Hollywood Studio Magazine (March 1967)

INSIDE THE INDUSTRY . . By Marjorie Sells Motion Picture Country House ly, “I was expecting gin!” The mass television, radio and news coverage of the party proved two important facts: (1) That Mr. Vandermace is a very wonderful and popular man; (2) That the Motion Picture Relief Fund certainly lives up to its motto: Dodgers, Universal, Pretty Girls, City Council, Celebrities Honor Centenarian Frank Vandermace •sp Happy Birthday, Frank Vandermace. Surrounded by starlets from Universal City Studios (right), four ladies in white (left) members of the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital Guild; and standing in the center foreground are trustees of the Motion Picture Relief Fund Leon Ames, Otto Kruger and George L. Bagnall, President, and a representative of the Los An¬ geles Dodgers. IT was a big day at the Motion Pic¬ ture Country House and Hospital last month (Feb. 3). Our esteemed resident, Mr. Frank Vandermace, celebrated his hundredth birthday. Bob Hope, Jack Benny and Red Skelton would have had a hard time keeping up with a spry and popular centenarian, who is noted for his ap¬ preciation for pretty girls and the Dodger baseball team. Universal City Studios, where he worked as a stagehand and carpen¬ ter from 1911-38, sent three lovely contract actresses, Eileen Wesson, Ena Hartman and Marianne Gordon, to personally congratulate Frank. They presented him with a real hundred dollar bill, folded like a flower, and an abundance of kisses which caused Frank to quip: “If you lovely ladies were only eighty years older....” Although Walter O’Malley was out of town, he sent the Dodgers’ public relations man to the celebration to present Frank with a Dodger cap, bat, autographed baseball, and opening day box tickets. Los Angeles City Councilman Paul H. Lamport, also celebrating his birthday, gave Frank an official res¬ olution citing him for his “self-ad¬ mitted acute interest in girls and baseball.” He received congratulatory let¬ ters and telegrams from people as¬ sociated with the industry: Mary Pickford, Sen. George Murphy, Greg¬ ory Peck and Jack Valente, presi¬ dent of Motion Picture Producers Association. Although he is of Dutch extrac¬ tion, when actor Leon Ames pre¬ sented Vandermace with a case of Dutch beer, Frank commented wry- “We take care of our own.” Another big event for the House and Hospital last month was the wel¬ come visit of a production crew from KHJ-TV studios headed by pro¬ ducer Milt Hoffman and the popu¬ lar entertainer Jack Denton. They spent two entire days inter¬ viewing and filming on our Wood¬ land Hills facilities. The star of their show was the Country House and Hospital. The film will be seen as an hour-long segment of “On The Scene,” a new KHJ-TV color pro¬ gram scheduled to premiere in April which Mr. Denton is to host. Another exciting announcement — 20th Century-Fox will stage its West Coast premiere of “Doctor Dolittle” on Dec. 21 as a benefit for the Mo¬ tion Picture Relief Fund. Announcing the benefit premiere of the Arthur P. Jacobs’ production, which stars Rex Harrison, Saman¬ tha Eggar and Anthony Newley, were George Bagnall, Fund presi¬ dent; Gregory Peck, chairman of the Endowment and Building Campaign; Richard Zanuck, 20th Century-Fox executive vice president, and Mr. Jacobs. BIG FUSS — Frank Vandermace, celebrat¬ ing his hundredth birthday at the Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, en¬ joys the attention being paid to him by lovely Universal contract starlets Eileen Wesson, Ena Hartman and Marianne Gordon, left to right. Goerge Bagnall, Fund president, stands in the background with letters of congratulation from Hollywood celebrities. 18