The return of Norma Shearer to the screen appears likely this Autumn in' "Marie Antoinette, which she has contemplated for two years and which was to have been made early in the season had she not retired upon the. death of Irving Thalberg, her husband, writes Douglas W. Churchill from Hollywood to the New York "Times." A production sheet has been laid out in the Metro casting office and names are being pencilled in, all carefully guarded at the moment.
Until recently it was generally conceded that Charles Laughton was the unchallenged candidate for the role of Louis XVI, but of late doubts have arisen over both his desirability and availability and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that some such thespian as Robert Taylor, referred to in tender tones by the studio as "the hottest thing at the box office tight now," will take the sceptre, Laughton is vexed at the American system of taxation and has declared that he will not return to the States, but the studio feels that if they want Him the bait of a substantial role i something that he cannot resist, for Laughton is first an actor. But taking more dismal view, it is possible that MGM may not want him. There is doubt in some quarters about Laughton's box-office appeal, and while cultural and artistic qualifications are influencing the geniuses more and more, the ticket wicket is still the governor of the casting office.
Recently Miss Shearer has taken an active interest in the screen. She has attended many of the more stealthy of the sneak previews where she would not be in danger of encountering a surging mob of fans, and on occasion she has dared the more It is rarely that Hollywood expe-nonces a labour shortage. The ranks of the ordinary crafts are filled to overflowing and thousands of the 28,000 engaged in production eke out a bare existence. By some apparent miracle, whenever a person with special qualifications is needed, he is found within phoning distance of the studios.
Yet despite this excess of help the nex cartoon unit at Metro is experiencing difficulty in finding animators, and the other cartoon concerns are protecting their staffs in every way possible. The men and women who give life to the pen and ink figures must be skilled and experienced; not every person with an aptitude for drawing can produce fluid movement or dramatic effect on the screen.
The movies are regard as a limitless hopper of gold, and the slightest hint about anything produces un-Comfortable results. Recently Pere Westmore, head of the Warner makeup division, casually mentioned that there had been a boom in wigs, and that if the condition continued a hair shortage would result. The remark eventually found its way into a syndicated newspaper column, with the result that hundreds of letters arrived every day at the Westmore offices containing samples of hair.
The Government, however, has iron-clad rules concerning the use of hair, and but one port in America, New York, is permitted to clear imports. Traffic in domestic hair is banned. Nearly all commercial hair comes from Italy, Scandinavia and Czechoslovakia and is subjected to rigid examination before being admitted. Many of the letters bore ornate showings at the Chinese Theatre. Virtually every picture of any substance made during the past year has been shown at her home, and she has become an avid reader of everything that appears to possess potentialities for her. Metro feels that she is considering a revival of her career with enthusiasm Season of Costume Pictures The screen appears committed to a series of costume pictures of some proportions this season, although there are two or three of the majo" lots that look upon them with some suspicion and have not yet scheduled any. There was a time when Hollywood would have no part of them, but the opposition was broken down when several established attendance records. The release chart for the past season shows 22 period films and a like number is found under the
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