Evening star., 1939-01-15
John Payne About to Step in
Where Dick Powell Was
He's the Best Bet for Singing
Roles Vacated by the Star
Who Wants to Act
By Paul Zimmerman,
Pres
HOLLYWOOD
To John Paynes phrase so help
bet in Hollywood fill
the unniiated
social
fair for writing short Shirley,
does real well in the
also the determined signed
By Paul Zimmerman.
Associated Press Stan Writer.


East and then spent two years trying
to get some real reel work.
John didn't particularly like back
ing up to the cashiers window for
his $3.50 week Che hadn't the heart
to face the paymasteD, so he argued
his way out of one studio into an
other and then into Warner Bros,
where he got the chance to be the
singing orchestra leader who rose
10 fame in The Garden of the
Moon.'
And he has the man he likely
will succeed to thank for this chance,
because Powell is weary of those
singing roles and wants to be a
thespian in the dramatic sense of
the word Dick said he didn't like
The Garden of the Moon role, but
job-hungry John Payne did.
No sooner had Payne finished
that, than the studio set him to
work in wings of the Navy" Pos
sibly his success as singing actor
was responsible for the fact that
John Marbles nary a tune in this
new production about to be released;
but studio officials still have his
musical talents very much in mind.
All this activity came only after
Payne learned lesson or two about
Hollywood.
so help me, Hanna" he said, "if
I didn't get under the feet of more
directors in those studios in those
first two years. I didn know much
about pictures and wanted to learn.
Then too, I figured if every one
knew me by name, they'd remember
me when a part was available.
1T took me those two years to
find out that if you're hard to find,
you'll get your chance lot sooner.
That wouldn't work anywhere in
the world but in Hollywood.
The fact that Paynes ancestry
rates back to one of the first families
in Virginia came to light when he
started investing portion of his
screen earnings in the old family
plantation near Roanoke.
His athletic past was much less
of secret because John likes to
discuss sports and besides, he set
a couple of Eastern prep school rec
ords for the javelin and hammer
throw in meets at Princeton. After
suffering a pair of ankle fractures
in football at Mercersburg Academy.
he took up swimming at Roanoke
College, Virginia. and Columbia.
He even dabbled little in pro-
fessional wrestling at one time. To-
day he carries the torch for college
athletes.
$50 help me Hanna, I had long
time to think about the value, if
any. of a football career. when those
ankles were mending. I'm one of |
those who contends college football
players should get a lot more re- |
muneration than the Carnegie |
Foundations reports lead you to
believe they get"
Payne's drawing-room topics are
hardly confined to athletics and the
motion picture arts. Get him started |
on the values of an education in
this day of massed degree produc-
ton and see
Too many people. in his opinion,
try following pattern He says,
take the movies as an example.
The movie conception of lead
Ing man. he said with big grin,
is a handsome chap with a curl in
His hair, pipe clenched in his teeth
and two Great Danes on leash.
so help me Hanna, I can't fill
the bill, because I don't enjoy smok-