Duncan Renaldo (main photo) from the time of ‘Trader Horn’ [1931] and (smaller photo) as the Cisco Kid in the 1950s.
The News Around Hollywood
Screen actor Duncan Renaldo, has resurfaced at Paramount in their productions ’Spawn of the North’ and ‘Zaza’. He has also added jobs as a painter between picture assignments. He recently had a showing of paintings he did while on location in Africa for ’Trader Horn.’ And producer Edward Small has commissioned him to paint a portrait of Jack Dunn, the champion ice skater and actor, who is to be in his film ‘The Duke of West Point.’ [Renaldo’s painting stood him in good stead at several points in his life. He eked out a living by painting in the 1920s after the Brazilian coal ship upon which he worked as a stoker, burned to the water line in Baltimore. He started on scene painting for films in New York before drifting out to the West Coast and began work in short films. This lead to work as an actor at MGM in 1928. He was given a starring role in ‘Trader Horn,’ but upon his return from Africa, problems came up about his immigration status. In 1934 he was arrested as an illegal immigrant (he only had a 90 day seamen’s permit at the time he was stranded by the destruction of the ship he came in on). Since his birth nation was in question (Romania or Spain), and no country would claim him, he was imprisoned. He served time at the Federal pententiary on McNeil Island in Washington State. He came to the attention of Mrs Roosevelt who acquired one of his paintings, and after becoming aware of his plight, brought it to her husband’s notice, FDR pardoned him. In the late 40s he landed the role of the Cisco Kid in films, and later in the 50s carried it over to television. (A lot more research needs to be done to get to the bottom of his rather complicated story – either obscured by himself, studio PR departments, or entertainment reporters)].
Producer B G (Buddy) DeSylva negotiated a cancellation agreement with Universal and checked off the lot. As part of the agreement, he took with him the film rights for ‘Little Mother.’ His last film at Universal was ‘The Rage of Paris.’ [DeSylva was a prolific song writer, working on Tin Pan Alley and Broadway – writing notably for Jolson and Ziegfield. A graduate of USC, he returned to the West Coast in the late 20s and became a producer with Fox, especially the Shirley Temple Films. He left Fox for Universal in 1937 and made only 3 films for them. In 1939 he landed at RKO for ‘Bachelor Mother’ (the aforementioned Little Mother), and moved on to Paramount for a long string of successes there].
Film columnists fill up their columns with items about the opening of ‘Marie Antoinette’ last night. Ed Sullivan was focused mainly on the star – Norma Shearer- about her origins up north in Canada – her coming to the states, and being turned down by Ziegfield (by her own admisssion she could not sing or dance), and then by D W Griffith (she was not photogenic and told to go home). He pointed out that her brother Douglas was on the film’s credits too. And then a note of sadness could not help but intrude, as her husband Irving Thalberg, having passed away three years prior, was not there to see her triumph.
David O Selznick has announced that he will loan out his juvenile actor Tommy Kelly to Sol Lessor’s Principal Productions for his next film ‘Peck’s Bad Boy.’ [There was a slight title change when released by RKO in December of 1938 – ‘Peck’s Bad Boy with the Circus’].
Writer Felix A Jackson under went an emergency appendectomy at Cedars of Lebanon hospital and is reported as doing well. With Bruce Manning he worked on ‘Rage of Paris’ and the last three Deanna Durbin films. [Jackson or (German born Joachimson) was the writer on ‘Little Mother’ a film produced by Universal in Europe (which was the story that DeSylva took with him when he left Universal). Jackson remained at Universal and did the original story and screenplay for 1939’s ‘Destry Rides Again’].
Outside Hollywood
Shirley Temple went swimming with President Roosevelt’s grand children today. The nine year old and her parents were the guests of Mrs Roosevelt at their country estate in Hyde Park NY. Present were the Dall family whose children Sistie and Buzzie invited the star for a swim.
Howard Hughes set to depart New York for Paris later this night. He hopes to make the passage in 22 hours.
Items of Interest
The Paramount Theater has scheduled an owl show tonight in which Sally Rand will perform her fan and bubble dances as part of her Casino de Paree Revue. Also in the stage production will be Joe Venuti and his orchestra and Morey Amsterdam. They share the bill with the Paramount film ‘Prison Farm.’
Dorothy Wright, a 22 year old car hop, has been selected by a group of press photographers and crooner Jean Sablon as the prettiest of the LA car hops. For this honor she has been awarded a part in Bing Crosby’s new film, ‘Paris Honeymoon,’ and a contract with the National Broadcasting Co. For the moment she has no plans to quit her job at the drive-in stand at the corner of Exposition Blvd and Figueroa St. [There is no Dorothy Wright listed in the credits for Paris Honeymoon, released in 1939. Nor does any of those uncredited people listed appear to line up with her bio info, including the similar sounding Dorothy White].
Police investigating the slaying of cameraman King D Gray have asked the Federal Identification Bureau in DC for their help in tracing the ownership of a .32 caliber automatic they believe to be the murder weapon. Fingerprints on the weapon lead them to suspect that it had been fired by a woman. This fact, and an anonymous tip stating, “Gray was killed by [name], a prostitute,” have the police looking in that direction. Meanwhile the former USC student and friend of Gray – Frances Bleakley – author of the note found in his possession, has consulted an attorney and was advised to make no more statements to the police.
