Modern Screen (Dec 1949 - Nov 1950)

SHE WANTS TO DO HOMEWORK (Continued from page 51) position, and respect him the more for it. But waiting was hard on them both, and in the end she wrung a concession from him. His idea had been to delay the marriage till he could take over full financial responsibility. "That's not fair," wailed Jane. "No man of 25 makes as much as movie people unless they've inherited money, which you haven't and won't. Can't you pretend I'm a secretary and support me like one?" He finally agreed that she might have a point there. They worked out an economic program acceptable to Geary. Jane agreed to be patient till he found something that would offer a solid foothold for the future. Her father gave her the beautiful maple hope-chest for her birthday last April. First thing to go into it was an exquisite cup from Czechoslovakia, sent by Geary's aunt. One gift that moved Jane almost to tears came from a fan. "I bought these," wrote the fan, "when I first heard you were engaged, and I've moved them around so much that they worry me. So I'd like you to have them before they get broken." Jane and Geary opened the box together, and brought out a set of dishes in a Christmas tree pattern, with little dolls underneath the trees. Jane went out of her mind. Geary said, "Hey, you know who's gonna fall for these? Our kids." His own contributions to the chest were more practical. As Jane gets carried away in antique shops, Geary gets carried away in war-surplus stores. The difference is that in one place you only look, in the other you buy. Geary collected such items as paring-knives, shoe-racks and what his bride-to-be called "similar trinkets." (They may be gadgets to you, but to her they're trinkets.) One day he showed up with, of all things, a back-scratcher. The hope-chest also contained some little wrap-arounds that Jane crocheted herself. "Superstitious people think it's bad luck to have baby clothes in a hope chest," said Jane. "I'm not superstitious." Janet Leigh, Liz Taylor and Mama Harbert, who's married to one of the boys at the MGM office, were planning a linen shower for Jane at Marna's house. Jane was hoping they'll find out by the grapevine or telepathy or something that, for bathroom towels, she thinks there's nothing like maroon. Then there's Arabella, the piggy bank. Geary lugged her in one day — Arabella's at least a foot long — and placed her on the table. "That's for our honeymoon. ' All their loose change went into Arabella. bargain hunter . . . She calls Geary just Geary, for she can't stand coy pet names. There's something about them that drives her crazy. She loves to tag along when he goes shopping for clothes. He doesn't love it, but puts up with it when he must, and sneaks out on her if he can. She consoles herself by browsing in men's shops, looking at things she'd like Geary to have. As a rule she doesn't buy them, because it's not sensible to buy a man clothes except for birthdays and Christmas. Being an individualist, she makes another exception. If it's on sale, she'll buy it. She'd buy anything on sale, including a white elephant. She knits for him too — sweaters and argyle socks. Into the first pair of argyles went her life's blood, what with tangling, ripping and starting all over again. They turned out sort of bumpy, but they did resemble socks in a far-off way so she blocked them and hung them on the line — and the dog got them. "Never again," vowed Jane. (Two days later she was making with the bobbins again.) Domestically speaking, Geary's snagged himself a prize. There's no part of homemaking that Janie doesn't take to. Egged on by Ann Sothern, she's putting her eyes out now over needlepoint. She designs her own clothes, and sews many of them herself. As for cooking, she's been a natural from the age of six, when she shoved her first batch of cookies into the oven. To her, a kitchen range can be as thrilling as a song. She doesn't think it's cute for a girl to say, "I can't boil water." She thinks it's unfair to husbands. Her main problem will differ from that of most. She wants one only for when she's working. Otherwise, she'll take over the kitchen herself. Nobody else can cook when Jane's around. Geary's one husband who'll be not only well, but temptingly fed. To that end, Jane started another scrapbook which holds only such recipes as she's tried out on him. On the set one day, Ann Sothern spoke highly of a certain banana fluff pie. Next day Jane appeared, bearing a banana fluff pie, minus one wedge. "Geary didn't like it. I can't put it in the book." She admits (reluctantly) that long engagements offer one advantage. You get to know each other's ways. a wonderful guy . . . "Geary," says Jane, "is the kindest, most thoughtful person in the world. And I don't say so just because he's my fella — everybody says so. You never have to ask him to do anything, he thinks of it before you do. Little things like going to the store for Mother, and building fires, and taking both our dads out to dinner and the movies on Fathers' Day. . . . And not prying. If something's bothering me, he can sense it, but he'll never ask questions unless I'm ready to talk. His whole family's like that. I'm not. I used to love to find out everything I possibly could. Now I try to copy myself after him, so at least I'm learning." Every fifth of the month they've gone out to celebrate their engagement. Maybe to the Ambassador for dancing. Maybe to a show. But the big night-clubs have rarely seen them. Saturday nights may find them at a friend's house, square-dancing. For these occasions, Jane runs up little calico dresses, all in one piece, so the blouse won't pull out. Sundays they have dinner at home and, if people come over, she cooks it. The other evenings are dedicated to canasta. Sometimes they'll spend the weekend at Idilwild with Geary's sister and brother-in-law. In winter, they ski. In summer, they go on pack-trips through the mountains. "Honestly, we've been like old married folks." The blue eyes go wide with earnestness, lest you should doubt this unusual state of affairs. "Even his family can't get over it." Whatever Geary does, Jane wants to do with him. He's taught her the sports she never used to have time for — tennis and badminton, skiing, skating and diving. Last summer they concentrated on waterskiing. Jane got dumped a couple of times, and Geary thought maybe she ought to quit. She didn't. Now she's so good, she can ski along on one ski. They've discussed every aspect of their future life together, from careers to children. Geary's not a bit opposed to her %w'<b a LOT lovelier i/ritfi a UTTif more/ INV0U&HAI&! 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