Screenland (Nov 1941-Apr 1942)

nimr around loose all over Oxford m his m dies in "Charley's Aunt. In "Road to Zanzibar," Bmg Crosby and Bob Hope wore big sloppy pajamas that went swishing all over the screen. Bob is Tl vays good, and Bing is bound.to be the I romantic We because of his voice, but is : there romance in big sloppy pajamas; If the censors want to censor so badly, why not rap the male movie stars for wear I ing underthings and night clothes? Most anv female is a little attractive in undies, if the undies are good-looking, but the ; men need all their clothes cm all the time. If anvthing can be done about this, please do it, because if I have to see George Brent Tvrone Power, Robert Taylor and others "pants-less/' I'm afraid I'll have to give up the movies as my favorite pastime. MERCEDES FRANTZ, Big Cabin, Okla. After readins "What Carole Landis Demands of Men"' in October Screexlaxd. I find mvself irritated, indignant and iunous Who is this girl who demands trom life* so much and gives so little m return: Is she some divine goddess or just a spoiled brat who would sell her lite and soul just to lead a life of luxury and splendor : And if she is just that why advertise it? This e-otistical and selfish person with distorted v?ews on life is a sad comparison to the decent, refined girls who consider it a pleasure to take a walk with their beaux instead of being lavished with costly mane attentions. Is she proud ot the fact that she expects men to spoil her? That ts something to brag about ! ■ . Tust picture little Carole on a desert Hand for a few years without the company of the opposite sex. Then cast Carole back to societv and you can bet your last dollar that this pretty little blonde wont be so choosv and exacting. She fr'anklv admits that her two marriages have been unsuccessful. I dare say that this tvpe of girl can marry twenty times and still not know what true happiness is because she doesn't realize that the greatest joy of life is in making others happy and 'not in grabbing all you can ior vourself. , „ _ ARTHUR STERN, Newark, N. J. It is ^enerallv asreed that Bette Davis is one of the finest actresses on the screen. What has been overlooked is the tact that she is a very good-looking girl— or could be Is there an iron-clad rule that real actresses must be "unpretty" ? It would seem so The early Bette Davis had platinumblonde hair, a stunning figure, and a lovely face Then she became an important actress The hair was changed to its present nondescript color and careless coiffure— the mouth became a grotesque slash— and the eves ' went wild. True, people overlooked this and acclaimed Miss D. for her acting ability. That is, some people: the actin° world, the movie critics, the pressbut not Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Women, as a rule, are primarily concerned with the story of a picture ; men are definitely interested in beauty and sex appeal. Many men do not care for Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, or some of the other actresses who have sacrificed (needlessly) beauty for art. They do go to see Pnscilla Lane and Joan Bennett, who brightly combine acting with attractive appearance. It would be marvelous to see Bette Davis with a cupid's bow, softer coiffure and liohter hair— not to mention her figure and '•Dietrich-' legs shown to better advantage. I'm sure the box office would hit a new SARA HARVIN, Sumter, S. C. I have read "Tyrone Power's New 'Blitz Kiss' (how horrible) Technique, by Elizabeth Wilson, in one of your recent issues Well, I too saw "Blood and Sand and was disappointed. What was there to swoon about? Tyrone Power is a nice kid, doesn't even look his. age but (unless you're a high-school girl) he IS NOT a great lover. I like to think of him in parts like the young ne'er-do-well m In Uld Chicago." , . , , , ,, Anthonv Quinn could have played the role of the bullfighter, Juan, much better than Tvrone. Ty is too young, too brighteyed—his eyes could never smoulder, rle seemed like' a nice boy off on the wrongtrack I sometimes think the movie producers and writers can't see the woods tor the trees. To say that T. P. is the hottest thing in Hollywood is just wisntul thinking. The way one high-school girl takes it in her stride is: Robert Taylor and Tvrone Power are cute, but not as nice as Bob" (her Bob she meant.) _ Soooo if I w-ere a producer I wouldnt concentrate entirely upon the youngsters, they only go to the movies to hold hands any WWe like— I'm supposing that there are others like myself— to hear of the iamily life of the stars. We know they're not just o-io-olos or puppets that some normal person has to pull the strings for, and to play normal people they must BE normal healthy people with the normal healthy desire for home and family. In "Swanee River," the scene where Don THERE'S GOLD IN THOSE GRUMBLES! The brickbats seem to be more numerous than the bouquets this month. One fan is going to give up the movies as her favorite pastime it the male stars continue to cavort on the screen in underwear and pajamas; another likes Betty Grable's legs but not her acting; still another reader calls Carole Landis a brat. And even Screen-land gets its share of boos and complaints. But that's just fine because these straight-from-the-shoulder letters act as the Editor's barometer—it's the only way the Editor can tell what vou like or dislike. So — don't grumble to yourself ; put it down on paper and win one of the monthly cash awards of $10.00, $5.00, and five of $1.00 each. Closing date, 2oth ot the month. Please address your letters to Screen-land's FANS* FORUM, 45 West 45th Street, New York, >.. \. Ameche hugged the little girl— he wasnt "acting," he WAS Stephen Foster. Acting like that turns back the clock and pulls up the blind so that you're looking into the lives of someone who really lived Yet in each picture Don Ameche is so different I never confuse him with a previous part. Paul Muni mav not be "hot stuff in Hollvwood, but I'll never forget his Louis Pasteur Tears rolled down my face when a humble little old man, tired, worn, bewildered, and grateful, walked haltingly up to receive a little credit from the people whom he helped in spite of themselves. He WAS Louis Pasteur. _ JANE SMITH, Cincinnati, Ohio I have just seen Screexlaxd' s last issue, with scenes from "Wreek-end In Havana. It irritates me greatly that all you -North Americans know and think about Havana are: The rumba, daiquiris, maracas, etc. You are greatly mistaken, and you Americans are the ones who maintain this scenery in Havana, because the minute you place a foot in Cuba, all you want to do is : dance the rumba, drink Bacardi, play the maracas, and so on. Those so-called typical places in Havana are opened exclusively for the Americans because they are the ones who pay for their subsistence. There are thousands of Cubans who have never danced the rumba, or played maracas, or drunk a Bacardi. M. N. SIERRA, Vedado, Havana, Cuba A day with the U. S. Army. Michele Morgan, lovely French screen star who makes her Hollywood film debut in Joan of Par, spent a day with Uncle Sam's boys at Fort Ord. Monterey, Cahf. When Miss Morgan was a guest of the 7th Division at Fort Ord, I Hunched with the boys, sang for them and then made them ioin in the chorus-and you know how boys love to do that. 15