BLONDE OR BRUNETTE?

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 182, 22 October 1927, Page 23 (Supplement)

BLONDE OR BRUNETTE?

CAMERA REAL TEST GENTLEMEN DO PREFER . . . ! Most of the blondes that gentlemen prefer are not blondes at all at least photographically. This is the discovery of Anita Loos, now in Hollywood preparing for the filming of her famous story. About 60 per cent of blondes, as far as black and white photography of the motion picture camera is concerned, are brunettes. Her disillusionment came as a result of search for a girl to play the role of

Lorelei Lee. the blonde “gold-digging” j heroine in the Paramount screen version of her famous satire. More than 20,000 names and photographs of girls were submitted to her, and several hundred girls were interviewed personally. One of the most likely candidates was given a screen test. She had lovely, wavy, golden blonde hair. Aliss Loos was most enthusiastic until the ■ camera test was screened. Lo —the girl was a brunette. Inquiry into the apparent mystery j disclosed that golden blonde hair often photographs dark, because of the red in it, since red equals black in black and white photography. So photographic experts at the Paramount studio worked out for Aliss Loos a colour card -which reveals at a glance the true actinic value of the blondes’ hair. On it are ten graduated shades of blonde hair.