Show A THE SALT ilAKE TRIBUNE SUNDAY MORNING MARCH 1 1931 1 And Despite the Romantic Legend Broadway Records Show That They Very Seldom Do! DANCING LADY She’s Eleanor Pow- ell (as ¥ Probably Hiti Recognised by That Dance Poaei) and Q Har Understudy Gota Chance Whan She Left the Caat of “ At Home Abroad” —But the other Manage-me- Wanted “Box-offic- n a A A K t nt An- e Name” ip THE MANAGEMENT WANTED A “NAME” So When Eleanor Powell Had to Leave the Broadway Musical Hit the Producer Hired Charming Mitzi Mayfair (Above) to Take Her Place— and the Poor Little Understudy Went Back to the Chorus Line been brought out on the screen whether or not Ruby Keeler KEPT the job) But the "At Home Abroad” management wasn’t interested in legends it was interested in drawing cash customers to the The name of Eleanor Powell had assisted in achieving this worthy purpose tha name' of Marjorie Gayle figured the management S' box-offi- uv wouldn’t So what? So the management wired Mitzi its u 4e Barbara Jaon She Turned the Tables When Her Under-itudyi- j nr Vi ! Didn’t Win Har Star Job May-fa- ir another “name” dancer engaged her at Eleanor Powell’s salary (Marjorie had been working by comparison for nickels) rehearsed her madly for the role (Marjorie hadn’t needed any rehearsals) had a completely new set the the management decided that Dorothy wasn’t “known” enough — and Janet Williams was hired The same thing happened about a year ago Rita Rio Mexican songstress was being starred until a Hollywood contract took her away to appear in Eddie Cantor’s "Strike Me Pink” film Redheaded Bunny Lee her understudy replaced her but only for a few performances Then the management hired Barbara Jason— and thereby hangs an odd twist to the story For a year before Nils T Granlund — the master of ceremonies known wide- -' ly as “N T G”— decided to take a European vacation On previous occasions when he had for one reason or another missed a performance he had been replaced by one of the prettier and more talented of his chorines—this very same Barbara Jason When Granlund took his vacation however it was de- tided that the Paradise needed a “name” and so Dixie Dunbar known to the musical comedies and the films was engaged And Barbara was ordered back into the revue line Barbara decided that was no way to get along! She quit her fhorna job took singing and dancing lessons got herself some bookings in vaudeville When she returned to Broadway it was as a feature entertainer in Jack w know the plot It’s by way of an American classic like the one about the boy who goes to the city and makes good and returns just in time to save the old farm pay the mortgage and rescue the girl from a fats worse than death The newer plot— and you cant hare missed it if you go to the movies especially to those' spectacular musical movies about backstage life — goes like this: Little girl 'from' the sticks (usually played by Miss Ruby Keeler) comes to New York seeking job on stage Meets and almost boy (usually a invariably played by Mr Dick Powell) and gets job as chorus girl in big revue (for which Mr Guy Kibbee and Mr YOU song-writ- Nil T Granlund Better Known as t’NTG’’— His Understudy Didn’t Get the Job When He Went on His Vacatioa —But She Got a Better One 21 I 1 Vivian Vane (Above) Unde- rstudied Ethel Merman (Right) in "Anything Goes”— But She Didn’t Get the Job Either er HOLLYWOOD WANTED HER And When Gorgeous Rita Rio (Strikingly Pictured Above) Left the Paradise Restaurant Floor for the Movies She Was Replaced— Not by Her Understudy But by a Girl Who Had Been an Understudy in the Same Production a Year Before and Had Quit Because She Wasn't Given a Break And just in time for this P comes along another case ! The 'Zieg- feld Follies of 1936 had just opened —the house was sold out for weeks in advance— Miss Fannie Brice got laryngitis on the third day of her engagement There was a hectic rehearsal at the conclusion of which the understudy didn’t get the job because— pending Miss Brice’s recovery— THEY SENT BACK THE PATRONS’ MONEY AND CLOSED THE SHOW I Hugh Herbert generally put up the money) would Marjorie Gayle She Wa Eleanor Powell’s Understudy But It Was Mitxi Mayfair Who Got the Contract! d ( - tap-danc- es well-know- er y in Street" "Forty-Secon- d Little girl becomes understudy to the have to break down and tell you that the of the show Just before the openlegend isn’t true! ing night the star (a) geits temperaIn actual Broadway life the undermental and quits or (b) gets study understudies all right and ocwith Messrs Kibbee andor Herbert or casionally she gets her chance occa(e) breaks a leg— or anyway fail to sionally she makes good too — but — ahow up for the premiere sht doesn’t get the star's job Whereupon the sweet little underThe reason? Simply because Broadstudy steps into her role sings and way demands “names!" The producers hpr way into immediate stardom insist that when a n star to — and becomes the betrothed of Mr the public falls ill or something he or ! Powell she be replaced by another star with a The job of understudy to a star has be“name” equally well known Consider come a coveted one for the legend is for example the story of Marjorie abroad not only in what Broadway calls ' Gayle the hinterlapd but right at Times Squar Back in Ames Iowa’ which isn’t far as welL Producers trade oh it when hirfrom Bes Moines Marjorie doubtless sat ing ambitioug girls in her neighborhood movie house and Now this is all very well but (old il- - saw Ruby Keeffer step into the star’s that we are) we just role on the screen and make good (It cock-eye- prob-abl- be star tusioa-amash- £ produced a few years ago by the Brothers Warner and Marjorie would have been in high school about that time) Marjorie was bound to find her way to New York anyway for she’s a born little trouper but the understudy legend may have given impetus to her ambition Anyhow she arrived on Broadway and this season got a job in the chorus of "At Home Abroad” current musical hit which starred such n “names” as Beatrice Lillie Ethel Waters — and Eleanor Powell Eleanor herself has had a share in building up the understudy legend it heing an adaptation of that plot which was employed in the motion picture which not long ago won her a high place in Hollywood Called “the world’s greatwell-know- est feminine tap dancer” (a title that appears well dgaerved) she was perhaps the outstanding hit of “At Home Abroad” And Marjorie Gayle? Yes you’ve guessed it: Marjorie was Eleanor’s understudy There are some along Broadway who say that Eleanor Powell’s departure from the cast of “At Home Abroad” was due to backstage jealousies Other stars according to this version snubbed her and she finally had a nervous breakdown The management said it was due to illness — Eleanor DID go to a sanitarium — and denied the jealousy reports Everybody in the cast in fact denied them and the public heard about it when Beatrice Lillie substituted for Eleanor on a radio program Anyway Eleanor left the cast— and Marjorie Gayle her understudy had her big chance Now don’t think that it’s Marjorie’s that she isn’t a star today in the manner that it always happens on the movie screen Marjorie made good! Stepping into Eleanor Powell’s tap shoes is no cinch and Marjorie made the grade Delighted audiences cheered her performance in the Powell role She was a success Romantic newspaper writers hailed her as the understudy legend of the movies come alive Everything was swell Now if thej picture could only have faded out at that point the legend would have been safe (After all it has never CmniatL ltM Stic Fttlurw Sn41at In of costumes made (Eleanor’s had fitted Marjorie all right but Mitzi is smaller) — and put her in the role And — Marjorie went back to the chorus line! Now it would be pleasant to report that Marjorie’s experience was merely one isolated example in which an understudy had failed to achieve stardom It would be more satisfying to be able to cite cases in which the legend HAD held good But unfortunately there don’t Dempsey's supper room It was there seem to be any such cases ' that the Paradise management found and hired her— at a salary a lot higher A little earlier this season another sensational musical hit called "Anything thin Bhe previously had drawn Perhaps there’s an example in BarGoes” was playing on Broadway One bara’s case which Marjorie Gayle may of thq stars was Ethel follow Not resentful but feeling pretty Mermah famous to radio and the movies bad about it Marjorie at the moment is as well as the stage Ethel had to leave back in the chorus line of “At Home whence Abroad” she the show— partly because of ill health briefly emerged to replace Eleanor Powell— until Mitzi partly because of a Hollywood contract was hired Mayfair Her understudy Vivian Vance stepped “I gue is" remaras Marjorie sagely into her role won exceptional acclaim "that you’ve got to have a name AU But it didn’t last long The producem'igM So 'U get me a name” decided that Vivian wasn’t sufficiently Sblis of getting one too what the many column of type and th well known to the potential seat buvers her that have very pretty pictures-o- f and hired instead Benay Venuta in the public pi appeared Those are the two outstanding exwill have a happy Maybe the amples but there are others At the ending after allstory It’s not at all unlikely Paradise restaurant the record shows that Marjorie will leave “At Home it’s happened three times Ann SedgAbroad” before long for a featured job somewhere There has even been talk of wick ballet dancer was being featured a Hollywood contract there this season She left and her underGreat as the goes are the usee study pretty Dorothy Jeffers went from of adversity — orsaying shoul that read “of the chorus line to take her place Again publicity’’? deep-throat- “th y 4 e I ( ' |