Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1955)

For Audie Murphy, “To Hell and Back ” has turned into a personal triumph Things are MMMMing again around Hollywood, for Marilyn, it’s said, is home to stay continued ing for. Tab gets to go to New York. As a well-earned reward, he also gets to keep all that money the studio might collect, legally speaking, from his tv work. One Man's Meat: In Hollywood they refer to him as “Lucky” Gordon MacRae. When a younger man was wanted for “Oklahoma!” Howard Keel (under contract to M-G-M) lost out and Gordon (who is great) got the role. Now he succeeds Frank Sinatra who walked out on “Carousel” after prerecording his songs, which go to waste. 20th CenturyFox threatens to sue Frankie, but he’ll probably “give” them another picture. In the meantime, Warners is wearing a grim smile. They discovered Gordon (ditto Doris Day) and put up with his shenanigans while building him to today’s startling success — for someone else to share! Hollywood Dines Out: Some actresses complain about working too hard, but Jane Powell’s miserable over her long inactivity. To help kill time, she gave a dinner party and, instead of using the usual place cards, Janie embroidered individual napkins with each guest’s name . . . And Doris Day had to say it after staring at Joan Crawford in wideeyed wonder. “Why do you keep those long gold kid gloves on while your eating hors d’oeuvres?” Joan burst out laughing. “I’ll show you why,” she said. Then she peeled off a glove and displayed the nails she’d broken while scrubbing the kitchen floor! New Year's News: December 30th will be a big day for Russ Tamblyn. He’ll be 21. so he’ll be eligible to collect $19,000 in bonds, accumulated by law from his juvenile earnings. Then, says Russ, “I’ll feel free to announce my engagement to Venetia Stevenson and make plans for a June wedding!” . . . Unless the stork detours, Ann Blyth welcomes the new baby and the new year simultaneously. Do you know she shopped for and wrapped Christmas presents during California’s hottest September in 57 years! New Deal: Spiking those rampant rumors, Michael Wilding got up daily at dawn and drove Elizabeth Taylor to Warners until she finished “Giant.” He even returned later with Michael, jr., and the day they filmed the swimming pool sequence, all three Wildings took a dip. They looked might happy to us! Hollywood After Dark: Jeff Richards who’s getting around these days, finally got around to tall, blond, super-stacked Anita Ekberg. Serious about his promising career, Jeff takes the Swedish siren home at nine when he’s working. . . . Sammy Davis, jr.’s recent opening night was a bang-up, sell-out sensation. When Frank Sinatra flippantly announced free drinks for anyone who was a veteran of the Spanish-American war — incomparable Humphrey Bogart stood up! Baby Bacall yanked him back to his seat again . . . Rival hostesses bent on pepping up their parties, haven’t succeeded in snaring the man of the moment — Fess Parker. * “An early movie and sippin’ a soda is speedy enough for me,” he says. With Sympathy: Hollywood reeled at the sudden death of Jimmy Dean in an automobile crash. At 24, he was already known as one of the finest actors of his generation. He had talent, drive, conviction, idealism. He forever struggled within himself to find truth in his personal and professional life. Jimmy’s death cut short a highly promising career and robbed every one of us of the many important contributions he had to make. He leaves behind two great monuments to his acting ability : “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Giant.” 1 22