Screen Mirror (January 1931)

unusual announcment come over the air a few nights ago. It seems that there was a man wandering around Hollywood with the mind of a child of five. The police were requested to apprehend him as the child’s parents wanted the mind back. • SHE IS beautiful . . . she is mysterious . . . her eyes tell you that she has lived . . . she is the talk of Hollywood . . . her first picture will be a sensation . . . she is all women in one ... at times she resembles at least ten different stars . . . she is not temperamental . . . she is an accomplished musician . . . she has written short stories . . . her name is Marlene Dietrich and her first American appearance will be in “Mo- rocco.” • CEORCE BANCROFT has turned report- er. As his next picture is “Scandal Sheet," a tale of newspaperdom, George decided he had better brush up on some newspaper work. So he hied himself down to the editorial rooms of the Los Angeles Examiner to ab- sorb some printers’ ink. He went on several news beats with the boys-—-and even at- tempted a news story. It was pretty bad—but the editor said he had seen worse. He didn’t say where. • ONE BATTERED old klieg light; a hiss- ing, sputtering veteran of many motion pictures, has become somewhat of a Holly- wood personality. At least it has an identity. It is light No. 1 59 at the Paramount stu- dios. All studio lights are numbered for pur- poses of inventory. Light No. 1 59 all but blinded Ruth Chatterton when she had her first screen test made; the test that gave her her part with Emil Jannings in “The Sins of the Fathers,” and ultimately her studio contract. Now, No. 159 is used on all Ruth Chat- terton sets — at her request. With it goes Frank Johnson, the electrician who has al- ways attended it. • HOLLYWOOD IMPRESSION: Light cor- duroy trousers ... a white sweat shirt . . . bedroom slippers and white woolen sox . . . hair plastered down and glistening wetly . . . who is it? Jack Oakie—of course. • WILL ROGERS observes that many men who think they are in the public eye— are really only cinders. Speaking of Will —the Fox Company is predicting that “A Connecticut Yankee,” which stars Will, will be one of the greatest comedies ever made. © EL BRENDEL tells the one about the vaudeville actor who became stranded in Chicago and finally decided to go to work for a gangster. His first assignment was to go out and bump off three members of the opposition gang. When he came back his chief inquired as to how he had fared. “Boy! I slayed ’em,” the hoofer replied. • NUPTIAL NOTES and Court Chatter: John McCormick, Colleen Moore’s ex- husband, is going to try double harness again. This time it’s with Mae Clark, that clever little actress who is under contract to Fox Films. It is rumored that the Vir- ginia Valli - Charlie Farrell romance has cooled off. Clara Bow told the district at- torney some things regarding her ex-secre- tary, Daisy Devoe. The result was a warrant and a possible felony charge. Thelma Todd and Ivan Lebedeff are rumored slightly ga-ga about each other. Polly Moran denies that she and Bill Haines are secretly en- gaged. John Whiting is keeping company with June McCloy. Gloria Swanson has been seen publicly several times with the same man — he’s a Detroit millionaire. Lloyd Hamilton has been working steady and con- sequently is up on his alimony. • ARTHUR (The Great) SHIRES, baseball player and embryo pugilist, has decided to drop “The Great” from his name while he is in the cinema capital. "Here in Hollywood it sounds very ordi- nary,” he said. • THIS IS positively the last time we will mention miniature golf courses. It seems that a picture man spent twenty thousand dollars on an elaborate course and opened with a big splash. Along came three days of unusually brisk California weather and not a soul came to his links. The fourth day he closed up and posted a sign in front, “Opened by Mistake.” • THE CARICATURE on this page doesn't resemble a dashing sky-rider—yet it is. For Wallace Beery is a licensed transport pilot. The holder of this type of license is required to have over 500 hours in the air — and Wally has many more than that amount. Wally has a Travelair cabin-job, Wasp powered. He is constantly making long trips, taking friends along with himself as pilot. He has never had a crack-up. His brother Noah made a special landing field for Wally at their famous mountain resort. • OFTIMES motion picture executives are the objects of much ridicule at the hands of newspaper columnists. The writer has the whip-hand as the producer cannot afford to fight back. Yet one of the larger studios is planning to get even in a novel way. They are going to make a picture in which a newspaper columnist is one of the chief characters—and in the last reel they have him murdered. Alas, poor Winchell, we knew him well. • THEY'RE TELLING the one about the actor who went to a preview of his first picture—and came out so puffed up that he couldn't get into his Austin. • SUCCESSFUL CAREERS have always pro- duced books and autobiographies regard- ing them. Many of our famous stars have had books depicting their early struggles and whatnot, written about them. With the coming of talkies and their at- tendant test of abilities, the situation has somewhat changed. Many of the old timers have been supplanted. At any time now we may expect to see the book market flooded with such tomes as “Ex-Director,” “Ex- Star,” and “Ex-Yes-Man.” O Here's old ‘Bill,’ himself, of “Min and Bill,” as portrayed by Wallace Beery. This jovial looking cuss is one of the prime rea- sons for all the frouble in that highly divert- ing picture. Maybe ‘Bill’ has ‘It.’