Screenland Plus TV-Land (Jul 1959 - May 1960)

Hollywood Love Life continued from page 11 RECONCILATION — We're happy to report the split between Efrem Zimbalist. Jr., and Stephanie lasted' only a week. Zimmy says, ''All married couples have problems and we reached a point where it seemed best to work them out separately. We did." SPLIT — Sorry to report that Gustavo Rojo and his wife, German actress Eriha Remberg. are divorcing. Career trouble. Gustavo has been working here — recently in "The Miracle" and TV — and she s been in Europe. Married last June, they spent only a few weeks together. He's very broken up about the end of the marriage because he had hoped for a real family life. His first wife died tragically. He has a 5-year-old daughter and Erika has. too, and the little girls had been very happy together here. FABE'S BACK— Yes, Fabian's back, but no ■ girl has got him! Just after he arrived in town he attended a party for Connie Francis, here for her night club opening, and Fabe asked a friend, "Don't you know any girls my age here who aren't in the business? The girls I've met act so old!" And that was before he met Tuesday Weld with whom he's working in '"H.gh Time". Fabe really wins friends faster than Dale Carnegie ever did. He has an unspoiled, unaffected charm that bowls over the blase Hollywoodians. HOME FOLKS— Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward are back in town to costar in ''From The Terrace " but they're seldom seen at the popular bistros or parties. They've rented a house and say they like to stay home and "sit by the fire." They had to learn to ice skate for their new roles, took lessons at a local rink and Joanne, the deep South gal who'd never tried before, was a better pupil than Paul who had skated a bit in his youth. "Beginner's luck," she declares. MM. SURPRISE— Marilyn Monroe surprised everybody — in fact, it was an object of brisk betting — when she arrived at her party to introduce Yves Montand to the press only ten minutes late! She usually appears anywhere from one to two hours after the appointed time. Maybe it's the good influence of playwright-husband Arthur Miller who's here with her for '"the duration" of "Let's Make Love" in which she and French star Yves are co-starred. Another party surprise: Marilyn wore an offwhite gown which was not cut too low! BATTLING — Kathy Nolan and boy friend Bob "Laramie" Fuller have been having party fights. He says she's trying to "tie him down" and he's not about to be, Kathy! . . . Troy Donahue and Nan Morris, who have been dating off-and-on for nearly three years, are in the off-again stage and Troy has been beauing young Saundra Edivards and Diane McBain. But Diane's also been seeing Jimmy Boyd. LOVE LINES— Arlene Howell and husband Paul La Cava, a young business executive, expect their first baby in June. Arlene's so happy, even though she'll have to be written out of some "'Bourbon Street Beat" shows. . . . Gardner McKay still dates Greta Chi but his Big Interest at the moment is Pasadena society girl Kay Newell. END The Amazing Mr. Burr continued, from page 45 length play, "The Happiest Millionaire", for a two-night run as a benefit for a needy parochial school. He recruited Barbara Hale. Bill Talman. and Barbara's husband. Bill Williams, as cast members. They worked on "Perry Mason" during the day and rehearsed the play at night. It was an exhausting set-up, especially for Ray who only had three days to learn one of the longest parts ever written for an actor. It didn't matter that he was terribly fatigued — all that counted was that $17.000 was raised for the nuns in those two nights — of which there was a net of $11,000 after production expenses were paid. The actors got nothing — except satisfaction— for dieir efforts. So why does Ray work so hard? He answers with a grin, "Because I'm three-fourths idiot." Ray simply loves acting and he wants to do a good job. He is especially firm about the quality of "'Perry Mason". "It's been said that I own part of the show," Ray remarked. "'This is decidedly not true. Each year I work harder on it. though, than I did the preceding year. It's not that I'm overwhelmed with the greatness of the program because I do feel I could do it better. And I hope that the people who have the power to make it better don't forget that. I've never shown any temperament on the show but if I ever see anyone letting down on the quality, believe me, I'll be heard from then! And I want you to quote that!" he said firmly. Acting isn't his only interest. He has an inveterate thirst for knowledge and he feels his role as an actor has done much to add to his learning. When he once played George Washington in the play. "Valley Forge", he did such intensive research he became an authority on the first president. He learned much about J i r i 1 1 1 j history when he did Henry VIII in "Anne Of A Thousand Days". And when he played Gauguin he read everything about the painter and even came into po-.>es-,ion of two rare letters written by him. Ray is also quite an avid collector of paintings — and he intends to start his own gallery in a year or so. He is forever on the lookout for new artists and their works. Once, when he was in a gallery in New Orleans he saw a picture he especially liked, one by a renowned painter which had belonged to a friend of his. He asked the manager if he could buy it but was told he couldn't. "Then why do you have it here on display?" Ray asked. He was told that it had been part of a collection owned by a prominent local personality. The man had been in a serious accident and thought he was going to die, so he decided to sell his paintings to his friends at very nominal figures — he sort of willed them away. Ray continued to ask to buy the picture so finally the manager said, "All right — I'll give it to you for what I paid for it — $500." The picture has since been appraised for $28,000. Ray also collects antiques and he was especially enthusiastic about a rare piece called a petrin which, to the uninitiated, means a dough trough. "'It's shaped like a casket on a stand," he said. "'And it's about 200 years old. In the old days bread was made on it and then placed inside to rise. You can guess what I plan to do with it." He is going to make bread in it himself, of course! Ray is quite a cook and although he has help, he prepares all the meals at his home. Recently, he bought a restaurantlike stove with two ovens, eight burners, and a grill. As he said enthusiastically. "I can make 50 loaves of bread in it." This is a man who never finds life dull. A man who has never lost his perspective, whose integrity cannot be questioned. It is because he is the kind of honest, unpretentious individual he is that his performance as Perry Mason has become a favorite of so many people. It's easy to understand why his fans write to him as though he were a friend. That's how he looks on them. It was close to midnight when Rav finished his work that night. He was tired, so much so that he spoke haltingly, as though he couldn't think, but there was still that tremendous drive and that wonderful sense of humor. "Got to take a nap now." he said airily. ""Three o'clock in the morning does come early, you know." No wonder Hollywood shakes its head and continues to ask. "How does he do it?" No one. not even Ray Burr, has the answer to that one. END 63