Star-finding in Hollywood is at last becoming a one-man job—as it always should have been, writes Harold Heffernan to the "Oregonian."
Too many judges, with conflicting deas on what is talent and what is "canty, have been sitting in judgment wer the screen tests of Hollywood spirants. Seldom Gre they in agree-oont, The easiest way, then, is to urn the aspirant loose. And far oe often these discarded hopefuls save been picked up at other studios, o be pushed into the front box-fice liné—much to the chagrin of he lot that had first call and kicked ts chances aw:
Hedy Lamarr almost slipped out of 4.-6.-M-5 "clutches last summer be-ouse an executive committee couldn't jet an unanimous opinion on her xospecis. Some thought she had "canty and little talent. Others be-leved she was bereft of both. If hadn't been for a lucky loan-out trip and an appearance in "Algiers," Hedy's option might have' lapsed.
Her case repeats itself in a less conspicuous way almost every duy in the studios, where dozens of tests Ricker before the eyes of producers, directors and talent hunters. Some like blondes and others don't. Tall girls and short girls have their back-ins and their knockers. It requires 4 trained eye and ear to sense the Potential ability that may lurk in a nervous youngster undergoing his or her first bid for a career—and, unfortunately, the average studio committee is not equipped to offer more than a surface appraisal The slightest disagreement usually results in flat rejection. Thus peace is maintained in the studio family—and it's usually a 500-to- gamble that the applicant wouldn't pan out anyway.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.