Screenland (Nov 1935-Apr 1936)

for March 19 36 19 EDITOR'S NOTE: Dorothy Peterson has played hundreds of "mother" roles, but nothing has ever stirred her heart-strings like being the first outcide woman to hold the quintuplets in her arms! The famous babies were paid $50,000 for their six days' work in "The Country Doctor," or $10,000 for each baby. Miss Peterson plays Nurse Anderson in "The Country Doctor," the first feature film starring the quins — a character which is a composite of both nurses at the Dafoe Hospital, and not actually either one — we must remember that all the characters in the film are fictitious. Miss Peterson and Jean Hersholt, playing the doctor's role, were the only actors accompanying Director Henry King and technical staff on the trip to Callander, Ontario, to film the Dionne babies in action. Now read our exclusive story in which Dorothy Peterson describes all her experiences with the "Quins." Proudly we present this Screenland scoop! thirty minutes. It was also understood, in advance, that Dr. Dafoe was to be present every minute of the time and he would determine the time to stop. All the way through, this was another case of Mahomet going to the mountain. From the director down, we all took orders — never gave them. In my own mind, I had thought I would be allowed to go in and play with the babies alone and Copyright 1936 NEA Service, Inc. The thrill of a lifetime: Dorothy Peterson, noted screen actress, plays her favorite role, that of the nurse in "The Country Doctor," first feature film starring the Dionne Quintuplets. Above, Miss Peterson and Jean Hersholt, with Yvonne, Cecile, Marie, Annette, and Emilie. Left, Dr. Dafoe at his desk in the Dafoe Hospital at Callander, Ontario, with his two Hollywood visitors, Dorothy Peterson and Jean Hersholt. Below, Miss Peterson helps with the quins' ironing, between scenes of the picture in which she appears as their nurse. Acme try to "win them over," as it were, like we rehearse other scenes here, but that was not so. I was never alone with them a minute in advance of the picture. I had seen them outside the window, as explained, but when they saw me at close quarters for the very first time, the camera zuas actually taking the picture! I was dressed exactly like their other nurses, (there are always two or more), and Dr. Dafoe and Director Henry King thought the babies would look at me in that uniform and think they had known me before. They were much too astute for that. They did, however, seem to accept me as someone who might be there to do them a service. You see, never having had anything but the tenderest care, they were not expecting anything but kindness, and they were ready for any new game. Our first scene was where I began dressing them. Their own nurse, Miss LaRoux, (pronounced LaRue), had put them all on one bed, with their little undergarments— diaper, waist, little silk panties — so I had only the slip and outer dress to finish. I attempted to do this nonchalantly and naturally, taking Yvonne first, from the bed on which they lay, to a table close by. She didn't cry or protest in any manner — though, as explained, I was so nervous that my fingers were all thumbs, and it evidently puzzled her a bit, but when Jean and I began to say our lines back and forth, her mouth dropped open in a thoroughly shocked manner. You see, they are being taught French before English and they can only speak a few words, none of which were more intelligible to me than a mere "da-da." Yvonne is the largest of the five and easily distinguished. If you have forgotten their names, Marie is the smallest, and between Marie and Yvonne, in size, are the other three, Annette, Cecile, and Emilie, who are exactly the same size and can fool even Dr. Dafoe. These babies are weighed every week, of course, and at the end of the seven days we {Continued on page 91)