Modern Screen (Dec 1934 - Nov 1935)

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CLOPAY CORPORATION 1339 York Street Cincinnati, Ohio Gottschalk -ffnnounces "NEW ■ cleaning and . : scouring device BRONZE BALL _>ecially designed for housewives who demand alarger cleaner. Made of same high-grade bronze alloy as the original, sanitary Metal Sponge, Hand-L-Mop and Kitchen Jewel.. The Bronze Ball cleans and scours utensils quickly and easily without scratching. Cannot rust or corrode; is quickly cleansed with hot water. On sale at five and ten cent stores, hardware and department stores; or direct for ten cents. METAL SPONGE SALES CORPORATION Lehigh Avenue and Mascher Street, Philadelphia \Jvtade by the manufacturers of Gottschalk'$ METAL SPONGE "Why do they worry about such things?" she seems to be saying, as her ample motherly figure rocks back and forth, back and forth, to her knitting, in a kind of comforting lullaby rhythm. DONDERING over this, I asked Ida's *■ Eddie whether she was never upset by his lengthy absences. Whether she hadn't had a qualm or two about those beautiful Goldwyn girls who surround him in "Kid Millions," when they'd been separated for several months. He gave me that look of chronic surprise from his beetle-black eyes. "She knows I'll come back," he said. "But suppose you shouldn't some day? It's happened to the staidest married man." "Have you ever been to the circus — when they shoot those guys out of cannons?" asked Eddie. "Now, you know, they've been shot out of those cannons thousands of times before. So when you watch the performance, you expect to see them come out, don't you? Just before they pop out of the mouth of the cannon, though, the audience holds its breath. There's that one chance in a thousand that this time there'll be a hitch. But everybody knows that it's only one chance in a thousand. "It's the same idea with a happy marriage. Ida takes that chance with me. Maybe I won't come back. But it's not a dangerous gamble for her. For she knows that when a man reaches a certain age, and has been going along a certain path contentedly and happily, it's dangerous to detour. Nature always takes care of that." "But there are men who make that dangerous detour." I was egging him on. "What do you say about them?" "I say they're nutty," answered Eddie. "That kind of thing is as much insanity as the brand which makes a man think he's Napoleon. The man who leaves a wife with whom he's been comfortable for so long — a wife who understands him and all his funny ways — the middle-aged man who leaves her for the uncertainty of life with a young girl who doesn't know the meaning of the words 'forbear' and 'sacrifice'— that man deserves what he gets. Take it from me, he usually gets it. Maybe it works out in some few cases, but those are freaks that defy the law of averages and the laws of nature." When I suggested that the landslide of divorces in Hollywood might be used as circumstantial evidence against the case he was trying to prove, he just shook his head. "Not at all," he replied. "Just look around at the successful actors who are still living with the same wife. Will Rogers, George Arliss, Warner Baxter, Joe E. Brown, Leslie Howard, Lionel Barrymore, the Morgan brothers, Jimmy Cagney, Warren William. Still faithful to the women who were faithful to them when they were poor, bewildered nobodys, miles removed from the main chance. Those guys long ago learned to appreciate the affection their wives gave them. And they've also learned to appreciate the value of stability. "Neither their marriage nor their successes were over-night, flash-in-the-pan affairs. They didn't want any premature buildup of themselves as romantic heroes. Their success in both cases was the result of struggle and slow growth. They weren't tossed to the heights and then pushed over the cliff. What their wives gave them in thanks for their sincere effort to make a go of things is not brief, mad passion. It's solid, permanent affection— a steady, glowing warmth that will last to the final pay-off. "No-w figure out the bust-ups. Where do you find them? Among that group who made a success too quickly. "They bring a fellow out from Kansas or Iowa, make him a star in ten days — and what usually happens? The toosudden success goes to his head. Right away he buys a big, expensive automobile. He rents a stucco palace. Then he looks around for the girl. "But, when he considers marriage, he reckons on the same principle as when he buys a new car. He can trade in his old car for a new model. And he decides he can trade in his wife in the same way, if he gets tired of her. "People shouldn't expect that kind of marriage to turn out any different than it usually does. You can't take a baby out of the cradle and expect him to walk around the block, can you? Well, the same principle applies to getting married." APROPOS of that, I remembered another story which seemed to help explain what — according to Hollywood standards — is an incongruously happy marriage. It was something Eddie himself had told me when I first met him some time ago. "I've never refused Ida anything since we were married," he said. "I'm not trying to boast. She's never asked for anything I couldn't give her ! "I'll never forget how she took the stock market crash. When it was all over and I came up from under with an awful headache, I didn't own a red cent outright. And I owed the banks $225,000! "What do you suppose she said? She just laughed and told me I was a fool to worry. 'You're still a funny man, aren't you, Eddie? Well, your funny business made plenty of money for us before the crash, and it's going to be the same again. I know you'll come back bigger than ever.' "Here's another sample of what Ida's always doing. Some time ago, she had to go to the hospital for a very serious operation. I was away from her at the time. But she wouldn't let the girls write me anything about it until she'd come out of the ether. "After they let me talk to her long distance, and I knew everything was all right, I wrote her a letter, inclosing a check for $500; and I told her to pin it on herself as a medal for being a brave soldier. She knew that was my way of saying : 'Buy some clothes for yourself.' But what did she do? Well, I subsequently received a letter from my oldest daughter describing the wonderful new clothes Ida had bought for all of them. Of course, with the money I wanted her to spend on herself. That's my Ida !" I can't finish this story of an oldfashioned marriage without letting you in on a secret. That is, if you don't already know it. In these hard-boiled '30's, when it's chic to hide your emotions, Eddie wears his on his sleeve. He's a terrible sentimentalist. Do you recall the song-hit of his first broadcast a season ago? It was "Did You Ever See a Dream Walking? Well I Did." Eddie sang that song very well. But when he came to the "I Did" part, it sounded like "Ida" instead. I didn't trust my ears, so insisted that two of my friends listen in to verify my suspicion. Eddie was fervently singing "Ida" instead of "I Did," as plainly as if he were calling her name ! Sort of a wonderful tribute from sort of a wonderful man, don't you think? / do. (Pronounced "Ida.") 100