Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1952)

INSIDE STUFF ( Continued from preceding page) What Hollywood’s WHISPERING About Mona Jr., Mona Freeman, Pat Nerney high red heels attached. Her entire foot was visible in this unusual creation that came from Italy. Shelley was the center of attraction and. of course — loved it! Around the Clock: With less than two years to go on her present contract, Ava Gardner is pouting at M-G-M for suspending her when she refused two pictures. Claims the beauty, the studio is fortunes ahead on her loan-out deals . . . Shirley Temple Black got her wish. Now she’s the mother of a six-pound, twelveounce son, delivered via Caesarean at the Naval Hospital in Maryland . . . Hollywood is literally praying for the speedy recovery of the brilliant and popular Adrian. The famous designer suffered a heart attack while working on a forthcoming fashion show . . . Husband of Charlotte Greenwood (the famous musical comedy star who has inspired Doris Day in her religion) is writing songs for Doris to sing on her new radio show . . . Sights you see in London: Elizabeth Taylor queuing up with other housewives for rationed food and looking as if she loved it . . . Twenty years ago, the littleknown Fred MacMurray and Bob Hope appeared together in “Roberta.” Recently Fred made his initial TV appearance as guest star on Bob’s program . . . Aly Khan, who likes actresses, likes to dance ( Continued on opposite Page ) BY FLORABEL MUIR the strange and unexpected break-up between Mona Freeman and her husband, Pat Nerney, has everybody — even Mona’s family — asking “why?” Some think the answer might be found in Howard Hughes’ rediscovery of Mona with a whole new film career in the offing for her. Hughes gave Mona her first screen contract when she was a fourteen-year-old model because he was attracted to her through a series of magazine pictures. In the two years she was on his payroll, she never made a film for him. She never even saw him. Finally she lost patience and when Paramount offered her a role she grabbed it. Paramount bought her contract from Hughes. However, they say he has recently seen the lovely face that once attracted him and again he believes she has great promise as a screen star. At the Paul Hesse studio where Hughes dabbles in amateur photography there are several beautiful portraits of Mona. Mona’s friends say she has been very discontented with her film career. She left Paramount because they were giving her such “wishy-washy” roles. Hollywood knows that whenever movie stars’ careers start sagging they’re apt to view everybody around them with jaundiced eyes. That’s when marriages break up. It’s happened over and over again in our town. So, they’re saying that career trouble made all the little arguments in the Nerney household take on such magnitude that Mona decided to seek a divorce. “Mona is a wonderful person and it’s tough to accept her decision,” said Pat. Those who knew the young couple when their home was full of bliss are betting they will reconcile before Mona gets the final divorce decree and she admits that they might have something. “Anything can happen in a year’s time,” she said. Opening night at the Ice Capades brings out Dennis Morgan, his wife Lillian and daughter Kirstin with, far left, her friend Sally Helverstadt. Dennis and Lillian, happily married for nineteen years, have two other children, Stanley and James Janice Rule and Richard Greene, co-stars in “Rogue’s March” pause between the acts to become acquainted with another performer in film! ft