Screen Mirror (Jun 1930 - Mar 1931)

10 “Trader Horn.” He was accorded a tremendous ovation. Old friends do not forget. Adolphe Menjou’s triumphal comeback in “Morocco” is one most widely noted. Menjou left Hollywood at the beginning of sound films although he had made the successful “Fashions in Love.” He went to France and did a picture on his own. Foothold Offered A foothold in Hollywood came again with an offer from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to play in foreign versions. Menjou meekly returned and went to work as a Frenchman. Then along came “Morocco” and back came Menjou. Jackie Coogan, missing for four years while he was bridging the gap between short and long pants, hurdled the talkie difficulties with a good performance in “Tom Sawyer.” Now he has a new Paramount contract. Esther Ralston went on a vaudeville tour after knocking in vain at all the studio gates. Within a few weeks after her return to her home in Hollywood, she had a call from M.G.-M. and found herself with the lead opposite Lawrence Tibbett in “The Southerner.” One of the most stalwart “he-man” characters of the silent screen, William Farnum has come back to act with Norma Talmadge in “Du Barry,” in “The Painted Desert” for Pathe and the role of the king in “A Connecticut Yankee.” Laura La Plante has recently been in “Lonely Wives” at Pathe, “The Devil Was Sick” at First National; Qara Kimball Young, one of the early Vitagraph stars, is on the Radio lot; Thomas Meighan is in “Young Sinners” at Fox; Bryant Washburn in “Kept Husbands;” Monte Blue in “The Flood” for Columbia; Emil Jannings has recently been re-signed by Paramount; May Robson is working for Liberty productions, and Mary Alden, it is said, is about to go to work for Paramount. © MANY MOVIE STARS BOAST SHEEPSKIN Men in Films Lead List of Former College Students By United Press Hollywood, March 3. — While the majority of motion picture players who boast college educations are men, the women often break into collegiate publications, too, under the heading: “Former student makes good in movies!” For instance, there are Frances Dee and June MacCloy, on the Paramount lot. Miss Dee, who appeared with Charles Rogers in “Along Came Youth,” attended the University of Chicago. She is working with Jack Oakie at present in “Night Life,” a filmization of “June Moon.” Miss Dee quit college to become an extra girl and quickly rose to leading roles. Reason Is Given Miss MacCloy dropped her studies for a chance to work in George White’s Scandals. Her subsequent musical comedy, radio and night club work brought her into pictures. An explanation of the preponderance of ex-collegiate men actors over former co-eds is made by B. P. Schulberg, Paramount executive. He points out that leading men must be more mature than leading women, hence a girl must start film work during natural college years, while men can wait until after their education is finished. At the same studio where the two girls mentioned are working are no less than 13 male contract players who attended college. They are: Some of the List Gary Cooper — Grinnell College in Iowa before beginning career as newspaper artist. Changed to films. Regis Toomey — Degree from University of Pittsburgh. Began acting in stock during summer vacations. Norman Foster— Two years at Carnegie Tech before he became a newspaper reporter and later a stage actor. Frederic March — Winner of a “W” in athletic, president of the senior class and an honor student at Wisconsin. Charles Rogers — Junior in journalism at Kansas when received an offer to attend Paramount picture school. Leon Errol — St. Joseph’s College and Sydney University in New South Wales before theatre called. Charles Starrett — Degree from Dartmouth. Skeets Gallagher — Tried civil engineering at Rose Polytechnic Institution and law at Indiana before decided to become actor. Stuart Erwin — Struggling sophomore at University of California when he decided he couldn’t wait longer to act. Martin Burton — Laid aside law books at Indiana when Ina Claire urged him to devote his talents to stage work. Phillips Holmes — Attending Princeton when Paramount made a picture on the campus and cast him in a part. Frank Morgan — Graduate of Cornell. CAMERA! Just spent a couple of hours watching camera-work. Visited several stages during the morning’s shooting. Wish you could have been along. You would have been impressed, as I was, by the unusual variety of screen entertainment being filmed currently by Paramount. On Stage 14, for example, you would have stood just out of camera range, and watched dynamic Ruth Chatterton. She was at her emotional, dramatic best in an important scene for her new picture, “Unfaithful.” It packed a punch in every syllable of the dialogue— every gesture of this superb actress. On Stage 12, a few paces away, you would have had difficulty restraining laughs while Jack Oakie breezed through a scene for “June Moon” (to be retitled). Oakie’s comical cockiness was very much in evidence. MARCH SCREEN MIRROR ATTENTION Mr . Business Man If You Want Bill Posting' House to House Distributing Sign Tacking Window Cards or Display Bill Boards 1-3-4 or 6 Sheets Phone Main 7022 ! FOSTER M SERVICE f M Licensed Outdoor Advertising Stage 7 . . . and still another type of picture. Debonair William Powell making casual love to charming Carole Lombard for “Ladies’ Man” at an ultra-fashionable social function. Smart, humorous dialogue . . . eyearresting luxury of setting ... You would have been as fascinated as I was by this scene. Stage 4. Dozens of ’em. With that clever young American boy, “Skippy,” the center of attraction. I watched these youngsters in two scenes — and got a big kick out of it. “Skippy” impresses me as a modern “Tom Sawyer.” It has the same youthful exuberance — the same spirit of boyhood and fun, and it’s right up-to-the-minute. I suppose you know that “Skpipy” has Jackie Cooper, of “Our Gang” fame in the title role, and Robert Coogan, kid brother of Jackie Coogan, in the cast. It also has Mitzi Green. Stage 11 was my last stop. Gary Cooper and our new find, Sylvia Sidney, were before the cameras in a scene for “City Streets.” Here is real 1931 material — a new slant on gang war, dominated by a great love-story. Written by an ex-Pinkerton detective, adapted by a former police reporter. There’s variety for you — and it looks to me like mighty entertaining variety. © “WHITE COLLARS” GAVE ERWIN FIRST “BREAK” Stuart Erwin, Paramount’s bewildered comedian, scored his first hit in the stage play, “White Collars.”