Indianapolis Times, Volume 46, Number 175, Indianapolis, Marion County, 1 December 1934 — Page 17

DEC. 1, 1934

Circle Shows Fields in 'lf's a Gift'

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W. C. Fields and his pal. The scene seems to prove that something has gone wrong with W. C. Fields and his pal. Fields is the star of “It’s a Gift,” which is now on view at the Circle. Chief in the support of the comedian is Babye Le Roy, who makes life miserable for Fields.

Anne Shirley's Film Career Reads Like Cinderella Story Star at 16 Has Earned Living for Herself and Mother Since Age of Fourteen Weeks. With 16-year-old Anne Shirley given feature billing in the film version of the widely read novel “Anne of Green Gables,” one of Hollywood’s most colorful Cinderella legends becomes reality. Anne Shirley, who was known as Dawn O'Day until she adopted the name of the character she portrays in “Anne of Green Gables,” has earned a living for herself and her mother since she was 14 months old.

Hail bedrooms, tiny single apartments, long walks to studios and constant planning to make one dollar do the work of two, marked her path to stardom. Miss Shirley first stepped into the role of family breadwinner as a model for commercial advertisements of baby clothes. Her mother had taken her with her to a New York department store where a commercial artist asked that the baby be allowed to pose for his advertising illustrations.

Seen in 'Kid Millions'

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Eddie C-antor, Ann Sothern and George Morphy. Eddie Cantor is not hard of hearing but he is making an effort to hear what Ann Sot hem is telling George Murphy. All of this happens in “Kid Millions,” which is now on view at Loew’s Palace.

■ m Within a short time the baby was working more steadily than her mother, who eventually had to decide between occasional jobs and devoting her life to caring for her daughter and advancing the latter’s career. She chose the latter course and never has had no cause to regret it. Shortly before her third birthday Anne was given an important role in “The Miracle Child,” a film, and in this she showed such promise

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that her mother decided to gamble in a trip to Hollywood. This move placed at stake every cent that Anne’s mother coifid raise. That really commenced the long climb to stardom, as Anne Shirley has been a screen actress ever since. It did not, however, mean any sudden transition to fame and luxury, for child parts, even good ones, are generally brief. They are also comparatively rare. Although Anne Shirley played in scores of pictures, and sometimes saw her name in electric lights with those of the stars, days of work were too frequently followed by weeks of idleness. For a long time the little actress and her mother lived on a budget of $lO a week. As Anne grew older, living expenses increased. It was necessary for her to obtain professional tutoring as well as attend school. She has paid as high as SSO a month for tuition. Slightly ironical is that, now the lean days are over, her school fees today are but $lO a month. Always ahead was the spectre of the “awkward age” that dread transition period which has spelled finis to the careers of so many child favorites. With the struggle for existence stern enough at best, mother and daughter tried to save for that day. Fortunately, it never came. Anne Shirley, or Dawn O’Day, to use the name by which she was known at that period, played 10 and 12-year-old roles as gracefully as she had 4-year-old ones. Recently, she bridged the difficult gap between child and adolescent parts with a featured role in RKO-Radio’s “Finishing School.” When an Anne Shirley was sought for “Anne of Green Gables,” George Nicholls Jr., the director of “Finishing School,” suggested that Dawn O'Day be tested for the part. Scores of Hollywood players were seeking the role and hundreds of letters had poured in on the studio from other aspirants in all parts of the country. To Dawn O’Day, the part meant not only the chance of a lifetime, but the opportunity to portray a heroine who had long been her favorite character of fiction. So when she was called to the studio for a test she felt as though life or death was the stake. The test was good; so good that she was called back to take another and longer one. The next night, as she was sitting down to dinner, here telephone rang. She leaped to answer it and was informed that she was “Anne of Green Gables.” The little Ciderella girl of yesterday had become a star. Tries Twice; Succeeds Joe Morrison, who plays the featured lead in Paramount’s “Me Without You,” tried to crash Hollywood three years ago but was unsuccessful. He returned to New York to win fame there and was then signed up for the screen.

'Kid Millions' Is Described as Best of Musical Pictures With Eddie Cantor as Star Palace Is Now Showing Samuel Goldwyn Feature Based on Story of ‘Down and Outer/ Who Inherited Huge Fortune. Samuel Goldwyn, producer, has turned out another Eddie Cantor musical extravaganza in “Kid Millions,” featuring Block and Sully, Ann Sothern, Ethel Merman and a score of others and the lovely Goldwyn Girls, which is now on view at Loew’s Palace. Word come? from New York critics, where Kid Millions” is breaking records at the Rivoli theater, that the new, flicker is one of Eddie’s finest presentations.

Hollywood Ramblings

Warner Baxter in a Wilshire boulevard shop... doing a part of his early Christmas shopping.. .“Pat” Paterson moving into anew home ... and getting it ready for the reception of Charles Boyer, her husband, when he arrives in Hollywood soon. Ajjfrid Alwyn on a yachting party given by Harry Wilcoxen.. Mr. and Mrs. Roger Imhof and the Bryan Foys guests of Lou Anger at Agua Caliente.. .James Dunn watching the antics of a hand organ monkey .. o:a Hollywood boulevard.. .Rochelle Hudson, on successive nights ...dancing with a different escort at the Beverly-Wilshire hotel and Cocoanut grove.. proving her assertion that she plays no favorites. Lew Ayres reading a Spanish magazine that contains his picture ...James Gleason limping as the result of a polo accident.. .Victor McLaglen leaving the hospital for the third time during the space of a month.. .laryngitis developed while exercising his vocal cords on Edmund Lowe... during the production of “East River” at the Fox film studio. Nick Foran, Lew Ayres, Eddie Nugent and Sterling Holloway.. .taking fencing lessons and suffering from damaged knuckles... during the making of “Lottery Lover” at the Fox film studio. Ruth Peterson celebrated her birthday on Oct. 28...A1ice Faye back in Hollywood from her personal appearance in the east . .reporting at the Fox film studio .. accompanied by her new dag Zita .. .a Doberman Pinscher.. .that was presented to her by an adrrirer, the identity of whom she refused to disclose. Given Long Contracts Jane Darwell, who appears currently in Fox’s “The White Parade,” and Walter Woolf, who is at work on the company’s Parisian musiccomedy, “Lottery Lover,” have been awarded long-term Fox Film contracts. "

Starring in 'White Parade'

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Loretta Young and John Boles Nurses do not always fall in love with doctors in the story book. This is true in “The White Parade” when Loretta Young falls in lovO with John Boles, a very rich man. To know if Loretta marries John, you will have to see “The Whit* Parade,” which is now at the Apollo.

That takes in a lot of territory as it will be remembered his past successes include “Whoopee,” “Palmy Days,” “The Kid From Spain,” and “Roman Scandals.” It is Mr. Cantor’s theory that it requires a year to thoroughly complete a good musical comedy, consequently only one a year from Cantor. Story concerns Eddie as a down and outer’ from New York’s lower east side and who is suddenly willed 77 million dollars by a. long lost relative who has died in Africa. Eddie starts for his fortune and, of course, with so much money at stake, there are bound to be many impostors, crooks, villains and beautiful women which he meets and handles in an amusing way. The climax to the story is said to be something entirely new. A fantasy photographed in technicolor, something comparable to the famous “Silly Symphonies’ except humans are used in place of animated cartoons, in the movie. Added to the program is Charley Chase in “Something Simple,” another Fitzpatrick traveltalk in technicolor, “Zion, Canyon of Color/' and Edwin C. Hill, commentator for Hearst Metrotone News.

Stellar Cast Gaumont British current Broadway release is “Evensong,” the romantic drama with music based on the life of a prima donra and starring Evelyn Laye. " “Evensong” is now at the Roxy. It was produced by Gaumont British from the play by Edward Knoblock and Beverley Nichols. Besides Miss Laye, who will be remembered as the star of Ziegfeld’s production of “Bitter Sweet,” at the Ziegfeld theater, the cast includes: Frizt Kortner, Alice Delysia, Carl Esmond, Emlyn Williams and Conchita Supervia. Victor Saville directed “Evensong” before megaphoning “The Iron Duke” with George Arliss, which he has just completed.

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