The Syracuse Journal, Volume 29, Number 44, Syracuse, Kosciusko County, 4 March 1937 — Page 6

Page Six

Early Spring Means Early Season

Stranger J Than • A Fiction By Evelyn H. Conn

Bv EVELYN CONN The phrase, “the show must go on’’ is a familiar utterance, but never has it been impressed upon me so forcefully’as the time T. H. of Goshen told me about the team of Wright & Bright. , Joe Wright and Tom Bright were a couple of “hoof, song and gag” men. In other words, they uanced, sang and told jokes, and although their act didn’t exactly put the audiences in the aisles, it was a dependable fill-in .on any bill. Thev had worked together for almost twelve years now, changing the act a little here and there, playing and re-playing practically every .vaudeville circuit in the country. They both had the trait peculiar to show people. No matter how insignificant thenbilling no matter how tough things went for them—they nourished the thought that some day soon they would be “discovered’’ and would play “big time’ with a star on their dressing-room door. Everyone who had played the Western Circuit knew that Joe and Tom had given Pop, the stage-door fixture at the old Albion Theatre in Seattle, enough money to pay the hospital bills when his wife was so very ill. Everyone knew that they had helped countless youngsters overcome the first terrifying pangs of stage fright, and there wasn’t ah act that had sometime or other played on the same bill with them that didn’t earnestly believe that Wright & Bright deserved a better break. - One of their most- sincere boost-! ers was little Vivyan Vane, the youngster who had danced her; way to musical success on Broadway. She never forgot how Joe and Tom had taken her aside between shows, encouraged her, taught her new dance routines and given her tips on how to “put across” her vivacious and sweet persoality. And now Vivyan was in a position to do something for them. Wright & Bright were booked for a one-night stand in Buffalo, New York, and Vivyan had persuaded one of the biggest musical comedy bookers of Broadway to come down and catch their act. She didn’t go back stage before the performance to tell them about the booker. She thought it would be a much nicer surprise to bring him back after the show and have him sign up the team after the introduction. Joe and Tom were standing in the wings waiting for the “Dance Extravaganza” to go into their

PBehind the

By HARRISON CARROLL I Copyright, 1937, King Features Syndicate, Inc. HOLLYWOOD, Mar. 4.—ls you can believe her, the most mentioned candidate for Scarlett O’Hara doesn’t

even want to play the role. Bette Davis insists it would be an almost impossible handicap for an actress to try to satisfy the pre- ' conceived ideas ' of as m p n y | people as have : “Gone With the; Wind” —and '

Lv ;i / Beite Davis

Wind” — and read it recently. What will startle the Margaret Mitchell fans more, she contends that Scarlett, while appealing vividly to the imaginations of millions of readers, fs not a clearly etched character jn the book. j i For her money, Bette would rather have the lead in “Jezebel,” an Owen Davis play and a Warner Brothers property. It, too, is a costume picture and the heroine is slightly similar to Scarlett. We are able, at least, to bring riae nromise of relief to the people who are in suspense over the casting of “Gone With the Wind.” Director George Cv„kor returns from Europe within the month. By this time, the dour Sidney Howard is supposed to have the scenario in shape. Cukor makes four or five tests in New York, then returns to Hollywood and really gets down to business. The question of who will plav Scarlett should be everlastingly settled by May. Petite Luise Rainer forestalled possible interviewers by detraining at San Bernardino, where her bridegroom, Clifford Odets, was on hand to greet her and, by his presence, to help scotch the rumors. On her first day in Hollywood, the Viennese actress reported ill, but was at the studio next dav. Os all the talk that has been going on, she said: n “J'hose things are ridiculous. Trying on. costumes for Mazie Kenyon, a startled Gloria Swanson discovered that she has an inch within the last few yeans. To the best of her knowledge, the actress has l>een five feet and one-

I finale, when Tom smelled smoke. , It came from the stage and be- | fore the dancers realized what was happening, the entire back drop l of the scenery was .being licked by flames. Women in the audience screamed, the dancers ran from the stage, and within a few seconds the entire house was pan- ; ic-stricken. “Come on, Joe, we’ve got to do •sopiething, screamed Tom hoarse- ; iy. “Let’s go into our act, quick.’’ Wright & Bright ran before the footlights and Tom tried to quiet the audience, telling them the fire was confined to the stage, there wss nothing to fear and just to prove it was not serious they were going on with their act and I wouldn’t they please watch them, j Signaling- to the orchestra to ' strike up their opening number, Wright & Bright went into their I dance. It was some time before the audience realized that they i were in no danger, but eventually I they all resumed their seats and riveted their gaze on Wright & j Bright. Stagehands were running ! back and forth trying to extin- ' guish the blazing scenery, the muI siCians transmitted their nervousness into the blatant blare of their instruments, the audience was I tense with a fear partially stifled into submission by the definite tap-tap of the dancing feet of Wright & Bright. Tom and Joe danced and sang as they never did before. Their i faces bravely wearing smiles, their voices pitched a little higher than usual, the tempo a little faster than normally set it, —they came dangerously near the flames, but continued until they had finished their entire routine. The audience burst into applause that would have done credit to a stage-ful of opera stars; Vivyn, as well as many other women, was crying a little hysterically; the booker, silent, thoughtI ful, couldn’t find words to exI press his admiration. ■ Then without warning, the scenery on one side of the stage and from; overhead, fell. Every man, woman and child in the i theatre was rooted to the spot, too stunned to even think of their own eventual danger, as horrorstricken, they saw the team of ■ Wright & Bright buried beneath a mass of flaming, crackling canvas. Wright & Bright never played ■ “big time,” nor had a star on their ! dressing-room door, but if there I is a theatre in Heaven, the mari quee proudly bears the billing, | “Wright & Bright hoof, song and gag men.”

i half inches tall, ever since reaching maturity. Studio Designer Adrian discovered the change in her height. They tested it with several tape-lines and the extra inch was discovered to be a fact. Answering Your Questions! J. B. Piers, Los Angelas: The M. G. ■ M. “Gocd Earth” expedition took 40,0C<0 feet of film in China. Even the cutter on the picture isn’t ] sore how much of this is in the release print but he thinks that j some of the long shots of the fami ine fugitives and others of the ■ farm scenes were shot over there. So nmy eastern visitors are expected by Constance. Bennett that i viie actress is building two guest i suites onto her Beverly Hills home. With her now are the C. V. Whitneys and the Countess di Frasso. And Doris Duke and her husband are expected upon their return from Honolulu. Day’s Gossip. . . . Owen Davis, Jr., is in a dither. He has an offer to play the Frank Albertson role in a Chicago, company of the Broadway stage hit, Rat,” but, if he accepts, he’ll have to leave Anne §hirley Chester Morris’ birthday present from his wife was, of all things, a bottle of perfume. . . . The Joseph Calleias returned here from

New York to find the basement of their hillside home six feet deep in water. ... A fit of absentia i n d e d ness cost Lionel Barrymore a swell cabin site on the shore of Lake Huron. He forgot that a building had to go up on the

o J. Lionel Barrymore

property within a certain time, and the land has just reyerted to the Canadian government. ■. . . Basil Rathbone is the only man on a stage full of ladies when he acts as master-of-ceremonies for the Women’s Symphony orchestra. Flash! In “Stepping Toes," Fred Astaire will dance his first ballet number on the screen. He’ll rehearse 60 hours before dang the scene with Harriet Hoctor and 40 girb.

Colorful Chintz | Hits Fashions MIAMI, Fla., Mar. 4. —(INS) i —Recipe for a spring gown: Take several yards of glazed chintz, : add a dash of color, cover with a ■ short page boy’s jacket and gar- j nish with a nosegay of old-fash-| ioned flowers. 1 This recipe for smartness, with ■ several variation, was used .successfully in a parade of■ advancel spring evening frocks at the Ro- j ney Plaza Cabana Sun Club where the finger of fashion is pointing to the most' dashing costumes in many seasons. Chintz and lace and filmy nets, which used to hang at the windows, How hang in graceful folds from the shoulders of slim resorters. I The chintz gown, which claimed the interest of the tea dance audiI ence which witnessed the advanc'ed showing, celared the flooi- by i a matter of a few inches and ■measured several yards around ithe skirt. Economy of material jWas shown in the tight basque, which compensated for the lavishness of the skirt. A page boy’s jacket, as saucy a piece of tailoring as has marched across the fashion horizon in some time, buttoned on with self-bound buttons and a sprig of flowers was worn in the hair. Redingote Also Popular Almost equally as popular is the evening version of the redingote fashioned of wispy net, which froths over stiff taffeta. One frock was honey-colored taffeta with a net over-skirt that fairly floated in he breeze, but the distinguishing feature was its bolero', encrusted with pearl-ton-ed shells. Firefly red is a new colqr, a lace gown of this color being worn effectively by a dark - haired model. , Peplums are enjoying renewed jopularity. One of these was noted in a white formal gown, which was bare of back and long of skirt. The peplum was banded with white fox. Fashions of the Fashumable IfiT x - * wflaky i j fc : 'UL IfihA : |||| ' xi? * ||L|i i - K. FOR THE AFTERNOON—CIaire Dodd, screen actress, wears a dress of small pattern print which is ideal for afternoons. It has tiny white leaves blowing across a yellow background. The skirt has four gores with a high waistline, accented by white pique piping. Miss Dodd’s hat is a brown straw-sailor

Bootleggers Still Active LOUISVILLE, Ky., Star. 3.— Yes the illicit booze plants are still with us, take it from William H. Kinnaird, chief investigator for the Alcohol Tax Unit in this area. In a single week recently Kinnaird’s forces seized 11 stills, confiscated 157 gallons of bootleg liquor and 9,250 gallons of mash, and arrested 16 persons. Fascist Teachers To Wear Uniforms ROME, Feb. 28. (INS)—AII Italian school teachers of either sex must wear Fascist uniforms while teaching. Male teachers who are officers in the Fascist Militia must wear the black uniform of the Party while women wear a white blouse, with fascist badge and a black skirt. Children under eleven years of age must also wear uniforms at schoeF-Boys wear black shirts and trousers and girb white blouses and black skirts. ,

THE SYRACUSE JOURNAL

Creating Mink Coat for Milady ° ' iL- □ a -WWW n 1 ■ X:. 0 • y ■ fc, 1 -■ tH!o Taw ■ i ■ in ;it BL\ *4B Beal q io i.i aeil- B® : S HHP iO Design of the coat is studied on a mannequin and the cut- ! ter lays out his pattern just as he desires it prior to touch- U„ | ing a single pelt. orrwii I □ n Mink pelts from a pile worth a king’s ransom are selected U for color and texture. The grading of these pelts is a high- g ly-specialized art. The pelts are then slashed into strips. D - ■ ; 1 '• o ° S'.. ..KSMBHIf/. ■ □ u Slushed pelts are seamed together to make the “shell” of tho n mink coat. The shell is nailed fiat with many thousands of q common pins to the exact shape of the coat. u □i ' ? * T> glB § □ - — - - -f*- ■ - □ n;<- L_ D - D □ : ; ! d n ■ ■ '■> .< . ■. - ' ■ S&J "W □ 0 * 'wwmSOIIM □ ■ n . > ■« I c ’ i '- -_j; Ar:! here the finished lined coat is fitted on a mannequin and D painstakingly examined before it is delivered to the custo- J _J mer. These photos were taken in a New York shop. I—- .■ 4 C-L'l— '■ 1— 1-

T — Hollywood Fashion Parade |

By ORRY-KELLY , Famous Hollywood Stylist Writing For International News Service HOLLYWOOD, Mar. 4 (INS)— It’s time to put metal cloths and rich brocades in moth balls, but the question arises of what will take their place. We’ve surveyed the horizon with an eagle eye and bglamed this inmfor,-h b g bv gleamed this information: You can’t go wrong on slipper satin in white and high pastels for regal gowns; stiff marquisette will be worn over matching as well as contracting satins and taffetas; silk nets and organzas will carry on the period motif; and everywhere there will be bright monotone crepes precisely pleated. One of the slipper satin dresses we have done recently was for Marie Wilson to wear in “Public Wedding.” Os a pale lemon color the dress is a combination of the very new’ and the very old. The square cut neckline harks back to the early 1900’s for the wide bands over tne shoulder are trimmed with puffy bows. However the skirt is a shining sheath with a deep slash from hem to knee giving it a strictly 1937 flavor. A striking color note is caught in the striped satin pumps of dull turquoise and in the narrow velvet band of turquoise tied in a flat bow at Marie’s throat;. We did a spring evening dress in net for Doris Weston to wear in “The Singing Marine” which ap-

LONG BEACH, Cal.;, Mar. .47 (INS)—As Mrs. Ethel McCoy of Port Arthur Texas, has been living in her automobile trailer for the past year, she decided to make the trailing home the “last word” in wheeling abodes. So she in-

pealed to her so much that she I will have it copied, with slight variation, for her own use. The dresS is pearl grey net over a smoky grey taffeta slip which is true princess. The net is shirred up high over the bust in front and goes into graduated bands in back which form a V-decolletage. The skirt fullness is concentrated in front and in back while the sides are only slightly gathered. A girdle of rosebuds gives the dress a period aspect. When Doris has this dress made up for herself she will use a clear yellow slip and have a girdle of yellow rosebuds. tn the same picture Miss Weston wears a pleated crepe gown made up of powder blue and white stripes each one being eight inches wide. The drapery of the gown tends toward the Grecian but its novelty lies in the fact that every inch of it is accordian pleated, Bette Davis introduces lacquered chintz for evening in a simple floor-sweeping gown that develops its fullness from the lower hipline. The shining-surfaced material is beige with a profusion o* violet clusters and the scalloped skirt is bound in violet cire satin braid as is the square and scalloped neckline. From the materials that rate tops at the moment it is clear that this spring again we will see the moulded, the princess, the bouffant -and the slim mannequin silhouette.

stalled a telephone! “Now I will have the last word, ’’ she vojved. The trailer already had running watery electric lights, a radio, a gasoline stove and a kerosene heater.

PROSPECT OF BIG YEAR IN COUNTY SEEN Lake County Prepares For Many Visitors Soon With warming and spring-like residents in Northern Indiana Lake country begin to look forward to an early opening of the vacation season, despite the fiet that March may still bring cold weather. Already a number of summer visitors have been around the lakes, inspecting their properties and making p ans for opening them for the summer. Several persons who have cottages to rent have received inquiries and some cottages have already been engaged. To all indication, local people say, the season this year should be a happy and prosperous one, particularly in Syracuse where there will be much more of interest to attract visitors than has ever been before ' Work on the new theatre in ; Syracuse is progressing rapidly, and contractors maintain, despite local comment and opinion, that the theatre will be ready fori opening on or about May 1. The project, sponsored by W. E. Long i of Lake Wawasee and Chicago is regarded by the progressive people in the community as' one of the finest things that has ever happened in or to Syracuse. 'This improvement and many others during the winter will make Syracuse the gate way to the vacation country of the middle west,: and will be a great contributing factor in the making of an interesting, profitable and more colorful season than the community has ever known. If the prognosticators are right, and the weather is favorable, there will be experienced here the gratest season in the history of the community, and if the weather is not favorable, the season will be a prosperous and healthy one anyway, because of th'e advancement made in so many directions.

I-- rt ' 01 > 1 I 111 > I ~ ‘ ' W * I jQwMMM •ITALIAN PRINCESS—The only unmarried daughter of the King, and Queen of Italy, Princess: Maria Di Savoia, is seen enjoying; winter sports at Sestriere, Italy, .Princess Maria is 22.

OFF-DAY FOR PITT PITTSBURGH, Mar; 4.—Pitt, which played scoreless ties with Fordham in 1935 and 1936, is worried because the Rams have fourth place on the schedule for next Season. Unofficial mourners pointed out that since 1930, Pitt has lost five regular eason games—all on the fourth Saturday. MOST VALUABLE ITHACA, N. Y„ Mar; 3. (INS) — Edward E. Hughes 2nd of Pittsburgh, Pa., captain-eleict and center on the Cornell football eleven, was chosen By Coach Carl G. Snavely and his assistants as the n vst valuable player on the 1936 team. He was given a trophy. Hughes as captain last season when Jack Batten of Cape May, N. was not in the game. The trophy for the most improved player 'went to Elliot H. Boomer of Long Valley, N. J., whom Coach Snavely changed from a backfield man to a guard, while the most aggressive player award went to Carl Spang of Quincy, Mass./right end. Hughes and Hooper are juniors, while Spang is a sophomore.

FII.M STARS MUST BE DEMOCRATIC SAYS UONEL BARRYMORE Hollywood Fame Too Fleeting for Stars to Turn Temperamental Warns Screen Star

By WALLACE X, RAWLES International News Service Staff Correspondent HOLLYWOOD, Mar. 4 (INS)— The name Barrymore always makes news. Lionel Barrymore, eldest of “the royal family of the screen and stage” made film news today when he told International Service in one of his interviews that: “An actor should rememberthere’s no difference between himself and an ice-cube!” Barrymore, whose acting in “A Free Soul” ranks as one of the greatest screen performancse of ail time now playing the role of Captain Drisko Troop, Freddie Bartholomew’s rescuer and mentor in “Captains Courageous.” Ice-Cube Analogy. He thinks his ice-cube analogy should be remembered by every movie player as “temperament insurance.” “This business of making pictures,” Barrymore said, “is ephemeral. The player is like an icecube, because the cube melts befor anyone realizes it. “I have had property boys who have since become directors. 1 have seen great stars who today are coming into the scene to announce that the master waits without. Nobody acting today can tell where he will, be tomorrow in the cinematic scheme of things, and nobody can afford to be unpleasant to some humble employe who, through the amazing way in which pictures move, may be his boss tomorrow.” Barrymore always gives this advice to youngsters whom he loves to help.

BACKSTAGE

‘Come on fellows, let’s get ‘in the groove’ now and make this the ‘tops’ of all ‘jam sessions.’ ” This is a typical example of an utterance forthcoming from any dance musician, yet, to the layman it sounds like a mouthful of nonsense. At least it gives the writer an opportunity to explain that musicians do have a vernacular all of their own. Perhaps ‘lungs’ had better be substituted for vernacular which seems to be too aristocratic a term for such application. The country over, all members of the jazz fraternity use the same ‘Lngo.’ When they are ‘in the groove’ they are really ‘mellow,’ ihat is to say, the men are playing to the best of their abilities and in perfect cooperation. Jam sessions are the greatest of all entertainments to musicians. These are private sessions in which any number of men participate md play without music for their iwn enjoyment. Each man will *take a chorus’ on l)is particular instrument playing his own conception of the music and a most

Publicity Drive To Build-Up King George Under Way Pulpit, Radio and Newpaper Used In Effort to Restore Prestige Os British Royalty

By ELLSWORTH MANTIS International Illustrated News Writer LONDON—One of the most interesting aftermaths of the succession to the British throne of King George VI has been the intensive publicity campaign launched to build him up in the public favor and help restore the prestige suffered by the_House of Windsor when Edward VIII abdi c sited* Every possible channel leading to the goodwill of his subjects and the world at large has J>een utilized in the campaign to “put over the new ruler of the world’s greatest empire. * Two factors made this campaign necessary. In the first place, George VI, as Duke of York, had been pretty much eclipsed by his more popular and spectacular older brother during the latter’s extensive travels and public appearances as Prince of Wales. As Duke of York the present ruler was assigned to represent the royal house at the less important functions of state. Lacking the genial and informal personality of the heir apparent, and handicapped by a slight defect of speech, George VI came to the throne with little of the public acclaim which signaled the ascent of King Edward VIII. Church Hails New King. Second factor which made it imperative that the empire’s new ruler be given a “buildup” was the fact that thousands of British subjects still retained their loyalty for Edward VIII. This was naturally embarrassing and such division of allegiance was lamentable. Through publicity and public appearances, then, a campaign has

THURSDAY, MARCH 4,

Many Stars Unspoiled. “Most of our younger players today realize this and thus remain unspoiled by success,” said the veteran star. “Take a young man like Bob Taylor, for instance. I worked with him in “The Gorgeous Hussy.’ That kid has had a sensational leap to success, but personality is the same youngster who first walked into the studio, unknown, to start in the studio dramatic school. “Take Clark Gable who a few years ago was playing in a stock company. He’s exactly the sama fellow today. Jean Harlow hasn’t : changed a bit despite success. In j ; fact we find only a few who have, g \ and as a result the picture busi- # | ness has become one of the most# ■ democratic in the world. t “It was an old European idaß that stars mustn’t associtae )ba i equal terms with lesser workafrs* ' But in Hollywood everyone ojf the sound stage is considered a part of the team and tnere are ao dis* i tinctions. I understand thatAhey’ve adopted that idea in European •jtudios, too." / 25 Years On Screefc. Barrymore in more thAn 25 years ;on the screen has pl»ed every role from “atmosphere” to star. He has directed, written screen stories, and never in that time has he forgotten hislidea of com-’ plete democracy either on screen i or stage. J “I used to spealc politely even to assistant directors, he grinned, ' “And now I’m glad because some ' of them have sipce directed me, j and remmebered it, and let me go home at 5 o’clock

outdoing himself in an effort to gain the plaudits of his fellow , musicians. In most cases one tuno will go on for hours until all instruments come in together to *go out’ on the last chorus. Among the most treasured memories oi some of these men are those of having ‘jammed’ with some per* son who has made a name for Himself in the entertainment world. ‘One-nighters’ and ‘locations’ are the terms by which jobs are classified in this business. Tho * former are those where the band plays for one night only and then ‘jumps’ to another town. * Whil® this type of work is usually more lucrative it is more unpleasant if the jumps are too long. ‘Location’ jobs are contracted by the week or month and are the most coveted ones. The above described expressions constitute only a sruadl part of the musicians’ ‘lingo* for it would fUI a book to give them all at one writing. However, they shall be interspersed in this column from time to #

been waged unceasingly to, win for King George VI a greater popularity and transfer the loyalties of a dissenting minority from Edward to the new ruler. One powerful influence on public opinion which readily enlisted for the “cause” has been the Church of England High eccesiastic dignitaries welcomed the opportunity to praise a sovereign who was a regular church-goer and an approved link between the spiritual and temporal—one who stood in contrast to the allegedly irreligious Edward Every effort has been made to present George VI to his people as an individual characterized oy dependability conservativeness, one who is simple in tastes and essentially a family man. Through the medium of interviews and piepearances, Britain’s ruler has jmtures, public addresses and aperged as an indiviual pretty much the counterpart of his late father. “Sweetheart of the Empire” Also in the spotlight is Princees Elizabeth who has been groomed as the “sweetheart of the empire” and obviously groomed for a place of adoration in the British heart before she assumes the throne to which she is firt in line. Meanwhile, almost a “conspiracy of silence” has been maintained regarding the Duke of Windsor and the woman for whom he relinquished the mightiest throne on earth, Mrs.' Wallis Warfield Simpson. Little is carried in the British press or oyer the radio on the doings of the ex-klng and the government is keeping a tight rein on his purse as a safeguard against any move on his part which might embarrass the new ruler.