Evening star., 1939-08-20
Empire State
Contributed
Its Share
Statistics Expert
Finds u Stars
From New York
By Harold Hefernan.
HOLLYWOOD

HOLLYWOOD.
Numerically, New York is the
Unions foremost contributor to Hol-
lywood's acting personnel.
The Nations most populous State
Is also distinguished as the birth
place Of an overwhelming number
Of celluloid menaces.
Texas supplies the most beautiful
girls and the heaviest crop Of he
man Western stars.
Wisconsin, Nebraska and Ohio run
a photo-finish race as the source
Of the screens most handsome and
popular leading men.
The industry's home State Of Cali
fornia has a decided corner on the
juvenile star market and supplies
the largest percentage Of chorus
and stock players.
These and other none-too-vital
statistics concerning the origin of
the nearly 500 motion picture actors
and actresses currently under con-
tract to the major and independent
studios Of Hollywood were brought
to light in survey completed last
week.
Among other things. it was dis
closed that exactly 40 players-30
per cent less than the number two
years ago-were drawing regular
weekly pay checks from the film
makers on August Is.
To this figure must be added 80
important free-lance stars and sup
porting artists who work steadily
on picture-to-picture commitments
bringing the grand total In this
unique birthplace roundup to 487.
Nearly every one of these United
States can lay claim to at least
a representative or two on the 1889
contract calendar. Only four States
Delaware, Maine. Maryland and
South Dakota-fail to come UP with
single candidate. North Dakota,
with Valley City's Ann Sothern:
Arkansas, with Van Buren's leading
citizen, Bob Burns, and West Vir-
ginia, with Fairmont's Fuzzy Knight,
barely escape that unglamorous
classification by single entry each.
California. long chided for al
legged failure to develop screen tai
ent within its own borders, throws
back the lie with birthplace figures
placing it only notch below New
York State in total number of con-
tract players. New York has given
birth to "a of the current movie
pets, while California marks up Al
to take second place. Next in or
der of numerical importance are
Texas (23), Massachusetts t22) and
Missouri and Illinois, tied at 81
each.
What chance would an under
world film have without its George
Raft, Jimmy Cagney, Humphrey
Bogart. John Carradine or Cesar
Romero? All are registered as New
York born. And so are John Gar
field, J. Carol Naish, Chester Nor
ris and Make Rosenbloom-to say
nothing of the pesky Dead End"
kids, most of whom were born or
reared in New York or Brooklyn.
Smoothest of all the white-collared
tricksters. Edward Arnold, first saw
daylight in Brooklyn.
Texas. with a bevy of nine be-
witching feminine candidates. is a
head or so above the rest of the
union field in the all-important item
of screen beauty. For q long span.
San Antonio's Joan Crawford
reigned supreme as the typical CLAM
our girl of Hollywood. and even
now, in spite of high-powered con-
tention, she's still in there pitch
ing. "Oomph" Girl Ann Sheridan,
most ballyhooed personality in films
today, came out from Dallas four
years ago and is tabled for big
things at the Warner Studio-if she
doesn't trip on that sure-flre but
delicate brand of space-grabbing.
Best overnight star bet Of the year
is Linda Darnell, a dazzling IT.
year-old brunette from Dallas, the
main pictorial interest in Hotel
for Women" Mary Martin, who
sang c'My Heart Belongs to Dad
dy") and strip-teased herself into
(See HEFFERNAN, Page FED