Evening star., 1951-03-25
Goypor and Farrell
Name Judy as
Best Actress
By SheiIoh Grohom.
HOLLYWOOD.

IO1L1 WOOO.
This is Academy Award week, so
I thought 1t would be q good idea
Ito ask the actress with the first
Oscar to predict the winners for
the 23d annual awards. SO here
lis Janet Gaynor. the wistful waif
|of Seventh Heaven" who won
the first award in 1928 for a per-
|formance none will ever forget.
"For best actress" Janet says,
Judy Holiday. Best actor: VIII
liam Holden for Sunset Boule-
vard.' Best supporting actress:
Josephine Hull for Harvey Best
supporting actor: Sam Jaffe for
Asphalt Jungle Best picture:
Born Yesterday Best director:
George Cukor for Born Yester-
day."
We will know on Thursday Just
how right Janet Is. Her co-star
i'm Seventh Heaven" Charles
Farrell. who now runs the Racquet
Club at Palm Springs, begs to diff
fer with Janet, except for Judy
Holiday, Josephine Hull and Sam
Jaffe. He believes that Jose Fer
|rer wins instead of Holden. And
the best picture will be Sunset
Boulevard" with Billy Wilder,
who directed 1t, winning the
Oscar, not Cukor.
Just for a bit OF added nostal-
|gia at this time of the year,
|Gaynor and Farrell are coming
out of retirement to re-create
their Seventh Heaven perform
ances on the Radio Theater to-
morrow.
The Crowds Came.
Janet and I got to discussing
the great love teams of the past.
They always meant the Jingle of
cash at the box office. And Il
mean Wilma Banky and Rod La
ROGUE, John Gilbert and Greta
Carlo, Gaynor and Farrell, Ga
BILE and Harlow and Nelson Eddy
and Jeannette Macdonald. And
not to overlook Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers. There just aren't
any consistent love-makers on
the screen today.
How about you two off SCREEN
in those old days?" asked Janet
and Charlie, during a rehearsal
for their air show. Janet is now
a golden blond, wearing a cloth
of-gold gown and coat designed
by her husband Adrian. Farrell
is tall and tanned, with a big
thatch Of wavy white hair. Ru-I
mors of '28 had them madly I'M
love of screen as well as on. "Wel
liked each other a lot" said Char
lie. But I don't think we were
ever really in love. We were both
young. and success came so
quickly it took us by surprise.
And. Of course, we naturally saw
lot Of each other-we worked
together in a dozen pictures"
A Nice Delusion.
And" Janet added. IT think
that the public built up much
more Of a romance than there
ever was, really. It was easy tof
do in those days, because the pri-
vate lives of stars weren't open
books the way they are today |
When Charlie and I played ro-
mantle part on the screen, the
public considered it the real thing. |
I think the studio encouraged
them tos think so, too."
When we were making pictures,
they were made with an adult
audience in mind" Charlie said.
That's the only possible way you
can present love story and
make it believable."
when I won my Oscar" said
Janet, 'it didn't impress me too
much. 1t was the first one. and I
didn't realize how the Academy
would grow and what it would
mean to have won an award" u
Janet added, with a smile. that
she was Cheated" out of two ad-
ditional Oscars. The plaque on
hers reads that 1t was given for
her performances in Seventh
Heaven" Street Angel and
Sunrise" But since most film
fans and critics think chiefly of
Seventh Heaven" Janet is willing
to overlook the other two.
Last Film in 1888.
Janet made her last film, Three
Loves Has Nancy" for MGM in
1888. When my contract at Fox
was finished in 1886. decided not
to sign another -long-term deal. |
But David Selznick asked me to
do "A Star Is Born for him. T
liked the story and agreed to do