The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-05-28
HOLLYWOOD
NOTES
BY BOB THOMAS

I1O1L NOOD UT -lHeTG a
battle of wits going on at 10th
Fox Studios, so 1 dropped out to
get caught in the crosSfire.
The wits are Fred Allen and
Oscar Levant, two of the most
widely quoted gents of our time.
Both are appearing as confidence
men in 1.-The Ransom of Red
Chief" an episode in o. Henry's
"Bagdad on the Subway" The
script couldn't be as good as the
byplay that occurs on the set.
found Levant and Allen wear
ing their usual sour expressions.
Then they started spouting. Or at
least Allen did. Oscar was quiet,
which is unusual for oscar.
They just saw yesterdays rush
es," Remarked Allen, land they're
awarding the Academy Awards
early this year"
"Wait until they see today's
rushes," Oscar added. They'll
take the Oscars back"
commented that this was AL
lens second trip to the coast this
year. He appeared earlier in an
other episode picture, ''We're Not
Married"
I'm just an episode actor" said
Allen. when they need someone
to close a door. they send for me.
They're afraid to put me in a full
length picture. No, l don't think
I'll be back again. I'm afraid l
just got in on the tail end of a
trend.
'I've been Tending off oblivion
for seyeal yeads now. When
appear on television, the audience
rushes to the movies. When I'm
in the movies. they rush home TO
television. | keep the audience in
constant notion"
/ learned that Allen was driving
car in the picture. and it's just
about the first time he has per-
sonally tangled with the automo-
tive age. He's a non-driver, and
had to take lessons on the studio
prop, 1912 model.
"I've never owned a drivers IL
cense," he admitted. I'm the only
driver in California who uses a
Screen Actors Guild card for a
license.
IL drove once before--in a Jack
Benny picture. The producer sent
me out to the San Fernando Val
ley TO learn how to use a car.
had a scene where ] had to drive
right up to the lights and CAM
eras. The producer saw the setup
and decided TO have the car pulled
into the scene by ropes.
"I've never had a license be-
cause you can never park in front
of the place YOU live in New York.
Traffic is terrible and you have
to leave your car in a garage
blocks from your home. Traffic
tickets are a menace. Why, even
the good humor man was paying
so cents protection every day TO
the cop so he wouldn't get ticket
in our block"
Allen and Levant had TO don
their goggles. and busters and re-
hearse the scene. Action was
stopped when the director, Howard
Hawks, decided the brook in the
background wasn't lively enough.
We've tried a new formal, a
quiz show" he explained. ''lt
gives me chance 10 talk TO peo-
pie, and | don't have the pressure
of variety show. Ill do 1t on
film. so the best parts can be
picked out Of it, the same as
GrouchO Marx does on ~ and
Bing Crosby has done In radio.
Actually, it's the same thing
used TO do ON radio. Every
things been done before. | used
| a" have a feature called People
You Didn't Expect 10 Meet Now
the same sort Of thing Is on
What's My Liner But I'm not
claiming anything. In this busi-
ness, an oidtimer is someone who
was alive yesterday.
II think this next season Ia TV
Is going TO be the tough one. Mil
ton Berle was the sensation If
early TV because there we're three
and four hundred thousand sets
being bought every month. re
could keep using other peoples
material because there vas always
new audience Nov The audience
is stable. and only the best shows
will survive =
As was leaving, il looked as
though Legant was getting ready
To- say something bright. But be
couldn't get a word in edgswiss
with Allen, and he continued his