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was the shyest
guy
in
town "
• The fii’st time I ever played a love scene, true to all movie tradition, was also the first time I’d met the leading lady. She was pretty and witty and a star.
I was nobody, but when the script told me to kiss her I did. Very gladly and quite good, I thought.
She said, “It you ever dare do that again, I’ll scratch your eyes out.”
“Do what?” I mumbled, terrified.
“Upstage me,” she laughed. “Don’t you dare.”
The picture was “Peggy.” The star’s name was Diana Lynn. Somebody quickly explained to Diana that I honestly didn’t know what the word “upstage” meant. And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
We can both laugh about it now — but then, and it was only a couple of years ago, I could hardly say a word.
I was too shy. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? But I grew up being shy.
I came to Hollywood in the same dumb stage. I was just out of the Navy. I’d saved up the last two months of my discharge pay to get the fare to Los Angeles. All I wanted to do was to get into the movies — but I was afraid to admit it. I got a job in downtown Los Angeles and I was sure everybody would laugh if I asked how you got to the part of town that is Hollywood.
So help me, it took me six weeks to find that out. Then when I finally did get “discovered” I kept on being so timid, both socially and before the camera, I nearly lost out. If a pal on the Universal-International lot hadn’t tipped me off that either I landed a big part in “The Iron Man” or I was through, I wouldn’t be telling this yarn.
But I am telling it because I know there are a lot of other guys and girls who handicap themselves with this same shyness. So let me give you this fast commercial: If I could get over being shy, anybody can.
There’s another step involved, too, but let’s take the first one first.
In case somebody is snorting, “How can a big ox like Rock Hudson be shy?” let me answer that it comes easyvery easy to anybody oversized. Particularly when you’re growing up.
That’s because you grow up and up and up. From the time you’re seven, you’re the biggest thing in your class — and they expect your brains to (Continued on page 83)