V
r 5
lld^he Newest Crop of Stars Was Picked
Ten Inside Slories Whieh Answer
, the Question of How lo Gel
Inlo the Movies
.1
I—7 /
JUNE TRAVIS^
Chicago
{
r
The Pick of
the 1930 Crop
of Starlets,
Culled by Pro
ducers from
the Harvest of Hollywood
Hopefuls, and the Home
Towns That Can Be Proud
of Them—Illustration by
Ty Mahon.
ROSINA LAWRENCE
^ Hollywood, Calif.
JANICE JARRETT
Jackaonvill*, Tax.
JOAN PERRY
Pensacola, Fla.
MARY FRANCES GIFFORD
Long Beach, Calif.
KAY HUGHES
Los Angeles
By Obera Rawles
HOLLYWOOD.
IT’S up to some misses from Jacksonville, Tex.,
Clarksville, Tenn.r Portland, Ore., Pensacola,
Fla., Long Beach, Calif., Ft. William, Ont..
Chicago and New York to prove the press photogra
phers, the homely gentlemen responsible for those
off-screen pictures you see of the handsome movie
folk in newspapers and magazines, weren’t foolish
in reviving the abandoned custom of the WAMPAS
in picking the year’s most promising starlets.
There was a belief in Hollywood that a WAM
PAS “baby star” was hoodooed as soon as she be
came one, and the players were just as relieved as
the WAMPAS (meaning Western Association of
Motion Picture Advertisers) members, when the
selections were abandoned. The WAMPAS mem
bers, being pressagents, got no thanks, only headaches from their
annual custom. They were under pressure from their employers,
clients and friends. It takes a more courageous foul than even »
baby show judge to single out film starlets, for babies cant fight.
Press photographers are made of sterner stuff, for they have to be,
and they’ve revived the Wampas tradition by picking Cecilia Parker,
M. G. M.; Helen Burgess, Paramount; Janice Jarrett, Universal; Kay
Hughes, Republic; Joan Perry, Columbia; Mary Frances Gifford,
Samuel Goldwyn; Rosina Lawrence, Hal Roach; Barbara Pepper,
R. K. O.; Helen Wood, Twentieth Century-Fox, and June Travis,
Warner Bros., as the 10 girls among the year’s newcomers likely to
achieve screen renown in the future.
This is what these 1936 starlets told me about themselves:
MARY FRANCES GIFFORD dreamed of breaking into the movies
exactly like almost every other girl in the world. Mary Frances was
bom in Long Beach, 30 miles from Hollywood. One day not long ago
she visited the United Artists Studio with a young man who is em
ployed on the lot. They went onto the set where Merle Obcron was
playing in “Love Under Fire.” Miss Oberon noticed Miss Gifford and
commented on her beauty to Samuel Goldwyn. Within 30 minutes
she had a contract. She has reddish brown hair and blue eyes.
♦ * _ *
JANICE JARRETT is the most photographed girl in America, but
you have not seen her on the screen YET. She is the lovely cigarette
advertisement girl whose picture smiled from the back covers -of
national magazines for two years. She was boro in Jacksonville, Tex.,
Oct. 19, 1914, daughter of Col. Bebereaux Jarrett. Her success as a
model brought her engagement last year as the "Sweetheart of the
Texas Centennial." A motion picture scout spotted her there and hired
her. Universal sent her to a school to study dramatics. She has
green eyes, natural blonde hair, isJ5 ft. 3 in., and weighs 108 pounds.
HELEN WOOD was bom In Clarksville, Tenn., daughter of a realtor,
where she grew up. At 16 she won a "charm contest." The prize was
a round-trip ticket to Hollywood, and she was hired there for the
chorus of the Eddie Cantor comedy, “Roman Scandals.” She returned
home to be graduated from high school, then went back to Hollywood
to appear in "Kid Millions,” another Cantor picture. She attracted the
attention of Director Gregory La Cava, who gave her a part in the
picture "She Married Her Boss.” and Tauline Frederick, one of the
stage’s great actresses, tutored her. Helen has hazel eyes and chest
nut hair. She is 5 ft. 5'* in., and weighs 118.
* • •
C ECILIA PARKER really started climbing to success when she grad
uated from Western thrillers to the part of Greta Garbo s sister in
“The Painted Veil.” MGM was looking for a blonde who resembled
Garbo as a young girl. Luckily. Cecilia did. Cecilia was bom April
26, 1914, in Fort William, Canada, the daughter of an English soldier.
Cecelia is a natural blonde with hazel eyes. She is studying singing.
• • *
KAY HUGHES was bom and reared in Los Angeles. At Los Angeles
Junior College, she was active in theatricals, and then was hired as a
chorus girl in "Broadwav Melody.” After several musicals, she ob
tained work at Republic Studios in Westerns and serials. Now she is
being given leading roles in feature pictures, Kay’s father is a
eousin of Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes. She has dark brown
hair and blue eyes, is 5 ft. 3 in., and weighs 106.
New York City
■* # **
HELEN BURGESS
« Portland, Ore.
HELEN WOOD
Clarksville, Tann.
CECILIA PARKER
Ft. William, Ont
HELEN BURGESS waa born April 20, 1917, In Port
land, Ore. She attended grade achool In Tacoma, Waah.,
and high school In Los Angeles. While still at the latter
and appearing In Little Theater productions, a talent
scout saw her and arranged a screen teat for her at
Paramount. She had not had any roles when she waa
noticed by Cecil B. De Mllle. He cast her for the young
wife of Buffalo Bill in “The Plainsman.” Helen sings,
but does not dance. She Is a blonde with blue eyes, is
5 ft. lty in., and weighs 103 pounds.
* * *
BARBARA PEPPER was born May 31, 1915, in New
York City in the Astor Hotel, which waa managed by
her father. Show people, including Eddie Cantor, Gua
Edwards and D. W. Griffith, were her friends from
babyhood. After attending grammar schools in New
York, Barbara waa sent to a school in Virginia by her
parents. Instead, she went to the try-outs for a new
Shubert show in New York. She got a Job in the chorus
at once. There followed other parts. Eddie Cantor
suggested Barbara to Goldwyn for “Roman Scandals.”
Director King Vidor thought she had dramatic ability
and took her out of the chorus line-up to appear In
"Our Daily Bread.” Barbara is a blue-eyed blonde,
5 ft. 4 in., and weighs 117.
* • •
JUNE TRAVIS’ first role was with Kay Prancis in
"Stranded.” June’s real name is June Dorothea Grab
ber. She is the daughter of Harry Grabiner, vice-presi
dent of the Chicago White Sox. She waa born in Chi
cago, Aug. 7, 1915, and attended schools there. On a
visit to the Pacific Coast with her father in 1934, she
was introduced to executives and given a screen test
by one of the studios, but was allowed to go home
without an offer. A year later, a Warner Bros, execu
tive saw the test and offered Miss Travis a contract.
June has dark brown hair and green eyes. She is 5 ft.
4 in., and weighs 118 pounds.
• * *
JOAN PERRY was born Elizabeth Miller In Pensa
cola, Fla., on a July 7 about 20 yearn ago. Upon her
graduation from school, Joan went to New York to
become an actress. Instead, she had to go to work
as an artists’ model. However, she used the money
she earned to ntudy dramatics. Columbia studio scouts
saw some of her work as a photographic model and
invited her to take m screen teat. The result was thst,
she went to Hollywood on a long term contract with
Columbia. She made her first appearance in "The Case
of the Missing Man.” Joan la 6 ft. 6 in. In height and
weighs 110. She has light brown hair and green eyes
, ...
K ROSIN A LAWRENCE Is a Hollywood girl who de
!| serves every bit of success thst the movies can give
II her, Without much encouragement she overcame the
ft greatest of odds, a physical misfortune. When seven,
# she suffered a spinal injury which doctors said would
leave her a cripple. Roslna took up dancing, and finally
overcame the handicap. Roslna’s father was a carpen
ter, a popular employe# at the Fox Studios. He told
the studio about her. It sent for her and gave her a
test. It considered her a definite “find.” Roslna has
blonde hair, blue eyes and a creamy complexion.
Copyright, 19841, King Fcwturu SyudlcmU, iiu