Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1951)

Report on Hollywood's Young Marriages An Intimate ( Continued from page 45) feeling well,” Joan says. “Nothing should be discussed at such times.” When Norma and Keefe Brasselle quarrel, he just walks out of the house. “But Normie never forgets,” he says. “Even when I come back I have to make up with her. If I hurt her feelings when we’re out — the evening is over.” Philip and Phyllis Shawn went to grade school and high school together. They married when they were eighteen. Phil, who becomes a star with his first picture “The Sun Sets at Dawn,” says, "We know each other so well and have known each other so long we can see when quarrels are coming up, so we divert each other and talk of something else.” The disagreements between Diana Lynn and John Lindsay just seem to blow over. “But,” Diana says, “we never say anything to each other that can’t be taken back.” Gene Nelson expects his wife, Miriam Franklin, to cure the quarrels. She expects him to. “So we don’t do anything,” Gene says, “and both of us sulk. Then one of us says, ‘Well-1-1?’ and we both laugh.” However, the Nelsons have not had so many quarrels since the baby came. They don’t want Chris to lose his feeling of security by thinking back to a fighting family. The marriage of Donald and Gwen O’Connor was a difficult one. He was eighteen, she sixteen and he went immediately into the service. They even separated once. But now, things are much better. They blow their tops during a quarrel, then forget what it was about. John Derek’s wife, Patti Behrs, is French. She says, “If I start a quarrel and he gets really mad I shut up. If he is only a little mad I keep on nagging.” But leave it to Corinne Calvet to put the topper on the question: “When I start a fight, Johnnie just picks me up in his arms and takes me away and I can’t go on any more!” Jealousy Miriam Franklin Nelson thinks Gene is “over friendly.” He says he just likes to have fun. Turning to Miriam he said, “There’s no need to be jealous of Doris Day.” (He’s making a picture with her and Miriam is a dancing coach.) “I’m not jealous of Doris — she’s my friend. But comes the next girl — I don’t know.” Miriam says she tries to control her jealousy. Gene says, “It’s just silly.” According to Diana Lynn, John Lindsay is too “well adjusted” to be jealous. Diana was jealous at first but once she realized there was no reason to be, she forgot it. John Derek was never jealous of Patti but she “used to be.” Then she “just got over it.” Norma Brasselle isn’t but Keefe is and once almost took a poke at a guy who was staring hard at Norma. Then he realized the guy was bigger than he was — but Keefe’s evening was ruined. When Pat Nerney is jealous of Mona Freeman — and she isn’t of him — he just blurts it out. Mona thinks that’s the only way. “And you’ve got to answer honestly,” she says. “That’s the only way, too.” There is no jealousy between Joan Leslie and Dr. Caldwell. She works in pictures with men. He, being a gynecologist, sees a great many women. They both understand this is strictly business. Corinne Calvet believes there is no real love without jealousy and doesn’t try to overcome it. Probably the most jealous husband in town is Jerome Courtland. He turns green when Polly has to do a love scene. Knowing this, everyone kids him, tells him how much feeling Polly puts in the scene. Polly tells him he is childish but she kids him, too — telling him that some of the young men with whom she plays love scenes kiss better than others. Then he blows his top and there’s one of those wonderful fights they both love. Romance after Marriage Practically none of the young marrieds have a definite plan for keeping romance alive. Patti Behrs said she would “trust to luck.” Mona Freeman was practical. “This quote keeping romance alive unquote is a lot of nonsense,” she said. “When the first flush of romance goes, better things take its place.” Corinne Calvet examined the question with amazement, spread her hands in a broad gesture and said, “But I’m French!” In-laws Some families help the young people. Joan Leslie’s father gave her and Dr. Caldwell the refrigerator and stove for their new home. Gene Nelson’s mother helped to buy the Nelsons’ house. However, Gene has loaned his family money from time to time. Same way with Keefe Brasselle. “But I’ve probably borrowed ten times as much from my mother as she has from me.” Mona Freeman doesn’t need to make a production of family entertaining. The families live close by, they see each other often and Pat is in his father’s automobile business with him. The families of the Gene Nelsons always come to the kids’ house because they want to see young Chris in his native haunts. Since Janie Powell and Geary Steffen got married the two families have become intimate friends. Janie usually has both families together to dinner. The only two who have regular days to see the family are Marshall and Barb Thompson. On Mondays they go to Marsh’s family, on Tuesday nights to Barb’s. Now that they have bought a house Barb will return these invitations. As for holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving the young people go to their families’ homes. Keefe Brasselle always takes his mother out to dinner on Mother’s Day. How They Shop Usually Hollywood young marrieds shop for household furnishings together. The Keefe Brasselles not only shop together for household things — they make them together. Having just bought a house in The Valley, they have scoured the countryside for old pieces. A dry sink is being refinished by Keefe to become a cabinet to stand in the bay window. And Norma makes slip covers and upholsters the chair seats. But Mona Freeman says her husband, Pat Nerney, is the shopper in their family. He even buys all her clothes himself and without her. Mona was a poor girl; Pat comes from a wealthy family. Mona could not bring herself to buy expensive clothes and Pat believes, “Buy it good or don’t get it at all.” Mona works hard at the studio. Since Pat works every other night he often has time off during the day, so he does all her shopping and she loves it. Miriam Franklin would like Gene to go with her but he doesn’t. “She always goes to the most expensive dress like a homing 1 pigeon,” he says, “but her taste is wonderful and she creates styles. She wore a baby blanket thing like a shawl to the opening of ‘Lend an Ear’ and a few months later stoles were the rage.” Miriam goes with Gene when it’s convenient but Gene hates the time and money clothes take. He used to love clothes but since they’ve bought a house, he’d rather have a gardenia plant. Jerry Courtland has revolutionized Polly’s way of dressing. He did not like her sophisticated black dresses and highheeled shoes. So now she’s wearing casual peasant blouses and skirts, slacks and sandals. Philip Shawn always chooses Phyllis’s clothes. John Derek doesn’t go with Patti but he often buys things for her. He went to Mexico recently to see a bullfight and came back with a Mexican skirt with a bullfighter painted on it. John Lindsay doesn’t go with Diana Lynn but almost always likes her choice. There was one great exception. She bought an elaborate evening dress with beads on it. He said, “You look like a lamp shade.” So the dress went into the closet where it remained until Diana went to New York alone and wore it there. She hopes to spring it on him later. “But,” she says, “he has the memory of an elephant. I probably won’t get away with it. Know anybody wants to buy a beautiful dress — size ten — with beads?” Although Geary doesn’t go with Janie she shows him swatches before she has her clothes made. Jane is so tiny she cannot wear clothes out of the store. Although she i dresses for him, she will sometimes have a dress made up even if he was not crazy about the sketch, knowing he will like if when he sees her in it. And Janie doesn’t go with Geary because, “I don’t know much about men’s clothes and he knows it.” Polly Bergen hated Jerry’s clothes as he did hers. “He was strictly the blue jean and T-shirt man,” she said, “and he had one awful sports jacket.” She made him buy several conservative suits. Entertainment Movies, movies, movies. The young marrieds of Hollywood are crazy about movies. John Bromfield only likes good ones but Corinne likes movies even if they are bad. Of course, this is natural since seeing movies is part of their job. Next to movies as entertainment is going to friends’ houses and having friends in. Joan Leslie and Dr. Caldwell go to baseball and football games a lot since he was a football player and a coach. She had no interest at first but now loves these sports. And they go dancing. “Bill is a beautiful dancer,” she says, “and so few men art today. Why, he can even waltz.” Janie and Geary, besides movies anc friends, occasionally go dinner dancing a a place like the Cocoanut Grove but, “w< don’t go to night clubs unless we’re invited.” Diana Lynn and John Lindsay fee the same way about it. And the Keef< Brasselles only go night-clubbing whei there’s a special occasion like the Pres: Photographers Ball. They all go to premieres and to the theater. The Don Taylor are the only ones who play a lot of bridg< with their friends, who are mostly writer: Evenings at Home Mona Freeman finds herself alone lot in the evening because Pat work every other night. “You sell more cars 8 night than any other time,” he says. Mon SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT • the GOLD MEDAL AWARDS in March Photoplay