Evening star., 1948-07-11
By NewboId Noyes, Jr.
Stor Sfoff Correxpondent

PHILADELPHIA, July 1O.-The
Democrats may not have an awful
lot to say this week as they stand
televized before the eyes of the
world, but they are going to look
beautiful while they say it.
II they don't, anyway, it won't
be the fault of gorgeous hunk of
Hollywood named Hal King.
Mr.. King, who occupies Room 803
at convention headquarters in the
Bellevue Stratford Hotel, is the ace
makeup artist in the Max Factor
stable He is here to see that when
a Democrat mounts the speakers
platform at Convention Hall and
the television cameras start operat-
ing, the image appearing on video
screens throughout the land resem-
bles healthy man or woman, as
the case may be-rather than one
of those washed-out ghosts which
gave the kiddieS such turn dur
ing the Republican convention last
month.
Mr. King insists his interest in
effecting this contrast Is artistic
rather than political. He says he
is not Democrat or anything poll
tical for that matter. The only
reason he was not here trying to
make the Republicans presentable
was that they didn't invite him. If
asked, he is willing to come back and
try his hand with the Wallaceites.
Il am doing this only for tele-
vision" he says. 1T is strictly a
public service"
Actually. Mr.. King was not in
vited here this time by the Demo-
cratic National Committee or any,
body connected with the convention.
His call to duty came from televiSion
station WILL. which is owned by
the Philadelphia Inquirer. Since
that journal is generally regarded
these days as Republican, a few
skeptics up here are wondering ex-
actly what theer is in it for the In
quirer
Mr. King has been makeup
artist for Is years now. He is
pleased when told he looks too young
for that. Reluctant to tell his age
he will say only that he is lin the
30s."
However. long or short it may have
been. Mr.. King says he has made up
nearly all the great women stars
In his day: Lucille Ball, Joan Craw-
ford, Lana Turner-oh, almost all Of
them He also has turned his hand
occasionally to the more difficult job
of beautifying such male stars as
Wallace Beery. Boris Karloff and
Charles Laughton. This latter ex-
per1ence. together with the fact he
is regarded as a leading authority
on the new art of television makeup,
presumably qualities him especially
for his present job.
Mr.. King is well aware that the
most difficult part Of that Job will
be persuading the Democratic digni-
taries who are to appear before the
convention that they should submit
to his ministrationS first. Men, he
says. so far have tended toward a
strange reluctance to use cosmetics,
even in television experience. This,
he says, is silly.
IN making a man up for televis-
ion" he explains, L use no reds
that give one that effeminate effect
! use the warm shades of tan and
brown that we associate with male
compilations"
Makes Lips Brown
The tan goes on the face-a
panchromatic color known in the
trade AS "9 N pancake'-applied
with a sponge and water. The
brown goes on the lips and perhaps
on the eyebrows if the subject is a
blond. The lip cosmetic is not lip
stick, but a special preparation
known as Television Lip Pomade
Women use e N pancake Some
times their npstick is green or blue
instead of brown. In any event
the stuff can be washed off with
soap and water as soon as the
speaker has finished his or her stint
The men must be made to under.
stand" Mr.. King insists, that this
makeup does not make them look
funny, either on the screen or tc
the people looking at them in front
of all those lights in the hall. Or
the screen or on the rostrun, they
look perfectly normal. Even under