We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
• of o and week end: and Vic at S+orlc Club
When Rita Hayworth said good-by to Vic Mature
The story of forty-eight hours, a week-end farewell for
two people who parted with an uncertain present but
a bright and shining stake in the future
AS a handicapper of love, Hollywood certainly can look silly i at times. This time it's on account of a sailor and a lady.
How come? Well, you see the lady loves the sailor something terrible and the sailor loves the lady something awful. To prove it the pretty sweeting tripped 3,000 miles to see the sailor and the sailor jogged 300 miles to see the pretty sweeting, 300 miles being just about tops considering that the leave was only good for forty-eight hours and the sailor had better be back on time — or else.
This is the story of those forty-eight hours, how they were spent and how much they were enjoyed. It is also a story about the two star-crossed lovers who, according to Hollywood, weren't meant for each other, mostly on account of the nautical one who was, again quoting Hollywood, a wolf, a meanie who used beautiful girls solely for publicity purposes and, to top everything off, a "freshwater" sailor who had managed to get himself stationed at San Pedro (forty-five minutes from the Brown Derby), where he spent his time double-talking admirals, sleeping in
MARCH, 1943
BY RICHARD ADDISON
the brig and wangling week-end passes for trips to Hollywood.
To get back to that forty-eighthour leave in New York, it came as a total surprise to the sailor who is actually a member of the United States Coast Guard and entered on the pay roll ($70 a month) as Coxswain Victor John Mature. Transferred at his own request and ordered to Boston (4,500 minutes from the Brown Derby), he was just getting the hang of things when he was handed a message reading, "Call Operator 8 at Los Angeles." He didn't dare to hope. He just picked up the phone, followed directions and waited for someone to answer. Someone did. It was Rita Hayworth.
"I'm coming to New York, Vic," Rita shrieked joyously.
"What?" the coxswain shouted.
"I'm leaving tomorrow," she sang, ignoring his consternation, "and arriving Saturday morning."
"What does the studio say about the trip?" he asked, his cigarette dropping out of his hand. (He was
referring to the oft-expressed advice that the quicker Rita Hayworth dropped Victor Mature, the better it would be for her career.)
"I didn't ask for any opinions. I just said I was going."
Silence for five seconds.
"What time do you arrive in New York?"
"Ten o'clock."
"I'll be there."
"Good night."
"Good night."
IT IS one of the ironies in this pastorale that when Coxswain Victor John Mature appeared before his commanding officer the next day to request a forty-eight-hour" leave, it was the first leave he had requested in seven months. It was all put down in writing on the official document granting Coxswain Mature the leave in question along with the information that Coxswain Mature's record was without blemish, despite the countless times he was reported to have been tossed into the brig. Opposite the words "Purpose of visit" on this same official document the commanding (Continued on page 99)
47