Screenland (Nov 1945-Oct 1946)

burg's "The War Years," and Fowler's "Good Night, Sweet Prince," which he has read and reread innumerable times. He never grows tired of reading about John Barrymore. He knew him personally and admired his acting tremendously. He has his speeches from "Hamlet" and "Richard III" on records and will play them over and over again. He also has a great admiration for Ralph Richardson, the English actor, for Helen Hayes, Judith Anderson and Ingrid Bergman. He admires his father's brand of comedy greatly. He thinks his father has one of the really great talents of the theater, and he would do anything in the world for his father, just as his father would for him. Once when Ed Wynn was the star of a big revue, "Boys and Girls Together," one of the actors in the cast had a heart attack. It looked as if the show couldn't possibly go on that night. But on three hours' notice, Keenan played the part. I doubt if he would have done it for anybody but his father, because if he'd been poor in the role, he would have been violently criticized. Attempting a role with only three hours to prepare was certainly taking a great risk. Somehow Keenan came through with a fine performance. Keenan's idea of a really entertaining evening takes one of two forms: a quiet evening at home with close friends like the Gary Coopers, Tyrone Power and Annabella, Dickie Whorf, Hume Cronyn, the Robert Nathans, the Gene Kellys or Van Johnson — or a roustabout knockout evening watching a giddy floor show like the one at Slapsy Maxie's. Keenan himself is a wonderful dancer — he can do a grand rhumba, a wonderful jitterbug, tap and ballet, too, but for some reason he doesn't care to get up and dance. Says night club floors are too crowded. When we're visiting friends, I sometimes persuade him to join in the dancing. But he's never an eager beaver about it. When we entertain at home, we always play musical records and we sometimes show home movies. The home movies show Ned from the time he was three weeks old to the present time; we also have movie film showing the baby, Keenan, myself and various of our friends. I'm the photographer in the family, and take all the pictures. Recently I returned to the screen in a role in "Dark Corner." Some professional husbands may object to their wives acting; not Keenan. I continued my acting up until the time Ned was scheduled to arrive. While the children were small I temporarily gave up acting. But Keenan urged me to go back to the screen. He feels that if you have any ability for acting, you want an opportunity to express it. Keenan's great interests are tinkering with motors and acting. Once, motors came first with him. Now it's acting. Since our marriage, he has become much more interested in his career as an actor. At one time he wasn't at all confident about his screen career, and considered giving it up. I'm sure movie fans are glad he finally decided that perhaps he did have something to give to the screen after all. Much has been said about the fact that Keenan is the third Wynn to become famous as an actor. He is the grandson of Frank Keenan, as well as the son of Ed Wynn. I doubt, however, if the Wynn tradition will end with Keenan. Sometimes as I watch Ned imitating the way different people walk and talk (he even does a good imitation of the baby getting hysterical and excited) I just know that Ned is going to be the fourth Wynn to make good on the stage. Worshipping Keenan, he tries to imitate him in various ways. Recently Keenan had to grow mutton chops for his role as Frank Morgan's father in "But Not Goodbye." Ned was fascinated by his father's 1870 period beard. One day as Ned was brushing his teeth, he examined his face in the bathroom mirror; then turning to his nurse, he touched his smooth young skin and asked, "Don't you see some fuzz here? Don't you see a beard coming out like Daddy has?" She had to admit she couldn't see it. Again he touched the skin just above his lip and asked, "Don't you see a moustache?" It will be a long time before his dream of a moustache comes true, but already I can see his father's imagination and his father's love of acting sprouting in Ned. This Man Mason Continued from page 40 with Margaret Lockwood and Patricia Roc, had the most fashionable West End premiere since the war, with Queen Mary and the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire heading the distinguished guests. When James was told how warmly they had applauded him, he answered serenely, "Of course they did. I was good." Then he decided to have a change and appear with Ann Todd in a modern drama, "The Seventh Veil," a bitter vivid role after his own heart. Yet even when he is being so deadly cruel and callous on the screen, his potent attraction comes through. "The Man You Love to Hate," as the English girl fans have long since christened him. He's a curious puzzling character, this man called Mason. On the set and off it, too, he's exceedingly temperamental and frankly admits it. He's restless and impatient, never satisfied with anything he does but always consumed with the burning desire to do something still better. He will refuse a part without the slightest hesitation if he doesn't like it — "I can't do it justice, so why should I waste my time?" he'll ask. He was offered more money than he had ever got before to play Lord Bruce Carlton in "Forever Amber" but he ignored the finance and simply read the script. Next morning he mailed it back to America with a short red-pencilled note: "I could never SCREENLAND The first touch of Ambrosia on your skin — and you can feel the difference! 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