My Reputation(Warner Bros.) (1946)

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Hushand Coaches Actor On Making Love To His Wife It was during the filming of the Barbara Stanwyck starring film, Warners’ “My Reputation,” currently at the Strand. The cameras were turning on one of those scenes where an actor makes love to an actress in the presence of her husband—a situation, incidentally, which never seems to embarrass professional actors. The principals were Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent, plus husband Robert Taylor, standing off to one side. Brent was proposing to Miss Stanwyck and a hitch had developed over the dialogue. Miss Stanwyck didn’t like the line, “Of course, darling, Pll marry you any time you say.” Her contention was that it showed too much eagerness on the part of the girl. No selfrespecting girl would put it that way, she said. The director, Curtis Bernhardt, knowing that Bob Taylor has played in as many important love scenes as any star in Hollywood, called him over to join the discussion. Bob’s comment was immediate. “T think it’s a good line—very plausible,” he said. “What makes you so _ positive?” asked Barbara Stanwyck. Taylor hesitated a moment. “Well, my dear,” he replied, “vou were a little flustered at the time; but I remember distinctly. Those were your exact words to me.” They laughed, and the line stood. Still Brent 419 Mat No. 104—15c GEORGE BRENT returns to the screen of the Strand Theatre on Friday in Warner Bros.” new romantic drama, “My Reputation," in which he appears opposite Barbara Stanwyck. A Barbara Stanwyck Shuns Free Lanee For Warner Bros.’ Contract Barbara Stanwyck, currently starring in Warner Bros.’ ‘“My Reputation” at the Strand, stepped out of a musical comedy chorus to become a Broadway dramatic actress and, two years later, one of Hollywood’s leading stars. After climbing to her eminence as a free-lance player she signed the contract now in effect with Warner Bros. studio. As Ruby Stevens, at the age of sixteen, she was making her mark on Broadway in the chorus of a musical revue on the Strand roof. Even in the chorus line Miss Stanwyck attracted attention, and she was selected to play a small part in “The Noose,” her first real acting opportunity. In this bit she gave evidence of talent, and the following season producer Arthur Hopkins gave her the lead in “Burlesque,”’ which made stage history. As Bonnie, she scored a personal triumph, and _ shortly afterwards accepted a _ Hollywood offer. Cover Wide Range That was in 1929 and since that time her roles have ranged from tragedy to light comedy, ingenues to sophisticates. During her period of free-lancing she maintained the policy of choosing story, director, and cameraman. Barbara Stanwyck’s marriage to Robert Taylor climaxed one of Hollywood’s most newsworthy romances. The couple was introduced by Mrs. Zeppo Marx, wife of Miss Stanwyck’s business agent, at a small dinner party one night in 1937. Miss Stanwyck had _ been working hard and having little diversion. “You’re just like Robert Taylor,’ Mrs. Marx told her. “You’re working too hard, you never go dancing. You two will hit it off, I know.” Her words were prophetic. They were seen constantly together, and in 1937 they were co-starred in “This Is My Affair,’ Invites Her Dancing Early in the evening of May 13, 1939, Taylor phoned Miss Stanwyck and invited her to go dancing. Enroute into Hollywood he picked up Mr. and Mrs. Marx, and just before they reached their ballroom destination, he turned in the opposite direction and drove east on Sunset Boulevard. “Where are we going?” asked Miss Stanwyck. “Lady, you have a date with the man who is going to marry Barbara Stanwyck.” They were married one minute after midnight in San Diego, California. Shortly after Pearl Harbor Taylor joined the Navy as a flight instructor and advanced to the rank of lieutenant, senior grade. After completing his training in Louisiana, he was stationed at Livermore, California, in January, 1944, Until shortly before Taylor’s departure for the Navy, Barbara was co-owner of the Marwyck horse breeding ranch in San Fernando Valley with her business manager, Zeppo Marx. For two years she lived in the thatch-roofed, English st yle ranch house, but in 1940 moved into Beverly Hills, where she lives now with her thirteen-yearold adopted son, Dion. Miss Stanwyck is said by her friends to be honest, self-disciplined, realistic, and self-reliant. This self-reliance is credited to her early life. She was one of five children— Mildred, Mabel, Maude, Ruby and Malcolm —who were orphaned when Barbara was four. She was raised by her older sister, Mildred, and at times the support of the children was beyond Mildred’s strength. For several years Barbara was Still BS 251 Mat No. 207—30c Barbara Stanwyck adds another laurel to her already impressive list of personal film successes as Jess Drummond, young and attractive widow, in Warner Bros.’ new film drama, "My Reputation,’ currently at the Strand Theatre. Others featured in the cast are George Brent, Lucile Watson and Eve Arden. placed with family friends during her first years in elementary school. She escaped living in an institution, however, and her surroundings were wholesome. An average student, she did dozens of odd jobs to help earn money and to assist those with whom she lived. Miss Stanwyck got her name during the production of her first play, “The Noose.” Willard Mack, the producer, was pleased with her performance. “But with the name of Ruby Stevens,” he said, ‘‘you’ll never be a star.” Gets New Name That afternoon they were walking out the stage door together when they saw a torn theatrical poster flapping in the wind. The fragment of the poster that remained showed the words “Stanwyck in ‘Barbara “There’s a stage name for you,” said Mack, “Barbara Stanwyck.” And so it proved to be. She was an immediate success. Some time later the show opened in New York and she wired her sister Mildred to come and see it. Mildred attended the first matinee, and she scrutinized the program in vain for the name Ruby Stevens. It so happened that Barbara didn’t appear in the first two acts, but her highly dramatic scenes in the third act won critical acclaim and really launched her on her career. Mildred, however, convinced there had been a mistake, left at the end of the second act and thereby failed to see what perhaps was the most important performance in the life of a star. As‘an actress Barbara has de veloped into a quick study and a master of complete naturalness. Persons long associated with her report simplicity to be her outstanding characteristic. This is evidenced in a person who avoids make-up, camouflaging glamour gowns, and tricked-up hair-dos. Another actress once said in all sincerity, “I wonder how it would seem to look that scrubbed.” The same simplicity is said to be reflected in her home, where the furnishings emphasize comfort rather than swank. Most of her furniture is early American. She might be called a tailored personality, because her wardrobe stresses suits, clothes, and slacks, all made from men’s materials. Her feminine taste expresses itself in negligees, which her women friends describe as very chi-chi and elaborate. Motion pictures are more than a job for her; they are also her entertainment. She averages a picture every other evening. She has even asked one actress for her autographed photo. This is Lucile Watson, who plays Miss Stanwyck’s mother in “My Reputation.” Is ‘Working Fool’ Her friends call her a working fool, say she loves acting, and that she is never happier than when on the set, collaborating with the director in a new characterization. She regularly starts memorizing the entire script of a film the moment it is delivered -to her home and completes it in three hours. Thereafter she has to resist the impulse to prompt everyone on the picture, including the director. ‘My Reputation’ Star Claims Film Companies Vary There are some half dozen big motion picture studios in Hollywood. Why should a star prefer one to another? Aren’t they all alike—a cluster of sound stages, with their writers, directors, and producers? The answer was recently given by a star, who has worked at a number of studios these past years, under contract to none and working at all. She is Barbara Stanwyck, who has recently given up her wandering and settled down at Warner Bros. and whose most recent collaboration with the studio, “My Reputation,” opens Friday at the Strand. “The answer is an emphatic ‘No,’ she declares. “Studios are not alike. They have distinct personalities. “T’ve given a lot of thought to it, because what makes one studio different from another isn’t easy to explain. But I’ve arrived at the conclusion that it comes from the man—or small group of men—at the head of each studio. “These dominant executives set the key for a studio’s personality. Their own personalities radiate down to determining whether that lot is going to have an air of friendliness or formality. “That’s why, I’m convinced, some studios are impersonal, others warm. I have no intention of identifying them—that’s of interest only to people inside the industry anyway. The studio’s location has a little influence on its personality, too. Some are located inside residential districts, others are out in the country. If the equipment is new and the lawns are neatly trimmed as they are at Warners, the latter type of studio is even apt to suggest a country club, which I like very much.” A studio’s taste in stories, the star claims, is usually the most important factor in an actor’s preference for one studio over another. “At least that was my own experience,” she explains. “My first concern always is the kind of story I’m going to get. I think about it all the time. “Several months ago Warners let me read ‘My Reputation,’ in which I play opposite George Brent. I liked it very much. They showed me other stories for future production. I liked those too. The same is true for those they have been turning out in recent years. So I signed up.” Still MR 90 Mat No. 113 —15¢ BARBARA STANWYCK and George Brent in a tender moment from Warner Bros.’ newest film romance, "My Reputation,’ which opens on Friday at the Strand.