Screenland (Nov 1945-Oct 1946)

Through Hell-Dorado with Roy Rogers Continued from page 50 last vear to May, 1946, the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and Republic Studios made with the arrangements to film the fracas. The townspeople, always at fever pitch over the yearly affair, reached a climactic state of excitement when they learned they'd be a part of a Roy Rogers picture. The Rogers unit was in the midst of making another Western, "Home m Oklahoma," which by strange coincidence was being shot in— Oklahoma, when Helldorado time rolled around. They left Oklahoma flat and pushed westward for what turned out to be one of the most hectic locations in the history of the hectic motion picture industry. Came the first big day, Thursday, which had been prefaced Wednesday night by an elegantly exclusive barbecue at the swanky Last Frontier Hotel. By eight a.m. Thursday, when ordinarily a cannon could be shot down Fremont Street without hitting a soul, the main part of town was jammed. Bewiskered local gents, who grow sideburns and beards for Helldorado, mingled with women and children, all dressed in colorfully embroidered frontier clothes of all shapes and sizes. Tourists mingled with the natives to watch camera crews set up overhead platforms to film the long shots of the parade. They stared curiously at microphone booms, reflectors, and all the cumbersome equipment needed to film a motion picture. The universal question was "When will we see Rov and Trigger?" At that moment Roy and Dale Evans were in a room at the Last Frontier rehearsing the picture's theme song, "The Helldorado," to a playback record, blithely disregarding the fact that on almost every door along the corridor there were "do not disturb" signs to remind any early birds that last night had been a big one and the occupants had heads in proportion. But this was no time to humor the customers. Roy and Dale were up before anybody else had gone to bed, getting into makeup and costume, getting their lines and songs letter-perfect. there weren't going to be any retakes , on this picture. When the parade started everything was supposed to be perfect — dialogue, songs, action. A two-mile long parade can't stop and back up even for a motion picture. As a matter of fact, considerable rearranging had to be done for the convenience of the picture. Until this year the historic parade always started at six o'clock in the evening from the Union Pacific Railway station and ended at Helldorado Village, a permanent structure designed like an early day stockade, where Las Vegas does its Helldorado-raising at night. This year, because of lighting, the parade was shoved up to three o'clock and the line of march reversed. The anxious crowds were more or less patient and orderly while they waited for the excitement to commence. They had a long wait. If they had known that before the parade stuff could be shot Haven't you longed for comfortr'M-ddion ? It's something you won't believe— till you've tried it ! Till you've walked, worked, or romped through a day and seen for yourself Modess is truly soft! Soft as a cloud, oh-so gentle— and how Modess softness lasts! How comfortable you are, no matter what! There's such a lighthearted, safe, secure feeling that comes with Modess' special protection, too. A triple safety shield guards you against accidents. And a triple-proved deodorant guards your precious charm . . . helps keep you dainty as a flower petal! SCREENLAND No telltale outlines with Modess, either — it's silhouette-proof. It's America's luxury sanitary napkin —yet it costs no more than other leading brands. You'll appreciate the extras it gives you — try Modess!