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Show Star It list "k Disecting a Comedian k John Huh bard Zooms k Orson in Tough Spot I By Virginia Vale IF YOU'RE interested in taking a comedian apart and seeing what makes him funny on the screen, consider StanLaurel's shoes. Of course, shoes have always been an important part of a comedian's come-dian's wardrobe Charlie Chaplin's, for instance but Laurel makes use of them in such a way that the audience isn't conscious of the part they play. The shoes he wears when making pictures have no heels that's all there is to it. They give him that strange, rolling gait, and you laugh at the way he walks without knowing know-ing why. They also help in giving him the woe-begone appearance that contributes so much to his performances. perform-ances. Watch him in his latest picture, "A Chump at Oxford," and you'll realize how much those trick shoes do for him. It took John Hubbard just two years to a day, after he reached Hollywood, to climb to the top the top being the leading role in "The Housekeeper's Daughter," Joan Bennett's new Hal Roach picture. Hubbard was discovered by Oliver Hinsdell, Paramount talent coach, in one of the Goodman theater plays in Chicago. Paramount gave him some it v 1 ; f - s -' T r:f.;vi " , JOHN HUBBARD small roles, and then he went to Metro, where Mervyn LeRoy renamed re-named him "Anthony Allen" perhaps per-haps you remember seeing him in "Dramatic School," with Louise Rainer. Hal Roach liked his work and personality per-sonality so much that he persuaded Metro to let him assume the rest of Hubbard's contract, and once more our hero became John Hubbard, Keep your eye on him he may turn out to be one of the "screen's- topflight top-flight leading men. Hollywood's sorely sore-ly in need of some new ones right now. Orson Welles, the actor who became be-came famous all over the country when he unintentionaUy spread terror ter-ror with that Mars broadcast, is in a spot where he's going to be greatly great-ly envied, and, later, greatly panned by many of those who envy him at present. ' For he has done what nobody else ever has. He's never made a picture, pic-ture, but the contract he signed with RKO permits him to produce and direct his first one, and star in it as well. The picture will be based on Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," Dark-ness," and if it Is good Welles will I practically have the motion picture industry in his pocket. I Don Ameche and his wife named j their first son Ronald, and their second, sec-ond, Donald; nicknamed "Ronnie" and "Donnie," they seemed to have started something in the way of names. When the third son came ha was name Thomas Anthony he'll be "Tommie," of course, which doesn't quite rhyme. But the senior jmeches didn't care for "Connie" or "Johnnie" and couldn't think of any other names that would do. Rudy Vallee felt that he'd sung i "My Time Is Your Time" to the same sponsor long enough, and that's why he's leaving them in September. Sep-tember. It's a 10-year relationship that is ending, the longest of its kind in radio history. Vallee has been responsible for uncovering a great deal of radio talent, and in developing the vaudeville type of radio ra-dio program that has been so widely : imitated. But it seems likely that the one thing he'll be remembered for is introducing Charlie McCarthy to the radio public, and keeping him on the air until he was well enough known to find a place of his own. ODDS AND ENDS After a year's absence Wayne King and his orchestra will return to the air in October; King has been on a personal appearance tour since last fall . . . Ileryl .Mercer's death loaves a vacancy that will be hard for the movie makers to fill . . . Johnny Green's new piano concerto, "Music for Elizabeth," will be played by Jose Itiirbi at Carnegie Hall this autumn; the "Elizabeth" is Johnny's wife, for. merly Betty Furness, of the movies. (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) |