Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1943)

HEARTBREAK FOR Veronica's husband — John Detlie, former art director at M-G-M, now a Major in the Army Engineers To any woman, the loss of a child is tragedy. But Veronica Lake must face, too, the possibility of the breakup of her marriage BY HMIIH HOPPER 40 I ASKED Veronica Lake when she expected to get her divorce from Major John Detlie. She said, "As soon as the baby is born, we will have a separation. Then I will see if it's possible to avoid a divorce." At that time she had not the slightest inkling that ten days later the baby would be born, two months ahead of schedule and that just a week after its premature birth the tiny, three-pound son would die, bringing double heartbreak. Interviewing Veronica in the home of Wally Beery was quite an experience. There were millions of Beery mementoes all over the place. A silver elephant two feet high, trumpeting to high heaven, a playroom that looked like something out of the Painted Desert by way of Death Valley, with saddles, sombreros, ping-pong tables, a bar, thousands of photographs of Wally in every position and in every role he'd ever played. Veronica and Wally's ex-wife, Rita, have been fast friends for a year. They have been living together in Wally's own home which he lent them while he has been in Wyoming. The household has consisted of Rita, one maid, Veronica and her daughter and two other children — the son and daughter of Howard Joslin — whom Veronica is thinking of adopting. Howard was second assistant director on her latest picture, "The Hour Before Dawn." There were four children in the Joslin family and when Howard's wife passed away Veronica offered to take two of them. "I love children and three won't be any harder to handle than one," she said. When I saw Veronica she had spent the whole day washing and cooking and was in a state of utter collapse. I charged her with the fact that only a month ago she had told me she wasn't going to have a baby. Whereupon she swore she didn't know until a few days after she made that statement to me that a baby was due. Although we had not been aware of Veronica's impending motherhood, we did know that she and her husband had been quarreling. Looking at what has happened U the couple, we have good reason to believe Veronica when she says there will be a separation, even though we art equally conscious of the fact that anything Veronica says she is as likely to contradict completely the next day. When John Detlie first went into service, Veronica could scarcely wait for shooting to finish on her current picture before she would pack herself, icebox, baby, maid and all up to Seattle where her husband was stationed. There she would stay until the last gasp before taking a plane back to begin a new picture. Then rumors began to sift through (among them that she and John had disagreed on the wisdom of adopting the Joslin children) and Hollywood waited to see what Veronica would do when she had finished her work on "The Hour Before Dawn." Instead of hurrying back to Seattle and John, Veronica remained in Hollywood during her months of expectant motherhood when every woman would ordinarily prefer to be with her husband. Furthermore, John did not stay with Veronica on a recent Hollywood visit. When queried on the situation, he simply said, "Any statement should come from Mrs. Detlie." rOR a little blonde who won't be twenty-four until No' vember, Veronica has had quite a career. She was twenty when she married John Detlie. He was thirty-three and had been married before. She told me quite frankly that at the time of her marriage she didn't know much about taking on the duties imposed by a home and husband. Things weren't made any too easy for her, since at the same time she had to cope with the responsibilities of a brand-new career. It was while she was at M-G-M. making "Forty Little Mothers," that she had met John Detlie, an art director. I Not until months later did the town know there was a romance between them; it was too busy speculating about her supposed romance with a prominent producer, which | proved to be just that — a "supposed" romance.