Modern Screen (Dec 1949 - Nov 1950)

1 Ladd, and Donald O'Connor were invalided out of the last was, which means that they will probably be excluded from this one. Occasionally, the public thinks that movie stars are fawned upon while in the service and given a lot of breaks that ordinarily soldiers don't get. Not true! If anything, the opposite is. During World War EE, Army non-coms and inept officers abused Red Skelton so consistently that many a night he bawled himself to sleep. They put him on latrine duty for months; they ordered him to do the dirtiest work; they made life miserable for him in an attempt to show that the Army played no favorites. One time, Red, who has exceptionally healthy teeth, reported to the post dentist for a checkup. The captain's nurse remarked that she'd like to have a souvenir from the Hollywood star. In five minutes her boss yanked out one of Skelton's molars and had him autograph it for the dear girl! Somehow, Red recovered the tooth. When he went on furlough, he took it to Dr. John Duzik, the young Beverly Hills dentist who was engaged to June Haver when he died. "Offhand," Duzik told Skelton, "this looks like a normally healthy tooth." Red was inconsolable. He wept for half an hour. Victor Mature was another serviceman who had it rough. Mature was in the Coast Guard. One night while he was pulling shore duty, one of the braid asked him to open up about Rita Hayworth. At the time, Vic was very much in love with Rita and didn't particularly cherish the idea of making public the most private side of his life. "Come on," urged the officer. "Let's have the lowdown on her. I hear tell she's real hot." Mature drew back his right hand and let go with one short punch. A week later he was pulling Coast Guard duty on the high seas out of Iceland. Turhan Bey, when he was going with Lana Turner, was drafted into the Army five or six years ago. He, too, was given a rough deal by stupid noncoms who wanted a complete briefing on his dates with the lovely Lana. After a while, he made up the most fantastic stories just to keep everyone amused. Bill Holden, when he was stationed with the Air Forces in Texas, listened with great rapture while a fellowofficer conjured up the most incredible tales about Hollywood and its stars. When the officer began to regale everyone with stories of an actress, named Brenda Marshall, Holden got up and softly said, "That's just a lot of baloney." "Who are you to say that?" demanded the lieutenant. Holden smiled. "I just happen to be her husband." you don't have to know the language (Continued from page 63) in obvious distaste, and immediately steered her to a swank dressmaker, then to an equally elegant makeup expert. At the end of the week, Marta was taken back to La Guardia Field in order to "arrive" again for the benefit of the press. She began to wonder if she had done the right thing in coming to America. Marta's childhood was devoted to the classic dance for which she had exceptional talent, and which has given her today a fluid grace of movement. As a baby she had been unusually active and lenn Ford, ex-sergeant in the Marines, >^ was worked as hard as any enlisted man in the corps. "He had to prove," an ex-buddy of his recently explained, "that he could take it whether he came from Hollywood or not." Ford lost 24 pounds as a leatherneck. A few screen celebrities were handled with kid gloves in the service, but not many. Mickey Rooney, who married an Alabama girl, Betty Jane Rase, while in training down there, allegedly promised his topkick that he could manage him when the war was over. When this deal failed to materialize, the sergeant filed suit against Mickey. Bob Mitchum worked in an aircraft plant for eighteen months and wasn't drafted until World War II was over. With one or two exceptions, Hollywood's actors in the last war took whatever was coming without fear or flinching. They sought no favors and asked only to do their duty. Most of them volunteered and weren't drafted. Undoubtedly, they and their successors will act the same way in this war. What worries the studios is that many an actress will insist upon joining her husband if he is sent to a training camp. Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Powell, and Esther Williams will all move to nearby communities if their husbands are called into the service. Naturally enough, they want to spend as much time with their men as possible. Jeanne Crain, Betsy Kelly, Gloria Stewart, and Elizabeth Dailey say they will do the same thing. In the last war, Elizabeth spent as much time with Dan Dailey at various training camps as she possibly could. She even took a job in a cavalry post. Betsy Kelly stayed in Washington with Gene when he was sent there, and Georgia I Skelton spent every spare minute that the | authorities would permit with Red at Camp Roberts. The present war is too young to have altered the face of Hollywood, but if it continues for a year or two, it not only will drain the available manhood out of the film colony, but it will transform this community into one of the most "blacked out" ones in America. For this is not only the home of motion pictures, it is the greatest airplane construction center in the world. Plans for the reopening of the worldfamous Hollywood Canteen have already been made, and the camouflage paints and nets have already been taken out of store rooms. Like the rest of the nation, Hollywood is girding for war. And one official at 20th Century-Fox has reached this dismal conclusion: "If the war lasts more than two years," he says, "practically every actor in Hollywood will see active duty." The End when she was four, her mother took her to Vera Alexandrova, a dancing teacher of excellent reputation. Marta was a shy child, and while she performed well with the class, she was unable to bring herself to dance alone. Instead of forcing Marta, Vera merely told her that eventually she would have the courage. The teacher told little stories that went with the music, and one day she described a lovely sunrise. Marta was charmed by the story, and for the first time, offered to dance her impression. In interpreting the sunrise, she had the opportunity to begin After he has seen you the first time, will he want to see you again . . . and again? Will your hair glow with color . . . color that invites his eyes to linger? Rinse in glorious Marchand color after each shampoo. Be sure . . . give yourhz.it this added enchantment! There are flattering shades for you, whether you are blonde, brownette, brunette or redhead . . . 12 shades to choose from. 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