Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 28 June 1940 — Page 23

& Laugh at Superstitions and Keep Luck Pieces.

HOLLYWOOD, June 28 (U. P.).—= It’s no. longer considered necessary to be The ‘theater, of course, has al-

5 ways been a haven for: mystic be5 about supernatural powers. But

ern and enlightened - Nevertheless, the: most sophistiid stars in Hollywood are not immune to ‘belief in superstidisavow it as they will. A

quick survey of the movie industry]

results in the conclusion that Hollywood has a classic phrase on the och; “I'm not superstitious, but So Take young Jackie Cooper, for instance. He is convinced that su- _ perstition is a relic of the Dark Ages. ‘And he'll swear he doesn’t “have any superstitions—unless you count that one about the black cat his path. *= Although RE olores Del Rio is of Ea blood, she laughs at supersti‘tions, all except the god ones. She “Will “wish” on White horses and the frst evening star %" Ofto Kruger insists he is free from Superstition, except that he won’t -talk about important business prosJects until the deal is set—but mayPe that’s just good ccmmon sense. “And Victor McLaglen, who wouldn't Pat an eye if a bird flew into his m or a visitor threw his A upon the bed, is superstitious t animals. ‘His Flintridge estate a home for stray cats, dogs and athe animals. ¥ Jeanette MacDonald isn’t super-

GRAHAM'S OLD INN 7 Thursday apd Friday Nights Free—No Admission—Free Saturday Night Admission 25e Dutch Holt’s Orchestra : Best Dance Music in Indiana South Big Four Stops, Beech Grove

superstitious, even in. Holiy-

Cast in Role of Samaritan

Hollywood’s screen stars have cast themselves in Samaritan roles to help alleviate war’s privations in Erance. Above, Constance Bennett (left), Dolores. Del Rio (center) and Claudette Colbert sort out some of the clothing they collected in response to appeals by the International Committee for Refugees in France,

stitious either, but she never starts a picture without wearing something green. An emerald pin she wore on her evening gown during her .recent concert tour wasn’t just an ornament; it was a good luck charm. ; Gene Raymond still wears the

Frazzled

J record grooves,

Jewel Used On Records

Phonograph Needle May Be On Way to Discard.

. It appears that the phonograph needle may be the next article to follow the hand crank and tin horn into oblivion, as science continues to find new refinements in the reproduction of recorded sound. David Grimes, chief engineer of the, Philco Corp., has developed a sound system which replaces the needle with a featherweight sapphire. The geni floats along the and the: recorded sound is translated into minute bobbings of a paper-thin aluminized mirror. Heretofore these mirrors have been used only on the galvanometers and oscillographs of the research laboratories. A tiny beam of light plays on the mirror and is reflected to a small photoelectric cell. This creates in the cell an electric current which corresponds to the record’s sound vibrations. The current is amplified and reproduced in a loud speaker, and is said to give a high fidelity with a minimum of surface noise. It is claimed that the new device will eliminate needle changing, and that it will increase the life of’ a

{record at “least 10 times because of

the extremely light pressure which’

the sapphire exerts.

HOLLYWOOD

Visitors Banned at Studios to Save

Nerves of Foreign Stars

dressing gown he had when he made N.S siisv 1b 0 ‘wa vuuwdy 11 xoung Sinners,” donning it at the start of a new picture despite its faded col-

or and ragged appearance.

Look for Roof Light ~ TODAY! [Dre

o RILIND ) I. THEATER

presents with pride one of the truly great pictures of

AMECEE - LEONTOVICE ° Mary Beth Alan HUGHES - CURTIS

George Ermest Robert Lowery Lionel Royce 8ig Rumann

[BILL of RIGHTS

"In Technicolor

She’s Lovely

—~Mysterious--Dangerous

“GIRL IN 313”

SHIEH PR LA

—"Played with dee ing conviction—q >

tions. At RKO, for instance, they're visitor asking Charles Laughton, | does it feel to be a Britisher playing the role of an Italian?” Mr. Laughton and Carole Lombard: are co-starring in an untitled picture version of the Sidney Howard play, “They Knew What They Wanted,” in which the overstuffed actor is a California grape-growing Italian— one of the thousands of good citizens’ who live in Papa county. In spite of such an innocuous characterization, there was some discussion of changing the screen nationality of Tony to Portuguese. But they already had shot some spaghetti-eating scenes which really should be preserved for posterity, and Laughton had laboriously acquired an Italian accent. When I got on the set Mr. Laughton was in no mood . for talking about ‘the war or anything else. He explained that he had a splitting headache because they’d been doing a shouting scene all Sr Also. he was engaged in

» au

ue a LAE aia LL VV

as the

Lake Breezes

Dance to the Romantic Rhythms of s Paul Sabin 3: Orchestra - with DONNA LEE, Soloist Extra ial

2, 0-0-0:

ng thing]”

ood Variety 25¢ I", | LiscHERON AND ADAMS : Bh Aristocrats of the Dance Floor

Se Shomer mosey © Visit Indiana’s Smartest Bar and Cocktail Lounge

—Hollyw

BY PAUL HARRISON

HOLLYWOOD, June 28.—More studio sets have been closed to visitors Iately than ever before—not that temperament is raising its silly head, ‘but because a good many English and French players are so emotionally frazzled by war news that they couldn’t endure distrac-

I TheBRONZE ROOM

Entertainment Nightly

HOTEL WASHINGTON

34 EAST WASHINGTON STREE

SLED EO . ip LETT ALDRIDGE

STARTS

TODAY!

~ 85¢ Till 6—1200 Seats 30c after 6

taking no chances on some chatty

trying to retrieve a pair of shoes from under a bed. A back view of Tiny Laughton in bright blue pajamas is quite a sight. Miss Lombard, who was only a voice in the scene, sat on the sidelimes between takes and heckled the actor and dictated to her secretary. She was wearing a snug’ blue sweater and looked fine. ° In this story, she is a tough little hash-slinger who answers a matrimonial advertisement and eventually, after some torrid dale liance with the ranch foreman, Bill Gargan, becomes Tony's wife. There have been long conferences with the Hays Office, and one of the latter’s most surprising decisions is that the picture cannot be called “They Knew What They Wanted.” I suppose theyll come out of it with “Clinging Vine” or maybe “Grapes of Laugh.”

un 2 2 7 IF THE WAR HAS done little else for pictures, it at least has reminded the movie-makers of the dramatic effectiveness of the black-out. Back in the pre-censor and Von Stroheim days there were occasions when a darkened screen, maybe showing the glowing tips of cigarets, proved almost shocking. In this Lombard-Laughton -film there’s. a sequence in which the actress urges the reluctant Gargan to go walking in the vineyard, He is somewhat reassured by the flashlight she carries, but pretty soon she drops it. Blackout. The song of a mocking bird is heard. Spook pictures have been making good use of the device, and at the beginning of “Ghost Breakers” Palilette Goddard is shown (by recurrent flashes of lightning) packing to go to Cuba. Funny things also happen in the dark, and in “Little Men” there's a sequence in which Jack Oakie smuggles a baby into’ a hotel without benefit of illumination. “Waterloo Bridge,” which is a wartime story anyway, starts with a present-day blackout in London. Low-key lighting is profitably used in most of that film, and all Hollywood finally seems to be acknowledging that less light makes for greater artistry and realism.

; = Disney Planning

Benchley Film"

Walt Disney is reported to be planning a cartoon feature in which Robert Benchley, comedian, humor-

|ist and writer, will be cast with such

Disney characters as Donald Duck, ickey Mouse and, perhaps, Snow White and Pinocchio. If the plan is carried out, it wil

- HOLLYWOOD, June 28 (. P).—|

with animations.

_ COMPOSER SIGNED

Alfred ‘Newman, who has created the musical scores for some memorable films the past nine years, has been engaged to write and musical scoré for Alfred Correspon

direct the Hitchoock’s “Foreign =

ent.” ‘~

Il ast Rites for

Film Actor Held * HOLLYWOOD, June 28 (U. P.)— Funeral services were held yesterday for George Hackathorne, 44, former movie leading man, who died

Tuesday after a long illness. \ Mr. Hackathorné, a star in the days of silent pictures, reached the

height of his career as the Litile

until he held het blues!

| Minister in th ¢? name. .

e picture of the His last role was a part in “Gone With the Wind?

ACTOR JOINS R.A. F.

Wilfrid Lawson, who flew by. Clipper to Europe after completing a leading role in “The Long Voyage Home,” has joined the Royal Air Force and already seen action, according to word received by

friends in ‘Hollywood. ¥

Look! Great Added: Program!

' PETE SMITH

“SPOTS BEFORE

‘YOUR EYES”

“HIDDEN

—And News. of the Day

“JACK POT”

SLOT MACHINE JOHN: NESBITT. RACKET EXPOSE -