Evening Star Newspaper, November 6, 1936, Page 49

Film Stars Attain Fame |Pierce Hall Under Adopted Names| Is Setting Numerology and Difficulty of Pronuncia- tion Some of Reasons for Changes. BY SHEILAH GRAHAM. under their rightful names. Laziness, belief in numerology, printers’ errors, difficulty of pronunciation and a desire to sound more like HOLLYWOOD, November 6 (N.AN.4)—Very few film stars emote the roles portrayed sre just & few of the reasons why the first ladies | and gentlemen of the screen dropped their own monickers for the names familiar to fans. Greta Garbo—nee Gustafsson—was given her screen name by her dis- coverer, Maurice Stiller. But M.-G.-grm————————————————— M. wanted to change it when a bright publicity lad suggested the name sounded like “garbage. “Swenson” or “Jenson” was . practically de- cided upon, but there was no great hurry to change the sur- name, as it was thought the Swede's stay in pictures would be exceedingly brief, Meanwhile, “Greta was mak- ing movies, and M-G-M. sud- denly realized i that the name gheyan Grabam. “Garbo’’ meant something at the box office and wisely refrained from tampering with it. In 1925, the Movie Weekly started a contest for a new name for Lucille le Sueur Cassin. The entrant pro- posing “Joan Arden” won first prize. A week later, the real Joan Arden, a character actress, protested. The next best suggestion came from a crippled woman in New York, who was awarded the $500 prize, and “Joan Crawford” came into being. * ok % Myrna Loy was Myrna Williams. Her screen surname was adopted to “roincide with the Oriental roles she used to. portray. Robert Taylor came to Hollywood fresh from Pomona College as Arling- ton Brugh. His name was changed because his studio decided it would look non-lover-like on theater marquees. May Robson was May Robison before a printer’s error on an early play program changed it for her. Merle Oberon’s surname was given her by Alexander Korda as a tribute to the Shakespearean character. Frank and Ralph Morgan were born Wuppermans. When they de- cided against the family Angostura bitters business, they chose “Mor- gan” for the stage, retaining Wupper- man for the bitters. * ¥ * % Ann Sothern began in pictures as Harriet Lake, but she didn’t do very well, and so changed it to Ann Sothern in the hope of changing her luck—which it did. Jane Peters became Carol Lombard after a visit to her numerologist. The “e” was added to Carol later when it | was discovered an extra letter was Decessary for her lucky star. Jean Harlow (Harlean Carpentier) recently joined Carole Lombard and Kay Prancis in legally abandoning the name given her at birth for the mon- icker made famous on the screen. Jean Harlow is the maiden name of the actress’ mother and was adopted at the beginning of the former plati- num blond’s picture career. Kay Francis shed her own name, Katherine Mielziner, for obvious rea- sons, as did Paul Muni—Muni Weisen- freund, the name under which he acted in New York's Yiddish Theater. | * ok % Xk Mary Astor was originally Lucille Langhanke. She changed to the sim- | ple title because her own was invari- ably mispronounced. Claude William Duckenfield was| Juggled around until it bacame W. C. Fields. Claudette 'Colbert switched trom Lily Chauchion because she consid- | ered the rightful name lacked class| and would be difficult to pronounce. “Emanuel Goldenberg” in “Bullets | and Ballots” would sound incongru- 1 ous, which is why Mr. Goldenberg changed his name to Edward G. Rob- nson.' Ditto Al Jolson, who was born Asa Joelson. Leslie Howard adopted his stage and screen surname because he con- sidered it more aristocratic than Stain- er, the name his boss knew him by when he worked as a clerk in a bank. * ¥ ¥ x Melvyn Douglas is really Melvyn Hesselberg. June Lang was called June Vlasek until she became a leading movie actress. The alteration was made on behalf of easier pronuncia- tion. Shaindel Kalish graduated from Ann Preston to her present screen monicker, Judith Blake. No one, least of all herself, knows the reason for the last change. But Margo has no doubts as to the Don’t Miss One of 1936 Biggest Hits . LIBELED LADY (Then See Our Splendid Window Display) necessity of adopting her present sin- gleton monicker. She was born Mario Marguerita Guadalupe Bolado Casilla! (Copyright. 1936, by the North American Newspaper Alliance ‘nc.) “HELL’S ANGELS” BACK FOR REVIVAL AT RIALTO The Early Jean Harlow and Ex- citing Battle in the Air Are Features of War Film. HILLB ANGELS'—91 votes; dist., United Artists; no star; direc- tor, Howard Hughes. That's all the Film Daily Year Book has to say about the film now being revived at the Rialto in its list of ten best pictures of 1930. The “no star” phrase is the first thing that catches your eye. Of course, the young lady who suddenly sent the white henna pack market booming sky high by stepping forth at the tender age of 16 or so, with her hair already turned to silver, was not the box-office bomb- shell then that she later became, and she only was in the film because sound crept up on Mr. Hughes and the lead- ing lady he had been using coulin't talk United States. But it still looks very strange indeed—“no star"—and Jean was there all the time. Different than the Jean Harlow of today’s pic- tures, naturally, but a performer, nev- ertheless, even if “Hell's Angels” is a fine study in the Hollywood technique of coating a new personality with a veneer of glamour and thereby build- ing a drawing card. That terse statement in the year book couldn't tell, either, of the years | Mr. Hughes devoted to making a silent | picture before he decided sound was not a passing fad; of the fact a job for Ben Lyon and Jimmie Hall turned out to be a career as “Hell's Angels” went on and on; of the fact the pro- ducer spent millions (of which he since has regained a large slice by selling flying shots he dropped to the cutting room floor) ; or of the fact that all the stunt pilots, airplane mechanics and war-time planes available were com- mandeered to make the vast flying scenes. Nor could those brief words indicate that “Hell's Angels” is a blazing, vivid, exciting panorama of war in the air; that it has some splendid shots of battle 1n the skies; that it is still worth | seeing. —H.M. MY BOSS IS A NEW MAN NERVES AGAIN. WE'RE CHANGING TO KAFFEE-HAG NONERVES THESE DAYS, THAT'S WHAT KAFFEE-HAG COFFEE DID FOR ME For Concert Russian Group Offers Benefit Musical Performance. BY ALICE EVERSMAN. €6/ Y~HE DAY OF THE RUSSIAN CHILD"” was celebrated with a benefit concert at Plerce Hall last evening, the pro- ceeds of the concert going to the fund which supports this worthy charity throughout the world. The celebra- tion brought before the public the out- standing artists of the Russian colony in this city, who provided a colorful musical program, Prominent among those appearing was Maxim Karolik, Russian tenor, who was heard in two groups of songs after a long absence from the concert stage of this city. Mr. Karolik, whose presentation is reminiscent of Chalia- pin, sang several Russian songs in the inimitable native fashion. In the group, which comprised Tschaikow- sky's “We Sat Together,” Borodin's “The Sleeping Princess” and “Con- ceit,” finishing with Moussourgsky's “Hopak,” the many facets of Slavic art were touched upon. A second group consisted of the eight songs of Schumann’s cycle, “Dichterliebe,” the poetic character of which was ad- ‘mirably suited to the lyric quality of Mr. Karolik’s voice. Accompaniments were excellently played by Mme. Marie Zalipsky. A lovely vocal group was presented by Mrs. Stanley Thompson, lyric so- prano, with Willa Semple at the piano, including “O Mio Bambino,” from Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi”; Strauss’ “Zueignung,” Mednikofl’s “Hills of Gruzia” and a Russian “Cradle Song.” Mrs, Thompson’s voice is fresh and expressive and she scored a decided success at this her first appearance in concert in this city. Henry Gregor, well-known pianist, gave three Span- ish numbers and his own arrangements of Henberger's “Viennese Melody” and a paraphrase on Strauss’ “Blue Danube Waltz.” Rubenstein's “Polka Militaire,” played as encore, displayed the artist’s clean and fluent technique to splendid advantage. His “Hopak” | was danced by Lila Zalipsky, with the | composer at the piano, as concluding number on the program. Miss Za- lipsky, who has won a name for her- self in local circles, also was seen in a dance interpretation of Drigo’s “Valse Bluette.” ‘The program was opened by Tatiana Gnoochef, whose dancing was received with enthusiastic acclaim and insist- ent demands for encores, Miss Gnoo- chef, who resently opened & school of dancing in Chevy Chase, has perfected | her art under renowned masters of the dance. Of particular interest was her Oriental dance, wherein her ex- pressive arm technique and plastic bodily grace were used with skillful | interpretive effect. In her two pro- | grammed numbers and the following encores she was accompanied by Star- Preston Tew. 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