The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1928-07-05
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copyright. 1923. king Features
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HOLLYWOOD, Calf, July 81
Hollywood is still talking over the
seasons surprise casting, that
which has given Laura La Plante
the years most coveted role,
Magnolia" in Show Boat" Just
why no one thought of Laura for
the part is a mystery. Probably
her very blonde beauty had some
thing to do with it, for Mag
nolia" has been thought of as a
darker type.
However, Laura overcamE that
obstacle by donning a dark wig
and having tests made of herself
in the character. The lesults
were so amazing that Robert
Welsh. Universal chieftain, lost no
time in cinching her for the part.
Laura will darken her own fair
tresses to appear as a brunette
Magnolia"
Many a star has given parties
to the press, but never before
have the movie scribes thrown
racket for a, star. The first time
was the other evening when
Estelle Taylor and Jack Dempsey
returned home from q framed !.
up dinner date. to find their.
elaborate "Playhouse" crdmIned
with gentlemen Of the PRESS" and
ladies', too. There were about a
hundred newspaper and magazine
writer's in the assemblage. which
made the coming departure Of the
couple for the East the excuse
for the surprise party.
The big Playhouse. which one
suspects was erected to save
wear and tear on the residence.
received its dedication to nirth.
and a presentation was made of a
guest book in which the names
of the hundred writer's viii be
followed by the great and the
near.great who visit Estelle and
Jack.
An appropriate title for a
summertime picture IS Thirst, "
which will be the next starring
vehicle for Jack Gilbert. 1t is
from an original story about a
young Briton drawn into the
African desert in pursuit of n
beautiful woman who heads
desperate and clever gang of in.
ternationaI crooks
Bill Nigh. whose real name is
Kruske or something of the sort.
will be entrusted with the direc-
ton. He has just completed the
megaphone work on Gilbert's film,
-Four Walls"
Mervyn Leroy is directing Col
leen Moore in oh. Kay One
of the sequences is filmed upon
q sandy beach. The sand was SC
white and shiny that it would
have photographed only as q
glare Of dazzling white. Mervyn
didn't know what to do until In
happened to see Collect owdet
ing her nose which, presumably.
was shiny too.
That gave the kid director the
answer to his problem. and a little
later they shot the scene with the
glaring sand nicely powdered, or
at least SPRAYED with a yellow
paint which toned down its hue.
This weeks show at the Roxy
Theater includes short subject
titled Handicapped, which
brought the highest price ever
! paid by the cathedral for a
short film. 1t is one of six dis
tinctive novelties which have cre-
ated any amount of comment In
Hollywood. and will do likewise
wherever films are shown. Each
Of them is a brain-child Of Sam
jacobson, head of Iniversal's
press-agentry.
Sam wanted to make pictures,
but they needed him in the public
relations department. So he made
his series during spare time, and
awoke to find himself the talk
Of the studio. Some of you boys
may remember Sam as Lieutenant
jacobson, instructor in aerial
acrobatics at Kelly Fielder as
Captain jacobson, in command of
filters at Tours, France.
jeanette Loft has returned from
Annapolis loaded down with SOU
venir buttons, belts and badges
from half of Uncle Sans future
admirals. jeanette is all for the
Navy now, and says she had a
perfectly gorgeous time" Of
course, she and Johnny Mack
Brown made picture, too. And
its name is Annapolis" Which
jeanette declares means more
than any title that could be
selected.
Pola Negri's dressing room on
the Paramount lot has been all
refurnished and Clara Bow has
moved in. It's No. dress
ing room. Which means that
Clara is the biggest star on the
lot. She, by the way, is one of
the stars who is known as a
terminal down at the postoffice.
This means that there is
mail bag marked with her name
just as there is a bag marked
with the names of various towns
and cities. Clara gets so many
letters from the fans that the
r. o. takes this means OF TAX
ing care Of them.