Modern Screen (Dec 1949 - Nov 1950)

MY SNEAK PARTY {Continued from page 40) •tie Sfais % scenes left lying on the floor of the cutting-room. This time, though, a friend of a friend of mine who knew a friend of the theater manager, tipped me off — after making me , swear never to tell how I learned about ' the sneak of My Friend Irma. I promised, f Then I called my guests — Marie "Wilson ; and her mother, the Don DeFores. and ,: John and Marie Lund. f By 6:30 we were all bundled into two :: cars and headed for Inglewood. a Los An: geles suburb. We had to leave that early . because, not really being invited, we had . to scramble for seats along with everyone else. Since we would have to sit through r another complete feature before the pren view came on, we had no time for dinner L before the show. f Well, we made it all right — and so did U Bob Beerman and Bert Parry, the Mody ms Screen photographers, who'd found ,. out from this same friend of a friend. All [ through the picture they were roaming up and down the aisles with their Speed ' Graphics, shooting photos with the aid of F infra-red lights. An infra-red flash-bulb p gives off no light — just a little pinpoint of r red. Still, the light is so penetrating that pictures can be taken in the dark. Good pictures, too, except that the light makes a girl look as if she weren't wearing any 7 make-up at all. i m make a confession about myself, f though I wouldn't dare to speak for the jl rest of our guests, half of whom — Marie ^ Wilson, John Lund and Don DeFore — I were in the cast of My Friend Irma, too. I love catehing sneak previews of movies [ I'm in. Not for the sake of self-admira' tion, but because I want to see just how my performance came out. You never can 1 really tell just what your work in a pic ture was like until you see yourself in the •' finished product, for your scenes usually s: are shot all out of order — sometimes the i very first one on the last day of shooting. Jj All through the picture I forgot our x guests completely, I was so wrapped up in the screen performances. John told me afterward, as we pushed through the mob, J that I chewed my knuckles, laughed wildly, ~ groaned, worried, and generally worked • myself into a complete dither. When we finally reached our cars, he snapped me out of it by remarking, "I hate to bring up the subject, but I'm bordering on starvation — and so are all our guests. What about dinner?" "Oh. that." I retorted. "Why. it's simple: On to the Kopper Kartl" And so we went — happily, because we thought the picture was swell. If it had been bad. we'd probably have slunk home without so much as a sandwich. Somebody brought along a stack of the preview cards the audience had filled out, and while we waited for our 11 p.m. salads we looked them over. We made a little bet among ourselves as to what character in the picture the audience would like best. You might have guessed it — we all did — the favorite was Marie Wilson as "my friend Irma." But I must add that the whole cast received some wonderful raves — particularly Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Then came the food — and I don't think any of us missed home cooking as we dug into thick prime ribs of beef. Marie's dog, Hobbs, who slept through the preview, woke up right away. We'd smuggled her into the restaurant, and I caught Marie transferring a huge hunk of beef below the table. She looked up and pretended that she'd dropped her napkin. All of a sudden I was glad my dinner party had failed to take place at home. John and I agreed that it was a hugely successful evening. He thought of the gag to top it off. When we were all ready to go back to Hollywood, the headwaiter came up with the check for the dinner. I was amazed to see him hand the bill to John Lund. John was amazed, too. The total was S285.36! How was I to know that my playful husband had prearranged this staggering check, and had paid the real one 10 minutes before? Also, how were we all to know that Mr. Lund can't be topped? He simply asked for a pencil and wrote across the face of it, "Charge to Hal Wallis Productions." What a party! We must give one like it again sometime. Matter of fact. I think I'll call up my friend Irma tomorrow and begin making out a list. The Exd RAGE IN HEAVEN (Continued from page 24) insincerity — and you could see at once that this was not the truth. And when he took Wanda in his arms, he showed no zest, no enjoyment in the move. There was an impatience about Audie, a restlessness to get the picture-taking finished, to stop living this photographic lie. When it was over and the photographer and I had left the Murphy apartment, I turned to him and said. "There's one marriage that's going on the rocks." My camera boy shrugged. '"Oh. I don't know," he said. "Maybe it's just a bad day. Every married couple has bad days/' A week later, the headlines blossomed forth: Audie Murphy Hints He and Wife May Separate . . . Hollywood Blamed for Woes of Audie, Wanda . . . Audie. Wanda Washed Up. I quickly got in touch with Wanda. "I don't know how those stories got started," she complained. "We're not talking or even lems, but who doesn't? If we're given half a chance, I'm sure we can work them out." Oddly enough, this was more or less what Ginger Rogers had told me two weeks before she divorced Jack Briggs. But there's a world of difference — many years and three husbands — between Ginger and Wanda. And when a 21-year-old newlywed tells me that she and her husband have no thought of divorce and are seriously working at making their marriage a success, then I am woman enough to believe and understand her. And yet. despite this belief and understanding. I knew that Audie and Wanda had been bickering and quarreling for many months. I knew that Wanda's mother had gone to Darien, Georgia, because she wanted these two to work out their own problems without help or hindrance of mother-in-law. I knew, too, what many of Wanda's friends had been saying. "She has a reallv tough job." one of these friends had confided to "Audie ' = aera >"gh famous No. 100 r "GOOD BEHAVIOR" slip ft Won i tnie uyf Our basic slip in ^proportioned sizes to fit the tall, average, petite \|/ J u and junior figure. I,*? Won't strain ^ V i r4 at seams * Won't twist at leading stores everywhere or write MOVIE STAR, INC., 159 Madison Ave., M Y. 16 $198 $25 FAMILY PARADISE FOR $5 When we bought out a large department store, we had the choice of selling out cheap to dealers or giving you folks a chance to buy the many wonderful and expensive things at "unbelievable prices. So. we've put up our giant "Treasure Chests" containing S5.95 Stainless Steel Carving Sets or 24 pc. Princess Mitzie Pattern Tableware Sets, Service for 6. ST. 3-pc, Pen and Pencil Sets, So. Glamour Kits. S3, worth of Shaving Needs including 100 nationally advertised blades. Jackpot of Tovs. lovely Gift Jewelry worth up to So. and other needs all priced at more than S25. Thrill the whole family or take care of plenty of Christmas giving. Everything new and perfect. Send name, address and pay postman So plus postage or send S5.75 and we'll send postpaid and include SI Ball Pen as an extra gift, treasure Chests, Box 1831-D, Bridgeport 1, Conn. For several years a number of doctors hare reported amazing success in treating Psoriasis with LIP AN — a new medical wonder taken internally, lip AX is a combination of glandular substances that treat certain internal disorders which many medical men now agree to be the cause of Psoriasis. Clinical results show LrpAX successful in over 90^ of cases treated. Even stubborn lesions are alleviated to a degree almost beyond belief. Absolutely harmless! Ask your druggist for LIP ax or write direct for free booklet. Or, send formonth's supply 180 tablets) enclosing check or money order for S8.50. SPIRT & COMPANY. Dept.DK-12-Waterbnry. Conn«ticnt nonslijb CATS PAW "FINEST MADE"