The Wilmington morning star., 1940-06-19
IN HOLLYWOOD
BY PAUL HARRISON
NEA Service Staff Correspondent

HOLLYWOOD - Behind the
screen: Edward Robinson and Ed
ma Best were %rehearsing a scene
for THE Man From Fleet Street"
story of Julius Reuter-, founder of
the first big news-gathering serv-
ice. my pigeons will carry mess
ages from Brussels and Aachen
hours ahead of the coach line"
"They may call me the 'pigion
fool but my pigeons will bind the
nations Of Europe closer together"
Put more confidence in that
line" said William Dieterle, d.
recting. Nov let's try it again"
Robinson hesitated, asked the
time. Dieterle assured him that it
would be five minutes before the
next broadcast of war bulletins,
and that an assistant director
would call him. "Okay," said
Robinson, but don't let us forget
that julius Reuter- has to keep up
with the news"
The pioneer newsgatherer had
better luck with his pigeons than
Curly and Dave Twiford, Holly
woods leading animal men, had
with the birds they trained for the
picture.
After a week of patient work
with five carriers, Curly got EN-
used to set noises and lights so
that they'd perch on Robinson's
shoulder. The pigeons then worked
one day, and very capably. too.
Next morning, at the Twiford
ranch, Curley went to get tn
birds and found, instead, a con-
tented-looking wildcat snoozing on
a pile of feathers.
Dave Twiford, it turned out, had
gone home late from a job at
another studio and had showed his
trained wildcat into the wrong
cage.
JOHNNY Russell
PLAYS NAZI ROLE
Joan Bennett, Lloyd Nolan and
Francis Lederer have the leading
roles in Il Married a Nazi," but
the bitterest irony and some Of the
most gripping drama is in scenes
played by small Jonny Russell.
AS the son of Miss Bennett and
Lederer, he accompanies them
when they 60 from America to
Germany to try to get some money
from a ancestral estate. Instead
of playing baseball, he learns at
school to throw wooden hand gren-
ades-and likes it. When he first
reaches Germany, he gallops
around playing cowboy. But n
day he marches in, poses in the
Nazi salute and declaims: 'One
people, M nation, n leader!"
Touches of anti ermanic bitter
ness are being written into movies
which have nothing to do with
current affairs. In Little Men,"
for example, you'd never expect
to find a yelled suggestion of war
guilt. Yet there's a school-room
scene in which Professor Bhaer
is pointing to a may on Europe
and quizzing the kids on e a c h
country's products. What d o e S
France make?" he asks, and a
little girl answers, Perfume"
"Belgium?" he continues, and a
boy replies, Lace" Another says
that olive oil comes from Italy.
Then the teacher points to Ger
many. And what about Ger
many?"
There's a pause. A little girl rails
es her hand and answers, Toys"
BETTE SHOOTS
BETTE SHAKES
A shot shattered the stiffness of
Stage 5 at Warmers. David Newell
lurched through the door of a
house, stumbled down the steps,
sprawled on the lawn. Behind him
came Bette Davis with a revolver.
Moving as if dazed, she poured
four more shots into Newell's body.
"Cut!" yelled William Wyler.
That swell. It's a take"
Then take this thing" said
Miss Davis. II hate guns. The
last time I shot anyone was in
Broadway my first lead. The
gun made me so nervous that I kill
ed the man 10 minutes too soon in
the second act and he had to play
dead while We stood around and ad
libbed all over him."