Evening star., 1932-07-31

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about it!
~ Not that it's the stars
fault or the fault of the
local management, but when you
hear crowds coming out of the
aterS after witnessing one of these
personal appearance" acts of
cinema celebrities and on the
tongues of dozens of patrons is
the same war cry, my, but I was
disappointed" then it is time to
take up the old ak and begin
threShing around and wedding
out the ailments.
This new Hollywood racket" of
sending stars on stage-Show
cruises throughout the country is
attaining alarming proportions.
You can land in almost any lSrge
city nowadays and be certain to
find "tlle star who set your mouth
watering in uch-and-such film"
advertised to the skies in front of
the major theater. A film favorite
is almost as important now to the
local management as the popcorn
machine used to be. To be able
to announce that So-and-So will
be here 'in the flesh" is certain
to cause more of a rumpuS than
the erStwhile clouds of dust that
heralded the approach Of the
circus.
Hollywood has, however, begun
to overdo it-and, worse than that,
Hollywood has shown itself child
in ShOwmanShip in this respect
Instead of reaping great rewards
and bluShing with pride at the
furor that its young offShootS are
causing, it has been quite satisfied
to let its stars out on a leash,
play around little, placate them
with eXtravagant salaries and
minimum material and hurry
them home for their next picture.
The great white city of Holly
wood Is making a mistake. The
public, content for a while to
stare and admire and go slightly
ga-ga at sight of its champion
film god, Is now catching on to
the fact that stars "in person" are
a very different breed of cats from
what they are cinematically, and
that six of one is very likely not
to be half a dozen of the other.
The trouble, undoubtedly, lies
with the West Coast brethren.
This is the average procedure (as
one well known film star told me-
of preparing for tour of the East
in one of these stage units: They
call you into an Office. They ask
YOU, How would you like to make
a few personal appearances?'
And, there being nothing to do
for the moment on the lot, you
say, Why, Of course, that would
tse be very yo,7!H nice sta Very we'll ssst say
'What'lI I do?' you ask. DO? Oh,
tA2t will be arranged by our man
a New York. He'll have some
ahing very attractive for you to
do So you embark. You get to
:New York. Three days before the
first show they haven't decided
yet what your act will consist of.
Finally, they throw a few old
gags together. You rehearse them
"a hours before the opening and
on you go, feeling like dish rag
and almost certain to be a wash
out"
Many of these celebrities by the
sheer exuberance of their person.
alitieS (Such as Una MerkeD or
by the unquestioned efficacy of
their looks witness Loretta
Young) can make a mediocre act
seem not so bad. But for the
most part these visiting Holly
Woodites are as unhappy and un-
comfortable in their SkitS as some
of the public is to see them, and
are more than glad when this
grueling experience is over.
Of the many screen stars who
have visited Washington during
the past year, how many can you
say were thoroughly stimulating
to you as theatric personalities?
Here are some of the more promi-
nent members of the film pro-
feSSion who have appeared: Mar
jorie White, Estelle Taylor, Alice
White, James Cagney, Sue Carol,
Nick Stuart, William Haines, Con-
rad Nagel, Jack Mulhall, Johnny
WeiSsmuner, Blanche Sweet, Fiji
D'OrSay, Lilyan Tashman, Victor
MacLaglen, Jean Harlow, Bette
Davis, Warren william, George
Brent, Raquel Torres, El Brendel,
Ben Lyon, James Hall, Roscoe
AteS, Ruth Roland, Conchita
Montenegro, George Sidney, Anna
May Wong, Una Merkel, James
Dunn, Dorothy Mackail and Joe
z. Brown. You EN- pick the win