Evening star., 1940-07-31

Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
ADDS an Oscar for the dirtiest actor
OF the year, the major competition
will be between Tracy and Gable.
In Boom Town." they're virtually
always dirty. If it is not Shiny mud
Boom Town was too busy to pave
its streets, it's q gooey oil, prairie
dust or the mark on the barroom
floor that defaces Gable and Tracy.
TN Hollywood a few months ago,
we talked to Tracy while some as
sistants dragged his coat around the
dirt, or trampled on it to make it
the blowsiest looking coat west of
the Alleghenies. At the end OF is
minutes, the coat was deemed fit
to adorn the Tracy character, so we
never did hear the end of that golf
joke)
Even though he gets less dirty
than Gable and Tracy, the mere
fact that Tyrone Power will become
slightly soiled is virtually sensa-
tlonal news-almost as if Nelson
Eddy were hit in the face with an
lnky sponge while singing a march,
ing song under the new moon.
Power picks up his scummy look,
the one he escaped so adroitly in
Jesse James" and other pictures,
in Brigham Young"
Flynn, who has had remarkable
talent for keeping his appearance
immaculate whether his costume
was doublet and hose, tropical whites
with pith helmet or the chaps and
spurs of Dodge City" becomes a
downright mess in THE Seahawk."
Before he conquers the malevolent
destiny which pursues him in that
one, he spends a brief period as a
galley slave. AS such his costume
consists of dirty loin cloth. His
appearance, scraggly beard, dirty
face and perspiring body is that of
any other galley slave, quite as If he
were not being paid $4,000 a week for
the work.
Ray Milland. Randolph Scott,
Cary Grant. Henry Fonda and
Jimmy Cagney are few others who
will be pretty df that's the world
we'll messed up in forthcoming pic
lures.
We have no reports on Herbert
Marshall, but it is inconceivable that
he ever would look other than clean
and cool. Nor is there any word on
Ronald Colman, who hasn't been
mussed up since "The Prisoner of
Zenda."
But, of course, one can't have
everything.
A neat thrust parrier is Walter
Wanger. In reply to this depart
ment's recent twit regarding the
antiquity of tennis racquet used in
Wanger still photograph, he
writes:
"* However, in these DAYS,
when criticism comes, it seems the
proper thing to pass the buck to
some one else. When producers COM
plain about the double feature evil.
the exhibitor agrees with him and
blames the Snowman across the
street; when one criticizes an actor
for an anaemic performance he
always answers, But I was great in
my last picture and you shrug your
shoulders and let it go. So when
you reprimand us for using an
ancient tennis racquet in a still,
there is nothing for me to do but
say that the Photographer got it
from the Goldwyn studio prop
room"
That Goldwyn!
* Xxx
Pride and Prejudice" Capitol's
next attraction which was screened
yesterday afternoon, isn't the first
co-starring vehicle for Laurence
Olivier and Greer Carson He
was her director and star in a play
five years ago in England At that
time Hollywood was farther from
their thoughts than it was from
London 'The Ramparts We
Watch is being watched by so many
Washingtonians that it is announced
for second week at Keiths begin
ming today :. The charm that be-
longed to Viennese comedy, natural
lied, of course, is apparent in my
Love Came Back" Earle's next at |
traction :. 1t swings more classical |
music than any picture you ever
saw.