Screenland (Nov 1938-Apr 1939)

appearance with her mop of carelesslycombed brown curls. "If Warren and I go to a party, he is surrounded by people the moment we make our entrance," she confided. "Everyone wants to meet him or those who already know him sweep him away. Very often some beautiful star, who has recently played opposite him runs up and throws her arms around his neck and greets him with a kiss — one of those long, soulful screen kisses too ! At such times, I have to pretend not to notice, and direct my gaze elsewhere, or think of something to say that will sound witty so those looking on will see that I'm not at all jealous or disturbed. While Warren is one of the most popular guests at a party, I find myself twiddling my thumbs, sitting in a corner. Warren tries to watch out for me — but there's always some pretty girl to watch out for him, and he seldom is able to escape them. Most amazing, however," she continued, "are the women who come out here to our home. Some of these are writers, studio people, and actresses. If they are at all young and attractive, they greet me casually, then turn their attention on Warren, and from then on practically ignore my presence. I often wonder if the obviously designing ones think that after all of these years of struggling from the bottom to the top with Warren, that I will lightly step aside and give my husband and home over to them. And yet if I should treat them with just one less degree of cordiality they would discuss me or write me up in their stories as a 'jealous frump.' Any wife, except a movie star's, could order such women out of her home, but I have to smile as sweetly as ever and be continually gracious to make the right impression for my husband's sake. "Too, no matter how carefully we guard our weights and our complexions, the diets and exercise we employ, the careful care with which we dress, in order to compete with these glamor girls and make the_ necessary appearance befitting a star's wife, let alone hold our husband's interest and attention, there is scarcely an encouraging word for our effort and rarely if ever a compliment. People notice our star husbands, we are just background, a necessary evil to the women public." Over tea at the Assistance League I heard Mrs. Fred Astaire remarking that she was simply dying to go East and visit her people but she simply didn't dare. Watching Eleanor Powell rehearse a dance at M-G-M is really something to see. "Why, if I'd take tonight's train home for a visit the morning's papers would announce the Fred Astaires were divorcing! I'm just dying to go home — just for a couple of weeks and Fred wants me to. The last time I went one of the Hollywood gossip columns syndicated in the East said, 'What star's wife has run home to mama and will file divorce proceedings any day now?' — and it was in print in our Eastern paper before I reached home." I couldn't help but think of the freedom the average American wife enjoys over the Hollywood star's wife. It is customary for most wives to return home to visit their mothers — but Mrs. Astaire didn't dare risk the gossip such an innocent visit would incite in the press. One evening I was coming out of a theater just behind the Fred Astaires. A dozen or more girl fans recognized Fred and surrounded him eagerly for autographs. Mrs. Astaire was almost trampled in the sudden rush but despite skinned shoes and hat knocked askew, she clung firmly to the arm of her famous husband. One girl turned to her and asked, "Are you an actress, too? I'd like your autograph." Mrs. Astaire to be obliging and democratic replied she wasn't but she offered to sign the book under her husband's name, when a second girl yelled, "She's not an actress, she's his wife, but here comes Ginger Rogers !" — ■ whereupon the proffered autograph book and pencil were immediately withdrawn as the girl dashed madly to intercept Ginger. You can imagine how Mrs. Astaire must have felt when the pencil was jerked out of her hand before she had signed her name ! When a screen star's wife accompanies her husband East on a personal appearance tour, most anything may happen to test her devotion. In the middle of the night the telephone may ring and a sweet feminine voice may ask her husband for a date in dulcet tones. Even better she may step into the next room and return to see her husband being soundly hugged in the arms of another woman. Her husband may be quite innocent in the matter. He may have answered a knock on the door, and opened it to be suddenly clutched in the arms of an adoring woman-fan. Any star's wife could relate such experiences. They happen so frequently, and the women fans are usually young and pretty, and the husbands naturally are a little flattered as male vanity will be when feminine admiration is poured Eleanor starts spin, left, from a graceful introductory pose; quickens tempo, above. on so profusely. At parties given in a star's honor by local town hostesses, the wife has to endure the oft-time poorly concealed disappointment evidenced by the women guests that "he brought his wife along." Of most importance is the star's work, the actual studio work of making pictures, to which a star must devote a major part of his time. If he's the romantic type this time is employed in holding a beautiful woman star in his arms, making love to her. If he's a real actor these love scenes are intense in their reality, and a wife visiting her husband's sets might well wonder if after all he isn't completely fascinated with the glamorous actress. This problem has been met by many wives who make it a point never to visit their husbands at the studio. But can they help but feel a qualm or two when they see those romantic scenes on the screen? Just let the average American wife watch her husband displaying the realistic love for another woman that our better actors demonstrate in their pictures ! You'd have a real situation ! "No one ever thinks of me romantically," says Paul Muni, foremost star and Academy Award winner. "My wife doesn't have to worry about competition. I'm too closely identified with my characterizations." But then the Munis, who were former stage partners, still team in picture work. Mrs. Muni comes to the studio daily with her husband. She acts as his secretary, business manager, and all-around general assistant throughout the length of the filming of his picture. Our Debutante friend concluded during her Hollywood visit that a star's wife must be perfect and have complete control of her temper and her feelings. No matter how her toes are trampled on, she must be poised and gracious under all circumstances and situations. She must keep her figure and face youthful and beautiful, though she exercises and diets rigidly without the compensation of compliments enjoyed by her film star sisters. She must always be alluring, attractive, and amiable to compete with the beautiful women in turn competing for her husband's attention. She must exercise good judgment and common sense; in other words she should be perfection ! And above all she must be willing to play the role of "Second Fiddle" for the feminine public. Should she fail to do so, her husband may soon be playing "Second Fiddle" to some other star on the screen. The routine concludes with a high kick, above. Strenuous, but easy for Eleanor. 75