Evening star., 1932-07-03

THIS years cinema heroines
have been a curious lot.
Ranging from red-headed
hoydenS to Sweet-eyed in
genues, the first film ladies have
not had an easy time with their
celluloid emotingS. Last week S
example Of how utterly atrociouS
a heroine may be was revealed by
Miss Platinum Red Jean Har-
low, who was called upon by the
Hollywood megaphone to incorpor-
ate her very considerable talents
into the worlds most obnoxious
'lead."
These ladies of the films are
having a vastly more disconcert-
ing time than they had two dozen
or more years ago. Back in the
early hundreds" while it was, of
course, considered a very great
honor to be able to get oneself into
the tight britches that went with
the role Of 'L'Aiglon" after the
fashion of Sarah Bernhardt, or
Maude Adams, and a few other
chief roles, had their complications
as far as costumes and makeup
were concerned, nevertheless a
leading lady had fairly clean sail
ing, and could count as her props
mainly set of finger-curled ring
let's, winsome disposition and
yards of good, solid petticoats. In
fact, she could probably go the
year round with a wardrobe con-
sisting Of feet of dresses made
OF dimity, dotted-Swiss, calico
there we may have gone wrong
muslin and good, thick silk for the
annual fling" at the ancestral
party. These, plus a stout, serv-
iceable jar of glycerin tears and
the greaSe-paint year could be
counted on as being a cinch.
How times have changed! This
year, particularly, heroines have
gone all ga-ga-or, as Mr.. Lahr
says, all "agaga."
Miss Harlow is a flaming eX-
ample of this. Offstage, a slim,
reticent and rather finely chiseled
young LADY, on the screen she is
made to appear as gaudy as was
Betty Blythe back in the one two
or-three-bead days of the Queen
of Sheba. As seen in Red Headed
Woman" she, in fact, takes on the
accoutrements of galvanic
beauty, whose chief virtues con-
sist in acting like a cross between
a green-eyed cat and a python.
The fact that the public went to
see Miss Harlow in unusually thick
quantities is proof that it likes its
heroines in various stages of dis
jointedneSs. If, now, this young
lady Whose talents for the talk
ing muse are all on the up-and- =
up) were to appear as Orphan
Annie" or, say, as Lena Rivers,
the public would probably pack up
its knitting and move to another
town where Jean was emoting
without benefit of puritanism.
Here, for instance, is a brief
summary of what some of our ace
heroines have had to portray dur
ing the past season or two:
GRETA GARBO-A ballet
dancer, a night club charmer, an
opera diva and a Russian spy.
MARLENE DEITRICH-A cross
country adventures lin "Shang-
hal EXpress") and a downhill
night club entertainer.
HELEN HAYES-A tortured
mother, going from bad to worse
for the sake of her chee-ild; a
faithful wife, killed by a jungle
bug lin "ArrowSmith"), and = in
Farewell to Arms" Tin the max
ing she will be the gallant nurse
who dies a rather gallant death.
RUTH CHATTERTON-A series
of impossible, sophisticated crea-
tions.
NORMA SHEARER-The bat.
tered, beaten heroine of "A Free
Soul and now in the process OF
weathering Mr.. O'Neil's first lady
in Strange Interlude," which
means more hardening of the
arteries.
CONSTANCE BENNETT - Less
bruised now than she was a veal
or so ago, the cinema still prefer
ring her, however, as a butchereo
creature who comes up smiling II
the end with new trunkful oi
Paris clothes.
This is a mild indication of what
harrowingS these silken ladies
have had TO go through. There
are Others. of course. who have
Kept pretty well to the line. Among
hese may be included Janet Gay