Evening star., 1937-08-21


Mum really is serious about this long
lsy-off from pictures. He has one more
to make. AfterWard he is going away.
How long he. will be gone, no one
knows. The vacation is designed to
permit him to take a long look "in
the mirror at Paul MUM" and de-
eide what to do with the reflection
that appea S there. How long the look
will require is as much a mystery to
MUM as it is to the 100 pound gal a
neighbor OF hours at the Knicker-
booker, who used to be a bouncer at
Leon and Eddie's in New York. 1t may
be six months. 1t may be year or
Il may be two years.
He has no idea of what he will do
o. the end of that time. He only knows
that he never will be under contract
again. If he comes back to play An
pictures, it will be as free lance. He
already has the right of story rejec-
ton as we'll as lot of salary. He will
have more of both if he decides to
return to pictures.
MUM did not seem to be brooding
on the subject as he nibbled salad
while waiting for Tom Benton's ap-
pearance to make a sketch of him.
He did not look at all like chap who
had developed sudden, inexplalnable
whim of wanting to be alone" He
did not even look like Wang Lung,
Louis Pasteur or Emile Zola. He look
ed like chap who has played so many
character roles in excellent makeup
that YOU had 10 virtually stare at him
to determine it was Paul MUM.
In determining to go away Mum
Is we'll aware that his public Is no
elephant when it comes to remem-
herlng him. He feels compulsion,
however. to stop at the very pinnacle
of success and take chance that
he can come back to his old box
office stature when, and If, the lme
ever arrives. He has money and a
tired feeling and he is going to turn
the two of them into retreat from
glory and see what happens.
If he had been lying awak- nights
thinking of it. he could not have
figured out a more effective gesture
for starting talk out here. But it
was not for that that he decided
to go away.
x X
A FEW tables away from MUM is
Joan Blondell Miss BlondeI, who
isn't working at the moment definitely
is not going away. She has been
away for while and has come back
to the studio not far removed from
is one of the best Mexican dishes
in these parts. Miss Blondell can be
no help whatever to this rowing re-
porter in carrying Frank La Falce's
greeting eve ought to get overtime
for it, to Dick Powell. Powell is
making another musical, Hollywood
Hotel" but although he already has
worked on it for more than a week
1t never is in the vicinity of Holly
wood.
The picture, incidentally. is one
for which the freres Warmers have
q boundless enthusiasm. It not only
has Powell, but it also has Benny
Goodman.
Goodman's hold on the adolescents,
and hve-siXth of the adults of Amer
lea (such is the sweep of swing
music, is counted upon to make every
theater in the country look like
the Earle couple of months back
when he played there.
From the talk of Powell and Good
man, with the promise that in a
few days one can see them both, one
is led by Gene O'Brien over to see
how "Tovarich," alias "Tonight's Our
Night" is progressing. They've come
long way from that pup which
gummed up the works. In fact,
they are sitting down to dinner which
is quite well along in the action, even
though you did not see the play.
Basil Rathbone, looking like the
devil as the commisar (Rathbone is
the highest paid man who looks like
the devil in picture parts, is dragged
over to reminiSce about Washington
He remembers very vividly the week
he played The Devil Passes" at the
National in 1881. 1t was hotter, he
is sad to recall than the lights under
which he is working at the moment