Evening star., 1933-02-12

~ same off the screen as
"A they are on?" what is
So-and-So like?" "Is
Tallulah Bankhead as good look
ing in private life as she is on
the stage?" Does Noel Coward
talk the way he writes?" These
are some of the questions asked by
a curious public. Dramatic Offices
are swamped with curio seekers
who want to know what review
ers and interviewers think-peo-
pie, who, not having the fortune
or the misfortune of getting near
these screen celebrities In. person,
want to make up their minds by
having other people make them
up for them.
An interviewer has a tough
time. When a Sitting" is ar
ranged and q star knows that
she or he will be faced by a press
uuestioner, the star knows that he
or she will have to be polite, say
nice things, not get the interview
er mad. And the interviewer
knows that he must ask polite
0ueStions and say nice things.
You could never say to a star: Il
though you were terrible in your
last film," without the walls fall
ing down on you. Instead you
says 81 didn't care much Tor your
last film, but thought you did
very well with YOUR part" That
way you don't get the star mad.
An interview is too standard a
.Nhang. It is too polite-it seldom
eRetS anywhere. The star puts up
+, Els or her best front. The inter-
kNiewer tries to ask his best QueS-
I skions-usually foolish-and by the
time the interview is over both
people are likely to have pretty
awful opinions of each other.
Such questions as: What are
your favorite foods?" or who Is
your favorite star, besides your
self?" are questions which are
still asked-and still answered.
believe it or not.
Therefore it is not easy to find
out what a star is like in the ordl-
nary interview. AS arranged by
an excited press agent 1T is more
likely to turn into a f1atterlng
bout. interviewer will say: "Oh,
Miss Blunt, you were never so
wonderful as you were in The Sin
of Treacle Valley!" Star will say:
ooh, Mr.. Smith, I've never read
a better review than the one IN
this evenings Sun" interviewer
viii say: "You get younger and
handsomer daily" Star will say:
ct really think you write a little
like Hemingway" interviewer
will be too overcome at that to
say anything, so star will con-
tinue: "Well, maybe not like Hem
ingway, because I've never read
him-but maybe Dickens and
that wakes the interviewer up.
After these opening broadsides
of admiration, during which both
parties feel that he or she is get
ting the best of it, the converSa-
ton gets less hysterical. Tell
me, Miss Blunt" the interviewer
will say, after he has been given
q cigar and some ginger ale, and
after he has admired the flowers
on the piano which the local
theater has sent, what are your
plans for the future?"
well" says the star, nothing
is very definite, but it seems likely
that will do a film for Para
mount, then a film for M.-G.-M.,
then a film for R-K-O, two or
three for Columbia-and in the
Spring I shall probably go abroad
and when come back the Warner
Brothers want me for a part in
The Miracle"
"very interesting, Miss Blunt
You will be busy, won't you?"
"Oh, very busy. OF course,
nothing is definite. But 7 shall
be very busy"
"Tell me, Miss Blunt, what dc
you think of Ramon Novarro?"
"Oh, he is a sweet boy"
"And what do you think of John
Boles?"
"Oh, he is a sweet boy"
"And do you like Buddy
Rogers?"
ooh, yes. He's a great friend
OF mine. He is a sweet boy"
And SO on until all the "sweet
~ sEe dispQsed Of Ehan fhl