Evening star. [volume], September 21, 1935, Page A-4, Image 4

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
Melcher in Filmland Among the Stars
>
Being One of a Series of Hollywood Chronicles by The Star’s Dramatic Critic.
v%* .
Editor's note: This is the fourth
of a series of articles by B. de S.
Melcher, dramatic critic of The
Star, who is in Hollywood to tell
you how the film folk work and
play, and to write of the produc- ,
Mon activities in the big studios. -
Another article will be published
tomorrow and each day thereafter
at long as Mr. Melcher remains in
the moving picture capital.
BY E. de S. MELCHER, . -
Dramatic Critic of The Star,
OLLVWOOD, Caltf, September
20.—Jean Hartfte isn't going
to marry TOBfem Powell.
Nor la Jean tfaMItom blond
any more.
The former state of allairs is likely
to be permanent. Hie latter Is a
whim of the moment, Miss Harlow’s
neat white locks being hidden under
a wig which has all the studio gentry
on its ear. The wig is a sort of
cinnamon-gold color, curly and in
finitely becoming. In it Jean looks
five years younger than her actual 24
years, She is wearing it for "Riff
raff’’—in which she marries Speccer
JTracy. She also has a child.
When Jean talked about Bill Powell,
she smiled that snpll, attractive,
enigmatic grin which her friends
admire—her enemies hate. While she
sat back in a studio chair, her maid
combed her golden locks; Mrs. Bello,
her mother, kept an eye on her, and
Una Merkel made pleasant wise
cracks. Jean and Bill are evidently
the best of friends. Beyond that,
silence. Beyond that*—apparently
nothing. The acre-sized diamond ring
which is meant to be adorning her
finger was noticeably absent. It may
have been due to "Riffraff''—at any
rate it was absent.
Jean is younger looking, Detier
looking than ever before. Everybody
on the set said the same thing ex
cept Mrs. Bello. "But no,” said Jean’s
mother, "she’s always looked like
that.” Maybe she’s right. Jean had
a two months’ vacation after "China
Seas," got herself sunburned and
healthy, put on a couple of pounds.
A few days ago she almost had a
nervous breakdown when family trou
ble again reached a peak and her
mother sued Mr. Bello for divorce.
Jean is over that now. Although
rumor has it that she wasn’t too fond
of her stepfather, if you ask her about
him she says: "That’s my mother’s
affair—not mine.” Wisely she keeps
out of the argument. Sadly, though,
as anybody will tell you on the M
G-M lot, she has more bad breaks
which were none of her business than
any one in the business. Still she
keeps up her chin. Still she keeps
smiling. And she and Una Merkel
and Spencer Tracy are having a swell
time kidding the Ufe out of each
ether during the filming of their new
picture.
The happiest man at M-G-M,
however, is Bob Montgomery. He
hasn't started working on his new
film. For recreation he runs in and
out of the studio in his new gray and
silver car, which he brought with him
from England. It is very low. very
long and has a red cover for the back
seat. He grins all over when he stops
beside you. Right away he starts in
on the car’s virtues—including: "It
makes 9 lot of nolsc”-rhemipon he
pulls out some sort of a gadget and
almost blows the street out of its
mooring. Then he says "I’ve been
105 miles in it in England”—and
finally he looks it all over with im
mense personal pride, pats it gently
with one hand, and then rolls off for
a conference with Irving Thalberg.
who is due any minute from New
York.
OTHER items gleaned at a lunch
hour on the M-G-M set: Lulse
Rainer could only say “yes,” "no” and
“Johnny” (that’s her dog) in English
when she first came to Hollywood.. •
Clark Gable hops off every five min
utes to hunt up in the mountains
when he’s not working on a film...
Hugh Walpole isn’t too happy because
he’s been sidetracked on a story other
than the one for which he was
brought over.. - Mickey Roony, now 13,
and playing in "Riffraff,” is said to
Bteal "Midsummer Night’s Dream”...
Rosalind Russell is one of the big
best right now...Norma Shearer is
studying "Romeo and Juliet” for all
she Is worth...Everybody In Holly*
wood (Including Franchot Tone) has
been tested for Romeo.. .Nobody’s got
the role yet...Leslie Howard is, how
ever, leading...
After a pleasant hour with Harlow,
Montgomery, etc., it is difficult to
come out in the light and face Holly
wood's sun and the million and one
Harlow sidewalk imitators again.
Paramount has, however, seen to it
that its gigantic Hollywood opening
of "The Big Broadcast of 1936” is put
at our disposal, with the radio broad
cast on the stage of the Los Angeles
Theater as one of the features.
Here is pandemonium. The stars
Who are to participate in the event
(the theater was jammed to see them)
have arrived a half hour ahead of
time to see that all is well. Every
thing is well except the stars. Carl
Brisson is shaking like a leaf. In
spite of Mrs. Brisson’s pleadings he
remains petrified. It is his first broad
cast.
Less petnnea is Etnei Merman, sne
bounches up and down the stage as
she did In "Anything Goes,” hum
ming bits of her great success and
being jnost cordial when any one goes
up to her and tells her that he
thought she was splendid in the show.
Dressed in a blue sailor suit, she is
by far the calmest of the bunch. Jack
Oakie, master of ceremonies—you
probably heard this broadcast (Mary
Boland starred in it at the other
end—New York)—strolls up and
down, very noticeable in a white suit
with a blue shirt, which is Byronically
thrown wide open at the collar. Helen
Jepson, who arrived only 10 minutes
ago by plane from the East, is very
handsome, very stately, in a black
hat and a rich fur cape, which she
wean in spite of the fact that it is
80 in the shade. Charles Ruggles
isn’t there. He arrives 5 minutes
ahead of the time he goes on—thus
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Jean Harlow (In a new red wig) grins at Old Man Trouble and keeps mum on romantic rumors.
giving the jitters to every one who
hasn't the jitters already.
* * * *
AS THE broadcast begins we hear
the following from our neighbors
in the audience: “Je’s ain't she-”
(referring to the stately Metropolitan
Opera star, Helen Jepson)—"a honey."
“I wouldn’t mind all that fu-yer,
would you?” “Is zat Ethel Moiman?
Gee whiz, somebody told me she ]
looks like Mae West. She don’t look
like Mae West, d’ya think?” “Carl
Brisson married? I should say not. I
You mean Gary Cooper, don’t ya?”
(Mrs. Brlsson, who was sitting next
door, was observed to draw herself up
to her full height) .. . "Oakle s good
looking, what?’’ "Oh, I don’t know—
shoulders are O. K., but I don't think
so much o’ the rest,.” . . . "Iz zat
Frances Langford? Gee, she's skinny. |
isn’t she?” . . . "Charlie Ruggles and :
Mary Boland are married, ain’t they?” j
(Rumor has It that they’ve thrown
a couple of gadgets at each other) ...
"Oh, my, listen to that Merman
sing!”
As a matter of fact you couldn’t
hear Merman sing. You couldn’t hear
Jepson sing. You couldn’t hear OakJe
talk. You know what one of these
broadcasts is like. Lots of talent.
Lots of music—In the mike. Other
wise static—painful static—and silence!
Still the Los Angeles citizens loved
it—crowded the theater—stared wild
eyed at Jepson's furs. Merman's sailor
suit, Brls-''n’s biceps. This was Holly
wood .. parade. What difference if
they neard—or not I
Diamonds Boom.
South African diamond trade is up.
Woodward & Lothrop
Wr«$fn» NiSIrusUM
SUAVE FASHIONS
' demand a
SUAVE /HEAD
Smart women are the first to realize
just how important one’s headdress
\is to one's day dress—and so they put
ThemselVes in the capable hands of
oar expert operators is permanent
waving. Several different, approved
methods.
50
elephone DJttrict $300
ore, Sicom Fux*.
Woodward & Lothrop
10th IIth F and G Streets Phone District 5300
Pure, Healthful Jam for Little Appetites
Mickey Mouse Pure Preserves
25c Jar
6 for $|*45
i
Made from pure fruit and sugar, these tasty
preserves are just the thing for lunches and
after-school snacks. All the flavors that chil
dren like; strawberry, peach, pineapple, black
berry, cherry and raspberry. After the jar is
emptied, it can be used for a savings bank.
Taste these luscious preserves in the Food
Shop, Fifth Floor.
See Mrs. Mickey Mouse spread jam
on the kiddies’ bread—in our window.
Food Shop, Fifth Flooe.
*w
4$0tetk that we are ^iromg^t^ ^taHfonn^ m^ri^rt^tweed and black velvet—~
but it expresses the idea that Fashion is divided into two exciting moods.—one
casual, comfortable, colorful—the other suave, sophisticated. On the casual
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“mouth-watering/’ On the suave sidef a new silhouette that softly, beautifully,
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to costume velvets—very, very elegant. Both sides of fashion, as well as the chic
accompaniments have been designed and executed by Woodward & Lothrop,
with quality and originality. To wit, the two costumes sketched (both from
our Fashion Floor, the Third).
Misses'—
$59
9
WE INVITE TOC TO ATTEND A SHOWING OF
The New Autumn Fashions
BY MANNEQUINS
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER TWENTY-SIXTH
AT 11 A.M, 2:30 AND 4:30 P.M.
ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF FASHIONS
ifl * gapp&i m MMS1
Misses'—
$95
*
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