Screenland (Nov 1941-Apr 1942)

HALF way through her speech explaining how come one Betty Leabo ought to be the next Girls' Vicepresident of the Mount Vernon Junior High School of Los Angeles, she first noticed him. He seemed to be staring at her and saying, "Mmmmmmmmm." When she finished her oration, she marched up to him and asked (you know how snippy girls can be when they're juniors in Junior High) exactly what he found so entrancing about her, the freshie. "I was admiring your waist-line, Miss . . . uh " he said. "Mistake," she came back with that brand of humor so peculiar to adolescents. He smiled, bowed, turned on his heel. "Who's that?" she demanded of one of her chummies, as soon as the not-too-tall, dark, and handsome lad disappeared. "Oh, him !" was the retort admiring, "that's Owen Ward." All the way home that afternoon she couldn't get her mind off the boy. He had complimented her on her waistline and she had been a little flip. Well, when you're going on fourteen you are more direct than you are at twenty, say. Next time she saw the president of the entire student body of the Mount Vernon Junior High School she smiled. As befits a man of high office, he smiled back, stopped to chat, and the two wound up late for their next class which was civics and not exactly their favorite. One thing led to another and before two weeks had passed they were playing tennis. A month and he was asking her how it would be if he came by to see her on Friday night when school was over for the week. She said it would be very lovely. She couldn't wait for him to show up. She had a lot of fudge made. And the dress she had on that night was something very special. She heard the bell ring and found her heart in her mouth. She donned her "Gosh-I'm-gladto-see-you smile" and opened the door. It was Owen all right. But he wasn't alone. He had brought a pal of his along. "I want you to meet my friend Bill," were his first words. "You'll like him. He's, a regular fellow." Well, they munched candy, talked about what different bands were touring the country, took time off to perform surgical operations on every teacher in the Mount Vernon Junior High, and discussed the chances of U.C.L.A. to make the Rose Bowl come fall. After that Owen said maybe they'd better go. And they did, as nonchalantly as a couple of Dead End Kids, almost. On the following Wednesday he met her in the hall at school and asked "How about dropping by on Friday again?" She told him, as nonchalantly as she could, "Sure. Why not? We can have a grand time, talking about football and such." He didn't get the veiled sting in her sentence. How could he have when it came from such -an innocent-looking face ? Anyhow, he showed up on Friday. You guessed it. He brought his pal, Bill, along. Once more the same routine. They ate her candy, exchanged a pleasantry or two, then lapsed into shop talk — football, the virtues of a speed graphic camera, the music of Guy Lombardo, U.C.L.A. 's chances during the fall. She didn't feel so pained when they left this time ; she was getting used to it. Five weekly dates and three days later she was doing her French homework when the telephone rang. "It's for you, Betty," her mother had said, "one of your cavaliers, I guess." And so it was. Only this time it was Bill. He wanted to know what she was doing on Friday night and if the answer was nothing why couldn't they do it together. She told him it sounded like a grand idea and what did he have in mind. "I kind of thought we might go out and find a little excitement," he said, just like Charles Boyer would tell it to one of his screen inamoratas. When he showed up Friday {Please turn to page 74) She was a junior and he was the president of the student body at Mount Vernon Junior High School in Los Angeles. Today she's Brenda Joyce, movie actress, and he's her husband — but she still looks up to him. Below, two views showing Mrs. Owen Ward in their modest honeymoon home. Facing page, Brenda the 20th Century-Fox starlet in a glamor pose; below, her dressing-table at home, with hubby's the only picture 26