Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1954)

Look at Me Now! (Continued from page 38) to tell my troubles to ten other people? Or just let my thoughts smolder away inside me? I was disappointed and I wanted them to know it. I told them so in no uncertain terms. But there was respect in my mind as well as in my voice — and they knew that, too. If I feel that I’m justified, I sound right off. But these days, I try to think before I begin making sounds. There was a time, however, when I was pretty young and didn’t understand that tact was more than a word in the dictionary. When I first got into movies, people used to flip at the way I talked to producers and directors. Apparently, newcomers are expected to be all ears and few words. I’d just walk in and start yakking away a mile a minute. Up until the time I won a contract, I’d been strictly a movie-star fan. Producers and directors? They were merely the screen credits that held up the start of the show. Because I didn’t know how great these people are, I just didn’t realize that I was supposed to be scared. I’m glad now. Otherwise, it might have taken me much longer to learn that they are kind and understanding gentlemen. I can’t honestly say that I was ever a subdued and shrinking violet, even when I was just a kid. I remember once in junior high school when campaign speeches were the order of the day. I’d been elected to speak for a friend who was a candidate for the presidency of the class. I sat very quietly while our worthy opponents had their say. “Faculty members, classmates, friends. . . . .” they’d begin, stating their platforms with dignity. Then came my turn. I had a secret weapon. A cowbell! When I got up, I rang it to the rafters. After that, I launched into my little talk. “Wardens, fellow inmates, members of our jail ... if we work hard enough we might get out of here. But right now, what we need is a leader for this cell block.” The kids loved it. The faculty? Well, a short time later I was facing the principal. “Mary Frances,” she said sternly. (For that’s my real name.) “We all like to see you enter into the school activities. However, don’t you think you might confine your speeches to traditional types?” Thereafter, she suggested, it would be an excellent idea if I handed in copies of speeches I intended to make. Just to be on the safe and sane side. So I’d hand them in. They were fine speeches. But strictly paperwork. I’m a little ashamed to remember that I seldom made them. Something else always seemed to pop into my mind. “That crazy Franny,” they used to say at school. “She’s got enough nerve for ten people!” And most of the time, that was a kind of a compliment. I was simply considered the local character. Every institution of learning has one. I was the girl who’d go to the football and baseball games and note with grave concern that the spectators on our side were wasting their lung power on plain, ordinary conversation. So I’d dash down front, rally the cheerleaders and give the folks in the grandstand a long, loud pep talk about cheering the team. When the fellows played baseball during school hours, the coach would get me out of my sixth period class so I could be there lending vocal and moral support. “That Reynolds,” they’d say. “She has a ball.” Everyone has his or her own idea of a good time. And now that I look back on it, I’m afraid some of mine were pretty whacky. I was one of the ringleaders of a group that used to break the monotony of downtown traffic in Burbank. We’d stroll A.n Entire Year at Holl^^wood Far Yaur Engayment Once again the editors of Photoplay Magazine bring you Photoplay Annual. This year Photoplay Annual is more glamorous than ever! It is a treasure-mine of information about the stars ... a real Who’s Who in Hollywood. This book is a collector’s item. A book that you should have in your possession. Here is just a brief description of this truly glamorous book: HOLLYWOOD STAR ENCYCLOPEDIA— Vital statistics and pertinent information on more than 550 stars — their roles and lives in 1953. The addresses of the leading studios. Now you will know where to write your favorite stars. BEST LIKED MOVIES OF 19S3— Captivating scenes from the greatest movies of 1953 — here are movie memories you will want to keep — forever! COLOR PORTRAITS OF THE STARS— Gorgeous 4color photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger, Jane Russell, Robert Wagner, Doris Day and Rock Hudson. EVENTS OF THE YEAR— The parents of 1953 pictured with their youngsters — memorable weddings of the year — divorces of the year that made headlines — the final curtain, death robbed us of some of the nation’s entertainment greats. THE YEAR’S NEWCOMERS— 20 new stars that made their mark in ’53. Pictures, as well as a thumbnail description, of these newcomers. See and read about them here, and then follow their exciting careers. PORTRAIT GALLERY— Thrilling full-page pictures of Charlton Heston, Ann Blyth, Tab Hunter, Rory Calhoun, June Allyson, Ava Gardner, Jeff Chandler and Susan Hayward. Only 50c At Newsstands Or Use This Coupon Out! 1954 PHOTOPLAY ANNUAL • COLOR PORTRAITS • EVENTS OF 1953 • BIG SCREEN MOVIES • CANDID SCRAPBOOK • LIFE STORIES PHOTOPLAY Dept. PH-354 | 205 E. 42 St.. New York 17. N. Y. j Send me postpaid, a copy of PHOTOPLAY ANNUAL j 1954. I enclose 50c. | Nome I please Print I Address ■ City State I • This valuable collector's item sells out every year. Send for your copy at once and be the first in your neighborhood to possess a copy of this thrilling book. It contains everything you want to know about the stars.