MOVIE NEWS

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 85, 16 September 1938, Page 4

MOVIE NEWS

HELEN PARRISH ASSIGNED TO FIRST ROMANTIC ROLE . . * V ‘ .. 1 Sometimes it pays for a- girl to be “mean”! y Helen Parrish, pretty screen actress, discovered that unusual fact when her performance as the “meanie” in Deanna Durbin’s picture, “Mad About, M'usic,” brought praise from critics -and won her a long term contract with Universal studios. As a reward for being mean on the screen, Helen .was assigned an important role with the famous “Dead End” kids in■'Universals “Little Tough Guy,” a dramatic document of fyouth in a big city which starts its season in Wellington shortly. The story reveals Miss Parrish as the sister of Billy Malop, who scored in; “Dead End” and “Crime School, and- depicts her efforts to save her brother from the influence of a young gang of street hoodlums. Robert Wilcox is seen as her loyal and helpful friend, and the east includes Marjorie Main, Jackie Searl, and Peggy Stewart. Although few people are aware of the fact, Helen is a veteran actress while yet in her' teens. She made her screen debut at the age of three with Babe Rytli in “Babe Comes Horn”. Feeling that she bad a lead,'start over her young rivals, the girl went- to work in “Our Gang” comedies. When she had grown up a bit, her career continued with important roles in “Fox Fellies,’’ “’Dog of Flanders,” and “There's Always To-morrow”. Prior to her role of “Felice” with Deanna Durbin in ‘Mad About Music’ Helen spent three years in intensive study of dramatics, singing and dancing. Her hobbies include swimming, tennis, roller skating and bicycling. Slie lias one pet. an Eskimo Spits dog named “Frosty”.