Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-12-13
MUST HEROES
WEAR SHIRTS?
Talkies Threaten To
Upset Old Prece-
dent I'm Films
BY WADE WERNER
tAssociated Press Feature Writer.)

HOLLYWOOD, Cal, Dec. 13.-P-
SO far as the heroes Of the movies
are concerned, all this excitement
over talking pictures resolves itself
into n major question::
Will the film hero of the future
be permitted to keep his shirt on?
The average film fan probably
never thinks of movie heroes as men
with a shirt-problem; nevertheless
that Is exactly what they have been
IN the past several years.
Handsome young men who could not
act with their shirts off have found
producers lukewarm about starring
them. Most youthful movie roles are
athletic roles, ever when they do not
involve the winning Of a football
game or a foot race, and to play an
athletic role on tho screen IN actor
must look athletic, even in a closeup
n with his shirt off.
me late Rudolph Valentino was one
Of the first handsome film stars 10
demonstrate the screen appeal OF a
shirtless hero as compared with one
who merely left il to the audience TO
imagine he had athletic shoulders.
When Valentino stripped 10 the waist
to indulge in a rapier duel he looked
athletic as well as handsome.
Since then there have been hun
dreds Of pictures whose athletic he
roes have taken off their shirts nj
one time or another to make them
look more convincingly athletic IN
the critical scenes-scenes in which
the hero wins a prize fight. scenes
in which his shirt is torn off him in n
hrawl, scenes in which he swims, or
rows n varsity crew to victory, or
portrays the handsome Hawaiian on
his s~urf-board.
To cite n few recent pictures: Dick
Arlen has to doff his shirt in "The
Four Feathers; Richard Dix wears
practically no shirt in "Redskin';
George 0'Brien is. Of course. shirtless
in that part of "Noah'S Ark" which
presents him as the valiant son Of
Noah; Charles Farrell repeatedly
casts off his shirt in "The River"
and Gary Cooper regularly takes off
his shirt at least once in every pic
ture.
Naturally IL IL not always easy TO
keep in such excellent condition that
a shirtless role close TO the camera
BELTS one. More than one formerly
popular leading man Is comparative
" idle today because last time he
played the handsome hero without n
shirt he bulged az the belt and looked
a little flabby in the arms.
Lately, however. dozens Of stage
heroes have been ;mposted from New
York and other theatrical centers 70
play talking picture roles requiring
mn who sound as handsome as they
look. One occasionally finds an ath-
lete annon these heroes of the stage,
hut few Of them appearing regularly
behind the footlights have had much
time for athletic recreation; nor do
stage roles rs a rule require athletic
acting.
So IL Is argued frequently in Holly
wood these days. when the numerous
Broadway importations are discussed.
that "thcsc fellows can act; we'll
and good, and some OF them can sing,
too. But can thev act and sing with
out their shirts 80
Some contend that picture-goers
will not turn out TO see romantic
Young screen heroes who habituallg
keep on their shirts. Others say the
public will learn 70 accent a per-
Suasive. likable voice in lieu of n
handsome chest.
II the latter o%pinior is correct. the
season of 1o2s-29 probably will go
down In movie history as the year
the picture heroes nut on their shirts.