Two Hollywood "Finds" And Both Are Foreign

Chronicle (Levin), 4 September 1948, Page 6

Two Hollywood "Finds" And Both Are Foreign

Les. M.

Murphy)'

' (Special — From

V " WELLINGTON, September 4. Alida Valli, the Italian actress, and Louis Jourdap, the, French star — you can see them both in/'T.he P ara dine Case ' > are rated in Holiywood the two big new stars for the year. AIs.o' Tierahfep are little Wanda Hendrix, Ann Blythe, Rhonda Flem'ihg|::}^f)avis and Montgomery CTOC- ^Ufhialjy it--is and ' usuallypl.does not matter if -pneTsihot such; a good Actor .or actress lolong as one has personaljty.' But everyone of the above owes his pr her opportunities to hard yvork rather than to luck —and to;kbility as well as to personality. .

•:Val% W£&»,.ihe top- Italian star whe"n st^maker "David; Selznick signed" b£N for a lorig-term contracts. ' Sfie' learned most of her very long -role in ','The Paradine Case" "without understanding a word she was saying. And that makes her a. genius because she is fantistically good as the sultry charmer on trial for murdering her blind husbarid. She is defended by Gregory Peck, who falls in iove with -her with a bang that rocks his own marriage to Ann Todd. The second film for Valli is "Miracle of the Belis," with Fred MacMurray and Frank Sinatra. Louis Jourdan likes America and he and his wife are seeking American citizenship. That is sensible because Mr. and Mrs. America will like him very much when they see,. him on the screen. Following "The Paradine'; Case," Joan. Fontaine. got him/ for her leading rqan in "Letter From An Unknown Woman." In this film the slumbrous-eyed Latin from Paris gets a reai cbaiice. Just to get you really excited about the boy, he is younger, more exciting, better-looking Charles Boyer. Selznick is keeping him for his own production of "Romeo," with Jennifer Jones as Juliet. Ann Blyth has been climbing swiftiy to stardom ever since, Joan Crawford siapped her- face in "Mildred Pierce." Charles Boyer, after getting married to her in "A Woman's Vengeance," bought a French play "La Trendresse," just for himself and Ann. Fredric March demanded and got her for his "Judge's Wife." But not before William Powell snagged her for "Mr. Peabody and. the Mermaid. ' Ann is the mermaid. How about all this fdf',a;giii who is not yet 20. ' " Wanda Hendrix, who is steadily climbing the Holiywood .ladjjer to stardom is the smaliest stkiv She is 5 lt. 1 in. and . wei.ghs 86 lbs. She is , . gping , ,to marry Audit Murphy, the most' decorated G.I. in the war. Wanda hr.s appeared in "Confident Ag-e'nt," and has just completed a starring role for Paramount in "Abigail Dear Ileart," with Claude Rains. Rhpnda, Flemipg made hei* first impression on Holiywood ih "SpeLbound," : starring Ingnd Bergman. and Gregory Peck. She also. was Bfng . Cr.osb.y's leading la,dy in "Conppcticut Yankee"— 1 wfiicli i's- 'quite a jump. Cecil B de Mille i§v;n0Y aiteF ber to play Defilah' ' ih ' his hiammoth producJ tion of ".Sajn^op and. Delilah." Montgomery' .Clift was discovefed on the stage and brought tc Holiywood to be the, star of "Reo River.", Every prodlicer who sav him in that film wants to borrow and star him.