Hollywood Extra Girl

Hollywood Extra Girl (1935)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Entertaining short from Paramount talks about all the people who don't become stars in Hollywood. The focus of this short are the extras, the people in mob scenes who are rarely noticed yet the majority of them are just hoping for their big break. We meet four different extras and hear why they're in the movies but we focus in on Suzanne Emery and her extra work in Cecil B. DeMille's THE CRUSADES. This short is basically a promotional piece for that film as we get to hear about all of the real "cast" and then we see DeMille, on set, directing the extras during a couple scenes. Film buffs are really going to enjoy this because of getting to see DeMille direct but you also get a pretty good idea of how hard it would be to succeed in Hollywood. This short does a good job at warning people but at the same time it talks about how great it would be if that dream comes true. Getting to hear DeMille talk to the extra about what it takes to make it is something else that's fun to hear. It's also worth noting that Ann Sheridan and Clara Kimball Young are on hand, two people who would become names in the business while Emery would only have this short and the DeMille film as a credit.