Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1925-10-05
MOLNAR'S WIFE
RACES OVER
DIVORCE SUIT
Hungarian Beauty Demands
Public Trial TO Hear Reply
to Playwright

BUDAPEST, Hungary, Oct s.
oari Fedak, foremost dramatic ac-
tress In all Hungary, is playing the
leading role in the most absorbing
drama she ever entered dis
agreement with her husband, Franz
Molnar, playwright, which has the
whole nation by the ears.
Each is famous in the theater and
IN the social world Each has host
of friends. Each is popular
throughout the country.
And each is suing for divorce.
charging misconduct and lack of a
sympathetic understanding on the
part of the other.
Becausue Molnar's dramas not
ably "Liiiom," The Guardsman"
and "The Devil" have been played
in America and England, this case
mas drawn public attention far be-
You'd the confines of Hungary.
Molnar sued first, naming up
wards two score men as correspon-
dents. This estimate, incidentally,
he has later reduced-but Hun
gary hasn't yet got over the initial
shock.
Then Fedak went into action,
filing a counter suit and announc-
ing her intention of fighting the
case to the last ditch, both to estab-
lish her own innocence and to rid
herself of her famous husband 4
When the news of the divorce nc
ton came to her, she was starring
in "Antonia" in Vienna. For 200
nights she had charmed her aud
fences. She at once dropped every
thing to come to this city to pre-
pare for the trial and be in active ,
consultation with her lawyers. Hav- I
ing the dramatic instinct herself it
is considered certain that she will I
do a whole lot towards conducting
her own case and sweeping her
attorneys aside.
On her arrival here Fedak said:
<'Molnar thought he would make
the charges so dirty that I would
make every sacrifice rather than
have them aired in public. But you
wait and see. I will show him a
number of things before he is ]
through with me.
''I do not object to divorce from
Molnar. Far from it! There will be
no happier person in all the world
than will be when finally and for
ever separated from him.
"But for him to sink so low as as
TO attack my character in the Ii
vorce courts is an outrage and |
will make him pay dearly for his
folly. You watch and see if he
doesn't eat humble pie within tue
next few weeks. During our years
together I have always tried to en-
courage him in his work of writing
plays. But he failed to reciprocate.
He even went out of his way to dis
courage me in my task of making
myself a great actress.
F'Divorce trials such as this are
usually held behind closed doors,
but if I have anything to say in Sne
matter this one is going to be held .
in the open where the reporters can
be present. l want everything
blazoned to the world"
Molnar is at present in Germany. /
His friends claim his marriage was
for a long time a mere form. They !
say he lived in an apartment in (.
Budapest on one side of the Danube
and his wife in another apartment !
on the other side. He has summon
ed 80 witnesses and his wife mas
sent for about an equal number,
Aside from the probable outcome
of the suit, Hungarians and Wen
nese are eagerly discussing whether
the case will ultimately furnish ma
terial to Molnar for some more dra-
matte writing. They recall that one
Of the biggest and most heart NOV
ing scenes in Liliom is where father
love is awakened in the heart of the
vagabond Liliom. And they say
Molnar wrote this not with ink, but
with tears and hearts blood.
When the future dramatist was
struggling cub reporter of Il on