Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1963)

things on a typically colossal Hollywood scale. About this time Louis B. Mayer, head of M-G-M. sent for me. He was crying big tears. Louis always cried. “David,” he said, “we are the studio that gave you your first test. We gave you the break. Now I hear you’ve gone over to the enemy. You’re making TV films. I beg you — don’t do it.” Biting hack t he impulse to tell him I hadn't worked for M-G-M for eight years, and that they'd never used me after that initial test, I said mildly I was very happy and intended to go on making TV films. Mr. Mayer’s face hardened. The tears miraculously dried up. “Then you'll never set foot again in my studios,” he said. I didn’t for a long time, but then I did three films for M-G-M. Television is now respectable. Actually, I’ve been fantastically lucky. It’s not everyone who gets a second chance, and the opportunity to start again. I’ve almost had two separate careers — one before the war, and one after. I’ve been lucky in love. too. After I lost my first wife, I was fortunate enough to meet Hjordis, my present wife. I’ve always been married; I like it that way. Hjordis and I have been together now Tears at M-G-M for thirteen years. She’s Swedish; I’m British; we live in Switzerland with my two sons . . . true Internationals. It’s a good life! I am very lucky! — As told to Unity Hall describe as a tremendous black taffeta tent. Shaken by this apparition and nervous anyway, I grabbed her to kiss her (part of the script) but grabbed too hard. She wasn’t easy to find under all that taffeta. There was a sort of twanging noise, and up from the front of her dress shot a length of whalebone — straight up my nose. Not only was this disconcerting, but painful. It had gone so far I couldn’t disengage myself. Thinking hopefully that perhaps it didn’t show from the front, I tried to play the love scene, tears streaming down my cheeks. Eventually by standing on my tip-toes, I managed to disencumber myself, but there it was, yards of whalebone sticking into the air with Gloria quite unconscious of anything. Desperately I pushed the runaway stay back down the front of her dress and she squeaked. The audience, who up until then had sat in unbelieving silence, burst into roars of laughter. But the whalebone kept bobbing up again. Finally, the only thing left to do was to pull it out completely. And there I was left with it in my hand. The only thing to do seemed to be to wave it triumphantly. The audience applauded madly. The next morning one New York critic said, “I understand from the programme that Miss Swanson designed her own clothes. Like the play, these came apart in the first act.” Needless to say, “Nina” had a very short life and her demise after twelve weeks was merciful. And there I was facing the breadline again. But fortunately for me, Otto Preminger had seen the play and must have spotted something in it that no one else did. Because he offered me the lead in “The Moon is Blue” and fortunately for me, that turned out to be a big success. When things are at rock-bottom, they can only get better. Just before “Tbe Moon is Blue,” Charles Boyer and Dick Powell suggested I might like to join them in a new television company they were starting. I was. keen, all right. This was something I could do. Something I could get my teeth into. I coughed up my share of the starting money — about £2000 I managed to raise, and we were away with a capital of peanuts— £6000. We made a pilot for a series called “The Four Star Playhouse” and sold it to Singer Sewing Machines — and we were off. The trouble was, we hadn’t a fourth star, and at that time television was poison to film people. No one would join us. They were all scared of the enemy. Finally Joan Fontaine agreed to do just one play, and we suggested to our sewing machine sponsors, very cunningly, that we had a different fourth star every week, and let the audience be surprised at what turned up. Surprisingly, they fell for it. We nearly all went berserk, rushing about, running the company and starring in scripts ourselves. We were making our films with a three-day schedule, and it was all something of a panic, particularly as we were short of money, but used to doing David stars in “55 Days at Peking” and “The Pink Panther” for United Artists. Just insert one tiny tablet in vagina. ..works instantly without water! STOP VAGINAL ODORS ALL DAY LONG! NEW WAY WITHOUT DOUCHING! Fight vaginal itch , discharge , and other female problems! New vaginal tablet kills germs fast, with results that last! Now smart women control all these vaginal problems without old-fashioned douching: Vaginal itch. Vaginitis. Discharges. Common Infections. Irritations. Burning. Chafing. 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