Modern Screen (Dec 1948 - Oct 1949)

you for two acts!" he growled. "What else can you guys do?" "Just a minute," said Nick, and drew Burt off in a huddle. "You know we haven't got another act!" said Burt. "What'll we do?" "You," said Nick, "are gonna sing." "You're nuts," said Burt. "What am I, John Charles Thomas?" "Who knows?" said Nick. Nick went over to the manager. "My partner has a great voice. For our opening act, he'll sing." "Sing!" said the manager. "I thought I hired a couple of acrobats! People don't come to a carnival to listen to singers." "Sure!" said Nick. "That's just it. A singing acrobat — something new! Sensational! The people'll love it. You'll see! Just try it." The manager was unenthusiastic: "He better sing good, know what I mean?" At the first performance, Burt came out alone and, through a megaphone, boomed "Old Man River." The people loved it. Afterward, they saw the manager again. "Well?" said Nick. "Satisfied?" "O.K.," said the manager. "The song stays in . . . And, son — that really is a voice you got. Imagine — an acrobat who can sing! I got to admit, you surprised me." "Ah," said Nick, "you don't know my partner. This boy's got hidden talents. Here you see what's going to be a great man." "Baloney," said Burt. But Nick was certain. He still is. And maybe he should be, at that. Whenever a fellow who might so easily have been a bum becomes a guy like Lancaster, who's to say that greatness isn't there? Nick won't, for sure. The End NOW I'LL TALK! (Continued from page 30) whole arrangement. . . . After a while, being weary from jumping up and down to acknowledge each introduction, I went over to a convenient couch in the room, kicked off my shoes and lay down, trying to think of some way to tell these nice people I wouldn't be needing them. Then one of them came over, sat on the couch beside me and touched my limp brow with a cool hand. Looking up, I was overjoyed to regard Anita Colby, on the Selznick roster at the time, and the sight of that enchanted face simply changed the subject. I did, however, manage to thank the assembly, and tell them that it would be safer not to plan, but to just stick around a few years and see what happened, a suggestion which surely spared them all a good deal of later embarrassment. Some time afterward, I again wrestled with a plan in attempting to set my economic house in order. I entrusted my fate to a highly-recommended "expert" on those affairs. But this gentleman apparently was doing a bit of quiet planning of his own, with the result that my little program met with disaster. I believe the state of California has some plans for him. Now the question of plan arises once more, arousing in me the same caution and thrift of promise, for it begins to appear that no plan at all is better than a plan which fails, so rather than define the course of the future, I shall hark on the lessons of the past and practice a program of "don'ts." One would think that a background such as mine has been, should be a source of constant enlightenment. Yet, it appears that I have repeatedly gambled my very future and solvency — certainly my comfort and privacy — on a foolish and naive belief in everyone. That silly impulse shall be most definitely controlled. I've been offering my chin so long that I'm punch drunk, but I must finally admit to having a glass jaw. There shall be no more stories or statements credited or attributed to me unless actually made or written by me. During my sojourn at Sheriff Biscailuz's home for wayward boys, numerous accounts of my past and present activities found their way into print. Several writers did stories on me using material copied from my probation application. These were published and howled through the streets of the world as "Robert Mitchum's Life Story." Things such as these are unfair and distasteful and it makes me appear a bit silly to have stolen my own material. Be sides that, I can use the money myself. As to domestic plans, these are surely of no interest to anyone other than my wife, my children and myself. We must find ourselves a suitable house and the means to acquire it, and I do plan to take the kids fishing. Dorothy and I have never been nightclub-goers, we are the couple least seen at parties, and it surprised no one that Atwater Kent ignored us in his will — so there is no necessity for planning to "slow down" our lives. My motion picture plans are the concern of my employer, and my most excellent agents, although 1 shall be more definite in my opinions and suggestions in the future. • I plan to improve my golf game so that Pat Knowles won't jeer at me, and to spend more time with people. People are more fun than almost anyone, and it recently occurred to me when I cast about for friends, that most of these friends turned out to be people. My recent chastisement by the staunch burghers of society illustrated to me that even in jail there are people. As a matter of fact, recalling their missteps at treading on the tight wire of propriety, I am amazed that almost all people aren't in jail. Being strictly a "hard-way" guy all my life, I have come to relish the hard way as a worthy challenge. Not that I advocate the road of total experience — if you can learn the lessons of "don'ts" at mammy's knee, then by all means attend that school. But before I should become an "I-toldyou-so-er," it behooves me to suggest that youngsters take note of each deliberate misstep, and see how clearly retribution defines it as a mistake! The (a) "I-told-you-so-ers" were the first ones to go from my book, and the (b) "too bad, kid, you got a rotten dealers" are the next. These are not people, they are (a) moralists and (b) moral opportunists, both of whom feed on people as fair game. I plan to be mighty elusive game. I plan to discover for myself whether I am worth my salt as an actor and, if so, plan to be paid for it. Not in box-car salaries, but in responsibilities, opportunities and authority. If my abilities are truly mediocre, then I plan to afford a way out, that I might preserve my honesty. In truth, I plan to live my own life, as progressively, as productively as possible, allowing enough time to appreciate what already has befallen me, and to hope for what the future may bring. The End alone... because she doesn't know LOVE can be lost . . . romance ruined if you offend with perspiration odor. So stop it before it starts! DRYAD — Jergens new kind of deodorant actually stops the decaying action of bacteria . . . the chief cause of embarrassing perspiration odor...6efore it starts ! Its complete deodorizing action keeps you sweet to love and adore. APPROVED by leading skin specialists. Harmless to clothes. SMOOTH as face cream as long as it lasts, m, 29<t, 594. Dryad stops perspiration odor before it starts FREE PHOTO i LARGE GLOSSY PICTURE or your tavorue MOVIE STAR INTRODUCTORY OFFER direct irom HOLLYWOOD, home of Hie STARS. Send name of vour FAVOR ITE STAR with fifteen cents, to cover handling and mailing and receive also our beautiful catalog with names and pictures of hundreds of STARS. ir Hollywood Stars -k