Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1938)

OF A MAN WALKING ALONE A Steele engraving of Nelson Eddy — the bachelor who rates himself a cynic and still reads fairy tales BY JOSEPH HENRY STEELE HE is built like a heavyweight champion and he likes the pungent odors of a delicatessen. He is easily deceived by people. His philosophy is one of compromise and tolerance which finds its root in his grandfather's maxim that circumstances alter cases. He likes Mexican enchiladas and it is very difficult to borrow money from him. His highest note is A-natural — very exceptional for a baritone. He dances the tango and rhumba execrably. He is known as Nelson Eddy. He never wears white shirts and as a boy he was very self-conscious with girls. He is a bachelor. His complexion is unusually fair and he eats very light lunches. He is difficult to interrupt in a conversation. He doesn't play the piano and consequently cannot accompany himself. He dislikes giving interviews and off screen he wears horn-rimmed glasses. He has no desire to be a gentleman farmer. He is extremely optimistic and considers "Rosalie" his worst picture. His hair is blond and naturally wavy, imperceptibly gray around the temples since his youth. He has never read Mary Baker Eddy. He thinks he doesn't look well in a top hat and he is partial to Colonial architecture. He is physically robust and maintains an apartment in Philadelphia where he lived for many years. He has never known defeat or failure. He believes that most people are motivated by sincerity. He never wears panamas or straw hats. He is not allergic to any kind of food. He has a violent antipathy for women who use lorgnettes. He's high-strung and moody . . . likes to dance . . . hates interviews . . . has leonine ease at all large social gatherings HE has no superstitions and has a passing command of French, German and Italian. He drinks champagne only on occasion and actually enjoys his motion-picture work. His decisions are invariably impulsive. He sleeps soundly and believes that pain and beauty have an equal place in artistic expression. He dislikes playing cards with women and thinks they play well. He likes to play the ukulele, the "sweet potato" and old folk songs on an accordion. He smokes cigarettes. He is easily depressed. His favorite dessert is vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. He never wears linen or Palm Beach suits and has a loathing for second-rate music in any form. He thinks women of today have infinitely more charm and personal attraction than in the days of so-called "femininity." He has not read "Gone with the Wind" or "Anthony Adverse." He never carries a walking stick and thinks many suicides are justifiable and heroic. Nelson Eddy thinks that Americans in general do not know the art of gracious living. He is fond of codfish cakes, caviar and sauerkraut. He is highly introspective and self-analytical. He has never carried a fountain pen. He travels by air only when he is pressed for time. He is particularly fond of Handkase — a peculiar, translucent cheese w-hich comes from the Harz Mountains in Germany. He scrubs his teeth alternately with paste and powder. He never gets headaches. nE avoids large crowds and thinks that women, blondes or brunettes, are fundamentally alike. He rises about nine o'clock when not working. He has great difficulty remembering names and faces. He never uses a cigarette holder and Raphael's Sistine Madonna has impressed him more than any other work of art. He does not like surf bathing. He is very quick to criticize. He has broad shoulders and slim legs. He worships at the shrine of Chaliapin and has a yearning for those large, luscious Eastern oysters. He enjoys meeting strangers. He considers the habitual use of big words bad taste. He expresses a leonine ease at large social gatherings. He has no feeling for repartee. His middle name is Ackerman, and his education consists of grammar school, night school and correspondence courses. His grandmother, Caroline Kendrick, was a famous singer in her day. He worked for five years as reporter and copy reader on the Press, Bulletin and Evening Ledger of Philadelphia. He has to wear make-up on the screen because of his light coloring. He has never been married and he thinks motion pictures should avoid subjects of social significance. He has a deep regret that circumstances have always prevented him from hearing Paul Robeson or Marian Anderson. He has an abnormally developed diaphragm worthy of a giant. NELSON EDDY forms hasty judgments and exhibits very little interest in governmental affairs. He has never been in a Turkish bath. He always shaves before he dresses. He thinks track meets very dull to watch. He likes to sing and will on the slightest (Continued on page 86) 32