Silver Screen (Nov 1936-Apr 1937)

Silver Screen for January 1937 55 Nella Walker, Nan Grey, Jean Lafayette, Deanne Durbin and Barbara Reed in "Three Smart Girls" Woman." (Tentative title.) Claire is a law student and an ardent admirer of the legal technique of Michael Whalen— a brilliant and theatrical criminal lawyer. She goes to a murder trial to watch him work. Near the completion of the trial he stages a fake faint and Claire, who had approached him to congratulate him on his victory, believes he is really ill. She helps Doc (Edward Brophy), who is Whalen 's companion, take the lan-yer home. As Whalen sits on the divan, Brophy is giving him a chiropractic adjustment. He wrenches his head this way and that as Whalen attempts to carry on a conversation with Claire. "Wh— what are you doing next ^veek?" Whalen queries between wrenches. "I'm going to a little to^vn you never even heard of," Claire smiles indulgently. "To visit my uncle. Why?" "I just had an idea. Perhaps I dreamt it," Whalen admits. "I'm going to Hot Springs for a rest cure. Why don't you come along and visit your cousin?" "My cousin? "Claire repeats, puzzled. "In Hot Springs?" "Well, we're all cousins, aren't we?" Whalen counters. "I mean common ancestors — Adam and Eve?" "That's funny," Claire laughs and turns to Brophy. "Of course, he thinks I'm just— a ," hesitating for a word. "A dame! " Brophy Time out for lunch. Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck leave the "Banjo On My Knee" set for sandwiches and coffee. supplies the word without any hesitation. "Thank you," Claire smiles. "Just a dame." "Not at all," Mike lies as all men lie in such moments of hope. "Beautiful girl like you! " "I'm a lawyer, Mr. Conant," Claire con Eduardo Giannelli and Lee Tracy working up the mystery in "Criminal Lawyer," tinues smiling. "I wanted to congratulate you— and you were ill. That's all." "You!" Whalen exclaims incredulously. "A lawyer!" Well, it goes on like that, but he gets nowhere with Claire-in the picture. But I saw them together at a preview one night last week. When the scene is finally finished I start chinning with Claire. "Don't mind me if I'm a trifle distrait," she smiles. "I bought a house, I'm trying to furnish it, I'm trying to finish the picture and I'm trying to get away to New York on a vacation— all at once!" "You ought to go to auction sales to furnish your house," I advise. "You can get swell stuff for nothing at them." Claire looks at me pityingly. "I suppose I can sleep on the floor until a good bed comes up at auction," she suggests, rather acidly. I thought. That's the trouble around this town. You try to be helpful and save people money and all you get is snubbed. Ruminating on the injustice of things in general and the ingratitude of humanity in particular, I leave her and go to Paramount I'M THANKFUL to say there's not too I much doing over here. Larry Buster Crabbe is working in another Western— but it's on location. I bear up as best I can under this staggering blow and totter over to the first stage where there is a picture working. It is called "College Hobday" and features the one and only iMav\ Boland and Martha Rave, and those inimitables of the radio. Burns & Allen, and Jack Benny. Also Elcanore Wniitney, Marsha Hunt, Johnny Downs and Leif Erickson. It's really a very impressive cast. Unfortunately I can't work up a lather of enthusiasm over the story. It doesn't make sense— but then none of Burns & Allen's stories ever do. They're like olives and caviar. You like them or you don't. If you do they're funny in anything. Mary and Jack Benny, although they apparently do not know each other, are co-partners in a failing hotel. They can't get business. Mary is on her way to the place with Etienne Girardot who wants to make a health resort out of it. Benny thinks if he could get representative boys and girls from the country's leading universities to come to the place and put on a gigantic show it would pay. Girardot's ideas are Harry Watson, Billy Mauch and Phillip Hurlick in Tarkington's classic of boyhood, "Penrod and Sam." different. He wants to mate couples eugenically by first subjecting them to a "treatment" and then turning them loose in a perfumed garden to see if they re-act, Benny sees a chance to get the college kids there and Girardot sees a chance to get some human guinea pigs because everyone knows no one is more anxious to mate than college kids . . . eugenically or otherwise. I don't know how all this is going to be put on the screen when Carrie who, in "Valiant is the Word for Carrie," was nothing but a good, old-fashioned, honest courtesan had to be white washed no end before she could be put into pictures. However, praise be, all this is none of my headache. In "Quality Street," Sir James M. Barrie's famous story, Franchot Tone supports Katharine Hepburn. "Let's Make a Million" with Edward Everett Horton is shooting here. It's just starting and the script isn't finished yet. But the set is apparently the office in a small country store. There is an office chair overtmned and J. M. Kerrigan is lying on the floor beside it. The door bursts open and Eddie Horton rushes in, wide-eyed. "Did you fall, Sam?" he queries. "I didn't sit down here on purpose," Kerrigan retorts with a sickly grin. "There's something the matter with that chair," Horton reflects as he walks over and helps Joe to his feet. "It acts this way e\cr\ lime you take a drink. How do you feci?' " Joe replies shakily. "Pigeons flying aroiuulin my head. Yellow and green ones." "Yellow and green |)igeons." Horton exclaims enthusiastically. "They're very rare." He looks at Kerrigan in a worried maimer. Kerrigan is moaning sliglillv and holdiiig his head. Hon on picks up a ijotilc from the lal)le and reads the label: "Hango Fi//." You know, wliiinsy lor "Fi//, HangoN ci ." [Coiilinurd on page 76] "Awful