The Washington times., 1938-01-15

scene sealers themselves their wits ends to hold him off,
In "Dead End" Marjorie Main, the mother of the
gangster and Claire Trevor his sweetheart turned in
bit of grand larceny that was bigtlme stuff.
VXTALTER BRENNAN in Come and Get IT, took the
w play away from Edward Arnold and Joel McCrea.
Andrea Leeds in "Stage Door, playing minor role al
overpowered Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers
Oracle Allen gave to Fred Astare in Damsel in Dis
tress
Rosaind RUSSELL in @NIan-proof' grabbed major honOrs
with speech tailored-made for picture swiping
Humphrey Bogard in the part of the "Perfed Forest
killer grabbed himself long-term contract. Charles
Boyer Garbo learned protect themselves in the
ceuoid clinche but Maria Ouspenskaya, in the
card game with Boyer converted him into her sounding
board The late Ted Heay positive genius at scene
stealing Performers always scared to work with
him.
Then there's what the Broadway crowd calls "the Winter
Garden tricks of scene stealing Vaudeville and musical
comedy performers, like Jack Oakie, W. c. Fields, Patsy
Kelly Fannie Brice Reginald Gardiner, and Ray Bolger
know all of them. Oake of course, maored in the art
Of celuod grand larceny and the dues of Oake and Mil
ton Bere are really something
VHE Winter Garden school of stealing physical
l. technique . . performer suddenly moves while
the reading line to him. delivers line and then
grins into the Jim Cagney has habit of sud-
denly pounding his clenched fist into the other hand
Ned Sparks Allan Mowbray, Edward Everett Horton, Eric
Blore Henry Armetta-cagy stars feel happy when
they're in for there tricks to all trades the
star learns when he she looks at the days rushes
Basil Rathbone in one scene in "Tovarch left Claudee
Colbert and Charles Boyer and Melville Cooper appng in
the wind. "I Met Him in Pars'' Frank jerks,
the taxcab driver in 100 Men and GIRL wasn't screen
long but while he there he stole the picture from Deanna
Durbin Adophe Menjou, Mischa Auer and Stokowski
You'll agree that's wholesale burglary
Seventy fouryear-old c. Aubrey Smith, who spends his
spare playing cricket Griffith Park here is the oldest
steaer in the business. In Garden of Aah, the
unknown Alan Marshall the French officer completely
took the play way from Marlene Dietrich in the farewell
scene the desert edge
It gave Hollywood resounding chucke however, when
Make Roenboom the fighter made Frederic March and
Walter Connolly appear like novice in the telephone
scene in Nothing Sacred . =. Wedged between two of
the cannest performers in the business Rosenbloom
away with the using them as stooges. Lionel
Stander the press agent in ga Star Is Born did very
handsomely for himself Ditto Gale Sondergaard in
Anthony Adverse"
D performers like Shirley Temple Jane Withers Fred
IN die Bartholomew Judy Garland and Deanna Durbn
oddson favortes to swipe scenes from their elders 1t
takes another kid to swpe from them and the name of
this juvenile burglar is Mickey Rooney. Only adult who
stole from kid performer resourceul W
Fields when he booted Baby Leroy in the diapers.
Joan Davis vaudeville product is nobodvs chump ceu
lod Charlie Mccarthy, in Goldwyns Foles does
plain fancy secondstory burgng Elizabeth Rsdon,
as the of Joan Crawford Mannequn might have
stolen the picture any combination less effective than
La Crawford and Spencer Tracy. Very difficult to out
sTpe raey VINO % G scenes O e gor @ o
the year. Trays undepaying made Luse Rainer appear
almost hystercal by contrast
Ralph Morgan Gregory Raof Helen Westey Brian Don
levy Beulah Bond Reginald Owen Henry Stevenson Una
Merkel others who readily to mind in this connec
ton . Eenne Giradot is still another. Little Gradots
mannersm and his delivery of lines to focus attention
completely upon him when he is on the stage 49,
Dennis Moore Allen Jenkins George Raft and Leo Carro
mention. Garlic is past master at it. Raft in one
picture had the other actors by ppng coin contn
ously Any who cigar is potential picture
burglar Edward G. Robinson W. Fields Jack Benny,
Ken Murray, and Carrillo expert cigar users.
CALL this grand larceny grand because it from the
ranks of steaers that emerge So you
in complete sympathy with these bit players and second leads
and featured players who grab their big opportunity and
go town in pursuit of stardom.
It's nice, too to veteran like John Barrymore grab
major honors in "True Confessions Nobody was happier
at Johns pifering than Caroe Lombard. They've
been close pals for years In We Fargo unknown Bar
ney Sege the Indian pal of Bob Burns stole with
out utterng than ughugh.