Evening star., 1937-08-12


While Mr.. Benedict is looking around
the lot for Meredith, peering behind
the shrubbery, asking strangers if
they have seen him, and generally
indicating that Meredith is hard to
find, the talk turns on the subject of
Hardie Meakin. The Messrs. Meakin
and Benedict are old friends and
mutual admirers.
While all this is going on, an
upright elderly gentleman with a
spring in his step. a man who looks
for all the world like Gerald O'Hara
in Gone With the Wind" careens
around corner. AS it was bound
to all the time, it proves to be Walter
Connolly, who is Hollywood'S most
distinguished actor at the moment
because he is the only one cast for
Gone With the Wind" Mr. Con-
molly, who likes horses and horses and
horses, just like Gerald in the book,
may have to play all the parts if the
present stalemate continues. He
looks fit for it even if he is not quite
built these days to play Scarlet.
Connolly, who is looking for some one
to talk to about horses, settles for
chap who will listen while he talks
about Washington. He has played
it all the way from the National to
Polls and back again. 1t is one of his
fondest memories. The Maryland
race tracks, he thinks, are also pretty
grand.
A commotion on stage - all of a
sudden indicates that action has been
resumed there. Meredith should be
there He is there So are Ann
Sothern. Mary Boland. Bill Brisbane,
Joe Santley and gobs of other persons.
Get that clipping shouts Meredith
to his dresser befolc you have a
chance to say even hello.
The clipping is produced. 1t is from
magazine, rhymed diatribe against
Meredith written by woman in
Mount Rainier, Md The lady calls
Meredith, among other things, the
critics pet
Shes from your territory" says
Meredith. You probably caused it."
Shall we stop?" we ask on behalf
belle Jennings and Katie Hillyer, as
well as ourself
NO" says Meredith.
FURTHER chatter while the cam
eras are being set for the next
scene develops that Meredith is COM
ing to Washington again this Fall,
Maxwell Anderson, whom you prob
ably thought was too busy counting
the receipts from his three plays last
Meredith. Il has no name. 1t is
another comedy. probably biting. All
Anderson comedies bite.
But the comedy Meredith is play
ing at the moment does not bite. 1t
is fluffy little laughter piece called
Don't Forget to Remember" as diff
ferent from his first screen role in
"Winterset" as day differs from night.
Or vice versa.
Every one is having a grand time
making it. including Miss Sothern,
although at the moment she is wear
ing a frock that flares so much no
one can get within 8 feet of her.
Also she must remain unmussed.
When she sits Gown, the dress is
spread out over several chairs and
surrounded by what might be called
a bodyguard. 1t would seem to be
OF cosmic Importance that the dress
be protected from even the hint of
wrinkle
You leave the dress, discussion of
Hamlet Meredith wonders if he had
not better aim at the Hamlet of 1980)
and all the other interesting items
around stage II to 60 over to stages
and 10 for a reunion. The first
person who shouts at you is Dewey
Starkey, assistant director, who was
in Washington this Spring making
Annapolis Salute" Ann Hovey, who
looks angelic but who played the
other woman in the same picture,
rushes over to ask how are all the
naval officers at the academy.
In the course of answering that ques-
ton you work your way around to
corner just off one of the most
elaborate sets in Hollywood. There
you find Herbert Marshall, Eric Blore,
Donald Meek, Frank Thomas, what
seems to be a couple of thousand girls
dressed AS bridesmaids. All of them
are laughing.
X X
IHEY are making a comedy called
"A Love Like That" They have
just finished wedding scene which
ought to be one of the funniest of the
season. The cast has a tremendous
time refraining from laughing itself.
1t takes quite bit of shooting. because
Director Al Santell is determined
that not single comedy value shall
be lost.
The scene involves the interruption
OF wedding by bunch of window
washers wearing mammoth boards,
who drop down from the heavens and
start scraping the glass with razor
blades while the ceremony is being
performed. 1t has to be done time
after time, because virtually the en-
tire cast breaks into laughter at the
madness of it all. Or, when that does
not happen, couple of window