Hollywood (1942)

r Ms Holl> uooir§ Loneliest Ginger Rogers' broken romances have left her a lonely girl. Top right : her marriage to Lev. Ayres failed. Center: George Montgomery" swore devotion, then switched to Hedy Lamarr. Right: Ginger and Jean Gabin were a twosome until he went back to Dietrich. Ginger's in Once Upon a Honeymoon By i.lDltl.l OWENS ■ If you were young, wealthy, famous and beautiful, and, in addition, dressed exquisitely, danced like an angel, and enjoyed tennis, horseback riding and fishing, you'd imagine that no man who fell in love with you, would ever want to leave you. Ginger Rogers is and does all that. And yet she has not been successful in holding the men who loved her. Hollywood is beginning to wonder why she always loses out in the love game. Why do her romances end so unhappily? Ginger's two marriages flopped. The first was a youthful, impetuous union which was doomed to failure. When Ginger fell In love with handsome Jack Pepper, the vaudeville actor, she was only seventeen — too young to know her own mind and heart. The romance was cataclysmic while it lasted, but love's young dream faded fast. Ginger was too young and turbulent to face the responsibilities of marriage at that age. But when she married Lew Ayres, she really believed it would last forever. There were stars in Ginger's eyes and a prayer in her heart the day they were wed. She thought that the mistakes of her first marriage would teach her how to handle the problems of her second. Yet Ginger didn't succeed in holding Lew Ayres. Lew is a strange, moody and philosophical person. Ginger at that time was a gay, warm girl. She loved people and they loved her. When their marriage failed. Hollywood blamed it on career trouble. Ginger's career began to boom, while Lew's remained at a standstill. Hollywood implied the marriage failed because Lew couldn't take it. But that was only the shadow of the truth. The real reason was that while they loved each other, they couldn't live together in peace and happiness. It would have taken a woman of great tact and understanding to get along with Lew ... a woman whose career didn't matter in comparison with the man she loved. But Ginger, exhausted from her work at the studio, couldn't cope with his moods. She wasn't self-effacing enough to succeed in holding him. When they parted, Hollywood waited for the divorce suit. But nothing happened. Ginger retired to her hilltop mansion, away from everyone. She pretended gaiety and went out with Jimmy Stewart, David Niven and Robert Riskin. But Ginger wasn't in love with any of them. Her heart still cried out the name of Lew Ayres. Secretly, she began meeting Lew again . . . quietly in out-of-the-way restaurants. Ginger knew she would have to kill the love he kindled in her heart. If they went back together again, she knew the same thing would happen. It was almost four years after they separated before Ginger fell in love again. She had met Howard Hughes, who is one of Hollywood's greatest heartbreakers. He has, at one time or another, captured the heart of almost every glamour girl in Hollywood. But few of them ever fell harder than Ginger. Hughes became a constant caller at Ginger's home. A new light of happiness began to shine in her eyes. She didn't talk about their romance, but her joy was as visible as a rainbow. It wasn't until after she sued for divorce that Hollywood learned that Howard Hughes had captured her heart. Ginger appeared at the studio one day wearing a giant emerald surrounded by huge baguette diamonds. It was the symbol of Howard's devotion. Hollywood waited breathlessly for the announcement of their marriage plans. No other Hollywood actress had been able to lead him to the altar. But Ginger was different, Hollywood thought. She shared all his interests from dancing to flying. However, something went wrong. The romance was broken, and Ginger went into seclusion. Her interest in her career grew lukewarm. She had always rehearsed for hours even when directorshadn'tasked her to, but now she showed up late for work, her eyes smudged with weariness from lack of sleep. Yes, Ginger was carrying a torch. Though her heart was not in it, she began going out again with other men. At about this time George Montgomery came into her life. He swore he was madly in love with her. [Continued on page 32] 26 HOLLYWOOD