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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1962-08-16, Page 2FOMOUS Star Tells Of First Movie Job Everybody likes to talk about their first job, I Iike to talk about mime, • When I wee in Hight S.•iwol Loa Angelee, alt the boys work- ed c'girin; jibe holidays as mes- sengers, errand boys, or such. The girls? One girl worked as a housekeeper the whole time even daring term, and she was not a foreigner. She got the highest marks in Blass. Do not ask me when she did her school home work, Other girls were Cash Girls, carrying slips of papee with the cash, I suppose, of cus- tomers to the Cashier. It must have been the same service that we now do for ourselves when we buy and pay for anything in the big• stores. Two sisters I knew went as children's nurses. The daughter of the biggest banker in town was with us at LA. High: Car- mel Myers and her brother Zion whose father was a rabbi: also another friend of ours who be- came a lawyer and whose father was a tailor. In my wildest dreams I cannot imagine any of those fathers allowing their daughters to be Cash Girls in some store. We were very poor. Unneces- sarily so. And when my mother read in the paper about some film star spending the season in Florida, that did it. People were always saying that I looked like Mary Pickford, Mr, Griffith never called me anything else— always Mary, But I am ahead of myself, writes Bessie Love in the Christian Science Monitor. My father, never would have consented to nay seeking work in films. My resourceful mother said, the Saturday before school let out one summer, that there 'was no reason why I should not get a job and tell him about it afterwards. I remember thinking that I should go before school let out because the best jobs would have been snapped up by the time the Assembly bell stopped ringing for the last time. I do not know quite what I imagin- ed: that all the girls were going out to become film stars sud- denly: Just for the summer? It must have been some such idea because I felt that having a whole week's head start would give me quite an edge on every- one. My mother worked in a fac- tory: Jantzen's Knitwear (and Bathing Suits'r, Later I learned that she had been up for promo- tion as forelady at that time. Well, she could not get away herself, So? Mrs. Delano, the wife of a couple renting a room from us, went with me to Tom Mix's. It was in EdendaIe, a sub- urb of Los Angeles. I had been there once on a visit with my father. This day Tont Mix was away, or go we were told. We were sent next door to see the Ward- robe Lady, I think she was, but I am not sure. What I am abso- lutely certain about is that this very nice woman was not play- ing a cruel practical joke on us when she said that, if I wanted to get into pictures. D. W. Grif- fith was the man to see. • For those who may not know, D. W. Griffith was the most bril- liant and one of the most im- portant film directors, produe- ere. and showmen that this in- dustry has yet produced This lady said that he had made all the big film stars at that time which- he had It was the sort of naive. direct reasoning that went on it our own household, so that is what we did. We took a streetcar to the Griffith Studio •en Sunset Boulevard and I ask- ed to see him — a proceeding which would today be compar- eble to knocking at the gates of Canavarel and saying, "Please, I want to he an astronaut." Only without the Please. As it happened, Mr. Griffith, who had tha; day returned to the studio from San Francisco, was en his way to his office and over- heard me ask for him, saying that I had an appointment. I didn't mention I had made it myself. A few years later, the man who bad opened the office door to me told nee what had happened next, so that I know it is true. Mr. Griffith had con- tinued to his office, This gentle - mar.,. Mr. Words, head of the SALLY'S Sett bitttd date couldn't matte „abtlt hof tx yvtis th usou Mn setas k[, NEW MISS UNIVERSE — Surrounded by a surging mob of photcgr,,phers and newsmen, Miss Universe 1962 stands among the 15 semi-finalists for the title in Miami Beach, Fla. Scenario Department, no less, had answered my knock. When I told him that I had an appointment he did not know quite what to do. Mr. Griffith was watching through the slit in the door and nodded to hm to let us cone in, The great man asked alI kinds of questions about my family, my back- ground; did I have stage exper- ience, did we have money, and why did I want to go into pic- tures? That answer was easy; I wanted a job for the summer! Such frankness must have de- lighted him, Even my nursemaid classmates vowed to their em- ployers that they were taking the jobs permanently. But why did I choose acting? he asked, I think my answer to that one was what got me in. I told him that my mother had said I was not trained to do any- thiing, so there was nothing left for me to do but act. Difficult as it must have been for him to keep from guffawing, Mr. Griffith never laughed at me —ever. He said he would try me in some scenes and see if I could act and take direction. In other words, an audition, Believe me, that sort of thing was not done in those days. He told me to go to lunch and come back. Mrs. Delano and I left his of- fice, She was a cautious woman. She said our luck had been too good to risk leaving the studio for a sausage. We might never get in again. She said we would stay put until they all came back, We would skip lunch. This we did. When everybody else had eaten, we went onto the open stage where they were rehears- ing the Babylonian period of In- tolerance; where the High Priest of Bel enthusiastically announc- es to Prince Belshazzar that he has just discovered a new planet — or star — and as an after- thought tells hint that Cyrus the Barbarian is nearing the gates of the city. Tully Marshall was the High Priest -Astrono- mer; George Sigmund played Cyrus; Al Paget was Prince Bel- shazzar and Signe Augne, later spelled Seena Owen, was his Princess, called Beloved. She was magnificent in the scene where the palace was attacked. Remember the tiny wagon drawn by two doves that Bel- shazzar sent across the table, I think it was, to Princess Belov- ed just before Cyrus with his hosts—hosts? HORDES! their horned helmets covered the area as far as the camera could see — started pulling the palace to pieces, stone by gigantic stone? I do not believe that there has ever been a film more real or moving than many places in In- tolerance. Mr. Griffith never forgot that it was people he was talking about. The super-colos- xal was only secondary, In the midst of this glorious confusion and before all those talented actors I had my audi- tion I was supposed to be a slave girl playing with art imaginary beetle at the feet of Belshazzar. Shyness or self - consciousness were non-existent (as far as I can remember) b e c a u s e I thought that everyone — but everyone — had done the same thing, I did not know that there was any difference between one actor and another in the whole theatrical business. Let me has- ten to add that I very soon learn- ed. I was too ignorant to know that people are usually shy at such times. Such reasoning would not have made sense to me, If you wanted a job you went for it and you either got it or you didn't. The audition must have been successful because Mn Griffith told me to come back Monday for a screen test. I said that was impossible as I would be back at school then. He asked when it would he convenient and I said tri_ fol dewing Saturday w°I.:V. b' a.! right Since Cchoo, fire•'' •'1 F: r" ', So th;tiedwro. it T r. Test wc.s:rade. I got th,, job aid I am still at it, RONICLES 'fib'/ Fcitp21. Pretty soon every family will have to appoint one of its mem- bers to be private secretary for the family as a whole. It might not be a bad idea at that as there seems to be more and more bus- iness to look after all the time what with hospitalization, medi- cal insurance, car and fire in- surance and so on, to say nothing of taxes, telephone and hydro. I am going to fix up some kind of a memo pad to put over my desk with dates marked, an which payments are due. It is so easy to forget and if you let the date go by under this new medi- cal plan you've had it: No chance of paying up back dues — you just have to start again from scratch. Just imagine wanting a specialist in a hurry and then find you had forgotten to pay your dues! Our only trouble with current accounts so far has been in paying one of then twice. When I was in the hospital our license became due and Partner paid it, He says he told me — and I expect he did — but the other day after the assessor had been I went off to pay the dog license in case I might put it on one side and forget it. I happen- ed to mention it afterwards and Partner said "But I paid that weeks ago." I got out the assess- ment again deal although it hadn't actually got the word "paid" on it, the license had been ticked off, which I suppose meant the same thing. You can be sure I was back to the office the next day for a rebate. Last week we came in for a freakish bit of weather around here. Freakish in quite an un- usual way. You who read this column may not live either in Toronto or Malton but no doubt you read about the 'bad storms that occurred in those two dis- tricts one day last week. Streets flooded, trees toppled ever, strong winds, hail and terrific thunder and lightning. Partner was outside trimming some of our shrubs and, believe it or not, there actually wnssn't enough rain to drive him into the house. Later, when we heard what bad storms had. occurred such a e :ort distance away we just couldn't believe it as we are only twenty miles west of Toronto and fifteen south of Mahon. And we needed rain so badly, but that night we had to go around with the hese again as usual. So many of the trees are showing evidence of drought — leaves turning yellow and dropping off, The leaf - strewn ground looks more like fall than .summer. And tonight we had a gorgeous sunset, with all the lovely colours we look for around October. Later the full moon was so bright it disturbed 4' INTRIGUING — Red leather bowler inspired by "secret agents" is part of foil milli- nery collection shown by Sally V. or in New York. Taffy so he was whimpering off and c.n half the night. Our tomato plants look kind of queer. They are loaded with small tomatoes but the lower leaves are curled and withered, Some kind of blight. maybe, I suppose they should be dusted or sprayed but we are more in- clined to let nature take its course. We think most home gardeners are a IittIe tea zealous in the use of fertilizers and in- secticides, and they can be dan- gerous if there are small children around. It has been a IoveIy week for sitting out in the garden and I have made the most of it, taking with me my mending, knitting, writing •or anything that could be done comfortabiy outside.. That is, until Partner started mowing our acre lot. There is something wrong with the mow- er and the noise was enough to burst one's ear -drums. Bob was looking at it yesterday so we hope it will be better next time —if not I can see a new mcwer on the books. Yes, Bub and his family were here yesterday so we took the boys to see a little Shetland pony that is tethered on a Iot at the back of our place. The poor little thing doesn't look too happy. Its halter rope is tied to an old truck tyre and barely long enough for the pony to move around. I wonder why people keep pets if they find it too much trouble to look after them properly. Young Rcss was in high gear yesterday — so much to tell and to show 'about the work he had been doing at "summer school" for the last two weeks. I think this summer school idea is a grand t''' -g for pre-schoolers. It gives them a little idea of what to expect whet: school really starts, teaches them to mix with other children and to recognize a certain amount of discipline. Dee and her boys haven't the same need for summer school. They are all at the cottage and enjoying every minute. Dave has become quite a goad swimmer; takes the punt out by himself and puts in quite a bit of time fishing. This week -end one of the neighbours was in quite a dither because their boat had got louse from hs moorings. Dave saw what had happened, jumped inns the water, got into the boat and paddled 'it back to shore. Eddie can now swim without a life -jacket. Jerry spends most of his time in the water but with a life -jacket 00 all the time. When they come back to Toronto they will be moving into a new apartment so they need this time at the cottage to get ready for all the work that lies ahead of them after the holidays. 'Bye for now — must get busy and answer some "fan" mail — which I am always pleased to get. Thanks, friends, for all the kind things you say. I appreciate it very much, Modern Etiquette By Anne Ashley Q. When does my boy friend give me my engagement ring— while we are alone, or in front of our guests at the engagement party? A. Since this is one of your greatest moments — a strictly personal affair — you certainly should receive your ring in pri- vate, Q. Where should the bride- groom keep his bride's ring until the proper moment when he places it on her finger? A. The bridegroom always has best man take charge of the ring,. and the best man hands it over to the groom at the proper ma- mert. Q. Whenever we are invited to dine in a friend's home, I join our hostess in the kitchen while she Is finishing her preparations for the meal. My husband says this is improper, What do you think? A. You may join your hostess in t'w tt '.:t en'v if she speaifi- colh tett . d . ;n Other- wi r in , noire,, room, So They Cut Down The Old Swing Trees Somebody cut :down our swing tree. And long -long ago I con - eluded it dues no good to lift a plaintive wail about such thing,, for men stem not to be guided thereby, Plenty of people juin in the wail, and lift their hands a -wring, and deplore, but in the end the era: ger motives prevail and those of ss who lament have had only the exercise of our lament.tions. Why would any- body want to cut down a swing tree? Seems as if ail my days some- body has been coining around to cut down trees nobody wants cut down, and although by times vociferous objections have been raised and pretty good argu- ments have been advanced, I don't seem to ,recall any parti- cular tree, public or private. that got saved. Don't misunderstand me—I've cut many a tree in my time, and have a farmer's evaluation of standing timber, I can even ad- vance quite an argument that some of the "ravaging" of forests that keeps the preservationists stirred up is not quite so bad as they think. The woodsman -spare - that -tree ditty has to be mellow- ed with a few tree -farm facts, We've been paying taxes for a Iong time on forest land we hope will some day pay us. People who write letters to newspapers urging forest conservation are too often begging a most pertin- ent question—that the paper they preach from was once a tree. And so on. But I think none of this applies to our swing tree discussion. A couple of ridges away from us the state highway people are laying out an `improvement' on Route 125. Along the down grade past the Jones and May- nard places they have moved the right-of-way with engineering finesse, and will remove a long string of stately elms which were set out generations ago by fore- fathers now forgotten. For a cen- tury cattle have come to lie in the shade of these trees and chew their suds. At the far end of the scene alders fringe the trout holey in the brook, and by the bridge is the swimming hole where generations of children have played. As you turned the road, topped the rise and beheld all this, you had a pastoral scene without peer. So the surveyors have come along and have driv- en their little stakes to remove all this forever from our lives. Why? I don't know why. And I'm sure nobody else, including the engineers, can say why. These aren't tree -farm trees, nor were they set and nurtured for board footage. They were put there to adorn the scene. Whole lifetimes went into watching them flourish and give the landscape grace. And all this will vanish in the swift flourish of a chain -saw while people on every hand cry that it must not be done, Why? Olt, yes—the swing tree, The swing tree is on another road, where a turn-off makes what we call a "heater -piece." A heater was a flatiron, and a flatiron was triangular. As traffic came out of the side road, some turning right and some left, the inter- section formed so this untrod plot was left three -cornered. Here an elm took seed or was planted, and it grew to be 80 feet tall — a lofty, monumental height to please the eye, Now, elms don't often do this, ISSUE 31 1962 but this ane developed a limb about 20 -feet off the ground at an t,b ,lately true horizontal. Then. . w e nc,vc r a heti. r wine tree. The fir.t tame y'su looked at this trace the frit thins; that would enter your h PIO was,. "Whitt el wonclerfut plane for sw'ins'!" Our children, and other childrem always admired this chance. And as families drove along, in buggies and afterwards in autonu,l,ili.s, the first child to. catch sight of the elm would shoat, "Swing Tree!" in the old' traditions of "1 Spy!" and for the• moment of passage all thoughts turned on what a waste it was fo' have this tree away out there by Itself where no children would ever swing from it, and no rope would ever be looped over the lirnb, All right, So times advance, and distance is less a problem, and. a few homes have been built in there --not far farms but for suburbanites. In the great forward surge of improvement and progress, by whatever rules this creates, • somebody came around about a week ago and cut this swing tree down. It was worked up into cordwood lengths and left piled for a day or so, and then it was carted off. Fire- places and cookstoves have de- clined—maybe they hauled the wood to a dump. Meditating as kindly as I can, I can think of no reason why this tree was removed. Somebody must have made the decision; somebody must have given and executed the order, Why? Never again will anybody, rounding the turn, come upon this elm and have his heart leap at the prospects of a swing. This is a tremendous loss to every- body, a tragic loss to all who, grew up in these parts. I can. only conclude that, we—or I—• must be wrong. It must be wrong: to have a sentimental attachment to shade and symmetry, shape, and grace, growth and loveliness,. It must be wrong because we are, so uniformly outvoted. Some- body always cuts down, swing' trees.—by John Gourd its the Christian Science Monitor.. The folks we'd like to see a lid Seldom come to visit_ While others whom we wish would not Always do . - , why is it? {�lyiy SEA MAIDEN — Tony Kasad- nar places a flower in her hair while kneeling in the salt gross and sea oats on beach of South Padre Island. WATERED-DOWN VERSION — This is a "watered - down version" of the once -solemn Buddhist rite for washing away sins Rangoon, Burma, fire hoses and water cans have turned It into an annual fun -filled water melee.