Screenland (May-Oct 1940)

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And "He really is a swell actor, isn't he? I'm a Taylor fan from now on." And so forth, and so forth. It was a night of triumph for the Taylors, and for Director Mervyn LeRoy who has always been Bob's staunch defender at Metro. "The kid's got it," Mervyn told the grumbling executives. "I'll show you." And he did. Well, you've got to admit that if perseverance can change the mambypamby role of Roy Cronin into something important then there's a lot to be said in favor of perseverance. There is every reason in the world why Bob Taylor should not be a good actor. Actors are supposed to have "lived" in the miserable sense of the word. How can an actor express agony when he has never suffered, how can he express hunger when he has never had to miss a meal in his life, how can he express despair when he has never felt despair? Bob's life from earliest childhood on has been ideally beautiful. His mother and father loved each other dearly, and he never heard a harsh word spoken in his home. His family were good middle-class people, never very rich, and never very poor. They saw to it that Bob, their beloved only child, never wanted for anything that would make him happy. How very different from Barbara's childhood spent in the slums of New York and Brooklyn ! I will never forget the morning out on the ranch when Bob, romping on the floor with his dogs, was called to the studio. "I wish I was eight again," he said. "I wouldn't be eight again," Barbara added hastily, "if you gave it to me on a silver platter." Even when he came to Hollywood, by way of Pomona College, there was no struggle. He had his own car, nice clothes, and an ample allowance. Getting a studio contract was easy for him. They went after him ; he didn't go after them. There was no worry, no living on hamburgers, no dodging the landlord, no biting his nails day by day waiting for the phone to ring. Once "discovered" at the studio, he became an idol overnight with millions of hysterical young girls swooning at the sight of him. All of this was certainly not conducive to good acting. And then for the first time he found that life couldn't be so beautifully pleasant after all. Two girls were "planted" under his bed in New York and the Eastern press ripped into him. In forty-eight hours poor Bob was known as "Pretty Boy" throughout the entire country. Men made peculiar noises when he came on the screen. There were as many Robert Taylor jokes going around as there were Mae West stories. And of course troubles never come singly, so added to all this bad publicity he had to be given a flock of pretty dreadful pictures. Bob was practically a dead pigeon at the ripe old age of twenty-six. Hollywood started saying, "Whatever happened to Robert Taylor?" And that's when Bob, puzzled and heartbroken, decided to square his chin. He'd used perseverance on everything else, so why shouldn't he use it on his acting? The result, of course, is "Waterloo Bridge" — and a brand new career for the very likeable Mr. Taylor. That guy really deserves a lot of credit and a lot of praise. And while we are handing out the praise we might slip Barbara Stanwyck a little. Bob won't mind. He's convinced that he has married the greatest living actress. Virginia Gilmore and Robert Sterling as they appear in "Manhattan Heartbeat," the latest adaptation of Vina Delmar's "Bad Girl." Star-Gazing with Norvell Continued from page 61 happiness they will wake up one morning and discover it on their doorsteps. A Leo girl who has missed all the tragic influences from the planets during the last few years is Gracie Allen, who is Mrs. George Burns, (unless you would call her husband's unfortunate episode with Uncle Sam's customs men 'tragic'). From the astrological viewpoint Gracie had the sense to marry a compatible sign. Gracie's cycle of terrific success, which was recently instituted, is proof of the amazing changes that Leo persons may expect in their lives. We might pause in our analysis of those stars born in the Sign of Leo to give a brief explanation of the qualities endowed upon those born in this rather fortunate sign. If YOUR own birthdate happens to fall between July 23 and August 22 of any year you, too, come in this section of the Zodiac and your life will reflect some of the following qualities. Nature has endowed you with a brilliant personality and a mind capable of surmounting obstacles, You were born when the Sun was high in the heavens in mid-summer — and all the powerful solar rays converged on the earth at such an angle as to give your mind and body power and vitality. Any wonder, then, that some of the world's great conquerors in all fields were born in this great sign? Some of these names in the past have made history, and some are still making it. Napoleon was born in Leo, and his conquests were typical of this sign. At present Mussolini, another Leo person, holds the attention of the world; Henry Ford, industrial giant, is another Leo subject — to say nothing of the leaders in the motion picture industry who still hold high the mantle of greatness endowed upon Led persons. These include such great stars as Robert Taylor, Myrna Loy, Norma Shearer. By examining the lives of these Leo born you may find valuable lessons tha will help YOU in conquering your ow natures and overcoming your faults. Th chief defect in the Leo character is over confidence. This, coupled with an over whelming ego, often leads to downfall fo these brilliant persons. When they learn t 82 SCREENLAND