Evening star., 1934-06-17

~ Y wood than anywhere else
I Y earth.
Only scant handful Of actors
and actresses ever reach the top Of the cinema
ladder And even for that group a second trip
up the ladder seems to be an impossibility.
At the moment there comes to mind only one
exception-Wallace Beery. star once before
Beery went into almost total discard. But he
came back and today he is enjoying even
greater popularity than before.
Just why the comeback route should be SO
filled with barriers is one Of those mysteries
which may forever remain unsolved. It's one
of those things which simply have to be &C
cepted fact.
Up to the present time former stars, who
have attempted to reascend the heights, have
fallen by the wayside long before attaining this
goal However, this may not always be the
case, previous failures do not deter others
from trying to break the jinx.
The outstanding example of today's fight for
renewed fame is the battle being waged by
Gloria Swanson, at one time the most brilliant
star in the cinema heavens. Gloria never
dropped completely out of the picture, but her
position today is far from what it was few
years ago.
4 Ass SWANSON'S downfall started some
wi years ago when she decided to produce
her own pictures spurning an offer of $750, 900
a year In order to take this step. Glamorous
and popular she was on the screen. Gloria
proved to be somewhat less of a success a
producer.
Not only did her popularity fall off as a result
of the pictures she made, but most of her huge
fortune vanished into thin air. She has con-
tinued making pictures spasmodically, but only
one THE Trespasser.' enjoyed what could be
termed success.
Now Gloria, still as glamoroW and charming
as ever, is making fresh bid for a seat among
the leaders Of flmdom. Recently she signed q
long-term contract with Metro Goldwyn- Mayer,
which means that her future activities will be
guided by Irving Thalberg generally considered
the smartest Snowman in the movies.
Thalberg Is Gloria's ray of hope. With
him at the helm she may go places again. Her
first picture, Three Weeks" will tell the tale.
The list Of former stars who hit the chutes
and then found the going too rough for a return
climb is staggering-and in some instances
pathetic.
Redheaded Clara Bow box-office leader Of
the entire industry for two years, dropped out
of things for 18 months. And she couldn't
come back. Starring roles in two pictures
failed to revive the interest that once was shown
in this flaming haired queen Of the movies.
despite the fact that she still retained her
attractiveness and fire. The only explanation
is that Clara has had her day.
It was only two or three years ago that
George Bancroft of the leading film
actors. His name on theater marquee brought
the nickels and dimes rolling into the box office.
Then he dropped from sight,
Last year he came back to star in Blood
Money" He the same George Bancroft,
but he failed to stir up much enthusiasm.
Ruth Roland is another who found innumer-
able obstacles in the comeback trail. Ruth
made fortune out of the movies and an even
greater fortune in real estate enterprises. Then
she retired from the screen.
About three years ago she came back and
made another picture-but just one. The going
was too tough to try another.
h lot many years ago Jack Mulhall and
Dorothy Mackaill formed one of the most
popular teams on the screen. Each also was
starred individually. Today both are playing
minor roles with little no box-ofice value
attached to their names. And there seems very
little prospect of either ever again attaining
very prominent position the film horizon.
Dorothy has been working in Independent pro-
ductionS OF late and Jack just recently has
finished playing small roles in four pictures
You have to go back quite distance to recall
the time when Bryant Washburn and Conway
Tearle had their names spelled in huge letters.
Both have tried to recapture those days. but
their way has been blocked at every turn.
Tearle was out of pictures entirely for three
or four years. Then he made big hit on
Broadway in Dinner at Eight" That gave
him new chance in pictures. But the public
which once had idolized him apparently didn't
care il he came back not. Washburn also
has recently tried to stage comeback, only
to find that bits and small parts are the only
things waiting for him. ~-.
ctr Tho ", I,a~ Eyoou qc