At the railroad station in Glendale, some 20 miles north of Hollywood, a scene is about to be made for "Three Loves Has Nancy," writes Teet Carle to the "Oregonian."
"This is a simple shot," Director Richard Thorpe tells Robert Montgomery, who stands, suitcase in hand, on the platform. On the track is a train, a short one, hired for the day. The track is clear this- time of the day and nothing should prevent the shot being made.
Cameras are set up, shooting down the train to get only the moving rear car. A large crowd of on-lookers stand behind the camera, being quiet and orderly at this opportunity to see motion pictures made.
The cameras turn. The train starts. Montgomery sprints, But the engineer gets the locomotive away so quickly that Jesse Owens couldn't catch it. Back comes the train.
Gravel Wrecks Run for Train A second try is made. Montgomery goes speeding down the platform. It looks like a perfect take of this "simple" shot. But, suddenly, the star slips as he meets an area of soft gravel. Down he goes, skidding on the ground.
He gets up, a sizable rip in his suit. He rubs a kneecap but reports little damage—excepting to the suit. A "stand-by" suit is substituted and Montgomery hustles into the station to change.
A third time, camera turns, The engineer takes it more easily. The platform has been swept clean of gravel. But, at the wrong moment, the handle of the suitcase breaks and clunks to the ground. Another failure. It is repaired.
Then, wringing wet under a temperature of 90 degrees, Montgomery makes the fourth attempt good.
Forgetting Cue Line Director W, S. Van Dyke knows that the surest way to rattle Frank Morgan before he starts a scene is to ask the actor, "do you know your lines?" It makes him self-conscious.
50, just as a scene is about to begin on "Sweethearts" between Morgan and Jeannette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, Van Dyke asks the question.
It is a long scene but Morgan, after a gulp on hearing Van Dyke's query, sails merrily through it. He complet three pages of dialogue and then turns triumphantly to Van Dyke to say, "of course I know my lines."
Then his face falls. He has forgotten to speak his last line—one which will give Eddy a cue.
"Swell" at Turf Club Enacting an old race track worke Wallace Beery is sweeping up tr at the Inglewood track for a scene in "Stablemates."
Speaking script lines, he looks at Mickey Rooney, sitting on a rail, and says, "Someday, kid, Im going to have enough dough so I can buy a seat in the grandstand and see the races like a swell"
One hundred feet away from the company, a real workman is cleaning the Turf club boxes, those belonging io stockholders of this big racing plant. He is polishing the name plate on one box. The plate reads: "Wallace Beery."
Clark Gable is about to step off an. aeroplane for a scene in "Too Hot to Handle" Director Jack Conway decides Gable looks too immaculate as a newsreelman who has just finished a perilous aeroplane journey through night and fog. He calls to Property Man Johnny Miller to soil Gable's suit with grease.
Gable stands still, saying nothing while motor oil is sprayed all over his sports coat, The coat will be of no further use.
Then Gable laughs. Conway cocks an enquiring eye, "The joke's on the wardrobe department," says Gable. "This coat Will have to be replaced. It's my own, tailor made for $95."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.