Photoplay (Jan - Jun 1943)

What Hollywood Thinks of Paillette Goddard An "out in the open" discussion of the girl who has caused more undercover gossip than any feminine star BY WILLIAM F. FRENCH THE outstanding feature of Paulette Goddard is energy, energy expressed by vitality, ambition and drive. Sooner or later, almost everyone gets around to that in talking of Paulette Goddard. Everyone knows her for that — and for her bright smile, her gaiety and her wit. After working in two pictures with her, Ray Milland claims there's nobody in films who can top her in repartee. "Paulette can take it," says Ray. "And no matter what happens, she comes up smiling. Besides being the quickest witted woman I ever knew, she's the gamest. She took a terrific beating in 'Reap The Wild Wind.' She wore heavy costumes under those hot lights without a whimper. She was ducked in the water, mauled in the fights and knocked about in barroom brawls — and every time she came up smiling." She's all girl to Bob Hope. He says: "To me Paulette is one of the most feminine stars in pictures. She may work her head off, sparkle with wit and be a pal on the set, but she can't make me take back what I said the first time I saw her." What he said then was: "Paulette Goddard is the first real glamour girl I ever saw. I've heard about them, but she is it. She's got those lines and those sparkling eyes and all the things I heard about on Broadway." The thing about Goddard that most impresses LeVaughn Larson of the Paramount wardrobe department, who has dressed scores of stars, is her sensitiveness. "Paulette never thinks of anything we are making up for her as something for herself," LeVaughn explains, "but always as something for the character she is to play. Although she has excellent taste in clothes, she will favor the same styles and materials that that character would select. "That's probably because she is sensitive to the feelings of others. "For instance, she was given a little stand-in who had never done that kind of work before. The minute this girl walked on the set Paulette sensed that she was nervous and felt out of place. So Paulette asked this girl into her dressing room, talked to her about the things she wanted to do and made her feel right at home. Now that girl is one of Goddard's most loyal champions. MAY. 1943 Her name is June Kilgore." June Kilgore's own side of the Goddard story? "She has such a good heart," said the little stand-in. "I'd been working for her only a short time when she gave me a dress. The last day we worked in 'Reap The Wild Wind' she gave me a beautiful kneelength red fox fur coat. I didn't know what to say and stammered over taking it, but she told me she had more than she deserved and felt I would appreciate it more than she would. "She didn't give me those things because of anything I'd done for her, but just because she's generous. During the shooting of the picture 'Pot O' Gold' one of the girls complimented Paulette on the sweater she was wearing. "The very next day thirty-two sweaters just like it, in different colors, were brought on the set. There was one for each (Continued on page 72) Says Glenn Alden, make-up man for Paulette, "I've seen her heckle an interior d eco rato r to save a dollar." Women talk to their hairdressers; Paulette was no exception when she made a confidante of Hedvig Mjorud A star's stand-in sees a side of her the public never guesses. June Kilgore, Paulette's standin, has a sweater girl story about Goddard that will surprise a lot of people in Hollywood