Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1963)

“friendly” divorce, even though she had already been served with a surprise legal paper that she didn’t understand. She and Mike had talked their marital situation over the previous week, and when Carol told him they couldn’t go on the way they were and that they should separate, he had not tried very hard to change her mind. He seemed resigned to the fact that their marriage had, in fact, come to an end, and was apparently going to accept the situation. He was the one who went home to mother, moving in with his family again. Meanwhile, she got the surprise of her life. Michael had served her with divorce papers, tying up her bank account at the same time because he declared that all her earnings to date (at least, during the period of their marriage) were community property. Mike wanted to share in her earnings for “The Cardinal” and “Under the Yum Yum Tree,” whereas Carol — who declared in her suit that they had no community property — never thought he would even try to claim any more than a share of their house, if that. (She had paid most of the money on the house.) He also sought custody of Jill — the unkindest blow of all — claiming that Carol is not a fit or proper person to bring up the child. “I’m really surprised at what Mike’s doing — I really am,” Carol told me, and I could see that she was stunned by this development. “I thought we’d worked out an understanding, and that there wouldn’t be any bad publicity. Now I don’t care — now that he’s trying to get the baby. My lawyer says Mike can never get Jill, and I won’t let bim have my baby. I’m not an unfit mother! But just the fact that lie’s trying is so unlike what we’d agreed we would do.” Yet no matter what Mike Selsman does, Carol is determined to try not to hurt her husband’s name as he is the father of her child and she does not want the child to be hurt now or in the future. Mike Selsman, however, does not seem to share this decent, mature attitude. In addition to already having called her “not a fit mother,” there is the claim that a top producer-director urged Carol to get rid of her husband. Carol — and everyone who knows her — says this is utterly ridiculous, but “somehow” the item was leaked to a widely read columnist. To yet another columnist (Mike Connolly) “someone” said that Carol was planning to do the movie-star bit by selling her Falcon and buying a Jag and selling her house for a bigger one. Carol denied thinking about an expensive new car, but she told me she was planning to sell the house in Benedict Canyon — but only because now that the baby is out of the criband-carriage stage, the location is too dangerous. There are no sidewalks, and heavy traffic zooms unheeding around the curves in the road in front of the house. As of this writing, Mike has his lawyer planning to take depositions from a number of important people. Carol, on tbe other hand, doesn't want to use any more information against Mike than is necessary to protect her custody of the baby and her property rights. There is infor mation that she could use against him that she does not want to make public, she told me, and will try not to unless she is forced into it. She realizes that she and Michael will eventually have to try to be friends for Jill’s sake, so it is certainly better to avoid bitterness now as much as possible. It is a difficult position for Carol, and a difficult time. The only person she’s turned to when she’s had to have an escort for business reasons is her agent. Ted Witzer, an old friend of both hers and Mike’s. “Poor Ted,” she sighed, realizing how much more could be made of that. Apparently chivalry is dead where divorce is concerned, at least where money and a baby are involved, I thought to myself. I asked Carol, “With this latest development, and the prospect of a messy time ahead as you and Mike go through with your divorce suits against each other, do you regret that you ever married him?” Without hesitation, she said, “Not at all! It’s helped to mature me. I didn’t know anything at all about the world until I got married. My marriage helped me to grow up. And above all, I have a wonderful baby whom I love very much.” And so Carol says she’s willing to pay the price for her unhappy marriage, without regrets. But the price, if Mike Selsman has anything to say about it, may still be more than she bargained for. — James Gregory You can see Carol in “The Yum Yum Tree” and “The Cardinal,” for Columbia. SIDNEY 1 ' * 1 SKOLSKY Continued from, page 71 bright young man. “No one has to talk.” “So what!” “So your pictures without speaking, talk a universal language. Remember the world market. It can be larger. All you have to do is supply a new set of subtitles for every country. Even the moon if neccessary.” “Go on.” “This thing will be revolutionary. It’ll revolutionize the business or industry or whatever you call it.” “It’s an industry,” quickly explained the Industry giant. “Okay. You do away with a lot of writing. Practically do away with scripts. You don’t need those high-sounding, good-talking but high-salaried Broadway actors. Another thing, if you make a movie in Italy or France you don’t have to dub it. Just a set of Italian or French subtitles. And the sound of the actors won’t keep the audience awake.” “I think you’ve got something. Go on.” “I tell you it’ll change the whole art, I mean industry. Who wants to hear a lot P of actors and actresses talking? You can get that in any play. This’ll be different. „„ The movies will be different from plays. 84 1 Movies will be an art form in themselves.” “Please don’t use that word.” “They’ll be cheaper to make. And faster. They'll be different from television where people in plays, pictures and commercials are screaming at you all night.” “I think you’ve got something different,” said the producer, seeing the light. “But, of course, you must expect some criticism,” said the enthusiastic young man. “There’ll be critics who’ll say the talking picture is a pure art form and without the talk there’s something missing.” “You said a dirty word. But I don’t care what the critics say. If the people leave their houses to get away from talking pictures I’m willing to gamble with silent pictures. You don’t get anywhere unless you gamble. Show me your new invention, secretly, tomorrow.” “Oh say. I didn't mention it. but that appointment you have is with me.” And this is how silent movies, if they had the decency to come later, could have supplanted talking pictures. Bits and Pieces: Glenn Ford has matured into a Lover Boy. . . . Wouldn’t it be ironic if after the release of “PT-109” people started telling President Kennedy that he didn’t look anything like Cliff Robertson. . . . The rush of new buildings in Hollywood and Beverly Hills has me puzzled. At least every other new office building starts with a bank. I figured out that the banks must be making deposits at tbe banks, or how could they all keep going. . . . With the remake fever, I’m pleased, aren’t you, that they recognized what a good dividend they have in “Gone With The Wind” and didn’t try to remake it. ... I wonder if Tuesday Weld would have been as popular so fast if they named her Thursday Weld. If Laurence Harvey is as good a producer as he was a performer in “Room At the Top,” he’s going to be one of the most successful producers in the industry. . . . Did you notice I referred to it as an industry and not an art? . . . You can term it an art if you so desire and I won’t be angry. . . . Eddie and Debbie now talk, but, of course, it isn’t the same kind of talk as before he took up with Liz. . . . I don’t believe Antony had it as good or was as good as Richard Burton. . . . Richard must be giggling at those producers, who, only a few years ago, told him that he didn’t have any sex appeal. Liz fixed all that and proved them to be wrong. ... If I had to name two actors who are strictly the product of the movies, I’d name Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis. If I had to name an actress who is strictly the product of making movies, I'd name Doris Day. . . . There must have been movies before Zsa Zsa and Eva Gabor but sometimes it doesn’t seem so. . . . There are at least three fellows who look enough like Troy Donahue to stand at the magazine rack at the Schwabadero and look at movie magazines photos of Troy Donahue. These fellows confuse the tourists but they don’t baffle Suzanne Pleshette. She used to steady-date the genuine article. . . . Elvis Presley’s contract gets him star billing over title which is why lie’s not doing the lead in “The Unsinkable Mrs. Brown.” . . . There’s a certain actress in town, who for love and business reasons, would like her child to be older than she is. That’s Hollywood for you.