STARS RISE IN REVOLT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 December 1939, Page 10

STARS RISE IN REVOLT

CHARACTER PARTS REPLACE GLAMOUR. Many of Hollywood's most, glamourous stars are deserting their typed roles of blameless, streamlined heroines to follow the villainess trail blazed bv Bette Davis, who has proved beyond' all doubt that there is far more histrionic glory in playing “meanie” roles than stereotyped “nice” ones, writes Lou Jones, the well known Hollywood critic. In the past few months Hollywood has been startled by many interesting changes of characters among topflight stars, and studios as well as stars are wondering how the changes will go over. . . Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy, Miriam Hopkins, Ida Lupino, Judith Barrett, and a few lesser lights have switched to unsympathetic roles that have brought them far more praise from Hollywood critics than the best of their glamour roles. In addition, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Kay Francis. Rosalind Russell. and Ann Sothern have made revolutionary changes in their latest films. Sensational Change. Marlene Dietrich's change probably is the most sensational. Once hailed as a rival to Garbo, and who played nothing but the slinkiest of glamour roles, Marlene lets her hair down with a vengeance in “Destry Rides Again," a Western, and appears as a dance-hall girl in a saloon. She wears the short skirts and spangles of the day and sings cowboy songs! Rosalind Russell, hitherto known as a fine dramatic star, turned to broad farce in “The Women” and gives a fine comedy performance, proving that she has the all-round ability that goes to make up a great actress. It wasn't so long ago that these same glamour girls turned their well-groom-ed backs, and glamourised faces away from unsympathetic and comedy roles in the firm belief that they meant screen suicide.

But the trend has swung sharply in the opposite direction, and today these glamourous stars are clamouring for the chance to play roles in which they can cutirl back their well-made-up lips in sophisticated sneers and play “meanies.”

To Bette Davis goes the honour of starting the cycle. She stepped out of wishy-washy ingenue parts to play the role of the horrible little waitress in “Ot Human Bondage.” which still stands as one of the really great dramatic efforts of the screen. Bette Davis was the “Guinea-Pig." Other stars watched Miss Davis’s rise to fame with interest, and a certain amount of envy. But they allowed her to be the guinea-pig and waited to see if such a drastic change would go over with the public. After several years they have decided it has. and will continue to do so, and now they hope to follow in her footsteps. But I’m afraid many will find the path difficult and dangerous and their ability below hers. The trail is likely to be'strewn with fallen stars. Yet most of them hope that if successful in making the grade it will give them a new lease of life on a waning screen career. Miriam Hopkins returned .to the screen in “The Old Maid and gate a fine performance in a role that made you dislike her intensely in the early scenes. It turned out well tor her. becauuse it was just the P al / 11,1 actress needed for a comeback, (v nether she will be courageous enough to continue in these parts is anothei thing. A Slipshod Harridan. Ida Lupino. who usually plays very ordinary ingenue parts, steps out of character in “The Light That Failed” and plavs the slipshod harridan opposite Ronald Colman. She wears little or no make-up. and her hair is unkempt, but she gets her first chance to prove she is a capable little acticss. Alice Faye did a few sequences in “Hollywood Cavalcade" tnai no glamour girl of a year ago would have even thought of. She stands up and allows Buster Keaton to plaster her face with custurd pics lor Keystone cop scenes. It is mildly funny to see the star getting into a custard pie fight, and so lai has’ not done her any harm among American audiences. Later, of course, she goes very dramatic, which helps io i erase the earlier comedy scenes.