Evening star., 1944-08-13
He'Sthe Movies s'GreatUnknOWn
By Inga Arvad.
uNIJ VIu0on 1oo,,;,u ..:.,-

ATpuu.
looking 81 with an oval. rather than
angular face, brown hair parted on
the opposite side from Wilson's, and
a slight nose, uptilted, not in the
least Romanesque.
My first question was blunt, but
one that was irresistible: How
did you ever win the role?"
1T grew out of a small role I
came to Hollywood from Broadway
to play couple of years ago." he
said. in that voice that is now being
cited as the screens best. The
role OF the young curate in This
Above All Late last summer, Mr..
Zanuck decided on an experiment.
complete recording of the script
OF Wilson, to test the dramatic
effectiveness of the dialogue. He
needed some one to read Wilson's
lines. He recalled the young curate,
and was hired to do the recording
along with a lot of radio people
hired to read other parts. There
was no camera present 1t was in
no sense test for any of the
players.
Cast Without a Test.
Il nearly fell over, two DAYS later,
when I was told that I had been
cast for the role in the picture
without screen test. But how do
you know I can look the part?' l
asked. That, they told me, was
the worry of the makeup depart
ment.' All had to do was to act
the part. . I'll probably never get
another Job as easily as that"
And where, and how, did you
acquire that voice?' I asked, and
Mr.. Knox answered.
Il grew up on farm in Ontario.
Canada" he said, pointing out
parenthetically that Walter Huston
and Raymond Massey, who both
portrayed another American Presi-
dent, Abraham Lincoln, were also
Canadians.
Il had an aunt in Boston. Agnes
Knox Black, who was famous elo-
cution teacher, and when I was a
boy she used to spend her summer
vacations on the family farm. For
her amusement and mine, she in
vented a speaking game. She
would lie in a hammock near the
house and send me down to the
orchard, a quarter of a mile away,
and have me read aloud from a book
in normal voice-in such a way
that she could distinguish every
word I said In time" he added
with wry grin, Il succeeded"
He entered the University of
Western Ontario with the idea of
studying medicine, became interest
ed In dramatics. gave a standout
college performance as Hamlet" ;"
and was PACED by the Boston Rep
ertory Theater. The depression was
on, and to exc living, he did news
paper work on the side. Then he
went to London. won little atten-
ton, and got bids from New York.
He played prominent part last
season in Three Sisters" with
K t harine Cornell. Columbia
brought him to Hollywood under
contract, cast him as the NaI tried
for his crimes in None Shall
Escape" Twentieth Century-Fox
borrowed him for Wilson" and now
shares his contract. Knox pointed
out: IF the ending of Wilson had
been different, 1 would never have
been able to play a Nazi. There
wouldn't have been any Nazis."
Writing Is Avocation.
After working hours he doesn't
like to talk shop and knows very few
actors out here. He is an accom-
plished pianist-in fact, the neigh
bors thought for a long time he was
musician, not an actor He reads
great deal, and also writes. He is
guilty OF four mystery novels, all
written under another name, and
one play, written under his own. "
He rides motor cycle, and his idea
of a vacation is a fishing trip.
With Hollywood not yet properly
Knox-conscious, 1 wondered how
his hometown of London, Ontario
was taking his success. His dry
sense of humor came to the fore
again.
Il don't know" he said. "All I
know is what happened the last
time I was back. An old cabinet
maker who lived down the road
asked me If I was continuing with
my acting. I admitted that was.
Its shameful waste" he said,
shaking his head. You had the
makings of good carpenter"
Released by North American Newspaper
Alliance.