Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1950)

p HOLDBOB bobby pins With every hair in place you are glamorous no matter what you do. Gayla HOLD-BOB bobby pins set curls beautifully; are easy to sleep on. Easy to open. Keep hair-dos lovely because they hold better. There is no finer bobby pin. More women use GcvqfjOL. HOLD BOB than all other bobby pins combined INVISUif I*' ' GAYLORD PRODUCTS, INCORPORATED CHICAGO, ILL. Vs! hit f should I do? YOUR PROBLEMS ANSWERED BY CLAUDETTE COLBERT Claudette Colbert, star of “Blind Spot” EAR Miss Colbert; I married much later than most girls do, because I wanted to select exactly the right man. When I fell in love, I thought that it was the most perfect experience that could come to anyone. For nine years we were completely happy. We have had no children, but I must admit that this has been a blessing for us. We have traveled a great deal and our comradeship has never been interrupted by the inevitable demands which are made by children. Last summer, we took a month’s vacation and visited one of my husband’s brothers. They hadn’t seen each other for eleven years, so they had a wonderful time. I liked my sister-in-law a great deal. She is pretty, neat, a marvelous cook and housekeeper; she entered into everything and was a good sport. When we came home I noticed that my husband seemed changed. He went for long walks and asked me not to go along. He spent a good deal of time writing to his brother, a thing he had never done before. Finally, one night, he told me that he was in love with his brother’s wife, and asked for my understanding. He said that he hadn’t spoken a word to her, so he was sure she didn’t know. He also said that he would never break up his brother’s home, and he didn’t intend to break up our marriage, but that all his life there would be a yearning for this girl. I don’t know what to do. I love my husband so much that it breaks my heart to think I am not first in his affections. Aside from the emotional consideration, I am tormented by the practical possibility that I may be wasting my life by trying to make a success of a marriage that is doomed. Mrs. Willow E It is only natural for you to be hurl by this situation, but it seems to me that only your own conduct can turn the incident into real tragedy. Actually, this sort of thing happens in almost everyone’s life. A man l know once told about passing through a small town on a train. During a brief stop, he saw a girl bidding goodbye to an elderly couple. There was something about the girl’s face, her hair blowing in the wind, that caught his imagination. He fell desperately in love with her and seriously considered remaining in the toivn so that he could get to know her. He is still in love with whatever it was she represented in his dream of the perfect girl. This man is devoted to his wife and family! Since your husband has assured you that he wants to continue your marriage, and since, actually, there is no other course open to him, wouldn’t it be possible for you to ignore the situation? I would say that the important thing for you to do would be to continue to love your husband and to regard your marriage as a constant adventure, sometimes blissful, sometimes wry, tvhich is much the nature of all adventure. Claudette Colbert Dear Miss Colbert: I am twenty, a junior in college and an English major. I plan to be a writer and I have been encouraged by my instructor in English composition for the past three years. He has spent many hours of his own time instructing me and we have grown very close. He is in his early thirties and we have much in common. We have discovered that we are in love with each other. He is married to a charming woman, but she cares nothing about his career, whereas I am deeply concerned with his future. Please don’t dismiss this as a schoolgirl crush. I’ve thought a great deal about our love. I feel sure that my greatest happiness in life would lie in marrying this man, helping him with his work, and continuing my own writing. However, he hesitates, partly because he does not want to hurt his wife (he is a gentle person), and partly because our marriage might jeopardize his professional career. We can’t go on as matters stand now, for I know this situation is dangerous and might lead to my disgrace. Doris M. At this very moment, throughout the tvorld, there are thousands of girls in love with married men. I think it is safe for me to assume that nearly every one of these girls . yourself included, is sincere in her belief that she is experiencing “ The Great Love” of her life. Hoivexer, / believe that it is also safe for me to assume that not too many men feel the same way. In your own particular case, I believe it should be pointed out that a professor ( particularly an attractive, attentive one) is almost an ordinary romantic object. Young girls get crushes on their high scltoo1 teachers, their college professors, and their employers. I think your romance, which you are too intelligent to allow to become “ disgraceful,” has been a valuable experience for you. A good writer should '■ a good analyst. If you analyze his reasons for hesitancy, they pertain only to himself. This may help you as a writer, but. more important, as a person. Don’t you think it would be a good idea for you to stop seeing this man outside of the classroom? I believe if you do this it will give you a definite start toward maturity. Claudette Colbert Dear Miss Colbert: Over two years ago I married a widower with a two-year-old daughter, Mimi. Prior to our marriage, Mimi had lived with the sister of my husband’s deceased wife, but the understanding had always been that if he married again, he was to have the child. She came to us after we had been married three months. Anyone who has ever had children knows what it means to at(Continued on page 6) 4