Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-12-26
|Astaire Dances His Valedictoryl

on the floor and hops back and
forth across it.
AS he dances, he sings catch lyrics
about the well-to-do who parade up
and down Park avenoo and the mil
lion-dollar troupers trying hard to
look like Gary Cooper, super-duper
4
It's fast, hard and tricky rou-
tine which the master performs with
machine-like precision. When the
dance is over, beads of perspiration
are popping out on Astaire's brow
His valet hands him glass of
salt water and as he sips it, Fred
means:
You'd think that in ii years
a fellow could have found an easier
way to make living than doing
this"
The tired cameraman who has
been following the flying figure and
speeding feet about the set chimes
in with:
you can say that for me, tool
Astaire made his first appearance
in pictures via a small role with Joan
Crawford in Dancing Lady" He
was an instantaneous hit. However
the experts at MGM called him a
"bald-headed old man" and passed
up his option. He went to RKO, was
teamed with Ginger Rogers in Sc
ries of dancing musicals that took
the mortgage off that studio. Later
when MGM beckoned him back, 1t
was with 100000 gestures.
Fred says he's through. But init
mates say he can't quit, that the lure
of the cameras will eventually draw
him back. Well see whether this
dance in BLUE Skies" is his swan
song or just an interlude. Well all
hope for the latter.
n
Barbara StanWyck and Lizabeth
Scott are rivals for Van Helms at
tention in Love Lies Bleeding" and
yet during the course of the whole
production they play only one brief
scene together.
The two featured actresses have
never met before and we enter Stage
IL at Paramount just as Director
Lewis Milestone is getting them
acquainted. And only few moments
later the lights go up and all three
are before the rolling camera.
The scene Is Helms hotel room
and Barbara is calling on him when
Lizabeth walks in from an adjoin-
ing room. She has dropped in to
display a sun suit Hefiin has pur-
chased for her. The atmosphere is
definitely hostile. Barbara and Liza
beth exchange frigid stares.
rs this the girl?" Barbara asks
Hef1in.
TOMS my name. Antonio Mara
eek" Miss Scott cuts in angrily.
This is Mrs. O'Neil, Toni" Heflin
says, indicating Barbara.
THE names familiar" Is. the re-
ply.
That suit looks very well on
her." Barbara continues hastily to
Hefiin. Shes got very pretty fig
ure. Sam"
Il give another show at 8 o'clock
snaps Lizabeth.
In your room or here?" Barbara
inquiries sweetly.
MRS. oNeil Is sorry she said
that" Van says.
I'm sorry I said that" Barbara
adds sardonically.
Director Milestone says Cut
that's it," and the scene is over. Miss
Stanwyck smiles at Miss Scott and
says it's been a pleasure to have
worked with her. Miss Scott smiles
too, and says something equally
sweet. The two ladies of the picture
have met, played their roles and
gone their separate ways.
X II II
Twins crash the Hollywood scene
at rare intervals, but in no instance
have they succeeded in setting the
movie world aflre. In the past II
years four sets of them have wor
some prominence, dating back to the
Brewster sisters and up through the
Mauches (the only boy twins to hit
pay dirt), the Wildes and now the
Barnes girls.
The Barnes twins, Lois and LII.
ellie, are pair Of beautiful 19-year.
olds from Flint, Mich. But unlike
preceding movie twins, they are MOI
content to sit BY and capitalize or
their identical qualities. They're GU,
to untype themselves.
After finishing their roles in tn,
1.-THE Dolly Sisters" the two girl
decided to- dissolve partnership
They've given up the twin bust.
ness, left Goth Century-Fox ant
launched separate careers.
| AS a starter, Lucille has turned
blond, Lois remains a brunette
They've vowed that under no condi.
tons will they appear in a pictur,
together or accept billing as tn,
Barnes twins.
IT'S only common sense" ex
planned Lucille. Twins have nevel
got far in show business. And tina
goes for the screen as well as legiti
mate. Twins are always regarded
as being a little bit on the freal
side.
mo one ever looked upon us a.
individuals. There might be par
in a picture that either of us couls
do well, but did they ever think O.
letting us toss a coin for it?
should say not.
X + 4
I'VE spent a couple of years try
ing to sell ourselves as twin spe
cialists on Broadway. 1t didn't worl
so well. Then we tried Hollywood
1t worked even less successfully here
If we happened to be fortunate t,
land a story with good twin char
acterizations it's cinch we couldn'
repeat. Those kind of stories dom
appear very often. Other twin
here have found that out. Thei
experiences have proved valuable tt
us. Neither of us hesitated on tn,
splitup."
Lucille could have been referring
to the experiences of the Brewster
and the Wildes. Both sets were fal
more widely publicized than tn.