Screen Mirror (Jun 1930 - Mar 1931)

2 MARCH SCREEN MIRROR SCREEN MIRROR San Diego Section VOL. I MARCH. 1931 No. 8 Published monthly in San Diego By,J. E. GRAHAM and J. W. O'TOOLE Business Office, 648 Fourth Street Telephone Main 4645 Printed by Dove ii Robinson <s3Sgg?i>25 Advertising space rates on application Thaw, but now that Corrinne has retired to begin raising that family of eight she once promised us, Cornelia, by clever make-up and a change of hair dress, has become a double for Lila Lee. She also does “extra” occasionally, chiefly because she need not look like anyone else if she doesn’t want to. Likeness Now Drawback Less lucky is Rosita Forchere, who used to double for Dolores Costello. She is too like Dolores and now that Mrs. John Barrymore his retired, Rosita finds a new job hard to get. Marilyn Miller’s double is Ruth Julian, mainly used for the horse-riding scenes in “Sonny.” Now that Marilyn is in New York, Ruth is having a busy time doubling for retakes, so she has not yet suffered any embarrassment. Una Merkel, who now makes a name for herself in pictures, was understood to have “stood in” for Lillian Gish, whom she very much resembles. But Una says it wasn’t so, that she was engaged to play in the same picture in a New York studio, but that the picture was never completed. So she doesn’t feel that she can really be said to come under the heading of either a double or an understudy. Brewer Craves Career About the only case on record where an understudy has carved out a career for himself, is that of Otto Brewer. Otto was originally a farmer and because of his outdoor knowledge was co-opted as assistant director in some of the old western silents. Three years ago, when the director became ill on location, Otto jumped into the breach and piloted the picture through to success. But he went right back to assistant directing afterward. Still his possibilities had been recognized and things might have begun to hum for him, except that talking pictures made their advent. Three westerns then in the making, because of the early imperfections of the microphone out of doors, had to be finished as silents. Any director making them might well be left behind in the game. Otto Brewer gladly took those pictures, “Avalanche,” “Sunset Pass” and “Stairs of Sand.” They were all successful. But the outlook was a bit blank. Only talkies were in demand by that time. So Brewer wisely stepped back into assistant directing with Rouben Mamoulian, for Paramount, who, as a stage director, needed seasoned “silent” experience to aid him with “Applause.” Brewer learned talking pictures then. By that time the microphone had been perfected for outdoor stories. Paramount intrusted Brewer with “The Virginian.” Soon it was Otto Brewer, director, with Edwin Knopf, imported stage director, for his assistant. Since then there have been “Light of the Western Stars,” “The Border Legion,” “The Law Rides West” and “Spanish Acres.” And every assistant director that ever was yearns to emulate Otto. He has proved it can be done. O JACKIE COOGAN GETS CONTRACT FOR “HUCK FINN” Jackie Coogan has just been signed to a contract by the Paramount Publix corporation for a series of motion pictures, the first of which will be his role of Tom Sawyer in Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn,” it is announced by Jesse L. Lasky, first vice-president in charge of production. “The tremendous popular success of ‘Tom Sawyer’ and Jackie’s work in portraying the beloved Mark Twain boy hero on the screen prompted Paramount to sign him,” said Lasky. Children Come Back “This film successfully brought children back into the theaters for the first time since the start of talking pictures. We have learned that when you reach the heart of a child you reach the heart of a nation. The juvenile audience is now available and our signing of Jackie is another move toward retaining this.” In “Huckleberry Finn,” Jackie will have as a working mate young Junior Durkin, who appeared with him in the Huck Finn characterization in “Tom Sawyer.” Third Contract Child Through the agreement just signed, Jackie Coogan becomes the third child player placed under contract by Paramount for its policy of more “kid” pictures. Mitzi Green became the organization’s first juvenile contract player a year-and-a-half ago. Jackie Searl, the Sid Sawyer of “Tom Sawyer,” recently signed a Paramount contract. These two appeared together in “Finn and Hattie,” and will start work soon in “Skippy,” another production aimed for juvenile interest, with Jackie Cooper playing the famous Percy Crosby cartoon hero. In “Tom Sawyer,” Jackie Coogan proved his acting ability and his popularity after having been out of films for more than three years, Lasky explains. That picture gave him his first talking part. O Has Circled World Claudette Colbert, Paramount screen star, made an ocean voyage around the world last summer. Pure Water IS ESSENTIAL to Good Health I * ^ V Cl Pure Dritikinq ^ Water Delivered to home and office with an Olla Cooler Water drinking is just as necessary in cooler months as in the summer. San Diego Ice and Cold Storage Co . 67 Eighth St. Main 0251 The famous Bastanchury water for those who prefer a mineral water. Many people from various parts of the world have recorded their opinions of Hollywood, but recently a symposium of expressions from a few of the stars themselves, giving their impressions of Hollywood, came to light. Here they are . . . just as they were uttered: Ruth Chatterton . . . “An unending contest.” Gary Cooper . . . “Hollywood is the promised land. Broken promises.” Marlene Dietrich . . . “The world’s most conscious city.” Maurice Chevalier . . . “The most intense city in the world.” Jack Oakie . . . “It’s a racket.” Mary Brian . . . “The most libelled city in the world.” Charles Rogers . . . “Hollywood is what you make it.” Clive Brook . . . “A place of hero worship— and no heroes.” Claudette Colbert . . . “A place where you can’t keep a secret.” Stuart Erwin . . . “Aw, it’s all right.” Norman Foster . . . “Where they make big ones out of little ones.” Mitzi Green . . . “The nicest place I know.” John Cromwell . . . “A town of two gestures: a slap on the back and a kick in the trousers.” Carole Lombard . . . “The town that everybody knocks but where everybody wants to go-”