Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1949)

has two strikes on it before it is tried out.” Fellow actors began shying away from Greg and producers were generally out when he called. Being sensitive, Peck understood what was happening, but was powerless to do anything about it. And being intelligent, he was completely aware of the calamity to which such a situation could lead. He began to take long walks alone and to ride through sleepless hours on the Staten Island ferry, leaning over the rail, and bitterly remembering Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem: “We were very tired, we were merry. We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.” But Greg was neither tired nor merry. He was looking black despair in the face, twisting one way and then the other, seeking escape. “It took all the faith and stamina I could muster,” he says. “And I’ve got to admit that most of the time I thought I was licked.” His break came suddenly and dramatically when he was offered the opportunity to do a picture called “Days of Glory” for RK£) in Hollywood. In the space of hours, he was in California, his troubles over, or, at least, exchanged for new ones. TODAY, at the peak of his motion picture career, Gregory Peck is again becoming conscious of the old restlessness which bedeviled him in his youth and hounded him through the tough years in New York. His latest challenge, the formation of the Actors Company, is a case in point. In this endeavor, a group of players are banding themselves with the avowed purpose of establishing, in Beverly Hills, a theater which will be the equal of anything to be found in New York. In this group are such sterling actors and producers as Jerry Wald, Dorothy McGuire, John Garfield, Ingrid Bergman, Deborah Kerr, Roz Rufesell, William N. Pereira, and the former president of RKO, William N. Peter. It is the intention of the Actors Company to erect their own theater, a project which will cost approximately $1,500,000 and will be launched in about two years. Peck’s eyes shine when he talks about the Actors Company. He paints glowing pictures of the Montgomery Clifts, Richard Basehearts and Richard Widmarks who will be developed there. Here, indeed, is a brand new mountain to climb. “The trouble with me is that acting and the theater are my hobbies,” Greg went on. “And this doesn’t always make for pleasant domestic relations. I bring my job home, with me at night, and don’t think the successful establishment of this new theater isn’t going to be a job, and I chew on it when I should be playing with my kids or talking to my wife. It’s a little hard on Greta. For instance, not long ago, just as I’d finished work on “The Great Sinner” at M-G-M, Greta and I ran into one of those little misunderstandings which, normally, are laughed off in a few minutes. But, this time, my nerves were on edge. I was wire-tight. I’d been getting only about four hours’ sleep a night for weeks and I was just plain hard to get along with. When this little explosion came, I couldn’t let it drop, and, suddenly, I realized that if I kept on I’d say something that I’d regret the rest of my life. So I jumped in my car and drove to Mexico. I didn’t stay long because I soon got my thinking straightened out. Then I hurried home to repair the damage I’d done. From now on there’s going to be less temperament at home. I’ll save that for my work.” A few minutes later, I drove away. Lights were springing up all over the house on the hill. So long, nice guy, I thought. I hope you get over this hurdle. But, somehow, I had the feeling it might be higher than the others. The End Defy the years with THAT FORMFIT LOOK Fresh, young figure charm is no longer for the very young a*one. Not if you wear the right Formfit Foundation! It is the only foundation which combines the magic lift of Life Bra and the comfortable control of Life Girdle ... all in one piece! Gives' you “that Formfit look” from bustline to thighline. You get all the control you need, plus the comfort and freedom you want. The secret is in the exclusive way it’s tailored to lift-mold-correct-hold, all at one time. Be fitted and see, at any of the better stores. Then you’ll know why more women wear Formfit than any other make! Style illustrated $15.00 Other Life Foundations from $10.00 THE FORMFIT COMPANY CHICAGO, NEW YORK