Photoplay/Volume 36/Issue 2/That Awkward Length

A VISITOR passing through Hollywood one afternoon stopped to look at a sorrowing group of men marching along the boulevard. At first glance they might have been foreign actors with accents, fleeing before the shadow of the microphone. They might have been producers who hadn't merged. They were neither. Only a group of barbers who were folding their scissors and silently stealing away.

Hollywood seems to be growing out. Dozens of the film gals are letting their hair go feminine again. But not all by any means.

The feminine members of the film colony may be divided into four opinions. There are those who have had long hair all during those hectic shearing days (Mary Philbin, Mary Brian, Norma Shearer, June Collyer).

There are some who have always had bobbed hair and continue to have it (Dorothy Sebastian, Clara Bow, Florence Vidor, Alice White, Bebe Daniels, Norma Talmadge).

Then there is the "yes and no" group—those who have bobbed, grown out and bobbed again (Joan Crawford, Laura La Plante, Jean Arthur, Esther Ralston, Olive Borden, Evelyn Brent).

And, most important of all, you'll find the group that is just growing out.

They are passing through that awkward stage.

Every woman who has let her hair grow knows what this means. A continual worry for many months. Dozens of boxes of invisible hairpins. Stray, unruly hair.

But take courage. Take a lot of courage. There are ways for everyone, with every type of hair, to overcome this.

One of the most practical methods is that employed by a number of the players, including Estelle Taylor and Raquel Torres. It is done with a simple twist of the wrist and a plain rubber band.

The elastic is pulled taut across the back of the head and is held in place with two hairpins, one behind each ear. This keeps the hair smooth at the back. Then the long hair that is so unpleasant on the nape of the neck is curled up tight to conceal the band.

ANOTHER ingenious method is employed by Leila Hyams. Her hair is growing out both at the back and the sides. She pins it in tightly over the ears, keeps it marcelled and wears a false braid, coronet fashion, which is pinned in at the back keeping the back hair in place. The braid is then pinned over the top of the head.

False hair is also used effectively by Anita Page. She keeps those back ends down by pinning tightly across them a set of little curls.

Mary Astor has just bobbed her hair, but she intends to wear it both ways. Incidentally, her method is a good one while the hair is growing out.

A small chignon' was made of the hair that was cut off and this is pinned tightly across the back while the sides are allowed to fluff out softly around the face.

You'd never believe, to look at Nancy Carroll, that her hair is really nape-of-the-neck length. It looks as if she has a smart bob and this is done by separating the back hair into eight parts and coiling each part separately. Then it is pinned securely to the nape of the neck, the shorter top hair is combed over it and the effect is that of a neatly cropped head.

There is another method that some of the girls use. When Joan Crawford started to let her hair grow, she accomplished it neatly by allowing the sides to grow, but keeping the back clipped to avoid an unkempt look.

When the sides were long enough she brought them together at the back to hide the short hair and then started to let the back hair grow. Joan had to have her hair cut again for a screen rôle, and at this writing she is wearing it very short.

Billy Dove's hair is now long enough to do up easily. It is shoulder length and can be brought into a coil at the back of the head. Loretta Young may do the same thing, although occasionally, with sports clothes, she wears the very long bob.

AND Doris Dawson can do up her hair at the back. But you will notice that most of the girls with long hair keep it short at the sides and around the face. The softness is flattering and makes hats more becoming.

And, speaking of hats, that seems to be the main trouble with long hair. Then take a tip from Ann Pennington, whose hair is unusually long and thick. She brings it around the back straight and makes her knot over the left ear. In this way the hair does not come up under the hat and take up extra room.

LONG ONG bobs are very good in Hollywood, but these eventually grow into long hair. Clara Bow declares that she will always have her shoulder length bob, as does Myrna Kennedy. Well—maybe!

In the matter of hair, fashion is not arbitrary. Olive Borden is one of those who have just recently indulged in a boyish bob. Remember when it was down to her shoulders? The hair is parted on the left side, waved back from the forehead and drawn softly off the ears.

Laura La Plante let her hair grow for "Show Boat" and then cut it off again in an almost boyish bob. As long as Lois Moran's clip is so versatile she won't change. For evening she wears it curled tight all over her head. With sports clothes she wears it straight, parted on the left side, and when she wants to be a trifle more formal she uses a slight wave and a few curls about the face.

Nothing about feminine Hollywood is ever complete without some mention of the Garbo. An expert once said. "Garbo doesn't dress her hair, she just wears it." No matter, she achieves something interesting. At the moment it is being drawn tight and straight off her forehead and cars and curled loosely at the back.

But I won't go on record as saying that she'll be wearing it the same way next month—or next week.

Many of the stars prefer their hair long for personal wear, but must bob for picture purposes. This was the case with Fay Wray, who wept (but not with delight) when her long hair was closely cropped for a new film with George Bancroft.

But who would not choose to sacrifice even one of her most appealing expressions of personality to gain favor with the multitude of movie fans? And sacrifice it might have been justly considered in that era, ending not so many years ago, when but one accepted style of coiffure could prevail at a given time, to which all must conform regardless of individual possibilities.

In this "individual" age of ours when we may, if we wish, adapt our style of hair dress to every hour and every mood, certain barbers, like certain stars, may have to leave town for lack of work. But there will always be enough shorn maidens to keep many of the clippers busy.

The general consensus of opinion is that bobbed hair is not passé, nor is it likely to be, and that both long and short hair is the vogue now and forever more, according to individual taste and type.