Hollywood (Jan - Mar 1943)

By DORA ALBERT This is the exclusive story on why Nelson Eddy bought up his lucrative screen contract Has lielson Eddy Ctnit the Screen? | Hollywood was thunder-struck when the news burst upon the unsuspecting town that Nelson Eddy had bought up his contract at Metro. The newspapers carried a half-dozen sensational stories purporting to give the lowdown on the situation. The rumor mongers screamed, "Nelson Eddy is through in pictures!" Others said that he had walked out on Metro because another studio had made him a better offer. One columnist even went so far as to state that Nelson had quit because Metro had asked him to give an imitation of Bing Crosby in his next picture, and that was an indignity Nelson Eddy just couldn't suffer. To get the truth, it was necessary to talk directly with Nelson Eddy, which was something neither the rumor mongers nor the columnists had done. The interview was held backstage at the Lux Theater in Hollywood, where Nelson broadcasts each Wednesday night. Instead of an embittered, angry young man complaining about the treatment he had received at the hands of his former studio, Nelson was calm. "Most of . the rumors you heard were false," he stated. "I know it would make a better story to say I had a terrific fight with Metro, but it isn't true. The whole thing was settled quite peacefully. "I didn't give up my contract because another studio dangled a tempting picture in front of me or offered me something better. I've heard of such things being done, but, believe me, I wouldn't do it to my worst enemy. "It was a good clean break for an honest reason. Metro had no scripts for me that were suitable; but I was still drawing a pretty large salary. The studio felt it ought to put me in something and hastily whipped together a story to be called Lucky Number f Once he read the script, Nelson had a quick hunch the picture would not be a lucky number for him. He had just finished a picture called I Married an Angel, in which Nelson played the part of a young roue. If ever there was a case of miscasting, it was putting him into that role. Neither he nor Jeanette MacDonald were enthusiastic about the picture. All the sophisticated and witty dialogue and situations had to be cut out of the plot due to censorship. Unfortunately, what was left was very dull. "There wasn't one solitary thing I did in I Married an Angel" Nelson says in vindication, "but stand around and kiss thirty beautiful girls. Thirty kisses don't make a good picture — not unless the picture also has a substantial plot." Nelson's chauffeur saw the picture and said, "Boss, if that picture isn't a hit, it isn't your fault. You had nothing to do. Almost everything you did was cut out of the picture." But Nelson took the matter more seriously. When fans wrote him that the picture didn't live up to their expectations, he decided not to appear in any more pictures that would disappoint them. So for months, he idled while Metro looked around desperately for a suitable plot. Finally, they announced him for Lucky Number. "It's true," Nelson said, "that I was expected to do an imitation of Bing Crosby in Lucky Number. Also, I was to do an imitation of Eddie Cantor, and maybe Gene Autry. But the gossips were way off the track when they hinted that I was annoyed at the thought of imitating Bing. The truth is that it was the only thing about the picture that I liked! All I had to do was to put on a cap like Bing's, toss my head on one side, and go 'Boo-booboo-boo,' in crooner fashion. Can you imagine me getting mad about a thing like that? "I wasn't mad, either, at having to return my back pay to Metro. It was a perfectly fair business deal. When a contract has to be terminated, usually either the studio or the actor pays. If the studio tosses the actor out, it usually pays him in order to get rid of him. When an actor wants his freedom, he usually pays to get rid of his contract. "Anyway, the money I returned to Metro was money I hadn't really earned. My contract said I had to be paid whether I worked or not. But I had been idle, so why shouldn't I return money received for doing nothing?" Nelson Eddy has made no picture since J Married an Angel. He works in his garden hoeing potatoes; broadcasts over the radio; and has taken part in benefits for the Army, the Navy, the Victory Committee and Russian War Relief. He also made transcriptions for Mexican Independence Day. He is perfectly contented. But his fans are beginning to worry. "Is Nelson Eddy through with pictures?" they want to know. "I have no definite plans for a picture," Nelson replies. "I'm not pressing studios to try to find me a story, nor is my agent frantically peddling me. But I'll be delighted to make a picture if the right script comes along. So far, several have been submitted to me, but none of them was the kind of thing I want to do. "I'm in a sweet spot. For the first time since I came to Hollywood, I'm in a position to pick and choose. And I have made up my mind that I will never make another bad picture if I can help it. "I Married an Angel was a script that had been darned and mended for years. Metro tried to do something with it, but by the time they got through, it consisted of nothing but darns and mends. I was afraid Lucky Number would be just as bad for me. "I want something with a solid idea, whether it's a [Continued on page 33] 30