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Show . RICHEST ACTRESS TITLE JS MARY'S . Ir 3 By SHEILAH GRAHAM (Copyright, 1937, for The Telegram.) HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 11 Who makes the most money in films- blondes or brunettes? Let's go down the list, pitting blonde against ; - ysM-r'v vv,w brunette. Mary Piekford leads the blondes of all time with a fortune currently credited at eJ.uOO.OOO. The brunette who should now be Mary's closest rival ia Gloria Swan- ( son. who refused, in her hcydayr a contract guaranteeing 11.000.000 a year. But Gloria did not invest hsr film earnings with, the shrewdness displayed by Msry, and Is now k Credited with a hard-up condition. Norma Sheerer la Mine Pick-ford's Pick-ford's modern-day money rival, with a nest-egg of ever S2.0OS.SOS In the bank. But this fortune waa left her by the late Irving Thai-be Thai-be rg and doea not represent film earning. However, Norma la a financial leader for the brunettes In her own right, drawing a salary ' af SSOO0 a week. Blond Greta Garbo goea Miss Shearer $1000 a week better, currently cur-rently receiving from her M.-G.-M. bosses ths sisabls stipend of $10,000 ' each payday. Brunette CmuHetts Colbert ti paid $150,000 per picture snd usually finishes two or three a year. But ao does blond Carole Lombard, who ' Is now faced with the task of sending send-ing a large proportion of her 450.-000 450.-000 annual earnings to income tax authorities. Marlen Dietrich is in ths forefront fore-front of the high-priced film blondes - receiving $250,000 per film. Her output In the past haa approximated Shirlsy Tsmple . . . Her earnings earn-ings swing pendulum in favor of Hollywood blondes, i i two movies a year. (I understand her future will carry less monetary reward.) Kay Franrle haa been doing all right by the brunettes for quite a while now with a fat salary of 5M weekly. Mmone Simon lent dqing too badly either with a listed pay check of tSOOO, or Katharine Kath-arine Hepburn, whose stipend is in the neighborhood of Kay Fran-els'. Fran-els'. Josn Crawford has been a star In her own right for aeven or eight years. Starting in two-figure brackets, shs is now ons of the most highly paid of Hollywood brunettes. bru-nettes. In 1835 and 'M hsr income was assessed for taxing purposes at $241,403 yearly. Until Sonja Henie sksted her wsy Into motion picturs fame. Mae West was ths No. 1 earner for the blondes. But littls Sonja ia now topping Mae's gigantic yearly pay check of around $480,000. Sonja received $125,000 for her first film. "Ons in a Million"; another $123,000 for her next aucceas. "Thin Ice," and filled in the time between with a skating exhibition tour that doubled her movie earnings. Conatanoe Bennett, batter known In Hollywood aa "the blond bargainer," made salary history a few years back with IM.OOS a week for 10 weeks. Connie Con-nie doea not earn quite aa much nowadays, but Is sitting very pretty pret-ty with a $1,000,000 nest-egg in the bank. Present-day blondes In ths $2000-a-wsek class Include Bette Davis. Josn Bennett, Josn Blondell and Eleanor Powell. Brunettes Myrna Loy (slightly mors In hsr new contract), con-tract), Barbara Stanwyck and Loretta Lo-retta Young. Brunette Msuresn O'Sullivan takes home $1900 esch week. Blond Virginia Bruce, ditto. Shortly before brunette Clara Bow ehelved a acreen comeback in favor of motherhood, hsr sgent let it be known that the former "it" gal would make pictures for anyons who paid $75,000 per. There were no takers at thst price. In the old "it" days, Clara's weekly salary was $10,000. Another couple of old-time brunette bru-nette favoritea Norma Talmadge ard the lata Ruth Roland both accumulated ac-cumulated $1,000,000 fortunes from film-making. But so did blond Lillian Lil-lian Gish. By the time brunette Irene Dunne says goodbye te the movies, ahe should alee be millionairess. Irene's salary hovers between Sloe JO and flAMO per film, which lent a bad place for a spot ef hovering. Blond Jean Arthur Is determined to join ths future film millionairesses. million-airesses. (At the moment, Jssn Is on a no-work-no-pay strlks against her Columbia, bosses. Shs wants mors money.) Another blond Jssn Jean Harlow used to sarn $1000 wsek. Margaret Sullavan is ons blonds who can get practically any salary she wsnts. Right now. M.-G.-M. snd Hal Roach ars bidding fsncy prices for her acting services. |