Hollywood (1942)

The Truth About Melvyn Douglas' Defense Job [Continued from page 26] recent past for non-existent evidence that he was a Communist. Among them they built up a fictitious Melvyn Douglas who was a combination of a lisping adagio dancer and a bomb-throwing Bolshevik. One of the horrible allegations thrown at him was that he was a member of the California State Board of Public Welfare. Because of his sympathy for the kind of migratory workers pictured in The Grapes of Wrath, Douglas has been castigated time and again as a socialistic monster. He was threatened with tar and feathers three years ago for daring to provide, at his own expense, Christmas dinners for an entire encampment of starving okies. According to his detractors, this good Samaritan act was dangerous because it encouraged laziness and attracted an undesirable type of immigrant to California. Another indictment hurled against him was that he was chairman for California of the White House Conference on Children in a Democracy. This means that as a father he is interested in what is going to happen to his children. Melvyn Douglas was one of the founders of the California State Guard, along with Russell Hicks and Lewis Stone. This was a group of patriotic citizens who saw trouble looming and took steps to do something about it. They bought their own uniforms and drilled on high school grounds. When the international situation became ominous for the United States, the Guard was recognized as an important defense adjunct. The governor was asked to appoint a permanent command of higher officers. In discussing such appointments Douglas was one of the first he mentioned. The actor had been pencilled in as a lieutenant-colonel. Immediately the wail went up, "He's a Communist!" Before the appointment could be made, Douglas wired Governor Olsen his wish that the commission be withheld because there were others better qualified than he. Douglas first drew the fire of the busybodies when he declared in a public gathering that the Spanish Revolution was a dress rehearsal for Nazi-Fascist aggression, an assertion confirmed by history. In this period he was invited to participate in a radio program organized by an Americanization committee headed by Dr. John Lechner. His chore on the program was to read the Declaration of Independence, an assignment he accepted readily. On arriving at the studio he discovered, however, that the script contained opinions contrary to his own about Nazism and Fascism as they affected Spain. Accordingly he asked to be excused from the program, a suggestion to which Dr. Lechner agreed. The next day rumors were darting about Hollywood that Melvyn Douglas, the well-known "lousy Communist agitator," had refused to read the Declaration of Independence. At once there was a hue and cry by all the Hollywood hotheads and hopheads. The emptiness of this accusation is attested by the fact that since that time Douglas and Dr. Lechner have worked together in many causes and have the highest regard for each other. "The nastiest kind of sniping against me has been by public figures who describe me as 'Melvyn — er — Hesselberg — Douglas, so-called.' I have never tried to conceal the fact that my name was originally Hesselberg. It appears in all the mimeographed biographies. The change to Douglas was merely a matter of euphony. Hesselberg is a name that is honored and respected in the musical world because of my father's accomplishments, accomplishments for which there need be no apology." His O. C. D. job is a very real job, that of marshalling the best artistic talent to do its superlative best for the nation. He will stay at it until the snide criticism of smaller men embarrasses his chiefs, Dean Landis and President Roosevelt. The only thing phony about his job is the salary, which is a quick zero, with scallions on the side. ■ i '!*».,,.M"i Hilarious is the word for Joan Davis as she goes into her dance in Republic'sYokel Boy. The irrepressible Joan never fails to keep 'em laughing with her own inimitable flair for comedy SUSAN HAYWARD "REAP THE WILD WIND* PARAMOUNT the new pwhwear stockings ARE BEAUTIFUL AND THEY WEAR AS WELL AS THEY LOOK The Stars are complimenting Townwear Hose — by wearing them . . . and these best dressed of American women know what they are talking about too. Sheer, formfitting, full-fashioned stockings are important, even in times like these — important to your appearance and feeling of being well dressed — morale, if you like. ownwear are still the best looking stockings money can buy— just as they have always been. Our choice of hosiery yarns is limited, as is our production of fine hose, but we are not forgetting all of you who love beautiful clothes — and the label, Townwear, on fullfashioned hosiery will continue to stand for the very best in beauty, wear, & streamlined fit. 65