The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-06-19
Stors Discuss
What Makes
Them Click

HOLLYWOOD, June 1S.-Wud
makes a movie star star?
You could (if you were suffi
GENTLY recklesS) ask that question
anywhere in this town and be
assured of enough conversation
to keep you occupied for a couple
of years, Sundays and holidays
included.
But not from Leslie Howard
who has a terSe explanation. He
says:
Synthetic emotional appeal"
It's the character the actor por-
trays, he believes, rather than the
player himself who gets the atten-
ton and emotional response from
audiences.
Consider women fans" he
continued, in an interval be-
tween scenes of his newest pic
ture, Its Love I'm After"
"They are prone to visualize an
ideal man, a creature who never
did and probably never will ex.
ist, but in actors like Enrol
Flynn, Clark Gable, Dick Powell,
Robert Taylor and others they
see the type of man they have
always wanted. But they don't
know the players as themselves,
simply as the characters they
portray"
REACTION IMMEDIATE
The best proof of this, Howard
thinks, occurs when a player VINO
has portrayed romantic, adven-
turous, appealing characters IS
cast in a part which makes him
appear weak, or despicable, or
stupid. The fan reaction is imme-
date. They write him letters tell.
ing him how much they disllked
the part, criticizing his work, even
growing quite indignant that ne
should accept such a role.
Bette Davis and Olivia de Havn-
land, who, with Howard head the
cast of cts Love I'm After" agree
with the British star.
EFWhen l played Mildred IN
sOf Human Bondage" recalled
Bette. Il discovered that many
fans began to dislike me. They
really thought l was mean ana
heartlesS and unprincip!ed, IKE
the woman in Maugham's novel,
when l played more Sympa-
thetic parts, their reactions
swung around again to a Sympa-
thetic ulane. And then / ap-
peared in BOrdertOWn' as muir
dering wife, and almost immedl-
ately the fans showed tnelr ols-
approval. I really think many
persons can not disaSsOciate the
player from the part.
Miss de Havilland has, OF course,
generally appeared in roles that
presented her in most attractive
and appealing light. But IN ner
recent picture, Call It a Day
she was presented as a young
woman in love with a married
artist and doing her level best TO
win him from his spouse.
HEARD ABOUT IT
"T heard about that" she ad'
mitted somewhat ruefully, from
the fans. They didn't like It
and wrote and told me so and
wanted to know why ! didn't go
back to pictures like I'd been In
before"
AS for women stars, Howard be-
neves, many of them like Kay
Francis, Miss Davis, Norma
Shearer, Miss de Havilland and
Joan Crawford win large follow
ings among women because the
feminine audiences feel that, I'M
der slightly changed circum-
stances, they themselves might be
the same women these actresses
portray on the screen.
''They go to see these stars In
pictures" Howard explained,
land they're really not seeing
the star. They are seeing them"
selves in adventurous or roman.
tic or thrilling situations, and
because these ladies interpret
characters so well the women
fans feel grateful and apprecia-
tive that their imaginary selves
are so well portrayed"