Movieland. (1950)

crowded with cruel battle memories. But he found that fame was harder to dispose of than his battle enemies had been. His picture appeared on the cover of a leading magazine. A major studio promptly offered him a screen test. Audie ignored the offer. He went fishing. Then James Cagney invited him to visit Hollywood. He also had been in¬ trigued by Audie’s picture on the maga¬ zine cover. “I saw in him poise and assurance without aggressiveness. You might call it a spiritual overtone,” Cag¬ ney later explained. Audie accepted his invitation, arriving in Hollywood with only twelve dollars in his pockets. “I went only to see the place,” he says. “I had no inkling of ever settling down there or becoming an actor.” Like other ex-soldiers he faced the problems of re-adjustment to civilian life. He needed money. One of his first acts on returning to Texas had been removing his brothers and sisters from the orphan¬ age. The bulk of his army savings had been spent as the down-payment on a house to shelter them. During this quandary, he was offered a film contract by James Cagney and his producer brother, Bill. While the salary was far from fabulous, it was more than Audie could likely have earned at the beginning of any other profession. He re¬ turned to Hollywood and signed the con¬ tract. Jimmy Cagney told him to take things easy for a while. He wanted Audie to “get the feel” of his future work. For a brief period, he attended a dramatic school. Neither drinking, smoking, nor liking to dance, he avoided night clubs and parties. The legend that he was extreme¬ ly shy was passed around town. By nature, Audie is direct and honest. He chose his friends strictly on the basis of character; and gradually he drifted away from the film colony. He dated a few girls, but found none that interested him. Then a magazine cover figured prominently in his life again. On it he saw Wanda’s picture; and he was impressed by what seemed to be a simple, sweet, wholesome girl. Through mutual friends he arranged to meet her at a dinner party. It was not a case of love at first sight. They both admired one another, however, and began dating. The freshness and simplicity of their romance delighted Hollywood, which de¬ scribed Wanda and Audie as “the cutest couple in town.” They avoided the bright lights. They hunted, fished, horse-backed, and practiced target-shooting on a rifle range. His pet name for her was “Skip¬ per.” She called him “Soldier.” One day they discovered that they were in love; and then the problems began to rise. Like many other veterans, Audie had returned from the war with an attitude that was impatient and a bit cynical. His defense often took the form of attack. To keep Wanda on her toes, he often did and said things deliberately in¬ tended to irritate her. Wanda had her share of temper and stubbornness. She responded with a vigor amazing to find in such a pretty girl. But these tiffs passed as quickly as a summer shower. Their chief differences lay in their atti¬ tudes toward their respective careers. With “Miss Tatlock’s Millions,” Wanda was suddenly elevated to stardom. She became much in demand, working almost constantly in films. Audie, still waiting for his break, was left with a lot of time on his hands. “I began to talk, eat, drink, live, and breathe pictures,” says Wanda. “And that was a mistake. It might have cost LITTLE LULU f7t’s magic — the way Kleenex * pops up ! ” Little Lulu says: Kleenex Tissues always at your fingertips! You pull just one double tissue (not a fistful !) and up pops another. Only Kleenex has this handy Serv-a-Tissue box. © International Cellucotton Products Co. M. Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. UWOVH** »* C°\ *ont°u< ^ r°u' ""‘b the »•* ’ ? ' ,oQm t«b Covect'V ,eir\ovob * conc«o'«d P.« be< P° . the »• c.'*ot Vdd.d lectio" , o0bber P°ds . Removable f0 ^ . front * i Luxurious t SATIN | In White. . ■lack and ' Tea-rose lies: \ 33, 34. 35. 34 * HEDY OF HOLLYWOOD 6253 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 28, Calif. S5£i — M 79