The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-06-03
n Hollywood
By PAUL HARRISON

NEA Service Stan Correspondent
 Hollywood = The movie industry seems to be right on the verge oi discovering itself-that is, as 8 source of motion picture stories.
 At almost every major studio, a movie about the movies is in prepar- ation. And a good many screen playwrights are cooking up new yarns to join the cycle. These men and women would think nothing of dashing off epics laid in Bolivia Budapest or Tibet, but they're hav- ing a tough time script-picturing the town that they ought to know all about.
 This is not a case of country being without honor to its own prophets. A good many writers like Hollywood well enough, and some of them would as soon write about 1t sympathetically as satircally.
 Trouble is that the fans don't like either treatment. Fact isn't glamor- ous enough and they won't believe it.. Satire is destructive to glamor, oS they resent it.
 A third course would be the de- liberate r-glamoriZation of Holly wood. but the industry itself would be opposed to that.
 In these uneasy times it isn't considered wise to picture the col pny's life as one of plushy ease and champagne prOfiigacy.
 Glitter and Glamor
 Logically enough, three of the films now in preparation will be laid around gay night spots haunted by the picture people. Since the dine-and rhumba emporiums deal in glitter and glamor, it will be per fectly all right to go the limit on these.
 First under the wire will be Paramount, with "Cocoanut Grove" This is the ballroom, complete with palms and monkeys, of the Ambas- sador Hotel. Every famous band has played there, and dozens of stars have been discovered there. The picture deals with the efforts of a bandleader Erred MacMurray to get an engagement at the Grove.
 Warner Brothers have script, soon to go into production, which originally dealt also with the Co., coanut Grove. It's called Garden of, the Moon" Since the Para mount flicker is ready for release, there has been some talk of changing the locale of Garden of the Moon."
 If this is done, one of the
 authors will be terribly disap-
 pointed, for he is John R.
 Browne, the hotels publicity
 man.
 One On the "Troc"
 Adele Comandini, a screen scribe for IS years, has handed her Uni versal bosses the script of "Troca- dero," dealing with the colony's most upDity rendezvous. The studio will have to find a lot of star doubles to make this one.
 Emanuel Cohen, the producer, is planning picture based on the en- tiro history of Hollywood, 'Caval- cade" of the movies. Two compan- ies are bidding for movie-radio story And many an executive is pleading for another Cinderella tale on the order of "A Star Is Born"
 That picture actually is the first of all movies bout-HollyWood to become a smash hit Theer have been dozens of attempts, most of them ending in box-office f1ops. If the "Goldwyn Follies" happens to be doing very well, it scarcely can be attributed to the flimsy tale which pops up now and then be- tween the acts of vaudeville, ballet and opera. Ben Hecht, the author has implied an apology by declaring that the story was revealed to him in a dream.
 Satire Missed Fire
 Best Satirical movie movies Wree Blonde Bombshell," with Jean liar low, and "Once in Lifetime" The latter, a Broadway hit, was bought by Universal and considerably toned down.
 For example, the seven Schlepkin Brothers were eliminated from the story because they seemed shade too reminiscent of the Warmers.
 And some of the satirical situa- ti0ns brought no giggles from au- diences because many of the fans believed that Hollywood actually was as fantastic as it was being pictured.
 "Once in Lifetime" and Blonde BombShelP' were fairly successful only in the larger cities. Merton of the Movies, in silent form, fared the same way. Later revived with sound and retitled, Make Me a Star" it was a failure. Hollywood Boulevard" was a hodge-pOdge full of old-time stars hired to imper sonate themselves. It was not popu- lar.
 Of musicals, there have beer "Going Hollywood" Hollywood Party" and Hollywood Revue" The recent Hollywood Hotel' was aided by its radio appeal But the mere name of Hollywood in title doesn't seem to attract the fans. They'c rather keep their own private no tionS about the glamor capital.