Evening star., 1936-08-26

press agents invent cute new stories
about his trick pajamas, his glamor-
Gus personality, his profound thoughts
on life, love, wine and war. Half doz-
en- concerns may be conducting frantic.
secret negotiations to get the fellow
under bond, but until the contract Is
signed, sealed and delivered, none
likes to admit having any truck with
blacklisted employe, seditious soul
who thought he had right to pro-
tect his professional future and in
tegrity. this years gross receipts
Notwithstanding
Consequently it Is easy for the rebel
TO disappear. That is what Jimmy
Cagney did. There was an announce
ment that he had agreed to make a
feature for the newly formed Grand
National producing unit but it made
no very deep impression on the hun
dreds of thousands whose nickels and
quarters lifted the brisk little Irish
man to fame. Many of those thou
sands doubtless have wondered what
the screens likable bad boy was doing.
They never thought of him as
martyr, for he kicked over the $780,
Ooo-a-year income himself, but they
speculated on what chap might be
planning to do with himself after
grand gesture of that sort.
Now, on the eve of Cagney's return
to Hollywood. we are indebted to Will
liam Mckinley Osborne, I'd, vaca-
tioner who never forgot that he worked
interim period. He also tells story of
a sudden friendship formed with the
screen star and reveals in the telling
q man who certainly is distined to
swing back to the top of the cinema
arc once again.
Shortly after I arrived at Martha's
Vineyard heard that Jimmy Cagney
had bought a simple. one-story farm
house located of the main State high
way and was living there for the
Summer. He had been introduced to
the place by Workman. the cartooniSt
who does Everyday Movies" and had
liked it so well he decided to buy a
small estate. One afternoon three of
us drove out to the farm. When I
knocked at the door, Mrs. Cagney an
swered. Her famous husband was at
first reluctant to appear until l had
properly introduced myself; then he
came to the door, somewhat diSheveled
and wearing old clothes. He explained
that he had been changing tire on
his car. He saw that there were two
girls in my car and asked tU be ex-
cused from meeting them because of
his slightly greasy appearance, but
then it occurred to him that maybe
they had come all the way out just to
talk to him. I told him they had. and
he said in that case he would have a
chat with them.
so he did, and we departed, after
receiving an invitation to call again.
A few days later, when returned, the
door was answered by Sidney Biddell,
story editor for Grand National Pic
lures, who said Cagney was out and
would not return until much later in
the day. At that point Cagney sud-
denly popped out the door, said Hello"
and apologized to Biddell for crossing
him up, explaining that he didn't know
at first whether it was another auto
graph hunter or salesman.
I'VE then talked about practically
everything under the sun. The high
points of the conversation were these:
He had expected to be molested at
the Vineyard as he was everywhere
else, built big gates at the entrance
of his place and kept them locked
religiously for a few days. Ed Mac
Namara, the singing cop, sat around
the yard telling would-be visitors
Cagney lived next door. Then he
discovered people were willing to re-
spect his privacy there, except the
kids who wanted autographs, and he
didn't mind that. CA carload OF high
school youngsters drove up during the
interview and took their toll)
He had just returned from fly
ing trip to New York, to have lunch
with Bob Montgomery and to talk