Highbrow Diversions for Mrs Tibbett

Esther Ralston and Lawrence Tibbett; 1931; The Prodigal

"Something new in the party line was tried out by Mrs. Lawrence Tibbett recently.  She entertained with the London String Quartet at a distinctly highbrow function.  It proved no great strain either on the Hollywoodians, who are scarcely acclimated to so much artiness of an evening.  We noted among the guests Ina Claire, Dale Owen, Fay Wray, Theda Bara, Leslie Howard, Kathlyn Williams, John Loder, Walter Huston, Marie Dressler, and others of a select group.




After the music the guests were privileged to disport themselves in the swimming pool, but the only ones who took advantage of that frivolity were one or two members of the quartet."




[Source: Picture Play; July 1931]

Neat Butt Boisterous

Hollywood has a new dance called the "Bouncing Baby".  It is also sometimes known as the "Jump-it".

Lady Mountbattan

We saw it performed at a dinner-dance given be Mary Pickford for Lady Mountbatten.  Miss Pickford herself, Marion Davies, Doug Fairbanks, Jr., and Harry Crocker were participants.

Edwina and Louis Mountbattan

The men join hands to form a sort of circle, and the women hoist themselves onto their arms.  Then the men jump and move at the same time in a circle, keeping time with the music.  It is both weird and noisy."




[Source: Picture Play; July 1931]

A Typical Pickfair Gathering

I think it sounds wonderfully fun.  I don't know why Picture Play was such a fuss-budget.  






The Mountbattans's 90th wedding anniversary would have been July 18, 2012. Royal Musings has some great posts about their wedding day:


Finding the Girl
The Guests
The Bridesmaids
The Gown
The Ceremony

Stars Reshining

Over the Hill; 1931

Comebacks in the movies are attaining amazing proportions.  The studios are apparently deciding that old screen names are the best, what with the failure of so many stage players.  Faces you will soon be seeing again are those of Dolores Del Rio, Billie Dove, Agnes Ayres, Olga Baclanova, Anna May Wong, and, most notably, Mae Marsh.  Mae, of course, plays the mother in Over the Hill, replacing Cecilia Loftus.

Mae Marsh

Miss Marsh has never done a talkie.  She was chosen because she was young and a mother.  It was felt Miss Loftus, a veteran stage actress, would perhaps not be suited to the more youthful sequences in the picture.






[Source: Picture Play; July 1931]

Cecilia Loftus

From what I can tell, these starlets tried, but Dolores Del Rio, Anna May Wong, and Mae Marsh had the most success, even though they often appeared in films un-credited.  Cecilia Loftus was a well-known Scottish actress.  She acted in 12 films, 3 in 1931.  Unbeknownst to me, I have seen her in two films: The Old Maid with Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins and The Black Cat with Basil Rathbone and Bela Lugosi.

Cooper On the Mend

A Farewell to Arms

"Gary Cooper won't have to go to Arizona for his health.  He has been ailing, but his early recovery was anticipated, at latest reports.  Diagnosis of his trouble was given as jaundice, rather than anything more serious.

Cooper and Hayes

Gary has much to look forward to in his professional life right now.  Paramount has bought Farewell to Arms for him, which is considered a stunning story acquisition.  Eleanor Boardman, signed a five-year contract by Paramount, is likely to play opposite him."

[Source: Picture Play; July 1931]

Eleanor Boardman

Unfortunately for Eleanor, Helen Hayes would play the lead opposite Cooper.  The film would be released December 8, 1932.  Eleanor accidentally became an actress.  She was "discovered" after she lost her voice. Active from 1922 until 1935, she is best known for her role in The Crowd.

Constance Snags Herself Another Beau

Joel McCrea and Constance Bennett

"Constance Bennett now sports two beaus, Joel McCrea is the new addition.  He is reported to be cutting in on the Marquis de la Falaise de la Coudraye.  He is tall, robust, and handsome chap who has been in movies since the early single days.

Joel McCrea and Constance Bennett

He doesn't have exclusive rights to Constance, however.  The Marquis and he both sometimes lunch with her.

Henry de La Falaise and Constance Bennett

McCrea has played in two of her pictures - Born to Love and Common Law."




[Source: Picture Play; July 1931]

The Marquis and Constance on Their Wedding Day; 1931

Bennett and McCrea would eventually star in a total of 4 films together.  And the Marquis really had nothing to worry about for he and Constance would marry later that year, a mere days after divorcing his wife, the formidable Gloria Swanson.  He and Bennett divorced in 1940.

Henry de La Falaise and Gloria Swanson