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And here we have Muni the artist, portraying the difficult role of Emile Zola, with Erin O'Brien-Moore.
Jewish theatre in the United States ; Bella's and Lucy's mother, Emma Finkle, was a famous actress; and both Bella and Lucy have appeared on the Yiddish and Englishspeaking stage.
Lucy, serving her apprenticeship as a girl in her teens, went to every performance she could. One night she went to the Irving Place Theatre to see "The Lily," in which Paul Muni played a middle-aged man, a friend of the family to whom everyone brought his troubles.
"Because of his make-up I couldn't see his face," Lucy told me. "But what attracted me were his hands. I always judge people by their hands. His looked full of character, slim and sensitive.
"When I went home I told Mama how much impressed I was by Muni's hands. Of course, he had acted well, but those hands— no one but a real artist could have them."
At the time, Bella was playing at a rival theatre, the National Theatre, and she had never met Muni.
Fate has a way of working things out according to her own designs. Shortly afterwards at a party given by some theatrical friends, Lucy spied Paul Muni.
"Look, there's the actor with the hands," she whispered
to Bella. .„ „
"Hush, Lucy," Bella whispered back, "don't be silly. Their hostess introduced Paul Muni to them. "I wanted to tell him how grand I thought his performance was," Lucy laughed, "but even to my childish eyes it was obvious he didn't know I existed. From the minute he saw Bella, he had eyes for her and no one else."
No shy lad, Paul. Immediately he made a date with
Muni in a mood. And it looks pretty serious. But don't let it fool you — he has his gayer moments.
Bella and started courting her. He was serious at once.
"Mother was crazy about Paul the first time she met him, and kept telling Bella what a wonderful young man he was. And notwithstanding what has been printed, Bella thought a good deal of him, for once she began going out with Paul, no one else had a chance.
"About three months after they met, she went to Atlantic City for a vacation."
Evidently Muni could not stand being without her, for he followed her the next day, and they came back engaged I
"They were a mighty dizzy couple," Lucy chuckled. "Instead of buying something for themselves in Atlantic City, they bought Mother a silver engagement ring, with a huge jade stone in it. To her dying day Mother prized that ring.
"Two months later, on May eighth, Bella and Paul were married. Before their marriage, they had never played together, though they had wanted very much to appear in 'Maytime,' the stage play, in which Paul was to be the old man playing the comedy role— the one who chases all the young girls— and Bella, the young chorus girl he finally marries.
"But Bella's employers refused to release her from her contract, so Paul had to play his part without her."
Shortly after they were married, they went on tour together. They were as happy as two larks.
"When they came back, they bought a house next to ours in Brighton Beach, and we all spent a good deal of time together," Lucy said. (Continued on page 80)
actor? Well, here's someone who reveals things you never suspected
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