TV Radio Mirror (Jan - Jun 1963)

open-necked shirt. These gimmicks — these "shticks," as they are known to performers — did not attract Vince. He felt that, in his case, the best approach to an audience was to be sincere. "They'll be coming to find out if Ben Casey can really sing — and that's what I'll have to rely on to impress them. If I don't sing up a storm, nothing else will help. . . ." When Vince appeared on "The Dinah Shore Show," he did not wear the traditional dinner jacket. "I'm not coming out with a yo-yo suit on," he said then. Instead, he wore a black shirt, black trousers and a wide black belt. The fans, used to seeing him in doctor's whites, reacted agreeably to this change of appearance, as they did to the startling fact that their Ben Casey actually had a voice, a big voice, a voice of professional range and flexibility. The response was, by all polls, an unprecedented and overwhelming approval of his fans. "I don't see why I shouldn't wear the same outfit in Vegas," Vince half-asked Sherry. "I don't either . . ." she assured him. As rehearsals got under way, advisers were urging Vince to quit scowling "and practice up a nice mellow smile." "Everyone knows that would be out of character," he growled back. "I'm no laughing boy. And I don't plan to make with the jokes. If one comes to me naturally, I'll say it. But it's my honest opinion, the people who come to hear me will want me to be myself. I don't intend to snarl or make faces to frighten the kids. But I'm not going to put on a big artificial grin like a clown. That's final." The other gamble Vince made several trips to Las Vegas to get the feel of the place, but while there he made few appearances in the casinos. He did not feel in the best of humor. Word had reached him that Sherry was .still exhausted from her trip to Rome and still under a strain from the constant limelight she'd been in during those weeks. It had been, she confided to a friend, more than an exhausting experience. The demands made upon stars and everyone close to them, she had discovered, were terrifying to her. She and Vince had not been able to do any normal sightseeing. Even when they'd arrived back in Hollywood, after hours of plane travel, photographers and fans were waiting. "I felt and looked a wreck, I know it," she said. "Perhaps it's best if I don't accompany Vince's friends to Vegas for his opening night." But since Sherryis now working as Vince's secretary, it seems probable that she will have to spend at least part of the time with him in Vegas — and will find she wants to. And as for the gambling, did Vince intend to give the tables the go-by completely? "No," he told us frankly. "But if I do throw the dice once or twice, it'll be in the wee hours, after the late show. And I'll only play until I unwind from the strain, and then take off for bed. I want to get plenty of sleep and sun. I owe it to the gang at 'Ben Casey.' They're doing everything possible to help me by rearranging the shooting schedule." The gang at "Ben Casey" point out that, in spite of the efforts by all to cooperate, Vince's original opening date had to be postponed. When he does open, Vince will still have to make some trips back and forth from Vegas during the month he plays there. He will be needed on the sound stage for certain scenes that cannot be done in advance. He will have to dash from the stage of the late show to the airport, grab a few hours' sleep at his Hollywood home, rush to the set to do his stint, then back to the airport and another rush to make his first Riviera show. It'll be rough but, to Vince, it'll be worth it. "I know I've got the reputation for being the big bad wolf who huffs and puffs, growls and scowls," Vince said. "But when you come right down to the fundamentals, I'm like everyone else in show business. I want to be good, to give my best, and that's the most important thing. But ... I want them to like me, too. . . ." Elena Forest "Ben Casey" is seen on ABC-TV, Mon., 10 to 11 p.m. est. Vince also stars in "The Victors" (Columbia Pictures) and records as a singer (Decca label). DIANNE LENNON (Continued from page 52) first "going together" — and beginning as far back as their early teens — it has been clear that they considered children the major aim of marriage. Dick's family consists of eight brothers and sisters; Dianne's of eleven. Both have always found "a comfortable, secure sensation" in the mere presence of family. During the period of their engagement, there were some who accused them of being lacking in romantic fervor. Peggy once explained it to a friend who complained of that. "Dick and DeeDee are terribly in love," she told the girl. "Well, they never talk about love," the girl defended herself. "It's all about how they'll furnish their home, the children they hope to have, and how they'd like to have a bigger family than their parents. . . ." Because of this, there was a certain amount of speculation — not only within the circle of friends and family but also among Lennon fans — when the young Gass couple did not have a child right away. Some people wondered if the trouble was of a medical nature. For the benefit of those who might T think this, there is nothing wrong with v either Dianne or Dick. Undoubtedly, in R the future they will have their own children. Adoption on their part does not mean thev cannot have children of 74 their own or that they've given up that hope. Rather, it is evidence of the impatience and eagerness of Dianne and Dick not to waste more time going childless until the miracle of conception does occur. It is evidence of hearts too full of love not to share that love with a child — now. Some fans have hopefully suggested that perhaps, since DeeDee has had no children, she would be willing to return to the entertainment field. "Never!" she answers. "The girls often tour and that would mean being away from Dick. I've had some happy moments in the past when I sang with the Welk group, but that's definitely over for good. After all, a husband needs attention just as much as a child. I wouldn't untie my apron strings for a gown made of gold." A helpless child Once, when the younger Lennon kids were up to some mischief, and DeeDee was baby-sitting, she was asked if she ever "got mad" at the youngsters. "Sure!" she admitted. "Who doesn't get mad at kids and their little tricks? But it's not a real mad, you know. The little pests make up for lapses in a hundred different ways that tug at your heartstrings. From the parents down, each member of a family relies on the others, and, of course, the smaller ones do the most leaning. But in some ways, the elder ones rely on the younger ones, too, for their pep, their fun, their warm hugs and kisses, their changing moods — and. above all. for their help lessness. This is a kind of deep thought, about relying on their helplessness. "My father pointed it out to me once. Because the sweet kids depend on us so much, we don't dare show them that we may be in a weak, depressed or dependent mood ourselves. We have to measure up to what's expected of us, and be stronger than we might be otherwise. Mom always told us that, whenever she felt blue, just the sound of the kids coming home from school or rushing in for dinner or needing a dress mended or whatever . . . that alone pulled her out of herself and she became too busy and interested to brood or worry. It's one reason, one among a dozen, that Dick and I can't picture anything more wonderful than being part of a big family . . . unless it's being parents of a big family." On another occasion, speaking of the success of the Lennon Sisters, shortly after she and Dick were married, she spoke about the family's standard of living. "You know," DeeDee said, "we're not rich and we've never been rich. Up until three years ago, nine of us were living in a two-bedroom house in Venice. We four girls slept in one bedroom, the three boys in the other, and Mom and Daddy slept in the living room. "It's funny, the more crowded we got, the closer we were to one another. I mean that. You can't imagine the fun we had. And that's why Dick and I, even if we don't make a lot of money, are not afraid of having a lot of children. We know from personal experience in our own homes that it doesn't