The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-04-16

silent Talkies And Noisy Silent Films Two OF Many
BY DAN THOMAS
NEA Service Writer

lparadoxes into the lives Of screen
celebrities.
In this topsy-turvey town where
sound pictures are made in abso-
| lutte silence ana silent films were
made amid much noise, anything
can happen - and frequently
does.
It is not a bit unusual in Hol-
| lywood to learn that juvenile
actor has children almost old
enough to vote, to discover that a
distinguished looking banker is
simply an actor, or to learn that
the kind of a man who makes
girls hearts turn fiips is only a
street car conductor.
In other words, in this village
where make believe often turns
into the xstarkest realism and re-
alisrn is made into make-believe,
nothing is quite as it should be-.
When it's supposed to rain the sun
shines. And IL you're expecting
hot weather, it SHOWS.
All of which brings us right
down to those people who earn
their livings by >parading before
1.-THE tickle cameras. Fate even has
crossed things up for them.
Just Look at HarpO
Take Harpo Marx, for example.
Harpo is now making his fourth
talking picture and has not spoken
a single word in any of them. He
depends solely on pantomin1e. Yet
several years ago during the silent
picture days when pantomime was
OF vital Importance, Harpo took a
crack at pictures and was an ut
ter failure.
The same holds true for his abil-
! ity as a harp player. He can hold
any audience when he goes to work
on those strings. But he can't
read a note of music, and ac-
cording to musicians, he violates
every musical canon.
Probably the leading portrayer
OF newspaper reporter roles on the
screen to-day is Pat O'Brien. who
started off his screen career in
1.-THE Front Page" Until he was
cast for his current role in "The
Strange Case of Clara Deane," Pat
never played anything but news
paper roles on the screen. Yet the
only time he ever has been inside
of newspaper office was when
he visited one several years ago
while playing in 1.-THE Front Page"
1 OIL Ine lcSlIIIIldlO 5td5Ss
Then There's Frances Dee n,
Frances Dee, who has been pyo-
claimed one Of the most beautiful
women in Hollywood, was born
right here in the film capital with
| in a stones throw of several stu
dos. Yet it was not until after
she had completed two years at
the University of Chicago and
came out here on a visit that she
appeared before camera.
Then take Russell Gleason, now
playing opposite Miss Dee. For
the last three generations Russell's
family has been attached to the
legitimate stage. Yet Russell new
er has appeared behind the foot
lights except in a school play some
years ago. His mother and faith
er both are in pictures now, but
they still manage to get in one or
I, two stage plays every year.
Things even are SO topsy-turvy
| in Hollywood that if a casting d.
rector wants blond for a certain
role, it's an even bet that he will
call a brunei and ask her to
bleach her hair. And you have no
idea how many blends there are
in town who are looking for work.
only Wauy OOulu Ely
Remember that scene in Hell
| Divers where Wally Berry, Clark
Gable and Conrad Nagel were
trapped on a beach and Wally, de-
picted as the only one of the trio
who couldn't fly plane, wanted
to try taking his two injured com
panions off the beach In their
plane? In real life Wally Is the
only one Of the three who CAN
pilot a plane. And he is one OF
Hollywood's best pilots.
A couple of years ago a studio
brought a young novelist out here
from the east. And then studio
executives decided that since she
had had a novel published and a
play produced that she should be
a star. The girl isn't in Holly
wood any longer.
Another example is that of
chap who spent years studying law