Evening star., 1949-08-28
Woman Stars
Last Long in
FiInCureers
By Harold Heffernon


year starring association with
Warner Bros. a few weeks ago a
lot of fans shrugged off the an
nouncement, saying to themselves
that such a stay in the limellght
was enough.
But Bette isn't going to retire.
She's simply changing stables.
There's nothing the least bit
egoistic about Bette's hopes. All
she has to do for moral support
is take a look at the fllm-star
longevity records. Comparing her
18 years on the screen to the ten
ureS of a dozen or more femmes
who still get top billing whenever
they appear, Bette Davis rates as
something of babe in the
woods.
There's Question.
All this naturally poses the
question-an old one. by the way:
How long can a female motion
picture star hope to stay great?
If the query were put 20 years
ago at a time when sound was
Irevolutionizing the silent drama.
the answer would have been seven
years. During the early flicker re-
gime, in fact, celluloid person.
ality lasting any longer was looked
upon as a rare bird, indeed. You
could count the enduring Mary
Pickfords, the Anita SteWarts and
the Kathryn WilliamseS on your
two hands, with couple OF fingers
left over.
Almost Immediately after talkies
swept in and the necessity Tor
mature and intelligent person.
alities became evident. the life
span of the screen star began
stretching out. Today it is almost
limitless. When Bette Davis, for
example, was asked few days ago
|if she didn't intend retiring now
that she's wound up nearly two
decades, she replied:
"I wouldn't dream OF such q
thing. Why, I feel I'm only be-
ginning. There are so many
things, so many stories I have
wanted for many years to bring
to the screen that now I shall
find the opportunity to do so. Just
one of these is Ethan Frome.
Bette, who was deluged with
offers to make various stories
most of them lying on studio
shelves for years awaiting special
casting-was asked her recipe Tor
remaining great on the screen.
It's All in Stories.
"There's only one answer TO
that and it can be said in two
words-good stories," she de-
clared emphatically. "Any &C
tress with an adequate amount
of talent and resourcefulness can
get by for years on good stories.
But just let her get a few bad
ones and see how long box-ofics
rating can go!"
Bette should know whereof she
speaks on that score. She got
couple of bad pictures in a row
at Warmers. 1t was that success
sion of flopperoos that caused
tempers at the studio to grow
short and finally brought about
the quarrel that resulted in sep
aration.
AS for Bette and her IS "long
years." the record books prove
she's actually one of the young
sters of the reigning oldtimers.
Constance and Joan Bennett,
Joan Crawford, Barbara STAN
wyck, Myrna 10y and Claudette
Colbert all exceed her in point OF
service.
And, believe it or not. Shirley
Temple, who began starring in
the Baby Burlesque" comics at
u years, owns a durability record
nearly a year longer than BetteS.
Ask any one to name Holly
woods leading veteran feminine
star and there would be a lot Of
wrong answers. Few probably
would guess correctly. 1t is
Loretta Young. Although only SO
Years old today-5 years younger
than Bette-Loretta has been on
the screen since she was S. That
gives her a rating of 81 years.
which is so far ahead of the rest
of the pack that they size up as
mere also-rans.
Closest contender to the still
baby-faced Loretta is Constance
Bennett, who racks up "a years
of almost continuous service be-
fore the cameras. Tied for third
spot are Myrna 10y and Joan
Crawford, who broke in at MGM
during the same year and spent
an equal amount of time taking
star bows-23.
fReleased by North American Newspaper
Alliance, Inc)
Il