Variety (Jan 1934)

Tuesday, January 9, 1934 PICTQRES VAR/Err Baer Admits He s No Shy Violet But Claims That's His Personality By CECELIA AGER Max Baer likes to study human Nobody knows it, but he Btudies. human nature all the time, when he's lii the ring, when he's on the stage iahd wheii he's just sit- ting around , talking wi^li p6ople.i He gets a. lot of fun kidding on the level,. watching to: see if they get what; he- means, and It they do, whether they let on .that they ' db; He's just a blgf happy-go-lucky feU. low, he admits, but there's .a deep 6id9 to; him, too* . because of ; this reAectlve turn, of liaind .of his; he's been haying a ewell time playing in vaude lii . a night ,cjub>nd in pictures, it's miade him thii|F]if,.: His vaude dates sort oif. give him^the feeling that he's neyer through with it. When he signs, for a flght, be trains, he flghts, and it's, over. But in vaude h6 does his show, and.in a couple of hours he's got to come back and do It all over again. It's kind of hard for him to get himself adjusted. He likes vaude. audiences, though. They watch him. in the night club, he's got to overcome the competi-. tion of the soup, and the bustlie of the waiters, But he never lets it ■ worry him. If' the people would rather ekt than pay 'attention to his act, that's okay, too. just teaches him a little more! about hu- man nature. l>Iothing ever Worries Baer a,ny- way. He always gets a good night's sleep befbre his fights, he says, be- cause he figures unless his oppo- nent has three armis, he can handle him. He doesn't care whether, the fight crowd's with him or not, he doesn't care whether they like him or. not. They'll he for him wh©n,be wins, all right; They*re always with the WInrier. The daite Angle Besides, it's better for the gate if the crowd doesn't like him. Makes the fight fan. say to his friends, •Come on. Let's go oyer and see that ,conceited devil get knocked out.' Of course, he never does gfet knocked out, but the crowd's al- ways hoping. So they go to his next fight, and his next, each one .lsring ing .his own friends to be in at Baer's downfall. And-meanwhile his chare of the receipts keeps swelling. That's , the way he likes it. Say, he's glad he'^ got them thinking he's conceited. It must be, th6y think, that be.- cause every time he's hit, he smiles He doesn't know v/hy he smiles, it's Just natural, that's all. The first -time a guy evev took a sock at him —he was a high school kid then—he flmiled. He's been doing it ever since: It's made him .quite a per eonality, too. Why do. you suppose he can ontdraw Carriera anytime^ because he's been building up his personality* that's why. This picture thing, noW^ It's great for the- personality, but some times he wonders if the very great- ness of 'The Prizefighter and the Xiady- might not be detrimental to his hoped-for boUt with Camera in July. ■ The public might think it was iehearsed. And picture fights look so much better than the real ones, because pictures give you the wearying, "winning;, close ones that you can't see when you're sitting in the :arena; the public might con»- pare the two to the. real one's dis advantage. But then, the average public's stupid ahywiay, says Baer, What does he like bettfer, fighting or pictures? Weil, there's only one champ, but there's thousands of actors. Baer'd like to do both Have the dough and the . prestige that them—beg pardon^that those champs fate, and collect some ture money, too; .Pictures are .easy, They told him just to behave natural, so he a*ted fickle and had a, lot of fun. Walter Huston ex ii>ed. to him ' that the greatest ia, to act natural. Well Baer"s always natural. Nothing can make him self-conscious. He kidded around the way he always does and they were swell, to him. it was cinch. AH he had to do was take few_ tap-dancing lessons^. lie "^cMTa:~targo'"ah^iao^ ah'eady.;, But just the same he picked up a few things that'll make his work in his next picture—which, by the way, will not be a fight picture, be cause no fight picture can ever top 'The I^rizeflghter and the Lady*, be- oaup*' no picture can ever hope to aKSPniV>i*' iipain a cast with' Dcmp 3d Tninsfusion for Ed Sutherland; Will Recover Hollywood, Jan.. Eddie Sutherland Is on the .rbad to recovery after receiving^ hts third blood trahstUsion in Hollywood Hqs- ■pl^l. ijast two transfusions were given by LeRoy Prinz; Paramount dance director,, and the first :by Siither- land's . chauffeur. It's expected'it; will be twg inpriths beifpre Suther- land is able to return to work. ^Hollywpod, Jan'. Inancial guardianshi ,pf .fllm-1 land's professional 'no' ineh over moneyed picture .players-ir-^the busi- ness . reps of ^the stars—^hias. dropped the screenles Way down in the list of suckCfef for selling scheihes rackets. They used to stand at the top of the list as easy marks for all kinds ' phonies,' together' With lawyers, ministers and teacherig who now top ail ciasses as pfopositipn saps, according to Louis Bi ;Spaetii .of the Better Buslrio^s Bureau. Pic People Retir^ Irohi Top of ^ S^^^ IT DOES HAPPEN Joati Wheeler Leaves. Coast for Discovery ,10 Hollywood, Jan. Upon the arrival pf Joan Wheeler, fronv New York; Warners im iedi- ately placed her .In 'Hot Air' and. 'Hit Me. Ajgalh.' Odd angid-'-toi'the sighing of Miss Wheeler in.iJew Tott is that she was. a men^ber of • .the Pasadeha Gommunity Playhouse fpr several years and. no ;6ne ga,ve her « tum- ble, She was : dlscbyered by Holly- wpod via N. y. LAEMMLE,JR., CUTS SHORT FOREIGN ROUTE •. .Hollywood, Jaii. Carl Laemmle, Jr., has set back hid'hop off tp Europe for; two- Weeks ahd is now' slated tp leave New ■^^ork Pn. the Rex iailihg Feb. 3. Head Pf .TLTniversal prodtiction ;has also .decided to ciit his trip to six W{peks, Instead of the three nionths originally,' Planned; Will hiake ' the trip a Vacation jaiant, and pass up too much business on the foreign piroduction units of TJniversai. B'moire Dehiys 'Ceiitory/ Hawks Grabs Vacash Hollywood, Jan; 8. With production start of 'Twen- tieth Century' set back until Peib. 5 because of Columbia'is inability to get John Barrymore prior, to that date, director Howard Hawks ieft fpf 'New Tprk on a three Week jaunt.. Hawks carries With him the com- pleted script of 'Century' and Will go over the tt:eatment. with-Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht, its au- thPrs; for any suggestions they might have for the screen version, Carole Lombard probably the fern lead. 0 Mail and Big^^R^^ Delegatkm Back in U S. Harpo. .Marx, heads a film, coh- tingetat . that arriyed In New Tprk today (9) from Europie.. Marx has been in itussla where he made a coiticer.t hall appearance. Arriving. oil the sanle boat are Erik Charrell, Charles Boyer and Marcel Vallee; Charrell is the Gerr , man lijih and stage m-^sical pro- ducer whp gdes to Fox for a, pic- ture, after remaining two days In New York. Boyer and Mile. VaUee, French stars, go with him tp appear in the picture, sl- musical, which will be made In French and English versions. Others on the boat included Mau- rice Chevalier,, after a horiie visit in France, and going direct to Holly- wood for 'The Meriry Widow,' to be made for, Meitro. A Self-Regulated Clean Screen WiD Eliminate All Censorship, It Is Hoped by June; Clean Adv. Too Trying to Sell Mary British Picture Deal Mary .P'lckford has been tendered a prpppsitio'n of inaking a pictur'e In England. 'Any further negotiations* howevier, depend^ upon her approval of. story, studio and director. M. S. Bentham and Paul jrurray respectively New .York and London agents, are working, on the miittei*. Henmier Must File a 3d Cpnqdaint in His 250G Suit vs. Mary Flood's Par Contract Hollywood, Jan. Paramount has given. James Flood,, director, a three^^year .con- tract at four i)ictures yearly* Ac- tion, followed the preview of 'All . of Me* ('Chrysalis'), on which he .bias been working the past six niohths. Deal made by the SchulbergrFeld- mah agency. HELEN LOWELL OOES WB Warners have, signed Helen Lowell from legit. It's an opti6nal contract sey, Carnera and himself in It—a lot more professional. He's learned that you're not sup- posed to streak like you'd be read- ing a poein, that, if you turn your head when somebody's talking to you» only your prpflle shows on the, screen,, but ,lf 'y6u just turn your eyes, ypu can be shot three-quar- ters face, which is better for you. "You should take it eksy When spme- body's speaking tb you-and not rush in with your aniswer but- act as if ypu were.; listening and .thinking, it oyer; Baer knows now too that when you're seated at a table with a group, of other actors, you can. get. more .attention by moving .about a little, turning your head and so on, than you get if you react to their lines with jUst your eyes. Cautious ■When being interviewed Mr. Baer has nice new beautiful martners ahd nice new gfarrtmaf. too; Should 'lousy' creep into, his speech, he switches deftly to 'terrible', and In order to express the state of being stihko to this reporter; Baer feinted from 'tight' to 'High' to 'Intoxi- cated', jh his commendable search =for^ust=the'=propeF=wopd.==-==='T===^ " He'd rather be Dempsey than President, and figures hei's going to be champ, with a ?1,000,000 gate be- cause there's so many 'people around already trying to get hold of a piece of hitri, they wouldn't be around if ho weren't going to make it.- ■■■'., .\Vhf?ifMip(Mi hn kiiov- Counsei for EdWard Hcnimel' last: week filed a third, complaint in the $250|06o suit against .Mary Pickford for services he alleg'ed rendered the picture star, her mother and sister betWeien .January, 1907, and March, .1920J Eliminated froi the latest Hfemmer document turned into the New York Federal court are Herti-i^ . mer's preyipus .references tP Doug- las Fairbanks.. . U. S. Judge Knox on the objec- tions of. iNliss Pickford's: lawyers, O'Brien, Driscoli & iKaftery, had or- dered Hemmer tp strike put of his references of any sort to Fairbanks, with a .warning that if this matter: was again included Heriimer's case would be dismissed. Hemmer claims that he entered intp an agreement with Mary Pick- ford providing that if her mother, Charlotte* did hot leave hirn |i250,'- 000 In hej* wUl the picture star would reimburse him that amount The mPther's w'iil did nPt mention him. WM.'s Personals Robert Woolsey and Dorothy .Lefe arrived from the coast by plane Thursday (4) to join Bert . Wheeler on a short vaude tour. Trio started for RKO In Trenton Friday (5), go to Washington the following Week fPr Warners and then return to New York , to play thd Albee, Brooklyn . Radio engagement Jan. 21 has beiein set over WEAF froni New York on the Hinds prpgram. Crosbsr's Personals After 'Dressing* Over Hollywood, Jan. 8. On completion of 'We're Not Dressing' at Parainiount, Bing Crosby goes to New York to fulfil: his - personal appearance contracts which were set back due to his en- gagement in 'Going Hollywood' at Metro. Singer had. three weeks set when the. Mietro pic Started. He'll open at the Paramount, New York, sonie time.-in March, with Brooklyn Par to follow, and. possibly one In Chi- cago. Ritchie Ahead of MacD. On European Biz Trip Hollywood, Jan. 8. Bob Ritchie, manager for J^anette MacDonald, leaves next week for a European buslnesis trip. He win handle Miss MiacDonald's business affairs abtoad, also doing some biz for some, other picture people looking for Gohtlnental deals. Par's Embryo Actors Hollywood, Jan. 8. To keep their young stock players In training and as a tester for thie benefit of producers and! directors, Paramount will put the neophytes into a series of leglt. plays, for show- ing only at the studio. First of the shows will be 'Double Door,' with cast including Ida Lur pino, John Engstead, Toby Wing, Kent Taylor, Barbara Frltchle and Jay Henry. Picture morality is up for its bi gest inning. Major leaders predict that by . the end of June legislative censorship, ..how exists In six states and over lOp municipaiitles. can be washed up If, during that time, the Industry c.aii present a clean screen and sightly btillyhoo. The . plan now is to take the. Indus- try's.own redoria of facts and figiires piled up during, that interim ahd to present it before'the various. law- makers, as the best argunieht for all - ind Ustry regulation. In this respect the business, itself j officials admit, is pfE to a poor start. During the. first month of the indus- try under the .NRA, censors have' banned exactly thtee pictures, as checked . against only one picture during a period of three months be- fore codification. The three include 'Damaged: Lives;' 100% nixed by th,e New "Srovk board, 'Blood. lioney' and 'Elysia' in. MaiTland. iMoney,* how- ever, has been reinstated by the Maryarid coui'ts and the 'Elysia' apr peal Is yet to be. determined. Lives' is a violation of the Hays moral code from the. start since it deals with sex hygiene. It was inde- pendently produced but. Is using iDplumbia exchanges. 'Blood' is re- ported . to have gone through the fiays niachlne and 'Elysia,' the nud- ist filni Is an all-ihdie. Several other pictures coming oit of. the. Hays hopper when the NRA fiag was on the official mast are re-; ported to have been scarred by aU six of the state censor boards. Up to. the Industry But the industry is faced with an immediate' problem which will first have to be settled. This is unifying, its oWh method of .self-t'eguiatipn. Miajors. cannot go one way. and In- dies the other in the matter of pic- ture moral Interpretations. It was figured at first In major ranks that when the code went into effect Indies would automatically embrace the machinery as set up by Hays. three years agp. If fpr no other reason than that it -wouid mean a large financial saving to them. For a time, . the President h£td signed, the code, indies Indicated they would use the Hays codes. But, in the past few days there Is a. marked division of opinion and sen- timent in the Indie ranks, some of the stronger smaller companies even feeling the Indies should set up ahd finance their own mills for produc- tion and advertising. .indie sentiment also Is that If the Hayis Organization Is good enough to pass uport their copy and piCr tures, the Indies'In turn should be in a position to pass official com- ment on the major output. LE.RQY SAILS WITH BRIDE Helen Menken's Pronto HPliywo<>d,-Jan. 'Uhlyerisal has sent orders to New York to. have some -pronto, tests made Pf Helen Menken, U. would like to use the legit star In the part of Elizabeth In 'Mary and Elizabeth.' Klein's Fox Hiatus Hollywood, Jan. •Philip Klelii is pff the jpb.as story- contact with writers at Fox. He'll leave Jan. 12 on a Sputh Sea trip and . then Will return to the studio to write .scripts. ORSATTI sAnii^a Frank Orsatti, Coast agent, plaits =to=^ailithls-or^ne3ct^w^cic=:fOE=Lon=- don to clear up dialog rights to scripts by W. Si Hutchinson, Ed- gar Wallace and Sir James Batrie. •Silent rights are held by some of his studi6, clients, but tl?e tallcer privileges hiUst yet be cleared. Or- sattl thinkis he can dp bottf^r di- rect with the p!;tiit(»s. or prinfipals, iiriire th»» hop. On Foiip ide f ' Crulse-^Will ir Upon Doris Warner, daughter of Harry M. Warner, became the -bride pf Mervyn LeRoy ' last "Tuesday (2), the ..wedding taking : place in New York at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Around 200 attended with dinner and dancing following the 6 m.. ceremony. : Bride and groom lingered, here until 'Thursday (4), on wiiich day they took pver a suite on the Eni- press pf Britain for a fpur inonths' world crul.se. Up6;i thair return they will reside in Bel-Air, Los An- geles suburban, section, where Le- Roy has purchased a .home. The boys lost count of the hon- eymoon couple's baggage two. hours before sailing, bufc it. is known that the fastidious LeRoy starts out seven top coats and enough shirts tP lasi should ho grab the brass ^rlng^-and-^go^xxrou n d:--agaih.=i*-=.=w . Loeb's Sinus liollyw.ood, Jan. 8. Jid:win Loe'b, attorney for the tluccr.' AHSOfJation, I'-ft for thf- :\Tayp In.slitutf, Rofh('.'«tor, Minn., rrklay (^Z) aocompanif fl by Kp(-<"ial- iVl,M. fie is sni'fcrirm fro i simis H'WOODIANS OGLE SOVIET PIC CHANCES Hollywood, Jan. 8. Two more Hollywopd people join- ing the trek for Moscow .on spec are Henry M!c.Carthy, former . Radio writer, and Helmar Bergman, s6tfrid: techniciari. Pair sail from Los An- geles Feb. 15 for. a looksee at Rus- sian film making and hopeful of getting a spPt with a Soviet pro- ducer. Holly wood's free lance talent fig- ures Russlia will welcome with opc.n arms any experienced Hollywopd people who wander ..into the coun- try. Russia, they believe,, slr.ce recognition by the U; S. Will want the Hollywopd slant on some pf itis» pictures Which may get American distribution. Trips by Harpo Marx,. Lipv-is" Mlle.stone and others have giyrn Hollywood people the itch to pn to Mpscowi Marie Dressier Chairman Of Pres. BaU in HVt 'J Marji;' Drr-.-sslpr will be cliair-..:in of thft Hollywood Conimlttpe for the r're.siflcnt's Iflrthrtay Hall to be hd. Jan, 30. .««lrnultanoou.sly 'with .«inn- lar bji.Us to be held by com luiiitica all over tlie country. TlK- iilu.'^ ixrt.' s]')ons(U'0(l by Il'-nry DolK'i'l;,*. oil man. for llui bfispfit o£ Ihr- W'iir Siiriiiij.v f-'outHlxit'oi