Evening star., 1932-10-30


You may be famous the
world over and have difficulty
i i finding your niche in Holly
wood. In fact, it frequently
happens that the more established
your fame The greater difficulty you
have in making scratch on the
smooth surface of the gelatin record
l am thinking Of the stage people who
have entered the ranks OF motion pic
ture makers and Of some OF the re-
suits. For great names - glamorous
stars. such as Evelyn Laye or Lily Pons
(should she come into pictureS) S)-the
decision is swift.
Such stars, either of musical comedy
or of opera. make one picture and
either get contract or disappear from
the scene completely. They may have
an initial failure and subsequent
success-perhapS years later. But the
verdict of movie magnateS follows
swiftly upon their first appearance be-
cause the entire weight Of the picture
is thrust upon them and they must
stand or fall by it.
Evelyn Laye, badly cast and III a
picture hampered by the worst sound
recording l have ever heard, never got
a second chance. Yet there is every
reason to believe that Evelyn Laye, in
the proper setting and a role which
suits her as well as "BltterSWeet,
would go over 100 per cent.
The character actor or actress trying
to find a niche in Hollywood has a
more difficult time. I am thinking now
of the Frank Morgans and Ralph Nor
eans. the Dorothy Petersons and
Charles Laughtons. the Elizabeth Pat
tersons and the Roland Youngs OF
cinemaland Each of these an inimita-
BILE artist in a specialized line. Each
SO sincere that they are apt to be
blotted out in the light of some snowy
and meretricious performance. Each
one trapped into doing little bits now
and then-parts far tCo small from a
standpoint of money and motivation in
the story-but parts which they can
not resist because artistically they
know they can bring something fine to
them
When such artists are called into the
pictures today. movie men working on
the new schedule plan to shoot their
roles as swiftly as possible, because,
while they often play somewhat minor
roles in the picture, they command very
fine salaries. They are the life savers
of cinemaland, the true artists.
The Morgans come from the New
York theater You don't have to go
played so successfully in the legitimate,
to find his standing and standards. He
has played two roles in Hollywood,
neither of them calculated to reveal his
thoughtful work, his fine nuances and
his polished art. His brother. Ralph.
under a five-year contract to local
studio, has played nothing Of cCnse-
Quence in his own studio but has been
farmed out twice to competitors. To
paze" is owned by the studio which en-
ploys Frank Morgan. but it is reserved
as a vehicle for Jack Barrymore be
cause he is a box Office name"
1t is fine race between Dorothy
Peterson and Elizabeth Patterson to see
who will get the mother and aunt roles.
Dorothy Peterson, to date, has been the
most sought-after motion picture mother
with almost complete line of this type
OF work to her credit since her arrival
in Hollywood Elizabeth Patterson, who
has 13 nieces and nephews of her own,
plays auntS interminable. Her first de-
parture from this will come shortly
when she plays the part of mother
in a forthcoming picture of Miriam
Hopkins.
So fine are the portrayals of these