Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1936)

PHOTOPLAY MAGAZINE FOR NOVEMBER, 1936 99 Particularly when the cameras started popping right and left, and the sidewalk crowds began to buzz with: "Look, there's Jeanette MacDonald and Gene Raymond together!" The camera boys begged: "Will you pose here, Mi^ MacDonald, Mr. Raymond?" It was absurd, that was what it was, perfectly absurd. They suddenly began to laugh until they held their sides. They sat together at the preview, and if they'd never enjoyed a picture quite so much, they set it down to the picture's excellence. After the show they took their mothers to Brown's for sodas, and Gene asked Jeanette if -he would go dancing with him the following evening. They might have gone to the Trocadero, or to the Cocoanut Grove as planned, if next day's papers hadn't carried enormous pictures of them (the ones snapped at Rozika Dolly's and at the preview) with rumors of their engagement! "Miss MacDonald and Mr. Raymond are being seen together constantly," the article went on. " Does this mean the altar in sight!" The altar in sight — and they were still calling one another "Mr." and "Miss." In order to avoid more of those embarrassing photographs, they dined at Jeanette's home that night! As long as they live they will probably never forget that first dinner date! W/ITH that "engagement" story between "* them, they were suddenly self-conscious again. Even Jeanette's sociable mother couldn't quite get the dinner conversation going, and apparently Gene and Jeanette could think of nothing to say on their own. After dinner things were even worse. If they went out dancing like an average young couple, there would be more of that embarrassing talk, aid it seemed silly to dance to records in her drawing room. When he left early (it was about ten-thirty) Jeanette figured she'd probably never see him again. The dinner had been a frost (they had had eggplant and it was obvious he detested the stuff) and the evening had been unbearable, just sitting there looking at one another that way! It would have been impossible for her to know that Gene was thinking the same thing, with reverse reaction! A fine dinner guest he'd been! Jeanette was probably insulted over the way he kept shaking his head at the eggplant. And the way he just sat and gawked at her after dinner! But looking at her did something funny to his heart. He'd never been at a loss for small talk before — yet there he sat. He wondered if she had found him too dull to spend another evening with him? The next morning he called and invited her to the Trocadero. Jeanette was surprised that he called — after the eggplant and everything. Gene was equally surprised that she would go. At first, he thought they were having an awfully good time. They danced every dance until the very last strain, and the dinner was delicious, and everything was going wonderfully, until around ten o'clock when Jeanette began to inquire the time every quarter-hour or so. He'd say "half-past ten" or "ten-toeleven," then "eleven-thirty" — gosh, she must be terribly bored. At one minute past twelve o'clock, Jeanette said: "Let's dance — this is my birthday!" It was June 18th, 1935, a date they'll never forget because it is the anniversary of the beginning of their love story! They didn't admit that to themselves, or to each other until a long time later. They didn't admit it had happened to them, that ^ GOSS-AMOUFf . . . gossamer as Moonkgkt . . . BLACK as Nigkt Tkis silk covered Power elastic NET girdle moulds you to tke sleekest lines imaginable! In black, wkite, peack and pale blue. Sta-Lo eras in matcking skades. •Re«. U. S. Pat. Off. THE H.W. GOSSARD CO., Chicago • New York • San Francisco • Dallas • Sydney • Buenos Aires