Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1929)

He Threw Away a Million [ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41 ] fans applauding Fenton for work in "Paris Bound," "The Office Scandal," "The Dangerous Woman," "Broadway." "I'm going to Spain," Les said, in refusing the oflfer. "Have you bought your castanets?" asked the producers, since it is always best to humor a lunatic. ""PNON'T need them," said Les. ■L-'Maybe he didn't say that, but I say it for him. It has been my observation that Les doesn't need to play guitar or castanets; all he needs to do is whistle. ■When it was learned about Hollywood that he had rejected gold the conclusion was: "The poor kid's gone haywire." "It's Equity," said some. Others, "His girl threw him down." It has been remarked that the First National Trust and Savings Bank of Hollywood, with its dominating tower, resembles a cathedral, and this is as it should be since it contains the thing we love. He who rejects that god is either a lunatic or a poseur. Since Les not only rejects but blasphemes, his case in just plain lunacy — temporarj', at least. "Why, you could make a million dollars," friends pleaded with him. "That's what I'm afraid of," said Les. "A million dollars! "My God, do you realize what that can do to you? "There's nothing so ensla^-ing as money and fame. "Look at them! Look at the great actors who came to Hollywood and now exude complacency and smugness. Great actors who were, I mean. They were great when they were rebels. Now they are householders nith yachts and motors and swimming pools . . . and mortgages and taxes and monthly bills . . ." I quoted from the Lord Buddha: "Rid yourself of possessions . . . From attachment comes grief and fear." Les quoted from another: "The measure of a man's pleasure and greatness is in what he does without." Les had \nthhimacopy of Erich Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front." He was in the grip of it, and I had spent the previous night reading it and recalling a little of the wisdom I'd divined in France. We talked of other writers. Les is a close friend of many of them, particularly intimate wiih John Russell of South Sea classics. Such friendship is easy to understand. Les has a brilliant, acquisitive and sympathetic mind. None of the obstreperous egotism of the actor. In fact, I would classify him as a writer. .Xnd he has had stories published by Argosy, AllSlory and other fiction magazines. He has written poetry, too, but refuses to let anyone read it. "The truth is I'm ashamed of it . . . perhaps later . . ." One reason for his quitting Hollywood is that he hasn't written anything for two years, "not even letters." He says he has gone Hollywood like all the rest. That it is inevitable. He bought a house in Hollywood, had another at the beach, a couple of cars and a boat. He brought over his brothers from England and they, too, were being undermined by the Sybaritic ease of this lu-xurious city. Aunts and uncles came to visit. Rooms had to be added and individual baths were considered necessary. "Bills, bills, bills . . . miserable little two dollar, five dollar, ten dollar bills like gnats each month. "How can you concentrate on your work when your spare time is given to writing checks and looking after finances?" Les was scheduled to take an Italian freighter from the harbor of San Pedro, arriving in Majorca in a month or more. The boat was delayed ten days because the captain had a girl in San Francisco. There is no way of ascertaining how many he has in other ports. Anyhow, Les v-iX\ be in congenial company. HE is going to get an old boat and cruise by himself among the classic isles of the ^lediterranean until he feels his mental deck is cleared for fresh action. He would like to do "An .\merican Tragedy" on the London stage. He did it in Hollywood in a way that made j'ou feel he knew the tortured human heart. There is also an offer for picture work in Germany. But more important to him than these is playing the role of Les Fenton, which, in my opinion, is one of the richest, most romantic plums ever handed anyone. Dare to live dangerously and you'll be considered haywire, but stagnate and the poUiwogs will surely get you. The Littlest Rebel in Hollywood She interviewed Hal Skelly and Fay Bainter and a number of others and, with Jack's help, wrote pieces about them for the paper. Then, quite suddenly, the great idea was born. They would go to Paris ! Nancy would have the baby and Jack would WTite the Great American Nox'el. A baby and a novel in Paris! They looked at their bank balance. By some mysterious process a thousand dollars had gotten there. Plenty of money for vagabonds. Jack told his managing editor that he was going to resign and go to live for awhile in Paris. "Well, as long as you're going," said Payne, "you might as well have a job." So the amazing vagabondage was denied them for awhile. Jack was literally handed a position as Tom Mix's press agent at S3.S0 a week and all expenses paid for himself and his wife. 'T'HEY lived like kings in Paris. •' They entertained all the newspaper men royally at the Kitz bar and then fled to a little restaurant on a side street and pretended that they were poor. Nancy had thought it thrilling to have her baby born in Paris. She had even made reservations at the French Hospital, but something American took hold of her and she wanted to be in New York { CONTINUED FROM PACE 63 ] when the great event occurred. They booked passage at once. Nancy had not thought of a doctor. She went to a fine specialist just a few weeks before the baby was born and he took one look at her, said she was perfect and dismissed her at once. Patsy was a very expensive baby. After she was born there was no money. So Nancy went back on the stage and Jack took his old job on the Ndi^s. J.^CK worked the graveyard shift. He finished at three A. M. .\t that time it was the fad for the big musical shows to send acts to the night clubs. Nancy completed the day at three, also. .'^nd they met and found new adventure together. But Jack, having once touched movie gold, was sick of newspaper salaries. He wanted to go to California. They adventured to California. Jack found movie gold scarce, so Nancy went on the stage. She worked in a little musical comedy called "Nancy." Macloon saw her and signed her for three years. During this time she had dozens of picture tests made. M-G-M, First National, Warner Brothers, Universal — all had her face recorded, but nothing e\'er came of it. Jack took a place writing for Paramount. At last a test amounted to something and she did a picture for Fox called "Ladies Must Live." But she was tied up on her contract with Macloon and that had to be straightened out before she did ".Abie's Irish Rose" for Paramount and signed a long term contract. In the meantime she held the fort for Jack. When he went back to New York to do his play, "I'>ankie and Johnnie," she stayed on w ith Patsy and worked to give him the chance to do it, and when he came back she was happy again. Nothing really matters as long as the three of them are together. FUNDAr^IENT.ALLY," she said, "I'm an Irish Catholic girl like my mother and if Jack wanted me to stop work and be just a wife and have ten children like Patsy, I'd do it." But fundamentally she is a rebel. She gets what she wants by fighting for it. Years ago, when she was a kid she fought with her two fists. She fought to go on the stage. Now she fights with her mind. Her brisk, humorous, keen mind. Studio politics worrj' her not at all. She knows what she wants. She knows when and how she can do her best work. And she does it. She is a rebel with her tongue in her cheek. She's a red-headed, fighting Irish kid with gypsy blood in her veins!