Silver Screen (Nov 1939 - May 1940)

'fraid of Mac — that what keep you quiet?" he persists. "Ain't afeard of nobody, an' dang well he knows it," Bevans says in a sudden, hot anger, turning away. But Tanmroff follows, swings him around and pulls him close. His voice is dangerous. "You know something — hey?" There is no answer so he begins shaking Bevans. "Is — it — true ■ — ■ what — Mac ■ —say?" "Yeh — some of it," Bevans admits sullenly. "Smokey," Jane shriek^ hysterically, "shut yer mouth!" "Cut!" calls the director, and then, "Thats' all for today. Wrap 'em up." So I never learn what happens to Smokey Bevans, but I'll bet it's something awful for Mr. Tamiroff is not a gent to be trifled with — particularly in pictures. THE other picture going over here is "Portrait in Diamonds," with Isa Miranda, George Brent and John Loder. This is almost the start of the picture and it's hard to tell what it's about. But the three mentioned and Matthew Bolton and Walter Kingsford are all standing about a desk looking at a little Zulu statuette. "Looks just like Jack Lansfield (Nigel Bruce)," Bretit opines. As a matter of fact, it does faintly resemble Nigel. "Oh! It's very odd," Isa exclaims looking at it admiringly, "and, somehow, attractive." "The natives make them," Kingsford explains. He pauses and then is strjick by a sudden thought, "won't you take it — as a souvenir of your visit?" "Thank you," Isa beams. "I'd love it" Bolton's eyes dart from Kingsford to Isa. His expression has become suspicious. "Mind if I take a look at it. Miss Falcon?" he asks, taking the statuette from her before she can object. "I know a little about 'native art — Jie continues. He turns it around, looking at it and suddenly his suspicions are heightened. Sometliing within tlie statue definitely rattles, and the plot is on. "You see," George grins when the scene is finished, "you can't get away with a thing these days." I nod. "It reminds me of that song they used to sing in "Liliom" on the stage — "Look out, here come the damn pohce, the damn police, the damn police are here!" There's nothing more to see there, anyhow, so I truck on down to — star is Edward Ellis {"A Man to Remember"). He has spent his life building up a big department store. His friend and assistant is J. Edward Bromberg. Every time a new son is born, Ellis builds an addition to the store, hoping that each of his sons will one day take over a department. He won't even sell Bromberg a part of the business, because he feels it belongs to his children. But when they grow up none of them wants any part of the store so he sadly divides the stock between the three sons and the daughter. They {the two older boys and tlie daughter) want only the money so they sell the stock and Bromberg buys it. At the end, years later, Ellis is about to die and he sends for his family. We meet them now in the huge living room of his home, the furniture shrouded in ghostly covers. He comes in and looks at them wistfully. "So I've brought you back — back from tlie four corners of the eartfi," he says. "We'd Jiave come anyway, Guv'nor, if we'd known," Kent Taylor, the oldest replies. Kent is bigger, with a slight pot stomach. "Well, there's not much I can say about you," Ellis goes on. "Maybe that's been the troiible. Not much one way or another. You just didn't have it. Well, I wanted to see you together once again. Don't seem so many years ago you looked so beautiful — so young — strong. Eacli of you part of me — my strengtli — my way of dreamin' things — my steadiness— my stubborn pride." He is speaking from a cloud of memories and doesn't even see them any more: "Goodbye, Gene, strong old son. Goodbye, Bert that played on my knee. Goodbye, Phoebe, darling." He pauses, looking past tliem. "Goodbye, Freddie (Dick Hogan, the youngest son), prince of my dreams, wlierever you are — " Dick is about eighteen. He is standing in the doorway witJi Bromberg. Bromberg motions him to go to his father. He does, sitting on the arm of his father's chair and putting liis arm around iiim. Ellis pulls liimself together for a secmid. "Still — partners?" he whispers to Dick. Dick nods, his lips compressed. Ellis' face is peacefid now as he looks off toward tlie window. Dick looks, too — and is fumbling for words, trying to remember something from long, long ago. It is something his father once told him when they were watching the crowds through the store window: "See all sorts of things through that window — if you look hard enough," he whispers. phrey Bogart and Jeffrey Lynn — there are "Lady Dick' 'and "Ride, Cowboy, Ride." The latter is a technicolor short starring Dennis Morgan. This short is being made as a sort of test to see if he is good enough to do "The Desert Song" when and if they ever get around to filming it. Dennis sings beautifully {he's singing today), he photographs handsomely and he's a nice fellow, so I don't know what more they want unless they're going to insist upon his acting, too. Well, he can even act, so there! But the piece de resistance in this short, as far as I'm concerned, is Esther Howard. If I had my way, Esther would play the character part in practically every picture that's made in Hollywood. Here she sits with a brassy blond wig on and a dress that proclaims her a member of the oldest profession. "Ah, yes," she sighs mockingly, "this time I'm Cactus Kate. These girls are all mine. Could I introduce you?" "Well, no," I decline her offer. "I'll just sit and gab with you. Those are some swell jewels you're wearing. If they're yours we can get married. I'm in an amorous mood today." "Alas, they're not," she admits. "But there's nothing small about me. Bette Davis wore them as Queen Elizabeth and this is about as close as I'll ever come to the Academy Award." At this point one of "her girls" gets into a row with one of "her customers" and Esther has to go about her duties {although this scene is not in the script), so I leave. ^ ^ ^ "TADY DICK" features Morgan Con*Jway and Jane Wyman, to say nothing of Maxie Rosenbloom, Gloria Dickson and Dick Foran. It's a cops and robbers story, with Jane playing a lady detective. It's growing late so let's beat it to — Paramount "IDEMEMBER THE NIGHT," starJt^ ring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, is working in the tank today and the set is closed so you'll have to wait for this one until next month. Ditto, "Typhoon" starring Dorothy Lamour and Robert Preston, which is on location. But there are still two shooting here. ONE of them is "Untamed" {tentative title) with Pat Morison, Akim Tamiroff, Jane Darwell, Clem Bevans and Ray Milland. Only the middle three are working today. The scene is a mountain cabin where Bevans is sitting in front of a fire, snowblind. It's in the northern Rockies. Some people have evidently just left, because Jane turns back into the room furiously. "I'd a killed 'em, Joe — the whole, dirty, lyin' pack of 'em," she shouts to Tamiroff. But he pushes past her and faces Bevans. His voice is curiously quiet. "Smokey," he says to Clem, "why you not speak up? Why you not tell Mac he is a liar?" But Bevans only stares woodenly and says nothing. "You got a tongue, hey?" Akim yells, jerking him to his feet. There is no answer. "You R-K-O THE Hunchback of Notre Dame" is shooting, but Mr. Charles Laughton works only on a closed set and he's working today so you'll have to wait until next month for this one. I'll catch it some day when he isn't working. "Allegheny Frontier," starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne is on location so that, too, will have to wait. BUT there's another good picture going here called "Three Sons." The Scenes like that always get me down and this one is so beautifully played I don't feel much like kidding when it is over. So I head for home, because at Columbia there is nothing shooting and the only things shooting at 20th Century-Fox are "Drums Along the Mohawk," which is closed tighter than a drum, and Jane Withers in "High School," which is on process and about which I'll tell you next month. That's all, folks. for November 1939 59