Star Dust

"Star Dust" is the film that Linda Darnell watched on the night she was caught in the fire that would take her life the next day.

Darnell plays Carolyn Sayres, a young girl determined to get her chance in Hollywood when a studio agent (Roland Young) comes along looking for new talent. He rejects her because she's too young, but Carolyn forges a letter to the studio head and wins a screen test. On the train to Los Angeles, she meets a handsome football player (John Payne) who is also a fresh discovery. Once in Hollywood, they meet the third winner of a screen test, a talented singer (Mary Healy).

Little do any of them know that studio politics interfere with their chances, but the drama coach (Charlotte Greenwood) believes in Carolyn and finds a way to get her test before the head of the studio.

This film, the basic plot anyway, was remade years later as the awful "Dancing in the Dark," a musical starring Betsy Drake. "Star Dust" is much better, featuring the beautiful Darnell, handsome Payne and the magical singing of Mary Healy. It also has shots of Graumann's Chinese Theatre as Payne and Darnell see how their feet match up to stars' feet in cement.

Linda Darnell got a very early start in Hollywood. She was 15 when Fox wanted to sign her, but when they learned her age, they sent her home. When they found out that she'd won a contest with the first prize a contract at Universal, they brought her back out. She started out great guns, and then she got married. Zanuck, unable to promote her as a virginal ingénue, lost interest. Darnell returned a little later as sultry and sexy and played some of her best roles.

Sitting in her old secretary's house in Illinois at the age of 41, trying to do her taxes, and watching this film must have been an odd experience for Darnell, who by then had alcohol and money problems and was trying to make a comeback. It wasn't to be; she died in the hospital the next day. A sad end for the beautiful young woman of "Star Dust."

I have no idea how ' romantic ' the auditions were to get into Hollywood, and this film charming though it is left me just a little doubtful. Walter Lang directed and directs it with a lot of expertise and charm. Linda Darnell plays the very young woman who wants to get on the screen, and nearly all of the running time is spent on the various ways she tries to achieve her goal. I like Darnell, and she shows the promise of being an even fine actor in films like ' Fallen Angel. ' Charlotte Greenwood in one of her best roles is excellent, and Roland Young the talent scout who finds Darnell is equally good. The one flaw for me was John Payne and in my opinion he had a slight talent but no more in the films I have seen him in. George Montgomery has a brief scene, and again in my opinion he should have had the lead role. All in all it is a good film from 1940 and can be found on YouTube, I enjoyed every likely and unlikely minute of it. It also has a charming train scene where Young looks out for new potential ' stars. ' It is near the beginning of the film, and sets the pace of movement that does not let up. Worth seeing.

Roland Young was riding the crest of his popularity in the "Topper" series of films, and he gives another of his trademark performances in "Star Dust." He happily moved into small character performances the following year, across from Ginger Rogers and Henry Fonda in the mega-hit "Tales of Manhattan," with such an extravaganza of talent that even stars like Young had comparatively minor roles. He was well into his fifties and glad to have steady work without the burden of full stardom.

By this time, 1941, the industry was in full swing, with A List superstars like Rogers and Bogart and Grant commanding enormous salaries thanks to their bankable box office appeal, and "Star Dust" shows the glow that surrounded the Hollywood Myth.

All of the studios had adopted Ginger's mother Lela's idea of in-house acting schools, and the new Hollywood actresses all worked in the stylized 'acting voice' that we hear in "Star Dust" from the very young Linda Darnell. The '40s crop of actresses all adopted this style of voice, from Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth, to Darnell and Tierney, Bergmann and Gardner, with the razor sharp diction and the slightly accented 'T's, a pseudo-dialect that was to hold sway all the way through Marilyn Monroe's era in the '50s, and in television right into the 1980s. The older '30s stars like Rogers and Stanwyck and Colbert maintained their more natural voices for the rest of their careers, and so it's a bit ironic to note that these actresses outlasted all but the biggest of the '40s group.

Look quick to see George Montgomery in a bit part here, early in his career. John Payne is terrific in this lighthearted role, a far cry from his amazing Noir characters a few years later. Fun movie!

Linda Darnell wants to be discovered by a talent scout. Well, luck falls in her lap, when Roland Young, ex-silent screen star and now movie studio talent scout, enters her diner near a college campus looking for some fresh faces. Costarring John Payne and Charlotte Greenwood with a young George Montgomery and young Robert Lowery in bit parts and other recognizeable faces, this is a pretty enjoyable film with some upbeat songs near the beginning. If I have any major problems with it, it's that it's not funny enough or involving enough in the second half to really captivate the viewer's interest. But on the whole, it should please most viewers.

There are also two other things I wanted to comment on:

(1) This movie mirrors Linda Darnell's own career. And, maybe it was the inspiration for penning this movie. When Miss Darnell was first discovered, she was under age and the Fox executives were reluctant to put her under contract. That's all I really know. But, that happens to her character here, too. (Also, this was only her third film, her second being "Day-Time Wife," which I have also reviewed.)

(2) And, on a sad note, one night while visiting a friend, Miss Darnell was badly burned, when the house caught on fire and she never recovered. She had just watched "Star Dust" on TV that night.

The story of a hopeful young woman who wants to become a movie star is given rather clichéd treatment but still manages to be enjoyable fluff thanks to an excellent cast, all doing their best to make the film look better than it really is.

LINDA DARNELL is at her most beautiful as a young aspiring actress who has to wait awhile before she gets the big break that turns her into a movie star. JOHN PAYNE is her love interest, also an actor hoping to make it in Hollywood. Unfortunately, his role also is assigned some comic relief about a broken nose which becomes a running gag throughout the story. Nevertheless, Payne performs his chores in easy style.

The good supporting cast includes ROLAND YOUNG, CHARLOTTE GREENWOOD, DONALD MEEK,WILLIAM GARGAN--and in a bit part GEORGE MONTGOMERY.

Starts out realistically enough but soon becomes mired in a predictable script with too many Hollywood clichés thrown into the mix. But if you're a fan of Linda Darnell, don't miss this one. She's stunning.