The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, November 13, 1930, Page 8

Se me TE - #2 ’ TAME RU eRe ea ES: Dag Rte Ts f oe AMMUTNTT Tere CMAN au asec AG ATTEN TUTE OHNE cast) regan waded so UHUQUUUCUUAUCGEOETE GEO TOCUATTOAONMNTTM TTT mT Hollywood’ S Surpiieds Brunet Shortage There are plenty of pretty-faced blonds but dark-haired loveliness is rare, says Flo Ziegfeld after picking his first cast for a musical comedy talkie oA A a lf HULU SAR TTL Uh UI (SQUUUOCUNAUEANUUMIIAALUAGUARAO UAC F Lorenz Ziegfeld . cee pore sonally, he prefers ed-heads. Me Ruth Eddings — Lora Foster . ... just as beautiful, thinks Ziegfeld, as a blond . ; 3 : : i g SS : ++ but much more difficult to find. +e + one oj £ oe : : : hie spain OWEVER, it is possible for girls to wear less on th: ie radian! screen than on the stage and still appear beautiful to the audience. “That sounds as though we are endeavoring to uncover the girls’ bodies as much as possible, doesn’t it?” the pro- ducer continued. “‘Such is not the case, however. But theater audiences demand a certain amount of nudity in a musical production. They enjoy looking at a beautiful figure, which naturally is more enticing if covered by just the right amount of clothing — not too much nor too little. And, too, a girl can move = = gigas grace if not encumbered with too Hazel Forbes . . . one of Ziegfel : Ubi wee pitas Ke 4 5 ; 4 we were talking of these things, aed @ & « inhis: most recent show, ag Simon" i walked over to a large file of pictures and after looking them over for a few minutes returned to his desk with three large photos which he had oeah were my favorites in my last show,” he ee “As you can see, two of them, Hazel Forbes and Gladys Glad, are blonds. Lora Foster, the brunet, is just as beautiful in my opinion, but her’ type are more difficult to find. And all three of them differ in some respects from the girls we used in the picture. “You can see the difference for yourself by looking over these pictures of Mary Ashcraft and Claire Dodd, who played in the film, “Whoopee.” 2 Ziegfeld has a surprising answer to the question of whether or not the public is fed up on musical productions in the talkies. It was not’ the answer I would have expected. “Yes, the public is fed up on musical films and it has every right to be,” Ziegfeld replied. “Taking into consider- ation the kind of musi- cal pictures which have been produced, the only thing that surprises me is‘that the public didn’t turn G oe them long ago. There have been a few good ones and each one of them has made money, but most of them have been an blonds . . not to shock audiences with nudity «o> but with “+ULICHUASA AUDA beauty. By DAN THOMAS HERE are more: beautiful blonds. in this country than there are beautiful’ brunets. + Startling as this statement may sezm, it comes from no less an authority than Florenz Ziegfeld, who Be “glorified” more girls than any other man in the world. For years New York theatergoers have wondered why iegfeld has expressed a decided preference for brunets and yet has had blonds predominating in his shows. Now secret is out—it’s because the task of finding really beautiful brunets is extremely pate while the pretty- faced blond is to be found on all sides. “And how about the little red-l head? You aren’t going to leave her out entirely, are you?” we inquired. ai i fe ew you are touchin Nh ba real preainest declares Gladys Glad . . . another of the preferred type of ater impresario. best answer to that is that m: ye tics . . . veteran of many glorifications. wife and daughter both hae red hair. But I always have Broad pia :beau eleramel mend sla h put red-heads in the same general class) with brunets, since ‘ their characteristics are more or less the same. the time came to select show girls and chorus girls N the other hand, he learned something which for the films, Ziegfeld found the same condition existed with experienced film directors and producers have absolute insult to public nae to blonds and brunets. The tow-headed girls suit- known for years — that girls who do not appear intelligence. ble for picture purposes were in the majority by a consid- striking to the human eye sometimes are the most ; erable margin. beautiful, when flashed upon the silver screen. Conse- OWEVER, 1 Before going any further, pause for a moment to find out quently “Whoopee” will present to screen audiences dont think just what difference there is between a show girl and a a number of girls who never would have gotten past musical _ talkies chorus girl. Ziegfeld’s description of them is that the chorus Ziegfeld’s fourth assistant in Manhattan. are dead. I believe the girl is the little girl who does all the work and the show girl Bont get the idea, however, that this man can’t pick public will always pat- is the big girl who gets all the money. In other words, the screen material. He can. And the proof of, that is that ronize good music shows chorus gitl does all the dancing while the show girl is, in some who first broke into fame under his banner later Claire Dodd . . . represents on stage or screen. a sense, a prop on the stage. All she does is walk around achieved even greater success in motion pictures. Among the perfect blond for screen : Fees is so firm in and look beautiful. them are Mae Murray, Marion Davies, Billie Dove, glorification. his belief that the pub- “I have never been in sympathy with | this relation,” Dorothy Mackaill, Phyllis Pater Js ueline Logan, lic never tires of a good declares the glorifier of the American girl. “In my opinion Lilyan Tashman and d Olive Th who was at the show, regardless of its things should be just the reverse. The chorus girl should height of her career when on died po years ago. type, that he intends to continue producing shows in ¢ one who draws the high salary, but as long as the And there are a great many more out in Hollywood New York with the idea of later making them into public will pay more to see beauty than it will for talent, who claim to have been Ziegfeld stars in the past. r pictures. In his opinion every screen musical comedy this condition must exist.” When the talkies started the westward trek of both the Mary Ashcraft. . . pick of the brunet Should first be produced on the stage in order to find successful and unsuccessful New York stage folk, the beauties in the film version of “Whoopee” TEGFELD hadn't been in Hollywood very long be- majority of girls who had attained no definite achieve- out just where the laughs are so that the film can be timed accordingly. fore he discovered that it is one thing to select a grouy ments claimed to be former Ziegfeld girls. In fact, this One of the greatest difficulties experienced by di- of girls for a stage show and quite another to pic! claim was made by 80 er, cent of the girls who applied manner. Of rage ane are getting to the point now rectors since the introduction of talking films has been the girls suitable for a screen production. The man whose eye for parts in “Whoopee,” but, of course, the man for whom where those who really did appear in New York shows are timing of laughs. Audiences very often lose one or two lines was considered infallible around New York, due to they claimed to have worked didn’t recognize a great many suffering due to the fact that casting directors’ are beginning of dialogue because of their laughter and there have been fact tar he managed to present more beauties than oe of them. to discount about 75 per cent of everything told them. other times when entire pictures were practically killed be- other pred lucer year after year, discovered that even a . Those who have seen Ziegfeld’s stage productions vil cause an audience didn't laugh when it was expected to. air of Harold lord 's famous spectacles weren't of much OME might think it strange that these girls should cook notice at least_one marked difference i cca them and There is nothing more deadening than to have an actor pause elp in the celluloi pe When casting was started for up stories of past careers which they never had in order “Whoopec.” That is that the girls in “Whoopee” will be for a laugh which never comes, That is why comedians have the film version of “Whoopee,” Ziegfeld mercly did the to secure work in pictures. But it isn’t. They have leatned a trifle more scantily clad than the ones on the stage— a much easier time on the legitimate stage. There they can preliminary picking. Final judgment was left to a compar- from experience that the New York show girl has far more this despite all that has been said regarding the nudity of wait for a laugh to subside or can keep right on going if a Rive small mechanical device — the camera. chance of getting a job in Hollywood than anyone else. New York's show girls. gag _doesn’t happen to hit the audience. And a often the noted impresario found that he was They also know that casting directors as a general rule arc “I never set out to see how scantily I could dress my The long run of “Whoopee” in New York enabled wrong. Girls whom he would have given jobs in a minute not familiar with New York players, even those who were eink” Ziegfeld declares. “My aim was to make them Ziegfeld and Eddie Cantor, wh who bo played the lead in both had he been in New York, had to be discarded because fair box office attractions on Betas Further than that, appear as beautiful as possible, a feat which cannot be stage and screen productions, to know just where ier. they just couldn’t get along with the camera. The all-seeing they know that a casting director must take their word for accomplished by having them wear too few clothes. Our laugh would come. pay Rosy the picture accordingly and fens of that apparatus picked flaws which were invisible what experience they have had because he hasn't time to costumes for the picture had the. same‘ purpose—not to when # it was short time ago in San Diego, they to the human eye, even such a trained one as Ziegfeld’s. check on it. And many of them have gotten jobs in just this shock audiences with nudity, but with striking beauty. a hadn't missed the timing once. : (Copyright, 1930, By Every\ * Magazine—Printed in U. 8. A.) 1 ec mm tnt i cA a _——MUUEAAUUERLTUE NUTT oN ATR i SL ee pedi! -Quviaisonmiriting Sa arnnaniiaiti inate PHM MMMM enn)