Hollywood (Jan - Mar 1943)

Hit Sydney Greenstreet renounced his stage past of comedy roles to become Hollywood's heaviest "heavy." His huge bulk lends the quality of menace to the villainous roles he portrays on the screen. He's seen in Warner Brothers' Background to Danger II v CHARLOTTE KAYE | It is downright disquieting to meet a gentleman like Sydney Greenstreet. You see him on the screen and get all excited because he is the very essence of the bloodchilling menace, breathing corruption and evil. Then you walk into his charming cottage in the Hollywood hills and find a genial soul with a twinkle in his eye and a chuckly sense of humor, who loves to putter about in his carpet slippers, shoots golf in the low eighties, and teases his crisp housekeeper, "Scotty," by crediting slightly naughty stories to her. He isn't even as physically huge as he seems on the screen (remember how aware you were of his extraordinary size as the villainous Gutman in The Maltese Falcon), although his 280 pounds of solid flesh are not to be dismissed lightly, and when he 'walks across a room, the walls of fragile California houses do rattle under the impact. His unglamorous bulk is a bit of a touchy subject with Mr. Greenstreet. He works, exercises and diets to keep his weight down, and for a man who likes his leisure and food, that's no fun. Like so many men who were unusually athletic in their youth, the flesh piled up when the years made such strenuous activity inadvisable. Quite frankly, he admits to being 62. Quite possibly, too, he did not expect audiences to remember his name after his picture debut in The Maltese Falcon, but it was disconcerting to hear people refer to him (even with excited curiosity) only as "that fat man!" Balm it must have been to his wounded feelings, therefore, when "that fat man" was nominated for the 1941 Academy Award for the best supporting role in his first appearance on the screen. He missed winning the coveted Oscar only by a whisker; Donald Crisp beat him with How Green Was My Valley. "And don't you believe that old saw about everyone loving a fat man!" Mr. Greenstreet mourned. "They always end up making us the chaperons!" Few actors ever came to Hollywood with the wealth of stage experience that "Tiny" (that's his nickname) Greenstreet has chalked up to his credit. He has been at this acting business since 1900, with most of those years spent trodding the American boards. Back of him are years of playing Shakespeare, stock, the classics and even musical comedy. That's why he is reveling now in the domesticity of his home in the hills. After living in theatrical trunks for almost half a century, it's pure heaven to have a front door to unlock, a garden to grow, and a teapot to put on the table at four in the afternoon. Mr. Greenstreet was born the son of a tanner, in the seacoast town of Sandwich, Kent, England, on December 27, 1879, one of a family of five sons and three daughters. He chose to go to Ceylon as a tea planter when he was 18, instead of Cambridge as his father had planned. Two years of isolation on an Indian plantation was all he could stand and he returned to England to become an agent for a brewery. He [Continued on page 62] "I'd like to tell every woman — I feel and look swell when I wear my Jackette IT'S REVERSIBLE! TWO GARMENTS IN ONE One side is lusciously quilted in black satin, with floral printed lapels and pockets — reverse it, and you have a beautiful floral printed "Jackette" with quilted satin lapels. < Give new life to dark dress by wearing your "Jackette" on the floral printed side, — tone down a bright skirt or dress by using the pure black rayon satin side. Wear it evenings when entertaining your friends, wear it under your coat — it's swell for slipping on first thing in the morning — you'll find it a pleasure all day and every day! COMFORT "AROUND THE HOUSE" "You'll catch cold dear." "No, I won't. My ' Jack ette' is keeping me warm." SMART TO WEAR WHEN ENTERTAINING FRIENDS "Say, that looks stunning!" "Thanks, I love my 'Jackette.' " It looks smart, it's lightweight and besides, it's REVERSIBLE. MADE OF RICH RAYON SATIN QUILTED WITH 100% NEW WOOL "Jackette" is made of superb materials skillfully styled, perfectly tailored to look fashionable and fit right. Fashioned darts formfit "Jackette" to your figure. Entire garment is lined with 100% NEW wool. The right size for every woman. Sent on approval. YOURS ON 10-DAY FREE TRIAL I SEND NO MONEY'-jA FOUR STAR PRODUCTS CO., Dept. 514 6513 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, Calif. D Send me a reversible "Jackette" for 10 days approval. I will pay postman $3.49 plus postage. If not satisfied, I may return it for prompt refund. Check bust size: □ 32 Q 34 D 36 D 38 Q 40 D 42 □ 44 D 46 Name ____..___ City D We pay postage Californians State you enclose payment now. List add lie sales tax. 61