Evening star., 1934-02-21
BY MOLLIE MERRICK.


HOLLYWOOD, Calf, February 81
N.A.NA).-In Hollywood we're en-
joying O season of onlinous rest
Ominous because all the rice In China
can't stop a debacle of some sort after
such calmI
Pretty paulette Goddard appears
serenely everywhere with Charlie
Chaplin and lets others worry about
where and when the wedding bells
will ring 81. Kay Francis appears with
Maurice Chevalier and every one
wonders comfortably as to whether or
not he's the man In the Francis
McKenna separation Gary Cooper
appears everywhere with his new
bride and they do a deal Of laughing,
1t seems to me.
There's none Of that dangerous
thing In the wind that generally blows
through Hollywood: but the calm al
ways comes before the simeon, so take
heart.
Cheyaliers taking dancing lessons
when not dining with La Francis;
seems he danced when young, but
thinks his role in THE Merry Widow
calls for some polishing up on the
steps Dimitri Tiompkin, concert
pianist, first introduced George Ger
shWin's pieces in Paris-now, a noted
composer, he writes picture scores for
a consideration South Africa and
Australia still think Leon Gordon the
worlds greatest matinee idol, although
he writes them now instead Of acting
in them.
On the Cleopatra" script Of De
Miles they started by deciding what
they would leave out instead of what
they would put in 1t seems ancient
Egyptian gowns were SO like present
day ones that the wardrobe depart
ment Is having one heck Of q time.
Adolf Zukor says since theater busl-
ness Is the last to feel the enects OF
financial depression, 1t Is the last 10
benefit by recovery, so Government
relief funds will not reach box-ofnces
until April or May.
All the temperament isn't on the
screen. The writer's contribute TO the
general nuttiness: Vince Lawrence
pitches imaginary ball games during
story conferences When thinking
deeply (not at eonferences) ne hes
fiat on his back, with his legs hoisted
in the air, and, when concentration
becomes acute, curls himself up in a
ball on a couch, with his knees drawn
up under his chin, and chews the
| lapel of his coat. Ernst Gubltsch
plays the piano during story confer
ences. thereby aiding in making dia-
logue euphonically correct.
Stephen Roberts pushes his glasses
I'D TO his forehead, rubS his hands
up and down his face and talks with
his lips pinched together with his
fingers. Victor Fleming lies on his
stomach and talks at the rug. Per
haps you get better results that way
than chatting to a supervisory 10
Swerling lies on the floor in the cor
ner and dictates with his back against
the Dashboard. Grover Jones, who
smokes necessarily, gets the full width
of the room from an ash tray and
walks across to rid himself Of excess
ashes, thereby having an excuse for
some exercise.
John Ford eats his handkerchief
during story conferences, starting at
one corner and chewing slowly until
all is in his mouth. Bill Wellman
walks about the room scribbling his
name on the walls with a soft pencil
:. Sam Hoffenstein chews wire paper
clips. Strengthening them out with
his teeth and then bending them into
odd shapes again. Arthur Ripley,
whose favorite criticism of a story Is
"it has no bubbles in It," stands on
his head when he wants to clear his
brain. AS for me, after collecting
this documentary evidence Of insanity
on the part of creative minds, I've
decided I'll put a slack wire across
the room and operate the typewriter
by dropping pebbles on the keys.
Head -the-class to Dorothy Park
ers for her mot about Katharine Hep
burn printed in Time. Said Parker
at a performance of "The Lake.:
Lets go back and watch Hepburn
run the emotional gamut from A to
B." Honorable mention to the
idea behind the George Raft story
"Bolero." but very dishonorable men,
| ton for the way in which it was
carried out. The story Of the dancer,
Maurice. it took in the war; the story
of Florence Walton, the story Of
Leonora Hughes, and. finally, it took
in the audience, that wasn't so good
But you can always start fine
arguments as to wether Ravel wrote
"Bolero" before or after the war, sub.
Marian Nixon has never been able
to take athletics seriously-flirting