Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1956)

Ruggles and Edgar Buchanan. Glenn says the losses are never too large. “It evens up — in fourteen years.” While he is so intense and preoccupied when he’s working that he could pass by his best friend without knowing it, between pictures — at home with Ellie and their eleven-year-old son Pete — Glenn’s as relaxed as a hibernating bear. When pressured, he admits that for a man of such reputed strong will he’s a pushover for son Pete. “I don’t like to be told this — but it’s true,” he grins. Ellie says her husband and son are like two cub scouts bucking for corporal when Glenn’s home. “For some time now they’ve been engaged in a building project that’s going to be a clubhouse or a fort or something. They’re out there working on it like twin beavers every available moment they have. The way they’re going about it — pounding and pounding, sawing and sawing,” she laughs, “you’d think they were preparing a summer cabin for President Eisenhower! It keeps getting bigger and bigger by the moment. I think they’re getting ready to take in boarders out there.” Glenn and Ellie are determined to see that Pete’s life won’t be warped in any way by being their son. And there seems to be small worry on this score. For example, last year, after talking it over, Glenn and Ellie decided to let Pete stay up past his bedtime to watch the Emmy television awards. Ellie didn’t think she’d win anything, but “I thought if I should happen to, it might be the only time in Pete’s life.” When they got home that night there was a note from Pete. “I’m so happy you won the Emmy,” he’d written. “But I was a little ashamed of you, Mom. You ran so fast (to get it) you looked greedy.” “Pete and Glenn and I are all notehappy,” says Ellie. “We’ve been sending notes back and forth to each other for years. If I have to go out and speak at different churches, during a period when Glenn’s working on a picture, he’s in bed when I get home. But I’ll find notes from him in little out of the way places around the room. He’ll be mad at me for telling you this — ” When Glenn’s engrossed in a part, time is relative and the rest of the world goes by. He may forget to send red roses on Valentine’s Day, but as Ellie says, “He’s very thoughtful in his own special way. One day when I came home, there was a little porcelain angel on my bureau.” This was Glenn’s way of saying, “You’re an angel. ’ And, as Ellie adds, “I’d rather have a sentimental note or gift like that than an expensive gift on an established day.” This is the Glenn with the wide streak of tenderness— as Ellie and Pete well know — who writes love notes and hangs on to sentimental souvenirs, such as his “lucky tie.” This is a brown knit tie he bought for a dollar when he was in high school, wore in all the class plays, the little-theatre plays, “in my first picture — and I’ve worn it ever since. I’ll bet it’s cost Metro $500 to have stand-bys made to match that dollar tie,” he grins. And this is the Glenn whose proudest possession is an 18th Century music box that “rocked my grandfather to sleep, his father, my father, me — and Pete.” When Pete was younger, Glenn’s extended movie-location trips often kept them apart, but now Glenn is determined not to be separated from his family. In April, he is going to Japan to make “Teahouse of the August Moon.” But, as Glenn points out, “This is the first faraway location since I went to South America four years ago, and then I took Ellie and Pete with me. ‘Teahouse’ will be made while Pete’s in school, and I’ll be back to spend the summer with him. And, if Ellie can get time off from her TV show, she and Pete will fly over while I’m there.” Although he teases Ellie — saying, “I thought I was marrying a dancer; I didn’t know I was marrying a missionary”— no husband could be prouder than Glenn is of Elbe’s Sunday-school TV show, Faith Of Our Children. He also helps with the scripts and lends a hand whenever he can. And he admits it’s perfect casting. “She’s the darndest missionary,” he laughs, then adds seriously, “Nobody could be more qualified to teach Sunday school than Elbe. She’s so beautiful and sweet and patient and good. Elbe sees only the goodness in this life.” Eleanor Powell’s experienced understanding of show business and of Glenn’s intense dedication to his work has played an invaluable part in their marital happiness. Glenn is one star who admits he takes his roles home with him. “Elbe always grabs the scripts first when the studio sends them over. She wants to see what kind of man she’s going to be living with for the next three months. “I don’t know any serious actor who shrugs off his role when he goes home at night,” Glenn continues. “And don’t tell me you can be a teacher in a tweed suit in ‘Blackboard Jungle’ all day on the set from nine until six, go home, get into a tux, drink champagne and go night-clubbing, and the next morning be the teacher in the tweed suit again. I don’t think good results can be achieved that way.” Instead, Glenn lives with his character throughout the picture, spending hours with his taperecorder in the evenings, going over his lines. “Elbe would be so happy with the genial guy I play in ‘Teahouse of the August Moon,’ but,” he grins, “we’re making that one in Japan.” However, his next picture— “The Fastest Gun Alive,” a psychological Western — has been going over very big on the home front. “Westerns are a big favorite around our house,” says Glenn. “I’ve been practicing to draw fast — which makes Pete the happiest fellow in the world. I’m really the favorite father now.” After extensive research, Glenn even mastered a fancy gun twirl — “to impress my son”— then he had to talk hard to keep the studio from incorporating it in t! picture. Finally confronting them with load of research material, he convince them that real gunmen had no gimmicksthey only took time to draw. Although “Blackboard Jungle” an “Trial” were not favorite “home movies i Elbe is proud of Glenn’s performances i them. That Glenn has the courage to ste I in such controversial themes, surprise nobody who knows him. For this is th ■ story of his life. I was told I shouldn’t do ‘Interrupte Melody,’ that the part was secondary < the woman’s,” says Glenn. “But I feel good part — if done right — stands a chanc! of being important. I made ‘Blackboar Jungle’ against the advice of others. Froi that picture snowballed everything elseRansom!’, ‘Teahouse of the Augus Moon,’ signing my M-G-M contract—” Answering to his own mind and heai has been a life-long habit of Glenn’s. H had his own reasons for wanting to mak “Blackboard Jungle” and “Trial.” H knew them by heart, and by memor' : Grim memories. “I’ve traveled around the world a lot, he says, “and I’ve traveled in the Iroi Curtain countries. I’ve heard us criticize for being ‘infantile,’ for making ‘sugar : coated fairy tales.’ I’ve heard us sneere at and laughed at. Mostly they call u ‘children’ — which I resent. But with th pictures I’d made up until then, I had n answer for them. Mine had always skirte i life, taken the easy way out. If I’d ahead ■ made a ‘Blackboard Jungle,’ I could hav shut those people up. A picture like thi proves they’re not telling the truth abou Americans not being able to face our ow social problems.” Throughout the filming of this one phrases had kept coming back to Glenr Taunting phrases and faces he’d met. Dur ing an interview in Austria, a Communis reporter had asked, “Tell me, Mr. Ford, i Hollywood still making fairy tales fo children?” And a French reporter had queriec “What are you Americans trying to cove up?” “What do you mean?” asked Glenn. “Everything can’t be a Technicolore dream in America. What are you trying t hide?” “Nothing,” said Glenn and felt lik shouting it. But he had no pictures fo proof. When the cameras stopped turning o Glenn’s gripping staircase scene with th young Negro actor in “Blackboard Jun gle,” he thought, “How I’d love to be sit 1 ting in the theatre in Vienna when ths scene goes on.” Glenn has found the controversial opin ion about making pictures like this en couraging. “It means people are thinking, ; he says. “If a picture makes people thin! then we’ve done good. No matter whethe they are free or not. The important thin is to think. This is what made Americ; And as long as people think, we’re i great shape. “Like my son,” adds Glenn. “If Pete dif fers with me and says why, that’s stimu lating, that’s good.” Honesty, howevej compels Glenn to admit that it can als be uncomfortable. He has never wante Pete to be impressed with the fact that h is the son of a movie star, but one nigh recently he decided to make an exceptio and take him to one of his pictures. “Pete, they’re sneak-previewing my pic ture in Westwood tonight,” he announcec “Would you like to go with me?” Pete thought for a minute. “Well, ge< thanks Dad,” he said finally, “I don’t wan to hurt your feelings or anything. But I well, tonight Rin-Tin-Tin’s on TV.” The En LOOK WHO'S HERE! Earl Wilson reports exclusively on Marilyn Monroe Mrs. Jack Lemmon tells some wonderful secrets about her husband What Mitzi Gaynor d id n t know about marriage An exciting new feature: Glamour Gab from Hollywood plus P GEORGE NADER • JANET LEIGH • GUY MADISON • DORIS DAY All in May PHOTOPLAY • On sale everywhere April 5 112