Evening star., 1940-10-06

Lloyd comedy, producers have let
him do nothing else But he doesn't
mind. It's all right if there are
enough drunk parts" he mutters.
Comes a part for a motorcycle
cop, and there's Ed Dearing, who
has played more Of those what's
your hurry" fellows than any actor
in films. On the other hand, Billy
Gilbert carved his own niche. He
boldly went out and set himself up
as a ker-choo expert. Remember
him in "Rosalie' and "Destry Rides
Again? incidentally, Billy solemnly
swears he has never had a head
cold in Is years, so you don't need
to imagine him sneezing all through
the house.
The screens No. l Indian is an
italian named Nick Thompson
who has been doing Redskins
for 20 years. Nobel johnson and
Mitchell Lewis also do Indians, from
half-breeds on up. Neither is an
Indian. It's cinch for these fell
lows. Their vocabularies are short.
All Lewis says in Go West" the
new Marx brothers comedy, is
"Ugh!" But he says it often.
On the assumption that screen
buffers are best when comical fell
lows with slow mental machinery,
Barnett Parker and Arthur Treacher
have become the butlering champs
Nf HollruyNNI RI riohf c
looking vapid in "Hullabaloo," with
Frank Morgan, while Treacher re-
Gently did a neat job in Irene" Each
has played more than 40 such parts.
Even servant parts can carry these
"little champs to fame. See what
"Gone With the Wind" did for
Hattie Mcdaniel She's now in the
dig money, and it takes stellar maid
role before casting directors dare
approach her.
Also. the timid soul can become
a soaring star to which an acting
wagon may be hitched. Donald Meek
let his name be his guide and became
so undeniably the title-holder that
M-G-M signed him for the Nick
Carter" series.
In Every Field.
Serious judges and comedy judges.
sympathetic lawyers and shysters
all have their champs. Spencer
Charters is todays leading comedy
jurist, while the dignified admins
traitors are best represented by How
ard Hickman, George Irving and
Henry ONeill. Before his death a
few weeks ago. Granville Bates c"My
Favorite Wife, had the edge on
comedy and small-town judges.
There are no nastier jury-baiters
among the celluloid attorneys than
Warner Bros Claude Rains.
Roscoe Karns is the leading cab
driver. For pompous politicians,
Burton Churchill heads the field.
George Chandler and Ray Walker
have played so many newspaper re-
porters that few city editors would
show surprise to find them sitting
at typewriter in any local room.
Eddie Gribbon comes most readily
to mind when frozen-faced, stony
hearted bartender is sought. Robert
Emmet Geane feels right at home,
and so do the fans, when he hurries
into a home, carrying doctors kit.
And how about Jean Hersholt, the
screens perennial "Dr. Christian?
The dumb, gossipy telephone
operator is almost always Marie
Blake, sister of jeanette MacDon-
aid, who plugs them in and out
steadily for the DIR. Kildare" series.
Most famous of all ef1eminate floor
walkers. hotel clerks and the like is
Franklin Pangborn, whose flexible
facial expressions have no counter
part. For grim. gossipy women,
film casters think of Sara Edwards,
Grace Hayle, Margaret Seddon and
Margaret McWade, all expert at
trading a bit of spicy goings-on.
Margaret Main tops the field Of
shrewd, biting landladies and board
inghouse-keepers-
The list of little champs" is by
no means exhausted. We've merely
SKINNED the field. Nor is any class,
type or category the sole property
of any one person. For example, In
a book of classifications at any
studio, one can find listed the names
Of $50 persons who play walters, 200
buffers. ITS lawyers. $50 reporters
and $50 gangsters. AS one reporter
among many real ones, it is graft
flying to know the latter two groups
are evenly matched.
(Released by the North American