Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1936)

Henry Fonda's New Love Story [ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 45 piece. Hank grabbed his camera as he saw Hitler arrive in full pomp and glory, and went to work. While the crowd was giving the Nazi salute, there was Hank, "panning" the camera to follow the Dictator's progress while all about him the Germans were giving him reproving looks for not standing at attention. The games, all too suddenly, were over. Hank still had a week or so before returning to England. A holiday spirit was in the air. Why not, the three of them asked almost unanimously, drive to Munich and see the sights? After all, Frances had her car, and Henry could drive the two girls. It must be admitted that Hank was not at all backward about accepting. Two beautiful young women, the open road, the adventurous thrill of gypsying through a strange land. Daniel J. Cupid distinctly had his eye on the situation. "THAT trip to Munich was grand," Hank ' says now, a faraway look in his eyes. "Traveling by car, we could see all the quaint little villages, the ancient castles and churches. And at Munich a friend in the picture business sold us all on flying to Budapest. There he had a pal who would really show us the town. We'd see everything the tourists miss. . "So we grabbed a plane, and there we were. Strangers who couldn't speak two words of the language, but having a grand time. In fact, it's more fun if you don't know the language, because then you can make signs. I decided here was a real test to see if I was an actor. If they undertood my pantomime, there was the proof. "There are three buttons in your hotel room, one for maid, one for valet, one for waiter. All you do is push a button and pray it's the right one. "1 rang for the waiter. When he arrived I held up an imaginary orange, cut it in two, squeezed it, filled a big glass full of the juice. He departed and in a few minutes was back with a towering glass of orange juice. I was a success! "Frances and Fay had a different system. It consisted of pronouncing their order in very loud, very precise English. I could hear lear down the hall, phoning for hot water. HOT, Wat-TER. HOT WAT-TER. They didn't need the room phone. The waiter could hear them without it. It was definitely not a success. I showed them my pantomime system. They not only got the hot water but tea and a teapot when I finished my act. "The hot water reminded Frances that I must try the baths. Surely 1 wouldn't come all the way to Budapest without trying the baths! So I sallied forth, with written directions clutched in my hand. These landed me at the door of the baths, all right — from in 1 was on my own. "First they took away my clothes and gave me a towel. I said farewell to my pants with some misgivings. Then I started out through the dismal catacombs of that ancient ruin. Pretty soon 1 wandered into a huge vaulted room where there was a big pool. Will, this was simple. Here I was at the baths! So 1 tossed aside my towel and Stepped in. 1 think I hit the ceiling. I came out so fast. Hot water? Jiminy! Well, this 88 couldn't be right. Then I noticed four small pools in the corners, and saw a man soaking in one. I tried each pool with my toe and where the man was soaking the water was just about right. I got in up to my neck. When he got out, I did too. "The massage, they had told me, was the important part of taking the baths, so next I set out to find the massage. I wandered through corridors and finally into a room. There a man grabbed me and gave me a pedicure. Seems I had missed the masseurs altogether. But I was happy, anyway. I made signs for my cloths. I put one foot after another into my imaginary pants. For an awful moment I thought he would mis Pretty Ann Sothern's recent midnight marriage to actor-orchestra leader, Roger Pryor, puts them among the screen colony's newest bridal couples understand. But he pointed to a door, and there were my clothes. "The girls were rather surprised at the quick time I'd made taking the baths, but put it down to American speed and efficiency. They were bothered about the laundry. So I pushed a button and showed them my system. Taking a dirty shirt, I went through the motions of scrubbing it, hanging it up, ironing it and there the job was, complete. The buxom lass went off with the laundry, smiling. All very simple. "Getting it back was another matter. I didn't know how to ask for its return, but an actor ought to be able to solve that. I rang a button. Then I laid out a dirty shirt and for the benefit of the valet, signalled the shirt to come to me. I beckoned it ardently. The shirt could almost but not quite walk to me, and the valet understood. In a few minutes I had my laundry back. " \/ AYHK all this success went to my head, ' v 'because I was in for a fall. Back in Munich we trundled out the car and in a few blocks a valve broke. I drove up to a big garage. I opened the hood for the mechanic and carefully pointed out the valve. Then I made elaborate signs to show that it was broken, ge-smashed, ge fphutt. The guy wa*ched me for about ten minutes. Then he -aid: ' 'Watsa matter, buddy, gotta busted valve? ' "Well, the drive back was fine, too. We visited all the zoos. Frances is a bug on zoos, and so am I. In fact we are connoisseurs of zoos. In Nurenberg we found a dandy monkey pit, where there are no bars, only a big pit to keep the monkeys from running away." Under my questioning Hank revealed that Miss Keith did not care particularly for zoos. But Henry and Frances spent hours pretending to look at monkeys and elephants and lions, when they were really thinking about each other. It was summer and it was Germany and life was suddenly very copiously filled with joy. Presently all three found themselves in Paris. The short vacation was over. Hank must go to England and then scurry along to America. Walter Wanger was getting impatient for the return of his star. There was a picture waiting to be made. They must go home. Frances, in fact, had booked passage on the Bremen for America. There were social duties to be considered, for Frances Seymour Brokaw fills an important niche in Eastern society. And Henry, faced with parting, was a very disconsolate young man. He didn't quite know what made him so blue. Maybe it was because, at this season, Paris is so very dull. Maybe it was because there wouldn't be any more whirling through sun drenched countryside with exactly the right companion at your side. Maybe — maybe he was in love! W /HEN that truth burst upon Mr. Fonda " he rang for Frances for a date at the Ritz bar. They sat there, at last, just talking. They talked for hours. Hank can't remember proposing, because he had his mind made up when he took this girl's arm and steered her to a corner of the Ritz bar. Certainly he said important words but what, he can't recall, except that everything was thrilling and delightful. You can't even kiss a girl in the Ritz bar, when the truth has dawned on both of you that you're engaged to be married. But they could walk out in sort of an ecstatic trance and follow their first instinct — to notify the world of their good fortune. First, they cabled Frances' mother in America. Then they were so happy they didn't know what to do. Certainly they couldn't go back to the hotel and part. The evening had to be prolonged until there were no more excuses left for parting. So they went to the Casanova Club. And what luck — Charles Boyer and Pat Paterson were there for an audience! So they were the first to know about it. to slap Hank on the back and join the rejoicing. Paris, and line! This was what Henry Fonda had always dreamed about. Hut there was no time to enjoy Paris. Hank flew to London, dashed madly through the windup of his business there, and still slightly out of breath, caught the Bremen in Southhampton. Frances and Fay were aboard. TRAWI S wanted a church wedding with ' all the trimmings, and by jiminy. Hank sawto it that she got it. They were married at the Christ Episcopal Church on Park Avenue at three of an autumn afternoon, less than three months alter they met in England during a drizzly outing on the Thames. Hank' two -isters had hurried East for the