Evening star., 1932-10-09
Interviewing the Stars
OF Hollywood's Colony
Writer Says Such Work Requires Patience on the
Part of the Player, and Yet the interviewer
Should Have Some Sympathy.
Bv Mollie Merrick.

Norma Shearer is TIE incest girl you
ever talked to. She hfs no forbidden
territory, She will disc-lcs her husband,
her baby, her work hcT opinion OF pic
lures in general Hollyr cod, Europe. the
past, the present and the future with
euuanimity. She Is one in q million,
and thank God for her, says I.
You know how Garbo feels, and this
peculiarly about interviews has become
her trade mark. Ann Harding, once
an excellent subject for current COM
mentary of a bright and valuable type,
has gone into the silence. Constance
stories which lie considered unfair and
detrimental to her, has done likewise.
Ditto for Tallulah Bankhead and with
good reason. And ditto, with reserva-
tiors, for Janet GaynOr. Since for some
time intervieWers have confined their
work with Janet Gaynor almost ex-
CluSively to prohpecies and nominations
as to whether or not she was happy
with her husband or unhappy about
Charles Farrell and his marriage to Viz
ginia Valli, one can't blame her over
much These things have little to do
with her standing as an actress, al
though perhaps absorbingly interesting
to certain types Of fans.
Fredric March is knockout. His in
tervieWs are such good fun, so brim-
ming with valuable comment. so thor
oughly engaging. that they can't come
under the heading Of work. Miriam
Hopkins Is nervous and concerned as to
whether or not she is giving sufficient
material. but an hour with her is de-
lightful, and she saws plenty, and all of
it is valuable and we'll Worded
Joan Crawford seems like shy little
girl instead of the very handsome. ca
pable and assured girl of the scrce n.
She doesn't like to talk about herself
very much and is inclined to dislike
expressing satisfaction with her work
because she wants to 60 so far that to-
days job will always seem a prepara-
tion for something bigger. It's grand
attitude and the one which lands people
IN high places.
Ronald Colman IS one Of the most
delightful personalities N the business,
and, when he does talk, never compli-
Gates his interview with food OF pro-
hibitions as do some of The more chary
members of the profession. Elizabeth
Patterson gives the grandest interview
in the world. bu. would rather rot
know she is being interviewed. Hedda
Hopper is one of the finest converse
tionalists in the colony today.
Ina Claire Is a knockout to inter-
view Her personality transcends that
of any woman who has come to Holly
wood. and she Is the personif1cation of
graciousness Charles Lauehton talks
far better than most authors write. He
dislikes interviews and sometimes gets
bit sulky about them. Two things he
said about his performance in Pay
ment Deferred" will always stick in my
memory. Marble" he said. discussing
the lead character. lis a coTic man in
tragic circumstances" Speaking of the
scenes with the French millincr. he
said. Il hope the public will net be Of
Tended by them: wanted them to be
| a matter of sWeaty shirts and cheap
scenes. they were so far from the mans
love for his wife. They we're purely
a means Of forgetting that horror in
the garden" We don't often have the
pleasure of interviewing man who
! can talk like that.
! 7 could 60 on and on Groucho Marx
| who leaves you tied up like a pretzel
| from laughing: Herman Shumlin. who
| opens new world of production values
| to you; AL Newman, whose knowledge
of music and its use in pictures is phe-
nomenal: Richard Day. who can tall
| about sets and make you see how it..
! done: Eddie Cantor, Just as good a:
paying to see him: Doug Fairbanks
/ clectrifying and refreshing: Ramon
| Novarro. sympathetic, intelligent
! charming.
| Copyright, 1882. by North American News
paper Alliance, Inc