The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1935-08-23

TOT S0VSIAL UlOHbuS ON OH0 VI
the Fox lots in Hollywood, and on
location where the steamboat Sc
quences were filmed, Burman
worked with Rogers in a more
than ordinarily intimate associa-
ton between story-author and
star. That was partly because
Burman himself is something of
a homespun reconteur with a fund
of Mississippi river and Kentucky
mountain stories in which Rogers
delighted.
Now back in New York, Bur-
man recalls that Rogers had
planned to visit the Kentucky
hills, and often was full OF ques-
lions about the people and the iso-
lated settlements. Ono of the
things he wanted to see was the
frontier nursing work.
Ills real interests lay with that
sort of people," the author says.
His democracy was no pose, for
in idle minutes at the studio he'd
be more likely to get in CONVEX
sation with $5-a-day extra than
with some influential executive.
His drawing, ungrammatical, bu-
colo manner wasn't really pose,
either. He came by 1t legitimate
ly, and 1t made him famous, and
he just decided to remain in char
acter. or course he had an as
tonishingly alert mind, and was
very we'll read, and doubtless, If
he had wanted to, could have
switched to polished, sophisticated
Dat tn nOnrUAo1y Hfn
he seemed to DO more at ease as
the country philosopher"
Rogers gave an impression Of
light-hearted responsibility, Bur-
man says, but 1t really was due
to restlessness and a kind of dog
ged independence. "He worked
as hard as anybody on the lot,
studied his roles, and didn't COM
plain about working early in the
m morning or late at night.
WORRIED DIRESTORS
but during idle intervals in
the day he'd skip off and the d.
rectors would be frantic before he
was discovered. Usually he'd be
found either reading the newspa-
pers or laboring on his column.
Always carried newspapers with
him, even at lunch.
studio officials were fond OF
him, naturally, but they also were
prepared to be driven half-crazy
by his pranks. The Fox people
knew better than to allow more
than a day or two to lapse without
ordering him on the set. With
any free time, he might have hop.
ped into a plane and jaunted of
without even leaving forward
ing address.
Rogers didn't have much re-
spect for the costly mechanics o.
matchmaking; thought nothing
of holding up highly-paid techni
clans. For instance, II a frient
came on the set during rehearsal
Rogers likely would stop right Il
the middle Of a speech, wave an,
walk off to talk to the caller"
A FLY ROUNDUP
There weren't many callers
however, Burman relates. A VIII
Rogers set was one of the mos
difficult to visit in Hollywood. Dis
tinguished people tried II now ant
then, and many were turned away
But let some obscured, hard-bittel
old rodeo rider show up, and Rog
ers would have him brough
around at once.
HE was always restless, Away
had to be doing something" Bur
man continued. Sometimes, whei
he had finished a scene he like,
and was feeling pretty good abou
1t, he'd start jigging kind o
loose little shuffling step - an,
would hum a cowboy tune.
ION the set one day he got hol,
OF a piece Of rope somewhere an,
intently began practicing his OIL
tricks. They were ready to shoot
and the director was impatient
and finally the rope was take
away from him - practically b
executive order. Rogers wasn't
bit crestfallen. He found a piec
of string, and spent the rest o
the day going around trying t
lasso flies"
Burman says there's no word o
truth In the legend that Roger
always ad libbed his lines. II
never made them up as he wen
along. But very frequently he d.
make suggestions for changes. 4
the script before a scene was I
be filmed.
HONORARY PILOT
Rogers drove his own car to tn
studio and almost invariably ar
rived alone. He was not stric
prohibitionist, as has often bee
said, but liked a little beer an
wine. He enjoyed social gather
ings. One evening at a birthda
party for John Ford, who directe