Screenland (Feb-Oct 1949)

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At drug and dept. stores or send $1.00 to nestle, originators of permanent waving, Meriden, Conn. /?5s«& LITE action generally concerns the adventures of Bing — an American insurance investigator— and Barry — police chief in the village's two-man police force (Hume Cronyn is the other half of the constabulary)— and their attempts to solve a mystery. "And what a mystery!" said Ann. "It's only the Blarney Stone, itself, that's been abducted — what a pity it is, it is . . ." And who better than little Annie should be an Irisher? She that is the daughter of Nan Lynch who, herself, mind you, came from Dublin that's in Ireland. The Lynches — leave it be known — are a family renowned locally for their fame as story-tellers, and Ann, long ago, learned the legends of Eire — -a help with this role. "The matter of the brogue," said Ann, "was vitally important to the picture. My aunt and uncle (Catherine and Patrick Tobin, who've lived with Ann since her mother died) have a smidgin of brogue and I've picked it up from them. But there's one thing that people forget, Irish girls of today are well educated and don't talk too differently from anyone else. The cutest brogue in the film belongs to Miss Eileen Crowe, a noted Abbey Player, who's cast as the village wise woman. Hers is delightful and minus even a hint of the stage-Mick. "Miss Crowe is the same who predicts things — in particular, my romantic future. Oddly enough, she says that an American will win my heart, and as sure as fate, Bing Crosby arrives in town from over the sea — to become the light of me life . . ." When Ann and Bing meet, The Groaner tells The Killer that she's sort of attractive — something in this fashion: B: "You're a very, very pretty girl." A: "What are you after doing, talking like that?" B: "Back home, this is called making a pitch." A: "Tell me now, back home, is there such a thing as a slow pitcher?" B: (Ad-libbing) "Back home, you could pitch for the Pirates with those curves!" And thus it goes in the movie business. Ann, who once broke her back in a tobogganing accident, got off easy in "Top O' The Morning." suffering only a banged-up left ankle, the result of accidentally kicking another player during a (too) spirited Irish dance. Anyway, the Ann-Bing film romance progresses and it's wholly credible, despite the fact that Crosby is the reallife father of four boys. Their cinemaloooove, in fact, progresses to the point of a nice quarrel between them, at which point, Bing is ordered from the house by Ann, who tells him that his supper is waiting outside. She had previously put a plate of food on the doorstep for beggars and the poor-inspirit, as per the local Irish custom. Bing walks out of the house at her command, only to find Daisy (the Hyear-old male dog who acts regularly with the Bumstead film gang) noisily eating the food. That being the end of the take and, impressed with Daisy's excellent appetite, Bing turned to a grip and asked: "He s a regular Henry the VIII — what other pictures has he worked in?" Told that Daisy had recently appeared in a Bob Hope film, Der Bingle chuckled, said: "Well, at least that's a switch — the dogs going to Hope." "I've been a Barry Fitzgerald fan for a long time," Ann said, "so you can imagine how tickled I was to get a chance to work with him — also an opportunity to watch a superb craftsman. His brother, Arthur Shields, was the picture's technical expert — you know, deciding what Ireland's national color is, the correct account of 'Bridget And The Toadstool,' the proper furnishings for a poor home and so on. "I've only been playing golf since last November, so let's leave my score at that, but I can hardly wait to start practising again so I can beat Barry, who's a good man on the links. I simply must whittle down my score — especially since Bing plays in the low 70's!" Bing and Ann sing together in the film. "I've been taking singing lessons," she said, "and I hope Bing wasn't too disappointed with my voice. I sing 'Oh! 'Tis Sweet To Think,' an Irish tune that goes back to 1810, and Bing does 'You're In Love With Someone.' "Bing and I," she went on, "also made a Decca record together and I was so impressed with his easy approach to the (to me) difficult job of cutting a disk! There he was. completely relaxed, while a swarm of butterflies flew in formations around in my stomach. Again, a case of a grand person giving me a genuine assist. He calmed me down in record time (she grinned in apology) , and before you could say antidisestablishmentarianism, we'd completed the job and. I do say, a good job." As for what she thinks of the picture, Ann said it when she said: "I hated to see work on it end . . ." Off-screen. Ann is courted by a number of young blades such as Roddy McDowall and Lon McCallister (who told us that he was going to marry Ann) . Ann insists that she's heart-free — though there was a flurry of excitement on the Paramount lot when she showed up one day wearing a gold ring, with three diamonds, on her third finger, left hand. It was a gift, she explained to several actors, from Ann to Ann — and not from one Terry Brennen, a Notre Dame football player, whose name had been linked with hers. Asked how she managed to keep the young gentlemen friendly though not affianced to her — as they would have it — Ann said: "I believe in honesty and kindness. Also fairness and not a dazzling display of technique that's only apt to hurt people. Being honest with these young men is probably the reason we're good friends — engagement ring or no." Which makes Ann a rarity in Hollywood, where technique is rated over an old-fashioned virtue like kindness, any day in the week. But one of these days, some young swain will sweep Ann off her feet and marry her, as sure as the shamrock comes from Ireland. Men of all ages — as you've noted — are attracted to her.