Evening star., 1940-04-06

different. Paramount has great
faith in this vivacious blond young
ster whom it snatched from George
Abbott's school of comedy, dance
and drama. It not only thinks she
is beautiful, which makes the
studios grade 100 in aesthetic ap-
probation, but looks upon her as
highly gifted and intelligent. It's
confidence in her various qualities
was such that she was allowed to
take an off f-the-cuff test instead of
the conventional see-what-you-can-
o-with-this routine. In other
words, she was allowed to ad lib
through several hundred feet of
film. If you don't think that's diff
cult, take a whirl at it some time
when you have an afternoon of.
For assistance in her off-the-cuff
test, Paramount provided Miss Ernst
with the following: Jackie Cooper,
a couple of chairs, table, jig-saw
puzzle and, of course, a small studio
equipped with the right camera and
sound equipment. From there on,
facing a camera for the first time,
Miss Ernst was strictly on her own.
Instead of the paralyzing self
consciousness which knots the
tongue, ties the hands and other
wise mains the average person
confronted for the first time with a
camera, Miss Ernst bithely OBJ
served to Jackie, This is fun" and
set to work proving she Is one of
the "naturals" who has come to
this town.
Her task was to fill the rather
long footage of film with action
and conversation, neither of which
should be allowed to lag for Sec
ond. 1t was happy thing that she
knew instinctively how to do it, too.
That was because Jackie, who has
been in movies ever since he was
knee high to kid as big as he
is now, was much more i'll at ease
that Miss Ernst. The questions she
flung at him, about his girls, about
how movies are made, the difference
between stage and films, ETC., were
not particularly brilliant-as they
should not have been, of course
but they filled in the time without
a single lapse. Jackie's most
enigmatic and shy answer never
was so brief that it found Miss
Ernst unready for the next ques-
ton or observation. In the ca
pacity to animate her personal
movie, thing which some of the
most able veterans are unable to
do at times, Miss Ernst showed
easy naturalness that fairly knocked
the eye out of Paramount. Us too.
Next step in the test was the pam
tomime routine, an even harder
one if we know what we are talking
about. Amid silence as thick as
that which used to hover over
movies in the days of John Bunny,
Marguerite Clark, ETC., Miss Ernst
went about the business of proving
an equal ease in such matters as
walking, dancing, picking up a book,
and various other things designed
to show grace. If there ever was q
moment during this part of the
test when she had a feeling OF
what-do-I-do-now, it was not ap-
parent either to Paramount or
to us.
In our opinion, the vivacious lit
tie Boston debutante who gave up
society for Broadway and Hollywood
was less successful in the routine
test which she did with Eddie
Bracken, who. life herself, came here
from the cast of TOO Many Girls"
The lines she read from Life With
Henry" which is to be her first
picture, and the business which
went with them, had a nice sparkle
but less substance. Paramount,
however, said that would be all
right; that it was just test and not
designed to show what depth of feel
ing Miss Ernst would get into the
real performance.
AS If we couldn't tell, an old ex-
pert like us at recognizing talent in
far less searching, difficult screen
tests!
Next scene of our one-man talent
stalking expedition was a small
office in R-K-O's music building
There, Gene Towne and Graham
Baker, writing team which has
made itself over into The Plays the
Thing Productions, were engaged
in hearing one more singer in their
determination to add a kind of
Deanna Durbin division to their
acting company.
Heroine OF the occasion was
Pamela Cavanessa, pretty, plumpish
soprano, who is protege Of Bette
Davis. Miss Cavanessa, who saws
she is Is (and who are we to doubt
it, although we do?) did not achieve
the ease in her test that Miss Ernst
did, but she has been singing with
bands before night club audiences
out here. Her audience, even with
screen career hanging in the bal
ance, did not bother her greatly.
however.
There was no reason why 1t
should, indeed. It is part of the
genius of the Messrs. Towne and
Baker that they can be Hollywood's
most successful writing team while
being as plain as old shoes. AS
a matter of fact, they are palmer
than lot of old shoes.
After a few preliminary amiabil-
tiles, they told Miss Cavanessa.
whom they both called pam" as if
they'd known her since childhood,
to 60 ahead and sing.
Sing she did, right away, stand
ing by tiny piano in the Office of