Screenland (Feb-Oct 1949)

Even as we sat drinking tea, the gray-haired, Sherry-Netherland headwaiter came to the table bearing a gift he'd just made for her — a lemon expertly carved to look like a pig, with little clove eyes. A definite tribute to her universal (international) appeal. That's a tip for any interested, bright young gents. Take up lemon-pig carving — and don't forget cloves for the eyes, either. That's a friendly suggestion if you would please Killer Blyth . . . About Face For James Continued from page 45 lightly. "If you really want to know, I guess you'll just have to read it yourself. It was based on comments people had made to me who had come to New York, where my wife and I were staying at the time. They were observations common to all who know Hollywood, even platitudinous remarks. The general reaction to the town, as I understood it, was that it was a suburban community with nothing of the big city about it — as everyone knows. Directors from England had said, too, when they returned from making a picture here, that they found Hollywood confining because they had none of the freedom that they were used to in England. "My wife and I spent a year and a half in New York before we came here. A lawsuit kept us from arriving sooner. During that time I had offers from every studio in town with the exception of Paramount, who remained cautiously aloof since they were indirectly involved in the lawsuit. "Actually, we came here before the suit was decided. Few people knew we had arrived since we wanted to keep things as quiet as possible. The script of 'Caught' was among those that came along as soon as it was known that I had won the case. I've always judged a part by what I felt I could do with it, how honest a performance I thought I could give. By these standards I liked my nart in 'Caught ' "This was also the basis upon which I decided to do 'The Blank Wall,' which I just finished at Columbia. My role in this seems to me to make sense also. I was glad, too, that Max Opuls was to direct this one because I had vastly enjoyed working with him on 'Caught.' "It may be considered strange that I don't care how small a part is if I like it. In 'Madame Bovary,' for instance. I appear only in the prologue and epilogue, but it is a fine script. I like to be in on a good thing. All I want to do in my career anyway is to make a good film occasionally. I've learned that it's not the number of lines an actor has to say that makes a part good or not. You can be a crashing bore if you're constantly on the screen and yet say nothing interesting. In this respect. I think few Hollywood stars would have done the parts I did in 'The Seventh Veil' or in* 'Odd Man Out.'" That pretty well took care of James Mason and his views on acting — which is perhaps one of the reasons why Hollywood has regarded him as quite original. But as for his current impressions of the town, that's something else again. Rumor was supplanted by fact in a hurry when he began on this subject. "Pam, my wife, and I now realize that Hollywood is a place of real charm and informal beauty," he said. "We have been particularly impressed by the beauty of the residential districts. On the other hand, we can't say much for the night life here, but that doesn't bother us because we're not ones for night clubs anyway. The people out here live an informal type of life at their own and other people's homes. "We do enjoy our garden tremendously— and we have a swimming pool. Before we got the pool I used to spend my time taking walks in the hills. I never met anyone else walking. Does anyone walk in Hollywood? "I like gardening. Fortunately, we have a large garden, and I say 'fortunately' because we have no gardener as yet and since I can't do as much work in the garden as I'd like it's so big that the untended sections aren't always noticed. I've been spending the last few days digging up dandelions. As for my artistry as a gardener, I can best describe it as superficial. I mow the lawn and I scratch the surface in a somewhat amateurish way and have to let it go at that. "As for the people here in Hollywood. I've found it's easier to make friends in this town than in any other place I've ever been. The longer Pam and I are here the more we notice that the social life is purely domestic in Hollywood. Most entertaining is done at home instead of at restaurants. That's a far cry from the rather hectic social whirl that some people associate with Hollywood. "I like the informal way of life here — and I like the people in Hollywood. They don't depend on external excitement for a full life. They are industrious and open-hearted. For many of them I have great respect. "We have made many real friends here already — people like Eleanor Powell and Glenn Ford, the Van Heflins, the Walter Wangers, Jean Renoir, Preston Sturges, Max Opuls, Al Lewin and many others. "Pam and I do a good deal of entertaining, but only at small dinner parties. One of the previous occupants of this house regularly gave intimate little parties for around 2.50 people. But that's not our cup of tea. We don't have a large staff, for one thing. Violet, a cat fancier and one who was with us in England, came here but returned recently for a short vacation in England. Pam maintains it's easier to take care of a large house than it is a small one anyway, simply because a smaller place is so compact that every part of it is lived in while a big house allows things to pile up in certain sections without their being unduly noticed." $af>sdlj. JjDM UGLY FAT This Pleasant Simple Way Unobese Plan will help you to take off pounds of excess weight without harmful drags, laxatives, starvation or exercise. 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