Evening star., 1936-09-06

Presumably these ratings are bas
performers involved, their public fol-
lowing and their significance in the
picture. Actually, when an audience
gets inside the house and settles down
to watch the various actors go to work,
it is Immediately obvious that the
really capable people, the ones who
lend the story its life, form and emo
tional appeal, are Messrs. Barry
more, Douglas and Toler, and Miss
Bondi. 1t is also evident that Clarencs
Brown, the director of the film, was
aware of this fact, since he insisted
on giving full value to the work of his
so-called featured" players, while he
was content to let one of his stars
represent period clothes horse, ano-
ther get killed off and drop out of the
narrative in its early stages, and the
third assume minor, hackneyed role.
(In the order named, Miss Crawford,
MIR. Taylor and Mr.. Tone)
In defense of the star system"
typifed by this situation, it is some
times said that commercial producers
in order to afford the authentic Pc
riod background, the costly costumes,
the research and whatnot for histori-
cal pictures, must toss few box
Office names into the cast, to assure
financial success. In other words,
the stars go along to pay the way for
a group of skillful actors who are
about to present play.
THAT seemingly plausible excuse
- harbors a ripe fallacy, for if the
producers, in the first place, had spent
their money selling" the public on
the real performers in Hollywood. it
would not be necessary to haul along
a brace of the glamour boys and girls
in order to make their ventures stand
UP. AS 1t is, picture with Melvyn
Douglas, Lionel Barrymore, Sidney
Toler, Buelah Bondi and q pair of
romantic leads, not quite SO beautiful,
tut considerably more versed in the
craft of acting, would not last five
minutes as big-time stuff in the game
of garnering shekels. The Crawford
Taylor-Tone set-up benefited by reams
of expensive ballyhoo, and with others
to do the work, wakes fat and profita-
BILE with the greatest of ease.
So that proves the producers system
Is right? 1t does not. Primarily be-
cause, on coming away from "The
Gorgeous HusSy" one must feel that
the only honest satisfaction derived
from the drama was supplied by Bar
rymore's Andrew Jackson, Douglas
John Randolph and Toler's Daniel
Webster, with Miss Bondis amusing
bit as Rachel Jackson, humorous
bonus in the deal. Grudgingly, it
may also be confessed that Miss
Crawford was exceedingly beautiful in
some of her costumes, so was Mr..
Taylor in his, and Mr.. Tone tried
very hard to look serious about some
thing that he must have felt was one
Of the silliest roles in his career.
THOSE who know them say that
- the three young people who come
OF so badly in this picture are in
telllgent, sincere, and eager to i'm
prove their professional equipment. Is
1t possible, then, that they have been
thwarted by spurious usage of their
talents? Miss Crawford, who felt she
had climbed a long way in escaping
"fapper" roles and graduating to
something more dignified, finds that
she is now being sold, directed and
regarded as glamour girl, nothing
more. Where stories or characters
do not meet that requirement they
are tailored to fit the type.
Robert Taylor, a newcomer, who
Is undeniably pretty fellow, but also
may have the makings of an actor,
is showed down the throat of the mat
inee ladies before he has any chance
to learn his business and give decent
accounting of himself. Franchot
Tone, an earnest, quite promising stage
Juvenile ere he hearkened unto the
golden note of Hollywood's lutte, must
get terrific shock today when, and
If, he takes look at himself in such
strange places as the part of John
Eaton in 'The Gorgeous Hussy.''
Are these clipper neophytes being
kicked around to the tune of a paltry
few thousand dollars a week, or do