The daily independent., 1937-07-21
Says Joel McCrea Who Re.
members When Holly
wood Hotels Banned All
Actors.
BY JOEL McCREA

in the nelghborhood.
{ Fortunately for me and the pro-
fession I have adopted, this atti-
tude toward film players is a
thing Of the past. Actors, through
the years, and an overnight
change, have attained the status
of human. beings. Only Pasadena,
our neighboring city, still harbors
this old dislike for the film colony.
In the old days (and please re-
member that was only a small
boy most actors and actresses,
embracing the new film industry,
were peculiar people. They were
so low down in the entertainment
profession-due of course to their
being oStraciZed by the theater-
that they had to attract attention
to themselves.
Some achieved prominence for
themselves and the f1edgling in
dustry by glamorous displays.
Some were temperamental by ne
cessity, none could afford to be
normal.
This brings to my mind the &C
cusation most frequently made
against me. They say that I am
too normal for the ultimate sue
cess in this restricted little city
of maniac depressives. And I am
afraid that there is considerable
truth in this.
For years I. have worn neckties
and hats when it was distinctly
questionable to do so; I help my
wife into her coat, keep out of
Jail, quit after the first beer and
I have not complicated myself
withSnumerous romances.
Being normal out here is in it
self an indication of abnormalcy.
Only recently James Norman
Hall, co-author of The Hurri-
cane" which Samuel GoldWyn is
producing, was quoted as saying
Hollywood is mad house" He
went on to say he couldn't under
stand how a normal human being
could live here.
The poor fellow, who had come
from Tahiti to discuss the screen
adaptation of his story with Mr..
Goldwyn, stood up under the ter
rife cross currents of thought and
emotion" for two days, then fled
when someone offered him $35,-
900 to do a screenplay for anoth-
er studio. Mr.. Hall, I am told, con-
siders himself very normal.
1t isn't for me to say that Holly
wood is a virtuous paradise. We
have our racketeerS, our pretend
ers and a good supply of heels"
but what city hasn't? And am
one who is willing to admit its
faults. Producer Greenbaum is apt
to summon his advisors to his
Sanctum and shout:
This picture has got to have
the Greenbaum touch!" And then
add: "IIave you any suggestions,
gentlemen"
Without the Greenbaums, the
temperamental ladies, and the
authors" who have never touch
ed pen to paper, where would
Hollywood get the screWy glamor
which it needs to perpetuate it
self? Personally, weird people in
terest me. The lady who throws
chairs at her directors is some
thing to watch.
I may not hold her in awe, be-
cause I've seen a good many
strange sights in this town, but
she is q vital necessity to a bust
ness selling personalities to nor
NAL human beings throughout the
world. AS a necessity, then, she
interests me intensely.
And when I see such a person,
and realize to what heights they
can rise, I resolve that too must
be temperamental. But what do
do? I go home at night, greet
my wife with a kiss, give her
ten minute summary of my work
that day in Dead End, which l
am making, for Samuel Goldwyn,
and eat dinner.
Following that we sit and read.
We play the radio and perhaps
game of monopoly and, as final
gesture of depraving normalcy,
we decide that tomorrow we
should go to a movie.
And so I go to bed, forgetting
that wanted to be tempera-
mental. ........ ...
AS 1 said before, my friends
consider me too normal. The
complaint however. has its COM
pensations. Maybe I'm the pecu-
liar one: maybe there's a touch
of craziness in my abStention OF