The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-03-08
BY ELIZABETH CLARK
Times staff Writer

TIER mother thought she was
II marvellous. Her father had
no such illusion. He war worried.
What happiness, what chance OF
achievement could there be in
store for his painfully unattrac-
tive daughter?
The neighbOrS were evaSlve, but
comforting. You never can tell
about homely babies" they muir
INJURED. This unprepossesSing in
FAINT proved them right, for she
was none other than that glamor-
Gus lady of the stage today
Katharine Cornell.
Wrapped from chin to heels in
soft white robe, the vivid and eX-
citing star of Alien Corn turned
from the mirror in her dressing
room at the BelaSco theater, the
Elsa Brandt that she soor was to
be pushed aside for the moment
in behalf of the Kit Cornell that
had been a source Of distress to
worried father.
II n
"T WAS impossible, God knows,
Il and it didn't take long for
father to find it out" she said.
mo one made any bones about it,
and no one but father did any
thing about it. AS child must
have been a sort of blight in his
life. Mother took me as = was and
thought I was marvellous"
So frank was every one about
this baby's LONELINESS that her
grandmother, furious at the re-
marks made about her. one day
withered every one into temporary
silence with the caustic statement,
cat least, she is not repulSive."
This became a byWord in the
family, Miss Cornell recalled.
Father was a strict disciplinar-
ian," she said. Il didn't have a Jot
of good looks to help me carry on,
but he was determined that at
least 1 should have an abundance
of womanly virtues to recommend
lit W oOIllC 1l1CG SO1lQ CIG1AGl1
could learn to be punctual and
neat and my manners should be
above reproach."
n t.
GO a very youthful Katherine
~ Cornell formed the habit of
always being on time. She never
left her toys scattered about the
house. Her pretty manners, at
least when grownups we're pres
ent, were the envy of her parents
friends in Buffalo.
The Cornell family had moved
there from Berlin, where her
father had been studying surgery
when young Katharine was born.
II remember my first day in kin
dergarten all because of a lapse in
table manners" Miss Cornell said.
Il was having breakfast with
father. Somehow, because I was
excited or careless, I spilled some
egg on my bio.
Poor, fastidious father! After
all his training, tool He was not
cross; he simply announced that
after school 1 could come home
and practice eating eggs for an
hour.
"NTOW, what happens? I can't
IN get over the habit of being
on time, or. worse yet, early, for
appointments, so spend half my
life waiting for other people-and
I probably have the worst table
manners in the world" she said
dolefully.
Mother had a splendid way of
Furnishing me when I was naugh-
ty. She believed that temper and
general childish misbehavior often
were due to sluggish circulation.
So she made me run around the
block.
Being a fairly honorable child
about sports, anyhoW--I didn't
loiter. When I got back I was all
glowing and good natured The
same stunt works with me today,
only don't run about blocks.
take long breaths before an open
window"
Dancing school was prescribed
to give the very shy and gawky
Katharine pose and grace. She
hated it. 1T didn't give me any,
thing but indigestion, she said.
L used to shut myself in my
room and Writhe on my bed for
hours every Friday waiting for the
awful hour to come. UGH I can
feel the horrible sensation noW!"
Next: Eugene LeontOvich.
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