Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1946)

Introducing Cojo (Continued from page 61) syllable word, even if they do know all the meanings. When they pronounce their name, they say something like Jourrrrmmm, which completely deceived Director Charles Vidor. Vidor is' a Hungarian. English, even when spoken with pear-shaped tones, throws him plenty. But Charlie gets the credit for discovering Cojo, even though three years back Walter Pidgeon said the kid was a natural star. We’ll come to that yarn in a moment — but when Charlie first asked what Cojo stood for, he was told Courtland. When the boy pronounced his last name Jourrrrmmm, Vidor thought that was his first name. In fact, he said to Cojo, “How should we spell Jerome?” “Why, I don’t care, sir,” said Cojo, who has the most polite manners and is as naturally easy-going as Gary Cooper. Charlie Vidor is just as naturally impatient. “How many ‘r’s,’ how many ‘e’s,’ ” he demanded. “Why, I don’t care. Does it matter, sir?” asked Cojo. It was weeks before he realized Vidor’s mistake, together with the fact that Charlie had thought he was an idiot who didn’t know how to spell his own moniker. By that time, his professional name was set — and Cojo let it go at that. SOME of this easy approach was because he originally regarded the bit in “Together Again” as a kind of vacation prank. He was visiting his mother and his stepfather in Hollywood, where the latter is the very distinguished architect, Walter Wourdiman. He expected in the next couple of weeks to return to his prep school, Riverside Military Academy, at Gainesville, Georgia, and he had moments of regarding “Together Again” as a sort of a waste of his otherwise free time from lessons. But he didn’t know his own talent for being completely natural in front of a camera. Once Columbia got a shot at his rushes, they started racing toward Co jo’s mother to secure her okay on a contract. She was so amazed that she called up Walter Pidgeon for advice. Pidge recommended an agent, the agent went to Columbia, and Columbia began talking about putting Cojo in “Kiss And Tell.” Now part of the reason that Cojo was so natural, rather than impressed with Hollywood, is because he had been visiting it or New York and meeting celebrities ever since he can remember. He was nine when his mother and father separated, each of them getting half-year custody of him. Even today, Mary Jourolmon is only in her mid-thirties, and she is strikingly beautiful. She looks identically like Cojo — or vice versa — the same straight black hair, the same sparkling eyes, the same luminous, intelligent face. She had always wanted to sing, and she knew James Melton. The moment she broke up her marriage, she went to New York and got Jimmy to arrange a radio audition for her. That was all she needed. She was engaged that very afternoon and for three years thereafter, as Mary Courtland, she sang, mostly old Southern airs and spirituals, for NBC. When the show she was with was brought to Hollywood, she came with it, only to meet Walter Wourdiman and fall in love and give up all thoughts of a career. But since Walter Wourdiman was the architect who did the Chester Morris and the Bob Montgomery houses, and many other movie homes, Mary, who has a natural talent for friendship, was very quickly in her famous-people element and lanky Cojo, spending his summers with her, grew as accustomed to fame and Skillful designing and quality fabrics combine to enhance your figure and give you that heavenly feeling of freedom from restraint. There is a Starlight Bra for every figure ^ Guaranteed by ^ Good Housekeeping \*0, If DEFECTIVE OR / V [ R 1 1 S * * . At leading stores everywhere from 79c to $1.59 type including a specially cut and sized group for teen-age figures. j L. & W. BRASSIERE CO., NEW YORK 10, N. Y. JEWELERS' CRAFT BY Go Id-Filled* for Quality Cold-Filled* for Wear f Gold-Filled* for Lasting Beauty * 1/20 10K Gold-Filled Pins, Earrings, Bracelets and Necklaces From $3 1° *1 8 — pl°s 20% Fed. Tax At Leading Jewelers or write: R* ML 'JORDAN & CO* 377 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. P 99