The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-02-01
JIMMIE FIDLER
In Hollywood

Hollywood, Feb. 1-<Whenever I've
seen too many wooden performan.
ces by glamour girl stars, and
reached the cynical CONCLUSIONS
that screen players are nothing more
than marionettes in the hands Of
directors, I refresh my viewpoint
by going out TO Metro Goldwyn-
Mayer and watching Margaret o.
Brien emote.
There may be a greater emotion
al actress in Hollywood, but If 50,
I have yet to meet her. All that's
needed in her case Is an adequate
explanation, from the director, Of
the mood required. Margaret does
the rest. A few weeks ago, she was
called on for a crying scene. After
appraising the situation, she asked
the directors opinion. do you
want short tears or long tears?"
The director said he'd prefer long
tears and without further ado, Miss
O'Brien's eyes began to fill. BY the
time she stepped before the cam
eras, she was sobbing as though her
heart would break and tears were
streaming down her cheeks in riv-
ers.
When a nine-year-old kid can
feel a role so keenly, it seems to
me that the are-old argument, ARE
actors born or nader" Is down.
right ridiculous. Margaret OBrie1,
beyond any question of doubt must
have been born with an emotional
sensitivity that most people don't
have, and can't acquire. Excessive
coaching would only spoil the COM
plete naturalness and sincerity of
her work. and change something
that's undoubtedly great art 70
mere mechanics.
Memories That Bless And Burn:
When jeanette Macdonald, revolt
ing against the food served her on
a long location stint at Lake Ia
hoe, had her chauffeur make an
300 mile round trip to Hollywood
to bring her some home baked
beans. When the late Tom Mix,
bounded by temporary financial
troubles, mortgaged his salary ra-
ther than withdray his support
from the 20-odd dawn-and- cutters
whom he maintained in idleness oil
his payroll. -. When Lew Ayres
went on his first ck-hunting trip
and got so excited, as the flock
came in, that he shot at the decoys
instead of the ducks When Van
johnson tried to sell his five-y
old car in order to finance a rail-
way ticket to New York because he
was convinced that he would never
get anywhere" in motion pictures.
II IL isn't one thing to give a pic
ture producer ulcers, it's another
and here's one of the others Yes
terday the Paramount troupe film
ing California" were scheduled to
shoot one OF the pictures key
scenes. The construction crew had
worked for days building a stone
fort in q remote canyon Of the
Malibu mountains; explosive en-
gineers had spent hours mining the
wall with dynamite. Ray Milland
and Barry Fitzgerald, slated to lead
a cavalry charge through the greecll
on the heels of the explosion had
rehearsed all morning to project
their timing. At two o'clock in the
afternoon the dynamite was touch
ed off-and at that very moment
a big buck deer calmly sauntered
into the foreground and spoiled tn +,
scene. A retake means q three day
job for the crew.
Nine stars ont of ten have tho.
attention focused too exclusively Ou
their own problems to give a hang
about the other fellows. Rosallnd
Russell is the tenth. For the past
few years she's had a standiii
named Mildred Crawford. Finding
the girl really ambitious for ar
acting carer, Miss Russell has made
it a point to get her at least one
scene in each of her pictures. l..