Modern Screen (Dec 1948 - Oct 1949)

WHY DAN DAILEY'S MARRIAGE FAILED (Continued jrom page 31) over his tragedy he was still on the merrygo-round of his sensational fame; it was still whirling giddily and he couldn't get off in spite of that jarring jolt. The night before he'd played a police benefit 40 miles away and had crawled home at two a.m. — after a full day's work on his picture, Rise and Shine. Next day, he was on the set again bright and early. That night he had a radio show. In two years he's made six straight pictures and six straight hits. Last year he pitched every studio workday of the 365 and most Sundays, too, and his jobs were tough. On top of all that, I've watched this huge -hearted guy knock himself out playing four and five charity benefits a week around town, prodigal to exhaustion with his energies, time and talent. A few weeks ago I ran into Dan hustling across the lobby at NBC. I was lined up myself to do a show with him there. "See you in Studio B," I called. "Wait a minute!" Dan yelled, "Which show is that, Hedda?" He dug into his bulging pockets and fished out four scripts. He was on four different programs that night! Dan Dailey's top man at 20th Century Fox today. Businesswise, he's asked for nothing, griped about nothing, flashed no more temperament than a turtle. He's stayed grateful and glad about every part he's played. And once when I pointed out to him that Fox had $10,000,000 worth of pictures stacked ahead for him to do, Dan said eagerly, "I hope I make every one of 'em, too. If I can just keep on rolling like this, I'll be happy as a clam!" Happy? Those words must ring hollow in Dan's generous ears by now. And yet, they may, someday, have real meaning again. That is, unless he's already lost more than his wife, unless the tide of his great Hollywood success has Dan floundering in deeper water than I think. Unless he can't take being top man at Fox and a brightlighted box-office bonanza. Unless this domestic blue note is the opening bar of that old, old Hollywood refrain. Me, I'm just crazy enough to say I don't think so. I know I'm sticking my neck out at this point in Dan Dailey's defense, but that's an old habit of mine and I couldn't extend it for a nicer guy. I like him, you see, and well enough to sing out of tune. And one of the main reasons I like Dan is because he's honest— even when the raps must hurt. He told me right out, "I left Liz alone. I was thinking of myself first. I wanted success above everything and I got it — but I made Liz pay." That's talking like a man, and that's the way Dan Dailey has always talked to me. A few weeks ago, before one little straw of Dan's broke the camel's back of his home life, I asked Dan over to my house expressly to see for myself and for Modern Screen how he was taking his amazing fame. I'd heard the double-barrelled crack of shots sniping at the friendly, long-legged hoofer's success. "Come in and sit down, Dan," I greeted him. "But don't sit by that window! A brick might come flying through. You're getting more vulnerable every minute." And I wasn't exactly kidding, either. The bigger Dan Dailey gets, the better target he makes. Right now his family explosion makes him fair game. But this was before that happened — and he'd already sampled what he was in for if he made a false move. A newspaper gal had sniffed growing incompatibility at the Dailey's (they'd faced the problem twice before and had patched up for another chance because of their baby boy both times), "Come on, confess," pressed this lady reporter, "don't you and your wife ever fight?" "Oh sure," quipped Dan, "I beat her one week — and she beats me the next!" Well, that's almost a stock vaudeville gag about marriage. But it was Dan's bad luck that this babe was just waiting for a quote she could set a dynamite cap to. She wrote the item straight: Dan Dailey beats his wife — practically like that — and when Dailey saw it he couldn't believe it. A radio chatterbox grabbed the ball from there, ran up and down" the field blistering his microphone about that wicked wife MODERN SCREEN 66 Four widely-scattered sinqles, please.' beater Dailey's shame! Dan's thoughtless glib tongue so often gets him in Dutch, especially when there's the suspicion of fire behind his smoky wisecracks. ' "Dan," I told him, "don't you know you're the bull's eye now? For gosh sake, when you crack wise put labels on 'em! Say 'that's a joke, son' or something to protect yourself." But Dan Dailey's not the type to protect himself — that way. Maybe that's why I'm such a sucker for a guy who admits his faults and failings and stands ready to take the consequences, why I think he'll never phony himself up a la Hollywood, even though his big foot may slip many times again. "Remember last fall when they were saying you were passionately in love with another man's wife, Betty Grable?" I reminded him. I thought that'd certainly make sparks fly from Dan Dailey's red head. He just shrugged. "Sure, I heard that," he said, "and I was sore at first. I went right in to see my boss, Darryl Zanuck, and told him what I'd heard. 'Dan, look,' he said, 'When anything's as silly as that, there's only one thing to do — forget about it.' That's what I did." "Didn't you mention it to Betty Grable?" I asked. "Of course," he said easily. "I called her right away. I said, 'Have you ever heard anything so utterly stupid .in your life?' " 'No,' she said, 'I haven't.' "I asked her what she wanted to do about it. Betty said she'd like very much to tell 'em all to go to blazes, but that might not be ^ladylike. . . . But why bother?" Dan shrugged again. "It's true Betty Grable and I have a wonderful time together. We're the best oi friends and we've hit it off right from the start. I've never known anyone as generous and considerate; there's not a shred of Hollywood hooey anywhere around her She's a breeze to dance with, act with, sing with. I've always admired Betty Grable, but if I'm gone on anyone in that family it's Harry. I've been a fan of Harry James and his horn since before he went with Benny Goodman back in 1936. I used to drive down to the beach when his band played there, just to listen to him toot and beg him to let me sit in at the drums. But there's something else about that which everyone seems to have overlooked: I'm pretty crazy about my own wife." That was Dan Dailey talking only a few weeks ago and it shows so many things— so many confusing things about Dan'> complex make-up:. His generosity and frankness, his selfishness and thoughtlessness. His naive uncaginess. His vagueness. His lack oi understanding of his new big-star importance. His complete devotion to his job. Now let's look at Dan Dailey's marriage and see what was wrong with it for a gu> like that. Briefly, I'd say Dan Dailey married the wrong girl — and vice versa, although she's beautiful (Dan thinks she's the prettiest he's ever seen) . sweet, pepp> and fun. Dan fell in love with his wife, Elizabeth the first time he saw her. He was showing his horse in a ring out in the San Fernando Valley one Sunday and a gir! sitting in the stands kept pulling his eye; her way. By the time Dan won his ribbon the pretty girl was talking to someone h< knew so he promoted an introduction Turned out he knew her dad, who kep to Uu up ! I est Bo "\\ id