The Washington times., 1936-02-12

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Ricardo Cortez, might well begin
in 1918. At this time he posed as
an actor while he ate three
squares" a day and paid for them
from his pay check as a Wall
Street brokers' clerk.
The pose, however, did fool the
ticket seller in the Little Theatre.
Through the wicket he let it be
known that Director Marshall
Mickey" Neilan, now a Holly
wood megaphone manipulator,
was on the lookout for an actor
of his type. A trip to Paragon
studios at Fort Lee, in Jersey, and
he obtained his first film try cast
as an aviator in "Out Of q Clear
Sky" starring Margaret Clark.
That night he hurried home
with the khaki uniform and the
good news only to find his father
dead, a victim Of the Spanish flu
epidemic.
Many months after he had re-
turned the uniform to Paragon, q
chance came at the Forty-eighth
Street studios-TheSe were also
titled the Talmadge studios and
were owned by the Schenk
brothers. Pathe rented space here
to film Ruth Roland and Milton
Sills in Fringe Of Society,"" and
John Kranze was cast as Ruth
Roland's brother. In the first Sc
ouence to 60 before the lenses he
was accidently knocked down a
flight of steps. Unconscious, they
carried him to the studio first aid
and sewed up long cash in his
scalp, Despite the split pate he
appeared for work the next day
and, there and then, clinched his
film career.
Now Ricardo Cortez headlines
the Earle, on his personal appear"
ance tour of four weeks, and be
sides being one of the favoriteS
on today's screen is the only
American actor to ever be billed
above Garbo. This having oc-
Cured in her first American
flicker, 1.-The Torrent" in which
he was starred.
Dave Grent, Gordon Graham
and Bunny Coughlin compose the
feature trio labeled THE Funny
boners," at the FOX this week.
This harmony and comic team
hold the record of having played
as q CHS. morning feature for
four solid years.
The act organized seven years
ago in Boston. Before that time
Dave Grent led the Meyer Davis
band at the Somerset Hotel and
remembers his pianist, Eddie Du.
chin, who at that time, swore he
would never play again after he
had worked his way through BoS-
ton pharmacy college. Gordon
Graham from 1924 until 1928 ap-
peared here annually at the Will
lard as solist with the Dartmouth
Glee Club, and in his senior year
led them. And Bunny Coughlin
was a former member Of the
'"Tunesters Trio" ether and col
lege prom favorites throughout
New England.
On this bill Johnny Burke may
be remembered as Mack Sennett's
star comic from 1925 through
1880. In 1928 he starred in "The
Goodbye Kiss" a Sennett 9-reel
feature and the only other feature
length film produced by Sennett
besides Mabel and'S
Mickey" One year later he was
featured in "The Lion Roars" the
first 2-reel talkie to have the
sound tract on the celluloid.
During these years he recalls
the bathing beauties and extra
girls on the lot. Among them
Carole Lombard, Sally Eilers and
the late Thelma Todd.
In Fred Irwin's "Majestics,' -
Johnny played trick piano at the
Lyceum Theater here in 1914
This was the first trip and the
comics Of the show were Lew
Kelly, w. c. Fields, and James
Barton.
Thelma Leeds, feature of the
current Earle bill, studied for five
years under the tutelage Of Es.
fal1a Tjah1inr teacher nf Ha1li.