Motion Picture (Feb-Jul 1941)

She Owes It All to Them [Continued from page 20] world. I investigated in Hollywood and was amazed to find so many day-nurseries operating solely by the help of others. Many of my friends were contributing. Naturally, I, too, did wdiat I could, for Jane Addams had impressed me much more than I, at first, realized. "But she did more than that for me. She became sort of a guide. Whenever I would become discouraged or when I might have felt I was sacrificing too much for my own ambition. I realized how minor my difficulties were compared to hers. I knew that anything worth righting for was worth the sacrifices. My life has become immeasurably richer because of Jane Addams." OUR conversation drifted to France, to a humble shack that was the home of a great mother, a renowned scientist, Madame Curie. "I'll never forget that trip to France four years ago," Irene told me quietly but intensely. "I had undoubtedly my greatest thrill when Madame Curie's daughter took me to her mother's laboratory. I even picked up the very test tubes with which the remarkable woman scientist had worked. "It w:asn't the laboratory, however, that excited me as much as the story her daughter told me of the crude little shack wdiere her mother, her father, and the children lived. The one thing she remembered so well was a funny old stove that stood in a dark corner of the shack. On one burner, her mother kept a pan with some test tubes in it. There, Madame Curie had sterilized the implements that were one phase of her life. On another burlier, there was a pan in which she had placed her baby's clothes, the other symbol of her existence. "It was this contrast that impressed me so vividly ; her work, her love for her husband and her babies that stood as a silent monument to this woman who suffered privation and poverty to succeed in a life that had so many heartaches. It taught me that a woman can be a good wife and mother at the same time. So, whenever I hear the typical comment in Hollywood that a career and a home can't mix, I always think of that marvelous woman as she worked steadfastly by her husband's side, of those two pans on the stove, and of the beautiful combination of a career and of motherhood without any advantages. "In my own life, I've tried to combine a career and a home successfully. And I know that in some way or another, the humility and greatness of Madame Curie have been of tremendous influence in teaching me to be an understanding wife and a tolerant mother." I wasn't surprised to hear her talking finally of her first opera . . . the Metropolitan Opera House where Madame Butterfly was showing.. And — of Geraldine Farrar. "That afternoon in the Metropolitan," Irene exclaimed enthusiastically as she recalled the moment, "was like heaven to me. I was thrilled to death. It was the world, the atmosphere that I had decided I wanted. And then — when Miss Farrar stepped on the stage, it was as if she were beckoning me to join her. "Maybe it was because she was the first grand opera star that I ever saw. Maybe it was because she was so different from all recognized standards for an operatic personality. Whatever it was, I thought she was the most exciting woman I had ever seen. She seemed to have boundless energy and 58 enthusiasm for her work. She didn't simply wave her arms about and sing. She was acting besides ! "From that day on, I made up my mind that I would never be contented with singing alone. 1 would be an actress too, and I'd combine the two fields successfully. I realized that few possess a voice, but that a sense of drama was even more important than a voice that comes only to some once in a lifetime. I know now how right I w!as in believing that, for the day has gone when acting and singing are separated. And I know now why Geraldine Farrar was such a vibrant personality to me. What luck it was that my first opera star should also have been a spontaneous actress ! "Miss Farrar is still a wonderful person to me. It's remarkable to see how she has retired quietly, let her hair go white, and accepted the future with a fond memory of the past. No one will ever forget Geraldine Farrar. She has real greatness !" Irene rolled the years back for me again and lifted the curtain on a personality who only recently passed away. Alary Anderson — once the toast of New York ! "Mary Anderson and my father were very close friends when I was young," Irene remarked almost reverently. "We were living in Louisville, Kentucky, at the time, and Miss Anderson was referred to in our house almost with reverence. She was practically ethereal to us, like a goddess. "She was a magnificent character. Her forte was the tragic portrayal of the classics. Her life was just as magnificent. It was one of those lives that can truly be called glamorous. She married an Italian nobleman whose name was Navarro. She owned an Italian villa. Her career wasn't a long one, for she left it at the peak of her success. But New York idolized her. To me, she was almost unreal. "I hadn't thought of the theater as a career then, but I realize now that the glamour that was hers had its effect on my young mind. It must have, sub-consciously, instilled in me an ambition to be a part of the exciting life she led. She is still a memorable person to me, for she was the personification of a glamour that has long since died. There are no more toasts of New York or toasts of Hollywood. There are no more Mary Andersons. And the theater has lost a great deal." ccXJOW, Miss Cornell was different from i-^l Mary Anderson." I wondered what she would say about Katharine Cornell. "Katharine Cornell is the embodiment of the life of a stage star today," Irene went on over my thoughts. "She isn't glamorous, and her life is far from exciting. She takes plenty of exercise, goes for long walks, takes regular rests, eats only certain kinds of food, does her performances, and that is her existence. She has learned that in this day her health must come first. Unlike Mary Anderson who loved the gay nightlife and the glamorous age of which she was so much a part, Miss Cornell is almost a recluse. Her private life is a simple one. "Yet, she has left an impression on me, too. Whereas Mary Anderson gave me my first taste of the excitement and color of a stage career, Miss Cornell has taught me the importance of protecting that career by watching my health, by taking care of myself. Consequently, I, too, go for long walks ; I play golf continually ; and I do get regular hours of sleep. Recently, though, I've been getting up rather early, but I've found that it doesn't always agree with me. I apparently need a great deal of sleep. "There is one thing that I have learned, however, from both Miss Cornell and Mary Anderson. Even in their contrasting lives, they were at least doing something. From them, I have learned that a strict routine like Katharine Cornell's and a' gay life like Mary Anderson's are both better than doingnon-essential and trivial things. Therefore, life has become to me a combination of many activities and of many interests, an existence filled with the attempt to do really worth-while things so I shall remain fresh and alive for eacb new undertaking." To emphasize Irene's interest in the outof-doors, she told me she was going out on the golf-links later in the day. No, she's no wobbly amateur at the game. Anyone who has fjeen taken to the cleaners by her in a game of golf can tell you that she has no cause to be ashamed of her score. WOMEN in politics! And Irene Dunne wasn't afraid to let her hair down on one of politics' most interesting and discussed women — Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. "There are so few women in politics," Irene said to me, "at least outstanding women. Yet, I can't help admiring Mrs. Roosevelt's vitality. "She has made me realize that just because a woman is a mother of grown children, she still doesn't need to hibernate. The keynote of her life has been to be active and persistently vital, and, to me, that is the keynote of a meaningful life. Certainly Mrs. Roosevelt has taken her life by the horns and made it mean something. Her interests and her limitless energy have kept her ahvays on the alert, always receptive and eager to face the many problems that confront her. There is no element of defeat in her character, and that is important to any woman. At least it is for me, for I have always tried to deny defeat." A picture of a smiling young girl in the newspaper before Irene drew our attention to another woman who should be an inspiration to all. Georgia Coleman was gone, but the memory of her courage will never die. Irene leaned fonvard on the patio table. Her eyes were misty. "I can't help wondering why Georgia Coleman had to die. It does seem that anyone who wanted to lhse so badly shoidd live. Few of us will forget that girl's courage. "When I think of the dreadful pain that wracked her body for so long, I wonder how she stood it. I can't stand pain myself, so to see anyone suffer so terribly and yet be able to smile until the end is a remarkable thing to me. "Georgia Coleman was the kind of a person who makes me feel very insignificant when I begin to complain about minor pains. For a long time, I have tried to adopt her characteristic of dismissing pain from my mind, but it is a hard process for anyone who has continually feared any kind of hurt. "I get many fan letters from people who are in constant pain. They even send me gifts that they have made themselves. One woman who has written me constantly and who has made me many beautiful things has only a few months to live. Yet, she told me recently that she had seen one of my pictures and had enjoyed it so much. That she was able to forget death and to enjoy what was left of her life was a tremendous [Continued on page 61]