Modern Screen (Jan-Dec 1960)

few stages around here, and lots of them in New York. New York, Denny, that's where the breaks are. That's where I want to go to get my chance." "And you think it'll be easy there?" Denny had asked. "I do." "Do you think it's going to be the same as the last time you were there, last year? A celebrity. A princess. One of the Miss Rheingold finalists, living in the fancy Ambassador Hotel, with lots of pampering, nothing to pay for, nothing to do but stand around and look pretty?" "Not exactly, no," Diane had said. "But New York, big as it is, happens to be a wonderfully warm and big-hearted town. I know, Denny. I've been there, happy there. And I'm sure I'll be happy there again. And no, no, I don't think I'm making any mistake, or doing anything wrong. And I'm going, Denny," she'd said. "I am going!" She opened her eyes now, as her mother re-entered the living room, carrying a tray and tea. "Feeling better?" Mrs. Baker asked her daughter, as she walked towards the couch. "A little," Diane said. "Well, take my word, a few tastes of this magnificent brew of mine and you'll be feeling lots better," Mrs. Baker said, laying down the tray, pouring the tea. She handed a cup to Diane. "You still look so serious . . . and pale, darling," Mrs. Baker said, after a little while. "What've you been thinking?" "Just now, about New York again," Diane said. "About the mistake that it was. About how tired I am of making mistakes. About — " "Yes?" her mother asked. 'About how I'm going to rectify this mistake, Mom," Diane said. She brought her cup up to her lips. Her hand trembled a little, as she did. She took a sip of her tea. "I've decided to give up the whole acting thing," she said then. "It's no good for me. I'm going to give it up." "Now wait a minute — " her mother started. "Give it up," Diane interrupted, softly, "forget about it. And stay here, at home, where I belong. With you. With daddy. The girls. Denny." "Now wait a minute" Mrs. Baker repeated, more sharply this time. "Staying at home. Yes. That's fine, Diane. But giving up your acting, your ambitions, all those dreams you used to have as a little girl. That, Diane, that I don't like. "Look," she went on, "I said it before, and I'll say it again. You made a mistake? You learned something from it? Fine. That's what mistakes are for. "But to become defeated by a mistake?" She shook her head. "No. No. That's no good. And I, as your mother, won't hear of it. Not from any daughter of mine! "Now listen," she said. "Sherman Oaks here isn't so very far from Hollywood, is it? And in Hollywood they've got the biggest movie studios in the world, don't they? And all sorts of producers on the watch for talent? And agents? And drama schools? And everything you could want? "Well," she said, "in a couple of weeks, after you've had a nice rest, after you've gotten to know your family again, gotten to know your Denny again, you hie on down to that town called Hollywood and you might just be surprised to find it waiting for you. Right here! "How about it, Diane," her mother asked, " — does that sound reasonable to you?" "Yes, Mama," she said. "Yes." Mrs. Baker sighed. "And Diane, Diane," she said, "please don't go crying again now, with that cup up there in front of your face. • . . It's sugar you"re supposed to put in your tea. Not salt." And after she'd said that, they both looked at one another and began to smile — Diane through her tears, Mrs. Baker through a few tears of her own. . . . end Editor's Note: Within a year after this evening, Diane Baker, who'd since enrolled in a drama class with coach Estelle Harman, was spotted by a talent scout, given a test at Twentieth Century-Fox Studios and signed to play the role of Margot in The Diary of Anne Frank. Following this came star billing in The Best of Everything oid the just-released Journey To The Center Of The Earth, with Pat Boone and James Mason. The word around Fox is that this is only the beginning ... it couldn't happen to a nicer girl! "I Never Feel Sure About My Marriage" (Continued from page 37) having won this borrowed-from-kids race. Then, surrounded by press agents, managers, and a swarm of fans, they went back to the hotel to dress for dinner. Even though the afternoon had been busy and they had been surrounded by strangers all day, Pat didn't mind, because this evening they were going to have a quiet dinner with two friends, a couple from Hollywood who were coming down especially for the race. When they were alone at the hotel Shirley told Pat the bad news. Their friends wouldn't be joining them. "Nobody sick, is there?" Pat asked worriedly. Shirley shook her head. Then she took a deep breath and told him. Their friends were getting a divorce. As swiftly and as suddenly as that. "But everything was fine when we left," Pat said in amazement. "He'd finished his picture and they were coming down here to have some fun with us. I just can't believe it." "I didn't want to tell you before," Shirley said. "I didn't want to spoil winning the race for you, darling." Pat gave her a grateful kiss. Then, shaking his head in disbelief, he repeated: "I still can't believe it." But the newspapers they glimpsed on the way out to dinner confirmed the sad story, in glaring headlines, of another "idyllic" Hollywood marriage that had hit the rocks. They had dinner alone at a small, dimly lit, romantic restaurant. Trying to forget, for a few hours, the unhappiness of their friends, they joked, held hands and whispered to each other as if the years had rolled away. "Pat," Shirley said, "I'm so glad we came. Even if it is only a weekend." Pat grinned and squeezed her hand. But, he couldn't get his mind off his friends' 66 divorce . . . They'd had plenty of money . . . fame, too . . . and yet, in the midst of the terrific pressures of the life of fame that stars in Hollywood lead, something had gone wrong with their marriage ... it was too easy to throw stones at people for this, Pat knew . . . most people see only the bright, glittering exterior, not the day to day tug-of-war which anyone has who wants to remain a simple human being in the middle of the most glamorous life in the world And one thing Pat was sure of: that the only kind of person who could keep a marriage alive, was a simple, human kind. . . . Be vigilant, always "Penny for your thoughts," Shirley was saying. "Oh, I was thinking; wondering how many stars will be taking that sad divorce road this coming year. It's kind of a sobering thought." "I was thinking kind of the same thing," she replied sympathetically. "Remember that magazine reporter in the hotel this morning?" Pat said. "Well, he asked me: 'Pat, with things the way they are in Hollywood, why are you so certain of your marriage?' ... I said, 'I'm not!' Boy, did he jump. But then I told him what I really believe: As soon as you're sure, you're in danger." Pat glanced at Shirley to see her reaction to this. "I think you're right, Pat," she said. w Good news for Pat Boone fans. A A On March 1, his best-selling book, Zk A "Twixt Twelve and Twenty" will J *A come within allowance range. E 2 After selling close to half a R K million copies at $2.95 per. it's # W. being published in a paperback A w edition priced at just 35$! A Pat laughed. "I figured and hoped you would. After all, I've always called you the pessimist of the family." I'm not," Shirley rebelled, "I'm just a realist. That's an important difference. If more people in Hollywood were my kind of realists, things might turn out a lot better for some of them. I've done a lot of thinking about it. So often you see a young couple come to Hollywood. They're happy with each other and all's well. Then the guy makes it . . . makes it big. There are a million demands on him, on his time, on his mind and feelings. It's not easy to keep things on an even keel any more. "When they were struggling, they never knew where the next pork chop was coming from; and they had fun just watering the lawn, or window shopping. Now, when things are big, the people change . . . and somehow nothing's fun any more. It's not simple to insure yourself against that. That's why it's best to be a realist before that happens." "I know what you mean, honey," Pat said, slipping her arm through his. "You've got to be vigilant, always . . . you've got to safeguard your marriage." He sighed and it was a sigh of double meaning. It was full of happiness and also tinged with sadness . . . sadness for all those who, like his friends and all other unhappy stars, couldn't make it . . . who couldn't hold on to each other in the stormy seas of Hollywood marriage . . ■ and for all those who. in the coming year, would be dragged away from each other by the relentless undertow of success and stardom. . . . He thought then of the people, all over America, who loved these stars and wished them well. He wished there was some way he could tell them about the problems, the difficulties of being a star, as well as just a human being . . . and ask them to have patience and compassion. . . . Probably, Pat Boone thought, if I had that chance I could only say to all of them: "Please try to understand. That's all . . . Before you ever judge or condemn . . . try to understand!" Pat stars in Journey To The Center Of The Earth. 20th-Fox.