Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1944)

ADVERTISEMENT problem? I am thirty years old and have been happily married for five years. My husband is thirty-two and has just entered the armed forces. Now that I have the time I would like to improve my appearance as much as possible to impress my husband when he comes home on furlough. First, I would like to know how to gain about fifteen pounds. I am five feet, five, and only weigh 110 pounds. Second, is there any way to promote the growth of fingernails? Mine are very soft and break right off. Third, I have an oily skin with enlarged pores. Is it possible to reduce the pores and to eliminate the excess oiliness? Mrs. Helene de B. Dear Mrs. de B.: The first thing for you to do is to consult a doctor about the general condition of your health and to ask him to prescribe a diet for you. At the same time mention the brittleness of your nails, as this is frequently the result of a systemic condition. Once you are employing a properly balanced diet, you will be astonished at the improvement in your general skin tone. To correct the enlarged pore condition, frequent washings with a mild soap and lukewarm water followed by cold water are of benefit. Claudette Colbert Dear Miss Colbert: I know you receive thousands of letters from girls who are movie-struck. I want to be movie -unstruck. . If you look at my picture you can see that I’ra short, chubby and far from glamw orous. But there is a silly little hope that keeps at me all the time . . . maybe I’m someone who is different enough to be successful on the silver screen. That silly little hope is spoiling my whole life. I worked in the college library to get a degree in dramatics. The only pleasant memories of four years of hard work were the hours I spent over at the Little Theatre. Of course I only played grandmas and old ladies, but I didn’t mind just so I could be on that stage. I pulled curtains, painted and did everything I could just to be around the place. Not only am I short and chubby, but I’m also a little bit lame. You can’t really tell it unless I’m tired, but there are times when it does show. Here is another thing; I’m scared to death to talk to one lone man, but I can stand in front of hundreds of them and make them laugh — and love it. I guess I’m all mixed up. I’m reaching If you wish to have Miss Colbert's advice, write to her in care of Photoplay, 8949 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, California, and if your problem seems to her to be a universal one she will answer it on these pages. All names of writers are changed: If you have solved a problem with Miss Colbert's help, write her about it and become eligible for the $25 War Bond which Miss Colbert awards to the writer of the most sincere letter in this "How I Solved My Problem" series. (See page 60.) Prize-winning letters are not published. for a star beyond my reach. Won’t you please discourage me so that I can settle down to some quiet job? Florence L. Dear Miss L: The truest thing that can be said to a girl who is movie-struck is that her chances of recognition are about one to ten thousand, and even if she gets a screen chance the odds against her achieving success are a hundred to one. One of the cold, hard facts that many young hopefuls overlook is that, to succeed, a person really has to have something to sell. One must be able to sing, to dance, to act. One must have some unique characteristic. One must have, in addition, unfailing good health. It’s true that personality is frequently more important than great beauty. It’s true that no positive rule for achieving motion-picture success can be stated. But, to turn to your particular case, it would seem to me that one of your chief troubles is an intense inferiority complex. What are you doing about your chubbiness? Are you dieting according to a doctor’s prescription? Are you exercising? Are you really trying to improve your appearance? As for your nervousness with a lone man, that results from the fact that your attention is turned inward. While you are talking to a single listener, you aren’t really noticing him, or giving him sincere attention. You are looking at yourself in the mirror of your mind. If you will exhibit a genuinely friendly interest in anyone to whom you talk, you will conquer your self-consciousness. Claudette Colbert 74 The Red Cross is at bis side — and the Red Cross is you.