Pago
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1957.
If you have not been to the cinema for a couple
of years, the next time you go you may not recogalee anyone you see on the screen
Hollywood presents its new faces
and here are the new heart-throbs
IN SIBERIA
Andy Griffith.
fame: MacArthur,
Anthony Darkloz
HOLLYWOOD. HOLLYWOOD scouts have never been riding the round-up in such numbers,
orders are, ping never been ridingy of the old luces are st
top, as a veteran producer said after a recent premiere, "Those Jerks look as if they had been painted by Rembrandt." He did not intend to be com- plimentary.
YU GR OTO ZÓN BON JÜDI
Many of the new generation are still called "What's-his name" by their own press agents. But in another year even | their initials will be world-famous.
Pouting, pale-faced CARROLL BAKER was
She was sacked because she
મ
TV
"I don't say Siberia, but they could send us to Manchester, or Birmingham, or Sopith Uist.”
Boulevard. Now he is signed up for eight pictures; a total gamble of seven million pounds on one new star,
Perkins studies every film magazine carefully and notes the most favourable type of publicity, He seems to have cast him- self as the lanky boyish Lincoln type.
He does not smoke ("It makes me dizzy"). Hy does not dance ("It makes me stutter). He walks barefoot from his Hollywood apartment to the
YELIMELIGHT
weather announcer just a year ago. dropped her script and ad-libbed the line "There is a lot of hot air blowing in from Texas." Now, after one starring role in Baby Doll, she was nominated for an Oscar.
HIGHLY STRUNG
Another new face is that of 25-year-old ANTHONY PERKINS. It resembles shy, highly strung greyhound. Nine months ago he was hitching lifts on Sunset (
THIS WEEK COMES FROM
ALAN BRIEN
IN HOLLYWOOD,
neighbouring drugstore. But he is tipped to be the biggest box office draw of 1057.
·
Close behind Perkins is the hayseed hero ANDY GRIFFITII, another discovery of Ella Karan, the starmoker. Grimth talks the way Ma and Pa Kettle look. He has a bemely grin, briarpatch hair and a quotable line in crackerbarrel anecdotes.
His first film will be A Face in the Crowd. He
plays a rascally hillbilly comedian. Griffle says that he has no idea who the original could be.
"Don't ask me. Ah only work hère, Thoy: tell Ah me it's about a character called Composite, don't know him, do_you?”
And be underplays his own talents with а homespun candour which makes Will Roger look like a Cily sliciter.
"Ah'm no John Barrymore," he says, "But if Mr Kazan keeps on,smlling, einch alt don't com- plain."
DIFFICULT TASK
In all the capitals of the world Hollywood agents are beating the backstreets for talented un- knowns. This morning, in New York, I found ace director Jcan Negulesco testing girls for Francoter Sagan's A Certain Smile. The studio was in a side street just twenty blocks from the neon-splashed cinemas of Thues Square.
Technicians plcked their teeth and cracked obacure jokes in a jungle of cables. Some of the girls sat shivering and listening to the steady mono- * fone of reassurance from their agents. In a cone of yellow are lights, another girl with a new face tried to project a lonely beam of emotion among thre hurlyburiy
GILES
"Foor kids," Negulesco said, "for the first Unde they are beginning to feel Important It's a frightening feeling. Some have to be insulted Some have to be, courted." He put his nem'absent- mindedly round a pretty blonde's waist.
"It's a very unfair way to iest anyone, I sup- pote, But I am, casting no other part in the film until I find a new face!"
Afterwards I had lunch with B 10-year-old Harvard undergraduate, who is, perhaps, the moni promising talent of them all. Ho is JAMES MAC- ARTHUR, adopted son of Broadway's reigning queen, Helen Haves.
Ha might be the chunkier, more serious kit brother of Jamca Doan, Unknown until he appeared In The Young Stranger on television, he corned
£500 a week; last vacation as the star of the fl version,
He plays the sulky, hulky teenago rebel with- out a cause with a flue-poned integrity which is both genuinely artless and genuinely artistic.
We sat in Sardis, Broadway's smartest resou- rant, and I asked what he Intended to do aflor his four years at Harvard.
"I'm waiting for reviews You know, I mean. Weil, 1 might become an archacologist." He craned over his
catch -shoulder to
of glimpse GIULLIETTA MASINA, the star of La Struda. "That is Henry. Fonde in the corner, Ira't it?”
n
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"T
HERE are more stars af Metro"
they used to say in Holly- wood "than there are in all the heavens."
At one time when they were put together an one sound stage at M.-G.-M. studios there were 48 of them, ranking—not in order of importance-from Clark Gable and Frank- Binatra to Esther Williams and Lassie the dog.
Metro was dedicated to the proposition that big stars meant bigger money.
If a star was Important, then Metro would "own" that star. It was a polley which for more than 25 years paid off handsomely. And then the bottom started falling out....
Today for the first time the Jigawatory of Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer-the Leo the Lion com pany--has been assembled by an American writer and film critie Bosley Crowther. He calls his book "The Lion's Share" and it has just been published in New York.. Already required reading for everyone in
CLARK GABLE
THE DIRLO TOOK ONE LOOK.
AND LAUGHED.
Hollywood-for the story of AL-GUM, is the story of "films with all the fun and all this foolishne
Clark Gable came to Metro for his screen test and was "put" Into a Bouth Sea Island costunia with a flower behind ona enormous car,
He was supposed to represent the new, romantic hero to take over from John Gilbert--but the - gitia look one jook at him and
screamed : with laughter,
alghing, "Gee-bo, you are so beautiful." and she nurmuring. "Dear Ya-quee."
They even cloped once, but half-way to Mexico Garbo lost interest, 1oja Glibert she wanted to powder ter nose and escaped · through the back door to Holly- wood.
T
Boy genius
THEY had a high old time & Metro in the big days of the thirties and the carly forties. There were two men who dominated the stars and the films.
One was a boy genius called Irving Thaiberg, Who dird In 1935 when he was 31. Such was his power and influence that ho left an estate of £2000,000, and so much dizi he stay in the background that only twice in his career did his name appear ona film.
Yet at one time at the same tiniche was making "Mutiny on the Bounty" and "Romeo and Juliet"; complet Ing the Marx Brothers" "Night at the Opera," and a film with Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy, and also preparing "The Good Earth."
*That Was Thalberg - who married Nornia Shearer.
'Ecstasy'
H. other monarch MOLTO WAs Louis
of
1.
MPO M. He had a sEATC)). ing eye for talent, on a trip to, Europe he collected both Cteer Carson and Hédy Laciner as studlo "stars. There was some worry about Miss Lamhafṛ when she arrived in New York becauDE It was discovered that in her
Ahoy 8000 changed their mind.", when they saw. Gable. slamming Norma Shearer violently into a chuir and realised that Gablo had sex, . . Credi Elán, “Testsay," she had
When Garbo turned up,ja, appeared nakeda, ku little too fat, with stringy "hair" and badly designed clothes, the tellows In the New York office thought the studio had. "hired
dog."
Than Charbo met Gilbert and "the ballare began to pop." desperately in love with boy add ther would it together, he
THERE never was, and there never will be, anything as big in show business as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Here the stars were the brightest. the money the biggest, and the moguls the mightiest. To use Hollywood's own (almost modest) superlative, this was The Greatest."
by DAVID LEWIN
and to add class put in the Latin tag Ara Gratia Artis-art for art's sake),
"Did you appear in the nude 7” sáld Mr. Dietz.
"Yes" sald Migs Lamarr "Did you look good ?" "Of course." sapped Min Lamarr,
"Then, that's all right," Djem Assured her. "No damage haa- bren done."
But even Mayer trade taistakes He came to London to launch his first big Brush Bima York at Oxford with Robert Taylor, Michiel Balcon wus prodficing the picture for hit sild had hired--at a salary above the average-n girl called Vivien Leigh to play the, secund
GRETAGARED ELOPED WITH JOHN GILBERT --BUT SḤỀ RÁN BACK HOME,,
lead. Mayer, who had thought nothing of spending a milken dollars or so on. Ben Hur?” bawled Balcon out in front of the company and eat for paY: ing Miss Engh whom a chespër girl could have been used.
reimark was bitingly beate "The son-in-law alsó · zlats.' What the cynies did not know was that at Bolznick's wedding Mayor, þad refused to sprake zo the bridegrOOM,
HA
'Nepotism'
"AVING; a relative around · R£ M.«É-M. WÊM TIDE BOMÉ- 18... thing new, however, There
were more som sad daughters
Nelson Eddy, bdente, a top. tar even though some producera the studio were worried when Lo was naked to sing "Ab Sweet ystery of Life" in a picture. They pointed out that "t Hvalery of Life" was the theme
HEDY LAMARN HER NUDE SHOT IN 'KCKTARY ! - WORRIED HOLLYWOOD.
ong nt Forest Lawu Cemetery. Mayor .dmp right ahead with the number,
But even the giants lost tacir teeth after a while. Thalberg aled; Gurbo quib; Gable went so did CATHON, whia beening known as Metro's Gloriet Mama because of the number of mother roles Mayer (who wa keda on mothers) find her play. * Bran the; now youngstecu did Rooney Judy Garland, un Esther Willains.
- sad cousins engt to mention the • Hoë Bign vón again --- Mickey
inevitable indawi
the
organimation than would bé put
In fair-sized room.
Someone, alarted to ine the word nepotism, and Hollywood- rushed to its dictionaries to find out what it meant
They were somewhat, dia appolnited at the dedition they had thought it might be ; smething... unusual-something to do with sex,
The slump
FAVEN biniselt. started spending more time at -the rappersck then. at the studio, the uns Quilting "A string of horses, he said, on the same principle that he had once Gone With The Wind" cost picked start; Bo Mayan went ground £1.000.000 to make too. And of cour there was 195D had take more than the mawing threat from tele
Throughout EAMEZ world-which made it the mos profitable sound picture in the history of movies.
Mayer and Thalberg were ready to try anything once. The 'diaYo- galleyą' of Ben Hur,
caught fire hut, thay, were 'not daunted; Mayer zebt out a new director, to take over with the Instruction *** Be sure - 10. get. plenty of camels in it--lots of
M
Tears
A low years later Mayer was
“ETRO blazed ; win to meet Vivien Leigh aggin =
becomza a woYJS when she was in Hollywood for Lin Africa - Wiki Gone With The Wind" which Hom-and then hand his company was distributing. the shitnal sequeríées da "Vivien Leigh played Beadleit, Mexico, CORNER LIGH Ofiar and won the part from „Walberg: “Là ist d ̧·, Joenolle the competition of Brush MacDonald, a fine finger, and Hayward Paulette Goddard. put her along with Joản Bennett, and Jean Arthur. - Edly, (biaya?", 1500X The test Vivien Leighi jude was - 2 Mgadonald aside one day in his the-best 1,,one of the; disaran · and mark to onli komS pointed runners-up asked to sue numrin
it.
Nelson.
fadient.
Mayer, who looked upon hig self as a great defender of the marsis of the American family. wha somewhat perturbed at this HOWA ka santa, leutenant, Howard lets, to interview Mi
The procide? Of:“ CHW.TW.. Mayer, was-a-mano to /whoch Laman ang Vatraighten out the,, was David O. Belanick, who had teure campo, casliy-zad the only allustion Char,gling was the married. Mayers, daughter, brendan Boijywood who was no bright young man who thought”. When Belznick arrived at the fooled by theu was Rahuride up the lion trade mark for Metro audio to make, plotures the Hepburn.
The test reels wore bent. Initiatia the way you whornsit round to the rival'eshome--and atna," he said as tekre coursed she burned them, at mange
Gown-hit checki)zi
vision. Cukay E SALES
Profita slumped-and In 1047 the stukilo: actually made a loss
SOSEVIVIEN LEKOMSA: „MICHAEL BALCON WAR IDRCE: RAWLED OUT FOR HIRING HEN.
of more butt 6,000,000 doll
Now there are, how man Metro--and they cure, dilayni kito cesabe--but lon, soltury Jer drakyan, Orace KalI WEB) ull-to become a príticas.
in ine, whole or show, basin
Mayer: