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Actress Lombard epitomizes Hollywood starlet
Carole Lombard is a perfect ex
ample of the ’30s breed of starlet.
At the age of 12, Lombard starred
in her first film, “A Perfect Crime,” in
1921. By her teens, she had a film
contract. But a serious automobile
accident suddenly cut her quickly
growing career.
After a painful recuperation,
Lombard defied the Hollywood stu
dio star system by freelancing her
way to stardom. After appearing in a
series of Mack Sennet’s silent slap
stick comedies, Lombard’s transition
to talkies was a smooth one.
Even Lombard’s personal life was
one surrounded by furor and fandom.
Her marriage to William Powell in
1932 was short-lived. Apparently, the
24-ycar-old Lombard was not as ready
to settle down as the 40-year-old
Powell.
Lombard’s second chance at a
happy marriage also came in 1939.
This lime Clark Gable was the lucky
man.
Curiously enough, Lombard and
Gable made their first film together,
1932’s ‘‘No Man Of Her Own,” shortly
before her marriage to Powell.
Lombard’s marriage to Gable is
considered to be one of the true Hol
lywood love stories. But their happi
ness was cut short by Lombard’s
untimely death in 1942.
Flying home from a War Bond
Drive in the Midwest, Lombard’s plane
crashed, killing all aboard. The trag
edy drove the mourning Gable to the
Army Air Corps until 1945, when he
returned to the screen with Greer
Garson in “Adventure.”
Although he remarried, Gable is
said to never completely get over
Lombard, and constantly was seen
around Hollywood with different
women, all bearing a striking resem
blance to Lombard.
Much of Lombard’s finest acting
surfaced in the great screwball come
dies of the ’30s. She appeared in such
hilarious efforts as “We ’ re Not Dress
ing” with Bing Crosby and “Twenti
eth Century” with John Barrymore in
1934. She performed in “My Man
Godfrey” in 1936 with her then ex
husband, William Powell, “Nothing
Sacred” in 1937 with Fredrich March
and “To Be Or Not To Be” with Jack
Benny in 1942.
“To Be Or Not To Be” was Lom
bard’s last film, completed just two
weeks before her death.
“Twentieth Century” was Lom
bard’s 48th feature film, and the film
she considered her most important.
“My greatest opportunity came
when I was cast with John Barrymore
in ‘Twentieth Century,”’ Lombard
said in a 1938 New York Post inter
view. “1 learned more about acting
from that man in the six weeks it look
to make the picture than I ever had
before.
“I listened to him for the entire six
weeks, and got a real course in dra
matics. That was the beginning of
knowing something.”
Barrymore had hand-picked Lom
bard for his choice of a co-star, later
recalling, “She is perhaps the greatest
actress I ever worked with.”
“Twentieth Century” allowed the
flamboyant Barrymore (me of his finest
roles, seeming-eomplelely natural as
the flamboyant screwball director,
Oscar Jaffe.
The stage version of “Twentieth
Century,” was originally titled “The
Napoleon of Broadway.” Ben Hecht
and Charles Mac Arthur’s original play
wasconfined to the train journey from
Chicago to New York on the Twenti
eth Century Limited.
The advantages of film over stage
allowed Hccht and Mac Arthur to begin
Courtesy ol Creadon Records
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John Barrymore and Carole Lombard light up the screen in 1934’s “Twentieth Century.”
their story three years prior to the
train journey.
Barrymore’s character, Oscar Jafle,
is an enigmatic and eccentric egoma
niac. As a Broadway director and
producer, Jaffc discovers underwear
salesperson Mildred Plotka, played
by Lombard, and christens her the
star “Lily Garland.’’
The magical power that Barry
more commands captures Lombard
completely in his power, with such
lines as “die sorrows of life are the
joys of art”
Barrymore’s flair for melodrama
is evidenced in Jaffe’s character.
Eventually, when Lombard’s star
arrives under Barrymore’s direction,
she moves on to a Hollywood con
tract and bigger success. A11 of Barry -
more’s productions fail miserably
without Lombard.
Coincidentally, both Barrymore and
Lombard are on board the Twentieth
Century Limited. Both the drama and
the screwball comedy surface highly
polished on the train ride.
The screwball clement of ridicu
lous characters and situations are
carried brilliantly under the perfect
direction of Howard Hawks, in his
First role as a comedic director.
“I’m offering you a chance to be
immortal,” Barrymore promises
Lombard if she returns to his stage.
“No thanks. I’d rather be mortal
with responsible management,”
Lombard counters.
Barrymore was the perfect choice
for the role of Oscar Jaffe. Hollywood
considered Barrymore as somewhat
eccentric in real life and one of the
quintessential Film actors of the pc
See GRAY on 11
New Slowdive album makes a leap
into swirling pool of godlikeness
tty Micnaei mock
Senior Reporter
Feedback is good.
Feedback can be quite beautiful.
Slowdive is quite good and beauti
ful.
Welcome to the world of the post
My Bloody Valentine players.
My Bloody Valentine had no idea
what they were starting a few short
years ago with their single, “Feed Me
With Your Kiss,” or their accompa
nying album, “Isn’t Anything” on AJan
McGee’s Creation records.
It was described as sounding like a
f—ing racecar. And it did. It sounded
like a fuzzy racecar.
Since then audiences have seen
the birth of Ride, Chapterhouse, The
Boo Radleys, Moose, Bleach, Curve
and a swarming host of other bands.
All were created to pay some sort of
“Holding Our Breath"
Slowdive
Creation Records
Grade: A
homage 10 the long-lost Reid brothers
of “Psychocandy" days.
The Jesus and Mary Chain has
seen better days. Slowdive is a better
day.
Their 1990 debut “Slowdive” EP
gave a sneaking suspicion of Slow
dive’s brilliance. The “Moonrise”
< * i vV »i. . ’i.. ■..
EP I urthercd the suspicion. Holding
Our Breath” proves it. It’s perfect.
The covers are a giveaway. All
three EPs offer swirling, fuzzy im
ages that wouldn’t be half as beauti
ful if the pictures were in focus.
“Catch the Breeze” opens the new
EP with a tentative, stumbling and
syncopated rhythm — far from baggy.
The scene then opens for a pano
ramic, beauteous peck into Slowdive’s
swirling godlikeness.
The lyrics are as swirling as the
guitars, saying something like “the
breeze it blows, it blows everyone.”
Or something like that.
Who the hcl I cares what she’s sing
ing? No one argues with what Eliza
beth Fraser sings.
“Golden Hair” begins with a ma
jcstic crashing cymbal, and the hcav
See MUSIC on 11
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