Evening star., 1937-12-05


have their own methods of giving to
the poor Bing Crosby saves the
stamps of his gigantic fan mail from
all over the world-also those of other
stars in his studio-and sends them
to the Mission Stamp Bureau at St.
Michaels, Spokane, Wash. The stamps
with collectors value are sold and the
revenue used for maintaining chill
dren's homes and institutions in
China. The stamps from this country
re sent to China and sold to Chi
nese artists or traded to Chinese fami-
lies for girl babies who would other
wise be neglected and perhaps die be-
cause of the peculiar Chinese prefer
ence for male babies (P S.: Crosby is
one of the few stars here who finances
mis- own fan mail department-his out
put is $4,000 photographs and $1,000
letters a month-total cost to him
each year, s22,500)
The most generous motion picture
actress is Marion Davies. who sup
ports entirely the clinic named after
her IN West Los Angeles. The build
ing, covering one block, has staff
of three nurses and about IS visiting
doctors, including three dentists. An
average of 923 patients is treated every
month.
OBERT MONTGOMERY supports
private pay roll of around 5000
a week for needy old-time friends.
Joan Crawford owns and pays for a
room in the Hollywood Hospital re-
served solely for patients who cannot
afford private medical attention. Clau-
dette Colbert's charities are too nu-
merous to state in full, but her favo-
rite-particularly at Christmas-is
1.-The Little Sisters of the Poor" Or
ganization, which maintains a home
for the aged in Los Angeles. Clau-
dette has a theory that elderly people
need as much-if not more-cheer at
Christmas as youngsters. Ginger
Rogers is another star who concen-
trates her charity chores at Christmas.
Every year she chooses the names OF
several families from list compiled
by local church and completely out
fits them with clothing and shoes
from baby to father.
It is hard to top Eddie Cantor for
the largeness of his giving. The Eddie
Cantor boys camp at Cold Spring,
N. Y, was founded 20 years ago and
takes care of $500 boys a year, with
all expenses-including transporta-
tion-paid. Eddie visits the camp
once year and adds to long annual
list of gratis shows Millionaire Cecil
B. De Mile has never forgotten that
this world-and. particularly Holly
wood-contains struggling men and
women who need help to keep on the
right side of self-respect. He is among
the founders of the Studio Club, where
extra girls and other feminine studio
workers are housed inexpensively. De
Mile is responsible for the only loca-
ton bureau run solely for charity. In
the old days, rich residents of South
ern California refused to lend their
houses, yachts and estates as back
grounds to film companies. De Mile
prevailed on the Los Angeles Assist
ance League to help him obtain CO.
operation with the bait that the money
paid would be donated to the leagues
assistance fund. The money now sup
ports about ~ charities. Like woody"
Van Dyke, De Mile also has must"
list of approximately 200 players-old
silent-day performers-who are given
work in his films.
Shirley Temple and Jane Withers
do their bit for sweet charitys sake
each Christmas, sending their COM
bined toys of the year to the local
children's hospital.
WALT DISNEY puts on an annual
Yuletide Mickey Mouse show for
the patients in the Orthopedic Hospi-
tai (they are now looking foqVard to .