Movie Classic (Sep 1936-Feb 1937)

Hussy, a romantic drama of the early nineteenth century And I think that lingered in his mind. People are always asking me about his school-day romances — as if they were important. I guess that he had his "crushes" on girls, but he never was much of a hand to tell about it. The only girl I ever knew for sure that he was excited about was a little girl named Helen Rush. For a long time, just before he went into high school, she was "the most wonderful girl in the world." It there were any others who had the same effect on him, he was very quiet about it. I am continually asked, too, if he was popular as a boy. The doctor and I used to wonder if he was not too popular for his own good — but he never seemed to become cocky or conceited about it. And the older he grew, the more popular he became — maybe because he never did become spoiled by all the attention he received. I have no worries about his movie popularity changing him. He is too sensible. Whenever there was some entertainment at the theatre in Beatrice, he was always invited to play in the orchestra. He played in church, too, and was paid for his work. For a time, he also sang in the choir. Every time there was a fashion show, or some other public function, he was asked to be master of ceremonies. He was the president of his class all the way through school. He was always the leading man in the school plays. One, I remember, was Nothing But the Truth. He enjoyed the acting, but not any more than he enjoyed being a master of ceremonies or playing the 'cello or entering oratory contests. He was constantly entering oratorical contests and musical contests, and constantly winning them. I remember that he came out first in one musical contest by playing The Swan. He won a ten-day trip to Detroit, with one oration that he gave. He wrote his orations himself, [Continued on page 64] Robert Taylor by his mother Mrs. Ruth Brugh As told to James Reid 49