Talking Screen (Sep-Oct 1930)

Famous Movie Friendships "rm engaged to Polly Moran," Billy answered without the vestige of a smile. The interviewer went away and printed the story ! SUE CAROL AND DIXIE LEE ARE CHUMS IT IS really a foursome, — that friendship. For Nick Stuart, Sue Carol's husband, and David Rollins, who goes about with Dixie Lee all the time, are involved in it, too, since all four go about together a lot. But it began with Sue and Dixie. "I was in the show. Good News, on the stage," said Dixie, that cute ingenue who is coming along so fast. "And then I was signed up by the Fox studio. I had always admired Sue tremendously, and one night Frances Deaner, of the Fox publicity staff, said that Sue would like to have me come to dinner at her house. Mrs. Deaner and I went together, and I was so thrilled that I forgot to eat. Sue is the most fascinating girl I have ever known. Somehow she always sparkles — never loses that fascination, as so many people do on closer acquaintance. "On the way up to Sue's house, I asked Mrs. Deaner if she thought Sue would really notice me. She said yes, she was sure she would — that she had seen me in Good News and admired me very much. I felt very swell-headed and hopeful. But you see, hero-worship is different from anything else, and when I arrived at Sue's, I was speechless. "But Sue is a society girl, and knew exactly what to do and say to put me at my ease. But I couldn't eat for excitement. "Nick Stuart, I remember, was there, and when we went into the big living room, Nick turned on the radio. Finally I began to come out of my shell a little, and we all got a notion to go down to Coffee Dan's. "Somebody down there recognized me, and wanted me to dance. You know they get anybody they recognize in the audience to do something — sing, dance, talk, anything. But I was afraid I wouldn't do well there, away from the theater. Finally I did get up, though, and got an awfully big hand. Then Sue was called on to perform, and she danced too. "The friendship began that night and Sue and I have been friends ever since. She is the most generous person — never seems to get a bit jealous over my success, nor do I over hers. And she has helped me so much — given me little pointers about pictures and all that. "I met David Rollins soon after that, and we four go out a lot together." LOIS WILSON AND RUTH CHATTER TON ARE CHUMS RUTH CHATTERTON dropped her cigarette case and I picked it up and handed it back to her! That's how we became acquainted." Lois 'Wilson was telling me about her friendship with Ruth Chatterton, and she was smiling at her recollection of their first meeting which she was about to describe. [Continued from page 20] "That happened," Lois went on, "at a party given by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Barthelmess. Of course, I had seen Ruth in almost every play she had ever appeared in, in eluding Mary Rose, in which I saw her six times ! She had been my ideal of an actress for several years, and I had so hoped to meet her. When she came into pictures, I had that chance. "The night that I met her, William Powell and she were sitting on a lounge chatting. I stood near by. Ruth dropped her cigarette case, and before Mr. Powell could pick it up, I had snatched it. "Of course we had met conventionally when I arrived at the party, but now we had a little laugh' together, and we three began talking. I remember being a little afraid of Ruth and — to tell you the truth — thinking her a little bit ritzy. Everybody feels that way about her, I think, until they come to know her. She has a little staccato way of News Reel One, two, "Invents a trick canoe" Three, four, "Trained seal can open door"' Five, six, "Builds Bicycle from sticks" Seven, eight, "Eats oysters by the crate" Nitje, ten, "Red ant lifts twenty men" — Parke Cummings. talking that is perfectly fascinating, and as she has travelled and seen the world, and so have I, we soon began talking about our travel experiences. "Ruth Chatterton is everything one could want in a friend. She has exquisite taste in everything, she is most kind to the people widi whom she works or who work for her. She is very generous — too much so. WILLIAM POWELL, RONALD COLMAN AND DICK BARTHELMESS ARE FRIENDS — BUT BARTHELMESS AND POWELL QUARRELLED WHEN THEY FIRST MET! RONALD COLMAN, Dick Barthelmess and I are the greatest friends now-adays," said William Powell, the other day. "But Dick and I didn't like each other at all when we first met. In fact, we staged a quarrel right off the bat." . It seems that Barthelmess and Powell met during scenes in The Bright Shawl, which was being filmed in Cuba. They developed one of those dislikes for each other. "We staned an awful ,^ri>oment about something — I forgot what. ' e ';ia''ieci Powell. "We went into my dressing room, had a drink, and told each other just what we thought of the other. You see, the argument quickly developed into hostile personalities. We used the terms 'high hat,' 'ham actor,' no good,' and some other expressions that cannot be printed. "We kept that up for three days, off and on. But we must have got all our animosity out of our systems during those three days, for we became the greatest of friends afterward. No, I don't know what it was that finally made us lay off each other, but I think it was because we found that both of us were cra2y about boats. I went down to look at Dick's boat, and forgot I didn't like him. He saw my admiration, and forgot he didn't like me. " Powell met Colman in Florence, Italy, when both were working in Romola. They went through some dangerous flood scenes together, and that helped bind them together. In fact, Powell declares that Colman saved his life while they were both in the flood waters, but Colman strenuously denies it. "I held onto him to keep from drowning myself," Colman says. Week-end trips are the chance for Colman and Powell to spend time together. A favorite resort of theirs is Arrowhead Hot Springs, where they take the mud and hot baths sometimes, and rest up from their piaure work. Up there they don't stay at the hotel, but invariably take a cottage, and hardly ever show up to be gazed at by the hotel tourists. CHARLIE FARRELL AND BIG BOY WILLIAMS ARE DAMON AND PYTHIAS I DON'T know of a finer friendship in Hollywood than that between Charlie Farrell and Big Boy Williams — Gwynn Williairxs, really, but they call him Big Boy for short or something. They are very different types, and therefore their professional lives never clash. But if they did, I am convinced that either would willingly step aside for the other. Charlie was brought up at Cape Cod, and everything around the house he has built up in the Toluca Lake District of Hollywood is nautical. "He built a room especially for me in the house," said Williams. "It is fitted up like a cabin of a ship, and is most completely outfitted in every way, bath and everything. "You see I live way outside Los Angeles, about forty-five miles up 'Ventura Boulevard, and very often I am working late at some studio and don't want the long ride home. So I can just let myself in at Charlie's house, and neither he nor his mother hears me. "That's just like Charlie. He never told me a thing about it until it was finished. Then he took me over there and showed me the nice room and bath. 'It's yours,' he told me. Naturally I was delighted." On the other hand. Big Boy gave Charlie a beautiful horse which Charlie rides, but [Continued on page 96] 84