The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-01-07
In New York
By PAUL HARRISON

New York-Miss Evelyn Laye, of l the haxen curls and the lavender eyes, is around town again, on one of her committing trips between London and Hollywood. She is as l nice to look at as ever, and just ! about as uncommunicative. I don't mean that the pride of ! Mayfair refuses to talk. She just doesn't say much. Believes Eng fish films are beginning to threat | en the artistic supremacy of Am 1 erican ones. Thinks New York iS
 nicer and much friendlier than fl I was when she appeared on the 1 stage here four years ago. But cf her private life, Miss Lave has
 nothing to say. .., q She never has said a word aboE 1 her divorce from Sonny Hale in l 193O, or the fact that she hates in- 1 terviewers and press agents. O. that she likes Edna Ferber's novei'i 1 Scotch toffee and chocolate maltod
 milks. She never has publicly chuckled over the way she ran away from a girls school joined a l chorus, and in few years became a prima donna. Such things are strictly her own business. So was l her refusal to allow Ziegfeld t" bill her as a star fin "Bittersweet." Until the critics had praised her. she wouldn't allow her name even to be featured. Her intimate friends
 by the way, call her "Boo.'
 Talent Picker.
 Youngest discovered of new stage l talent Is MT Leonard Sillman. who | is now 26 and who has been mak- | ing his own way, and the ways or several other people, for ten years. He learned to dance when he was 15, but wanted to be dra- matic actor. When producers ask ed him what he could do. he imi- tated dope fends ana epilep- tics, and recited q ghastly poem about crazy man. Nobody nap pened to need an elipeptic, so he sheIved his great ambition and became a hoofer in the Greenwich Village Tollies. There he discov- cred Libby Holman, who had minor speaking part. Siliman coached her as torch singer tfed. her hands behind her back to keen her from gesticulating) and sold her to Broadway.
 He also discovered Imogenc Coca and convinced her that she ought obecome a cpmedienne. It turned out that he was quite right. There was a Hollywood inter- Jude in which Sillman had to give dancing lessons in order to nay his rent. Joan Crawford and Bi- lie Dove were among his pupils. Then he put on revue called How and Behold" Last year on
 Broadway he, presented New Faces" full of bright young un-
 knowns. And now he has an in- gratiating show titled Fools Rush h." In his spare moments he works on three novels. which are being written move or less simui- taneously.
 Hart Tops Writers.
 Most meteoric success story on Broadway right now. though, is that of Moss Hart, the writer who
 has had q hand in so many hils
 in the last few years. Indeed his
 income now is larger than that Of
 any other member of his craft, not excluding George $. Kaufman.
 with whom he usually collaborates.
 Hart is only 2S. He wrote his
 first play whSn he was 12, and
 It
 lives in q hall in the Bronix. He
 never lost contact with the stage
 after that: even while working as
 foorwalker In big cloak"and.
 suit concern he wrote and directed
 the annual employees show.
 His first show to be profession
 ally produced was done while he
 was secretary for n Broadway pro
 ducer. He gave the first two acts
 to his boss to read. saying they
 were the work of a friend. The
 employer liked the manuscript and
 said to bring in the author. Hart
 was embarrassed. and for months
 had to make lame excuses for the
 appearance of his friend. By
 this time he had finished the third
 act, and the producer was ready
 to start rehearsals. Hart finally
 broke down and confessed te au-
 htorship. The play was opened in
 Chicago, and failed miserably.
 His next show, "Once in q Life
 time" was written with Kaufman
 and was the smash hit of four
 season ago. Incidentally. he still
 addresses Kaufman as Mister
 Kaufman"