Evening star., 1944-04-09
They're Never Too Old
By Harold Hefernan.
HOLLYWOOD.

This is the town where elderly
actors come to retire-and don't.
Almost invariably, they proceed to
carve out new and more successful
careers.
When Charles Coburn, at IS,
scampered like kid upon the stage
of the Chinese Theater a few weeks
ago to accept his Oscar accolade
for the best supporting performance
of 1943, the occasion was just one
more clinching bit of proof that
you can't grow too old for the
movies.
Everyday life may begin at 40,
as has been contended, but Holly
wood jumps the gun a score or more
years. Life in the movies can and
does being at go, 10 or even 80.
There are probably a couple of
dozen actors and actresses in that
age area who draw featured billing
for their screen work today.
Many players who were stars of
the stage three and four decades
ago and who slipped into obscurity
with the decline of the theater,
or who retired, and others who
never before had appeared in a.
theatrical production, today are
looming to prominence in motion
pictures.
Marie Blazed Trail.
The late Marie Dressler blazed
the trail for character players to
find stardom in pictures. Before
the great Marie, Hollywood con-
centrated on youth and beauty,
never stopping to figure that the
oldtimers could put up such a show
as they're doing today.
Monty Woolley (The BeardD is a
shining example of this trend.
Monty, of course, is not an old man,
but he's far past the age usually
associated with those who start en-
tertainment careers. 1t was
Broadway hit show. The Man Who
Came to Dinner" that actually
started Woolley on his road to
fame, but it was the conversion of
this same show into a movie, and
Woolley's subsequent films, that
catapulted him into his present
starring category. Now, in his mid
fifties, there's no telling how far
he may go. At As, Woolley was a
lost bit player in Hollywood, known
only to casting directors as "The
Beard"
1t was only three years ago that
Coburn, now considered the king of
the older character players, made
his film debut with Ginger Rogers
in "Vivacious Lady" He was a IA
vorite with the fans in every role he
played thereafter, but it remained
for The More the Merrier" to
establish him as the highest-salaried
actor in the 60-or-Over class.
Errol Scored Later.
Leon Enrol waited until he was so
to score his first real success in
films. That was three years ago
when he created the dual roles of
Uncle Matt and Lord Epping in
RKO's Mexican Spitflre" series. He
had been a top ziegfeld and Broad
way musical star but went into
eclipse when he broke his famous
rubber" legs in an automobile acci-
dent. He gradually regained their
use for his chief comedy routine and
today no amount of money could
lure him back to the stage
Albert Basserman, who is IS, came
over as refugee from Europe four
years ago, unable to speak more
than few words of English. His dig
nifled bearing and talent made him
and instantaneous hit in a bit part
at Warmers. Today he commands a
high salary and his wife, who is past
TO, has scored a success almost as
brilliant.
The grand old master of Holly
wood, of course, is c. Aubrey Smith,
who is planning to celebrate his
8lst birthday in a couple of months.
Tall and straight, c. Aubrey has
been a familiar figure in films for
the past 10 years. He gets featured
billing, fancy salary and works
steadily If you suspect he's getting
feeble, take a look at The White
Cliffs" starring Irene Dunno, soon
to be released. In this one, Smith
steps out and dances as sprightly a
waltz as you could ask of a Bower