has peach-tinted walls 'and vivid blue paint. You wouldn't think to look at slender youthful Vivien that she has a daughter five years old— she was only seventeen when she married a London lawyer, though. Charles Laughton was among Vivien's guests showing off the beard he has grown to play the smuggler in his new film "Jamaica Inn." He really is our most industrious actor. 57