Evening star., 1941-12-05

past few months. Joan Fontalne
goes to bed for protracted rest spells
after each movie and Loretta Young
announces if she makes any more
pictures at all it must be on a one
a-year basis in order TO conserve
her health, which is none too good
Irene Dunno, one of the hardest
working of the lot. tells friends she
must slow down or get out of the
heroine business entirely. Even
such comparative youngsters as
Gene Tierney are feeling that
Hollywood sound stage strain. Gene
breaks down once or twice during
the making of almost every movie
and has to take a rest.
Too many movies are bad for a
top actress, any way you look at It,
If the box office breakdown doesn't
get her, the nervous one will.
Moral: If you must be a movie
star be sure you're at least 80 per
cent up to physical par. It's a
tough grind and don't let the calm
smiling faces of your favorites fool
yOu. n lot VI tlldl Slldlll InOl
of them than you'd imagine are try
ing desperately to thwart that ner-
vous collapse.
Estimated 80 per cent of Panama
Hattie" million dollar film musical
based on the Broadway hit, must be
made over-at an added cost of an
other half million :. Daryl Zanuck
dropped in on the To the Shores of
Tripoli' stage in time to catch John
Payne boxing between scenes with
Slapsie Make Rosenbloom, heavy
weight trial horse Zanuck hit the
ceiling and almost fired everybody
on the set. I'VE want no technicolor
black eyes in any of our love scenes, &"
he warned Payne Marjorie Reyn-
olds, nobody leading lady in West
erns up to November 10, has be-
come Fred Astaire's sixth screen
dancing partner, in Holiday Inn"
Fred says she's second only to Rita
HayWorth-and remember, he's had
his arms around Eleanor Powell and
Ginger Rogers on movie dance floors!
Marjorie still can't believe her good
fortune. Just think" she told us,
five years ago when I was trying to
get places with my dancing. my
agent kept ridiculing and promising
it would get me nothing but tough
luck" Marjorie then went West
ern" and played in IS hoss operas in
as many weeks ;. Spencer Tracy's
former stand-in will stand-in for the
Spencer Tracy of Europe" Marcel
de la BrOsSe, who has taken the
tiresome waits for Paul NUM- as well
as Tracy, was signed by Twentieth
Fox to stand in for Jean Cabin
famous French star, making Moon
Tide De La Brosse, a Frenchman
who has lived in the United States
20 years, won't be allowed to talk to
Cabin in French. No one else,
either. STUDIO wants to kayo that
accent in the quickest possible
manner.
Bob Hope and Rita Hayworth had
a jolly lunch together-to celebrate
their selection as most "photogener-
ous' stars of 1941 by the news pho
tographers. Hollywood thinks the
cameramen made sagacious choices.
No two stars travelled farther in
1941 and both Bob and Rita picked
up a lot of mileage on the wings
of art and news print. They are at
all times pleasant and cooperative
to the press and you have only to
look over the Treasury report on
their earnings to see what rich diyi-
dends such an attitude can pay :.
The Twentieth Century Fox studio
lies only IS miles from Los Angeles
harbor, but the company decided last
week to spend $4,000 building a re-
production of that port for the
movie, Moon Tide" There's a good
reason-defense preparations forbid
movie cameras in the harbor area.
The Fox "harbor" will be six feet
deep over an area of five acres, with
docks, lighthouse and other details
matching :. Changing Hot Spot"
back to its original title, Il Wake
Up Screaming" is causing an esti-
mated Is per cent shift in national
B. o. receipts-for the better. Fea-
turing Betty Cradle and Victor Ma
ture, 1t opened in Los Angeles as
Hot Spot" but even in this movie
wise community it died a secluded
death under that inept banner. Same
studio. filming Benjamin Blake" as
Son of Fury" is now considering an
about-face back to the handle known
best to book readers.
Wardrobe ladies don't have to fuss
about Hedy Lamar this time. For
'Tortilla Flat" her one and only out
flt consists of a waist and short
skirt-total price, $9.75 Eleanor
Powell enjoys an enthusiastic house.
hold of servants. They're strictly
Eleanor Powell fans. When Eleanor