Evening star., 1933-06-26

alice IN wonderland SnOulu
IL be. Not since the long-ago days
when a search was being made
for a celluloid Peter Pan has there
been such interest in a screen charac-
ter. From every hamlet and farm and
from every corner of washington Sug-
gestions are creeping out as to who
should be this little girl. Paramount,
first to transplant Alice from pulp to
pictures, is getting more help than per-
haps it had counted on. Apparently
the country is going to see to it that
just the right person plays this role.
One of the most thorough and in
telligent briefs" that has come to us
on this subject has been written by
Mrs. e. A. Collier of Takoma Park,
Md Mrs. Golfers suggestions run as
follows:
81. Ofhand, I'd say that it doesn't
matter whether Alice be acted by girl
or a woman. An actress, who really
is such, could do the part, even if she
were in her 30s. So I'd say that the
essential thing is that she should be
old enough to handle the part, and yet
have a young enough expression on
her face.
80 AS to the nationality I hardly see
why there need be any choice. Our
American actresses broad-A their words
SO much these days that one can barely
tell the pure English from the Ameri-
can English.
"3 BY all means she should be a
blond, synthetic or otherwise. 1 have
yet to see a drawing or an illustration
of Alice that wasn't blond Cthere-
fore, Paramount will use a brunette,
because B. P. Shulberg likes Sylvia
Sidney, or something). At any rate,
think that Alice's hair was undoubtedly
blond and should remain so.
a. 1t does seem to me that with all
of the actresses in Hollywood one could
be found who could enact the role.
I'm a little wearied with this constant
search for newer and younger faces
which the producers seem to feel that
the public is in dire need Of" (Here
we should like to interpret and put in
a few cheers.) why not give the good
parts to good actresses who are already
established?
IS. AS for this question, you've an
swered 1t yourself in your last Mon
days column-(as follows: Favorite
characters in Alice in Wonderland
other than Alice. should include either
Humpty- the March Hare. the
Duchess, Tweedledum and Tweedledee,
or the Rabbit.
"6. Which is not Paramount's ques-
tion, but my own. Who should play
Alice? Well, there aren't SO very many
who look the part without the aid of a
wig or going outside of the ranks I
can think of no one, however, who looks
more like Alice than Helen Chandler
With her hair caught back by the
Alice ribbon effect so popular many
years ago, she should look exactly like
the pictures of Alice that we've all
grown up with. Too, she is a finished
actress, and while have never cared
for her because she looks so dumb, still
it is this very quality of wonderment
expressed constantly on her face that
qualities her for the role.
You may think I'm crazy, but also
feel that Constance Bennett could essay
the role and get by with it. OF course,
I realize that Connie is our most ultra,
ultra phisticated-neverthele she
has that wide-eyed, what's-this-all-
about expression, coupled with what
acting ability she possesses. might make
her very good Alice. Joan Bennett
might do-but of that I'm not sure.
one brunette that I feel could do well
with the part (provided that she
donned a blond wig) and that is the
charming young newcomer Of M-G-M's,
little Jean Parker. She stood out with
exceptional ability in 'Rasputin,' and
! feel that she might do every bit as
well with Alice"
OTHERS who have expressed them
~ selves in the choosing of Alice:
Clifford Brooke-"I think Helen
Chandler would make the perfect
Alice
Bess Davis Schreiner-"To my mind
Alice should be four Alices." By this
Miss Schreiner, noted local theater en-
thusiast, who has staged Alice" in
many of the schools, means that there
should be one regular" Alice-and then
three others Of varying sizes who can
be called upon when Alice shoots from
one heighth to another. Not bad
idea, what?
Maude Howell Smith" Josephine
Hutchinson would be my choice" miss
Hutchinson, well known in Washington,
played Alice this Winter with the Eva
LeGallienne company on Broadway
Cuthbert r. Train-'What about
Betty Bronson?"
Corcoran Thorn, jr.-"Janet Gaynor
would be nice Alice"
James r. Mitchell, jr.-"Bette Davis
Bette Davis-and Bette Davis"
Sallie v. III. Josephine
Hutchinson would play the role de-
nghtfully."
Christine Ekengren-"Bette Davis Is
by idea Of Alice"
Margaretta Wright-(D (Ditto).
This should just about settle Alice.
n
MENTIONING the Eva LeGallienne
4vA groupe reminds us that there Is
q young man in town, William S. Phil
lips, once prominent in Western High
School dramatics and George Washing
ton Troubador productions, who has
Jared particularly well with the COM
pany this season. Mr.. Phillips tried
out for the LeGallienne apprentice group
a year ago in April and was accepted.
Since then he has played small parts
in several of the company's plays and
made what may be said to have been
a personal success as TWeedledum IN
'Alice in Wonderland" at the New AM
sterdam Theater this Spring (having
previously played merely the front legs
of the White knights" horse. MI
Phillips will study with this group for six
weeks this Summer and then tour with
the company when it starts its inter-
esting tour Of the States" in the Fall.
EDWARD EVERETT HORTON has
H been added 70 the cast of Design
for Living" Doug Fairbanks lr,
is now stricken with pneumonia in New
York so that work on this film will
probably be delayed. .. The cast Tor
"Three- -Cornered Moon soon to be