| Show Wonder Tot Ann Todd Grooms To Replace Shirley Temple By PAUL HARRISON HOLLYWOOD NEA Ever since Shirley Temple packed up her dolls picture books and bonus check and trudged out of her studio agents and mamas have been clamoring at the studio gate with a frilled assortment of substitute Wonder Tots and Miracle Miracle Mira Mira- cle dc Moppets most of them made up to look as much as possible like the original But the company wasn't having any thank you It went out and hired Ann Todd from under the noses of the Warner Brothers Darryl Zanuck and his aids didn't want anyone who looked like ShIr- ShIr ley ey Ann has dark brown eyes and long straight auburn hair She can sing a little but doesn't dance She Is acknowledged by all aU Hollywood Holly Holly- wood as a rate first-rate actress The studio Isn't making any an- an or claims for Its Temple successor Story properties properties proper- proper ties ies which were bought or created for tor or Shirley are being studied as as vehicles for Ann Todd but It isn't likely that they'll ever be identified identified fied as yarns from the Temple shelf helf They'll probably be changed anyway with dramatic values built up to fit the more Intense emotional emotional emo- emo ional youngster who not quite 8 seems a good deal better poised than han the bland bland- and innocent Shirley Shirley Shir- Shir ley ey was at 12 Parents arents Not Interested In n Movies at First There is evidence that Fox ox is planning a range long-range up build of Its new actress because its it's starting out now to establish her age as 6 Her mother Mrs A. A U U. J. J Mayfield says her daughter willbe will willbe wille be e 8 in August Ann Mayfield was 5 when her parents arents first brought her here from rom Denver to to visit a flock of relatives Everyone seemed to think she ought to be In movies but the weren't much L t I s 's tf f tf f I N 8 yf m YF ti n v q j W Wy y v I 1 x fief S1 lr Nay 4 s i ia a i iS S S l S Y Fp c l Fi F Pl i Ann Todd All Hollywood acknowledges rate first actress Interested then They allowed her hero herto herto to o be registered at Central Casting but ut no no jobs had turned up when they hey returned to Denver Two years ago illness forced the father to sell his weekly newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper and In the space of a few weeks the family had come back to Hollywood and Ann had been launched impressively in movies after having been noticed in a achurch achurch achurch church play George Cukor chose her from 27 youngsters tested for forthe forthe forthe the part of ot Herbert Marshalls Marshall's daughter in Zaza Zaia Since then she has had more experience than the average actress actress actress ac ac- ac- ac tress of any age She did Zero Hour at the Republic Stranger Than Desire at Metro Little Orvie at Twentieth-Fox Twentieth tested her for Swanee River too large for Grapes of of Wrath too small and for a secondary role In The Bluebird just right But it didn't put her under under under un un- un- un der contract then Ann Annat at af 8 Considers Self Experienced Trouper She played Leslie Howards Howard's daughter In Edward Edward Edward Ed Ed- ward Robinsons Robinson's daughter in Dr Ehrlich Lately she has lias been working in All AU This and Heaven Too with Bette Davis Mrs Mayfield said Warners had optioned her for another picture with Merle Oberon Oberon Oberon Obe- Obe ron but It wa was postponed So while she was still working there we accepted this contract with Fox Ann was signed on April 15 and began work that day as Tyrone Powers Power's little sister in Brigham Young No future pictures have been announced but its it's guessed that shell she'll play two or three more progressively ly important roles before before before be be- fore being tried in a lead |
