The Washington times., 1936-12-18
RxLYDIA CALVERT

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HOLLYWOOD, Calf, Dec. 1S.
"You want to see Una, don't
you?" he said smiling.
The man in gray slacks and
blue sweater had come in sud-
denly from a rear door.
He was a youngish, cookbook
ing man. A Scottie pulled at one
pants leg. A wire-haired at the
other.
"T'm Una'S father, he said,
"and you'll excuse my appear
ance-I've been working the
garden"
He went to the foot of the
stairs and called:
"Una!"
''Make yourself comfortable"
he said, returning, shell be
down in a minute"
I glanced around the room.
The car had rolled high up in the
hills to deposit me at the door
of the stars house. 1t was a
lovely big white one in Spanish
style cupped between two wooded
mountains that rose sheer almost
from the door into the Sky'S blue.
So this was the home of a
movie star. This was the haven
from which she came and went.
Where she laughed when she
was happy and cried when she
was sad, where acting gave way
to the business of living.
The room was high ceilinged.
You entered it by descending three
wide steps from the hall from
which the stairs to the second
floor rose flanked by grilled iron
railing. There wasn't lot of fur
niture-a piano, some large COM
Portable chairs and a huge divan
on which the wire-haired was now
sprawling. A bronze PLAGUE of
Shakespeare was over the mantel,
but the room had the charm of
restful simplicity.
Paddy" the wire-haired, got
up and brought me a rubber ball
which she dropped at my feet.
But where was Una!
race 4 1ICu
She hadn't slept we'll and the
small white little face showed the
strain of sleepleSSneSS. She said
she had tried every cure for in
Somnia without avail even to
Peter Lorre's prescription of hot
baths and cold showers one after
the other. Nothing worked.
Una is the type of little thing
that you want to put your arms
around and pat. You forget that
she is a person of great impor-
tance because she's sweet and
natural. She puts you at your
ease at once and makes you love
her.
"Madge says you want to see
my clothes. She said she showed
you hers yesterday"
I must tell you here that Madge
Evans and Una Merkle go to-
gether like sugar and spice. They
are inseparable companions.
When you know them both it's
easy to see why one is born
comedienne, the other a beautiful
leading lady. Their meeting
ground sincerity and generosity
OF spirit that reaches to their
fingertips.
Climb Stairs
We climb the stairs to the bed
room. It is a lovely large room
done all in white with the Chinese
motif carried out delicately with
gold on dresser, bureau and beds.
The latter are oversize with large
circular disk-lights like Chinese
gongs built into the design of the
headboard. There is a satin chaise
lounge piled high with taffeta
pillows.
AS she starts into the cupboard
to get their clothes Una philoso-
phized:
"YOu know I think clothes are
like fOod-a necessity. One goes
inside and one outside, that's
ALL"
She brings out a darling two
piece sports costume with a plaid
swing skirt, and an olive green
nubbly blouse. A narrow pigskin
belt trims it.
II love swing Skirts" says Miss
Merkel. "They make me feel
like Ginger Rogers. adore pep
lums because Pm kinda fat and
you can't tell whether it's me or
the peplum."
She's really not much bigger
than a minute and in her powder
blue flannel slacks and shirt she
looks more like a little doll than
a person. They're tailored like
a whip and she looks adorable in
them.
Smart FrOck
She showed me a smart black
duvetyn frock with three large
gold buttons fastening the neck
a smart little brown swing dress
with a skirt that measured six
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