Evening star., 1937-06-10

cent OF all recent new faces origl-
mating there. Talent scouts and
other studio agencies picked them
from radio stations, cafes and night
clubs, colleges, dance halls and model
agencies-with one or two springing
from that populous section known as
oblivion.
OF the 500 or more screen tests taken
Of new prospects by all the studios,
both East and West. less than 10 per
cent were of native Los Angeles girls
and boys.
Go East. Ambitious Youths.
While Hollywood is cluttered with
potential Loys and Lombards, Gables
and Taylors. the movies don't bother
to give them tumble. They're home
folks and. as you know, home town
boys and girls aren't supposed to make
eood-in their home towns. Some of
them are waiting table at the Brown
Derby or jerking sodas in the chain
drug stores. Their only chance for
studio recognition is to go East and
put on big front.
IL cpiilC 4hlV Will
keen sense Of humor would organize
. band of these forgotten youngsters,
dress them up and cart them off for
display in New York showcase, he
might have lot Of fun with gullible
studio headS-and. if he happened to
uncover a MacMurray or a Colbert
think of all the new hospitals he
could endoV
Luck is 90 per cent responsible for
most movie careers. If you're in the
right spot at the right moment, you
win the break. If not you keep on
with the old job at the mill.
How Breaks Happen.
Take the case Of a young man
named Matthew Ferguson. who is %
years OLD and stands feet 3 inches
high Ferguson has lived in New York
ali his life. but never gave the idea
of movie career more than a passing
thought.
One night recently he dropped into
the Waldorf-AstorIa Hotel to keep an
appointment with his girl friend. She
" dS n u 4liC 1htV, ~ " pass LIN NiiAlNf
Ferguson meandered about the lobby.
Thus he happened to attract the eye
of William Wellman, a director for
David o. Selznick. Wellman liked the
fellows looks. He was tall. carried
himself we'll and wasn't half bad look
ing. The director tapped Ferguson on
the shoulder and asked him if he'd be-
interested in q chance at going into
the movies. Yes. he would Who
uouldn't2 So Wellman arranged
meeting with Selznick and the producer
agreed to test.
Ferguson passed the test. was signed
to a term contract and is now being
discussed for role in Gone With the
Wind"-and all because his girl friend
stood him up for Is minutes in hotel
lobby.
Secretaries Provoked.
Scattered sights and sound: Two
hundred secretaries are annoyed at
one major studios insistence that they
act as dinner dance hostesses for its
convention delegates, without making
allowances for cleaning bills on formal
gowns supplied by the girls themselves
and froWning on tardiness at the Office
next morning. Reason Irene Dunno
can't be kept off the golf course seven
days a week is traced to a prize shot
she made last month-a lusty l85-yard
drive from the tee that rolled right into
the cup.
Outstanding party of the conven-
tion season was staged at Twentieth
Century-Fox IN the Cocoanut Grove,
as climax to its gathering of film
statesmen. Every star on the COM
panys roster was there, with Eddy
Cantor as master of ceremonies. AS
one of the Ritz brothers remarked,
Champagne flowed like wine" At
least one good b picture could have
been produced for the liquor bill
When the floor show began and the
call went over the loud-speakers, "All
walters leave the floor" Irving Berlin
turned to Cantor and said Come on,
Eddie, they must mean us, too" The
two were singing walters in a New
York honkytong 25 years ago. Phyllis
Brooks, New York stage actress, who
Is blond and pretty, in the Joan
Bennett manner, was escorted by Gene