The Salt Lake Tribune from Salt Lake City, Utah · Page 42

Home Front News, News Analysts Drama, Books and Music Sunday Morning Section D April 9, 1944 Movie Lovers Begin at 40 as Services Grab Off Young Stars War Provides Break For Many Actors Of Earlier Decades By Hedda Hopper HOLLYWOOD—Love begins at 40 in the movies these days, which is-mighty lucky for our male stars. Collegiate romance went out when v:ar came in. So the majority of men on the screen today with box office names, who get the glamor gals for the final clinch, are all over draft age. Some even- get the bobby sox set drooling. Ever since Uncle Sam's initial call for help in the various United States armed forces Hoi-. lywood s younger actors have been exchanging civies^ for uniforms. With Jimmy Stewart, Ronald.Regan, Glenn Ford, Victor Mature, Bob Taylor, Tyrone Power, William Holden, et al. i- there pitching for the destruction of Hitler and Tojo, the studios were yowling for male names to woo such lovelies as Janet Blair and Susan Peters on the screen. Replacement of sturdy heroes was a problem. When producers looked arounri for new lovers they found the most eligible and best known in the ranks of older players, undisturbed By the selective service act. There was a definite question mark for awhile as to how the high school and college, gais would react to older men in romantic roles. Quick- Switch After a try or two, and a look at. the grosses, ftar fled. From then on men who had played character roles for years started to pitch u-on. Others who hadn't held n heroine in their arms before n enmern in years were suddenly given tho opportunity to enfold 'em in long and passionate embraces. There was plenty of love light in the old boys yet. It was all right with everybody, including the ladies. It seems a man's a man so far as screen love-making goes. Walter Pidgeon. who's been kicking around for a long time, became a nlatinec idol to girls • even younger than his own daughter. And Ronnie Colman. who got his name in lights through such actresses as Lillian Gish. Vilma Banky (long since retired to domesticity), May McAvoy, Alice Joyce, and any number of those older gals, now makes love to kids such IIH Susan Peters. In the end he wins gals like Greer Garson, which is nice work, too. And Ronny today has more parts than he can possibly fill. That Lubitsch Touch Don Amcche, who spent years inventing the telegraph and telephone and then tried to live 'cm down, became a downrignt romantic devil with the ladies in "Heaven Can Walt," Coached hy Ernst Lubitsch In the rnnn- ner of continental oomph, Don showed the young whippcrsnap- pers a thing or two In getting places with the gnls. Then, too, he's one of the finest radio actors in town. Bill Powell ("The Thin Mnn" to you) dropped sleuthing and tiirne'd his attention to making eves lit Vadv Hotly Ltvmarr In "The Hcnv c niy Body," with his role more torrid than any he's performed for years. Paul Lukas, too. is giving out with the good old s. a. these days. It's of that suave continental variety which sends the ladies buzzing to the box office. He won the Oscar for "Watch 01. the Rhine," and in his newest picture, "Address Unknown," he anncars as the spouse of Mady Christians. Paul used to play unattachec villains. These days producers, realizing his lure with the fair sex. give him romances on screen to satisfy the gals who give out with the swoons in the theater chairs. And if there's one thing he loves above all others it's a swooncr. And tell me what man doesn't! Monty Woolley, who made his Hollywood bow as the crotchety Sheridan Whitesidc-in "The Man Who Came to Dinner," had nary a love scene. But in "Holy Matrimony," in spite of that wind-wooing alfalfa chinpiece, Monty woos and wins Grade Fields. Seasoned Lil<e Wine Gary Cooper has outgrown the juveni'le age, but that doesn't stop him from being successful with lovely Injrrid Bergman In "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "Saratoga Trunk," and, incidentally, with all ladies of the audience. Jean Gabin, with silver hair and the hieroglyphics of living limned on his face, is Marlene Dietrich's favorite off- screen Lothario, and in "The Imposter" he impressed the mu'ch younger Ellen Drew. Charles Boyer, as a swooner, still gives Frankie Sinatra his stiffest competition, and in "Flesh and"Fantasy" (which was more of the former than the latter) he certainly gave that old emotional one-two-three to Barbara Stanwyck. Home Town Girl Wins Film Fame HOLLYWOOD — Dorothy Morris is a young Hollywood- born actress who is doing much to prova that it isn't necessary for the movies to import all the 1944 starlets from Texas, Virginia or New York. Young Miss Morris, who on. . completion of one of the best parts in "Cry 'Havoc,'" was assigned new roles in "Rationing" and "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo," rarely has been outside Hollywood. While she had ambitions to act as far back as the fifth grade, she felt that being ' brought up in Hollywood was somewhat of a liability. In any event, she persevered and by the time she had reached Junior high school was In the thick' of dramatic activities. It always seemed, however, that she couldn't win the role ' she was after; she always finished up as understudy for someone else. During the advance preparations for her senior high school class play, Dorothy competed for the feminine lead. Again she lost out and was given only a bit role. A week and a half before the opening, when, she was 'in bed with laryngitis, she was told that she could have the part she was, after if she was able to get up and play it. She came through with flying colors, and won the highest praise from associates at the school. But this, of course, was still only an amateur production. Her mind fixed-on a professional theatrical career, Dorothy decided to join the Pasadena Players. It seemed that her old jinx was still active, for after training for the lead in the principal production of the year, "What a Life," she was relegated to the part of understudy. But on the very day of the opening, the director told her she coulci have the part because the potential «Ur had taken a movie job. Dorothy captivated the audience that night, and continued to play the leading vole during a run of several months. She sandwiched In a number of radio jobs. It wasn't long before she was Invited to make a picture test at the M-G-M lot, where the executives felt she might be a good bet for a new Andy Hardy movie. Dorothy again found herself faced with a period of anxiety before things worked out; she reported at the studio at 7 in the morning and sat around for 12,hours while tests were being made of other persons. She felt certain that the studio had gone back on its decision and went home terribly discouraged, only to find a message there that she was to report the next day. She made a screen test the following day and within 24 hours was signed to a term contract. She didn't get the part in the Andy Hardy story, but she was lucky enough to win another part in a movie called, "Down in San Difcgo." Her performance in that was so unusual that she was immediately cast for a featured role with Walter Pidgeon and Rosalind Russell in "Design for Scandal." and then went into a Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland movie, "Babes on Broadway." After that she appeared in Norma Shearer's "We Were Dancing." Her subsequent pictures include "The War Against Mrs. Hartley," "Seven Sweethearts," "Somewhere I'll Find You," "Pilot No. 5" and "The Human Comedy." She has been progressing steadily in each new part, and several of the directors and executives at Culver City regard her as now ready to take her place right up with the top performers. Dorothy Morris lives with her family in Hollywood; sh« is the only member of the family to have turned her attention to dramatics. Her older sister had hoped to embark on a dancing career, but gave it up to become . * Hollywood, housewife. Dorothy Morris, Hollywood-born actress, who hos been assigned roles in "Rationing" and "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo." She has been pro- 'Days of Glory Talent Hails From Stage, Radio/ Ballet grossing steadily in each new part and Culver City executives regard her ready to take her place right up with the top performers. HOLLYWOOD — "Days of Glory," the Casey Robinson production for R K O Radio will come to the screen with the following cast of players: Tamarn Toumanova, Gregory Peck, Alan Reed, Mnrln Palmer. Lowell Gilmore, Hugo Haas, Der.a Penn, Glenn Vernon. Igor Dolgoruki and Edward L. Durst. Toumanova comes from ballet' and Peck from Broadway. They are starred. Reed is a character comedian of radio, who has been featured with Jack Benny, Fred Alien, Bob Hope, Ed Gardner and others. Haas xvas a Czech stage and screen star before coming to America. Dolgoruki . made a name for himself on the soviet stage and screen. Durst won his acting' spurs at the Pasadena Playhouse. Four of Hollywood's best known 'actors turned directors on RKO Radio's new Frank Sinatra musical when its director started the day at his doctor's instead of at the studio. Director Tim Whelan, waking one day feeling badly, phoned to say he would be over as soon as his medico examined him. George Murphy. Adolphe Men- 1 jou, Walter Slezak and Eugene Pallette took over, directing one another until Whelan arrived on . the set. -•' Producer Robert Fellows and Whelan pronounced the scenes satisfactory. .Menjo'u had" so. much fun bellowing "quiet"'that Whelan appointed him the production's official "silencer." Eliot Paul Signed To Write Story For William Cagney HOLLYWOOD—William Cagney, president of William Cagney Productions, ..'has signed Eliot Paul to wyte the screen play of an untitled mystery and love story with an army background. Mr. Paul is author of "The Last Time I Saw Paris," and several mystery stories. He has just finished vvork on the Hunt Stromberg production, "Guest in the.'House." being directed by Lewis Milestone, with Anne Baxter in the leading feminine .'role and scheduled for United' Artists release. His latest mystery, soon to be published, is "It's Murder—He Says." Jam'es Cagney is to star in this story as well as in the recently purchased '"Only the Valiant." Both are scheduled to be released by "United Artists. Athletic Round Table Pushes Comedian for President By Ted Gill HOLLYWOOD (/PI—It's just a gag, of course . . . but those fun- making members of the athletic round table of Spokane, Wash. . . . have decided to back Comedian Chic Johnson for president ... "Johnson is our candidate, and we hope he isn't assassinated during his first term" . . . wrote. President Joe Alibi in announcing plans to circulate a million dummy ballots to /ervice" men . . . just to see what screwy replies are forthcoming . . . The round table, you'll recall ... . is the organization that sponsored the "bundles for congress" laugh-getter . . . and other wacky campaigns . . . .Johnson accepted the nomination ... and announced that his platform would be founded on tiie premise that, he'd always be a leader of men .,. and a follower of women , . . Houdini used to break out of handcuffs or straitjackets in .a jiffy, but It took his life story six years to move off a studio shelf . . . Meanwhile. "Roger Touhy, Gangster," broke out of the script room and into production in only seven months . Of interest to those who still don't know the civil' war is over, the movies now are malting' "The Blue and the Gray" . . . Film colonists hear so often .that old line: . . . "But we still think a great deal of each other" . . . they're about to conclude that divorce is the beginning of a fine friendship ... Boris Karloff, who committed 16,800 murders in three years in the show, "Arsenic and Old Lace,'" adds another victim to his list in the first picture he makes a^ter returning to the screen