Evening star., 1939-04-16
Heffernun
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darlings who've come to brighten
the lives of the movie great and
romp over their vast estates under
heavy guard.
Most extravagant, of course, are
the foster-parents. They run as
true to form in Hollywood as else
where. The skys the limit and
nothing's too good for these hand
picked offspring.
No flesh-and- blood parents could
possibly bestow more genuine affec-
ton on offspring or worry more
about minor ailments than do Jack
Benny and Mary Livingstone, the
Fredric Marchs, the Pat O'Briens.
Barbara StanWyck, Loretta Young,
George Burns and Oracle Allen, AL
Jolson and Ruby Keeler and others
in the colony. In fact, their mex
perience with the to-be-expected
indispositions of normal childhood
and their anxiety over baby's well
fare lead them into anguishing
mental turmoils.
The other evening one of the
nurses in the Benny household an
nounced to Mother Mary Livings-
tone that her little 5-year old
daughter Joan was making funny
noise" as she ate her dinner. Mary
investigated. The nurse was right.
While the child was eating we'll and
appeared in excellent spirits, the
noise-apparently respiratory one
was most certainly there. Mary
fairly flew to the telephone and
excitedly communicated her daugh-
ter's plight to DR.. Joel Pressman,
who shares equal fame in Holly
wood as a leading nose and throat
specialist and as husband of Claud-
ette Colbert. Worry sent Mary to
bed. When DR.. Pressman arrived.
an examination revealed a very
common ailment in children Of
Joans age-"tonsils and adenoids. I"
They'd best come out, he said.
Next morning a grave family con-
sultation took place. Present we're
Mary (stin in beO, Jack, Mary's
sister, her mother and father, the
head nurse and Jacks business
manager. After an hours floor
pacing and clinical debate, it was
decided Joan should undergo the
operation-at once. But Mary in
sisted only the adenoids should come
out. Il couldn't stand it to have
the tonsils, too," she pleaded.
Jacks business manager was dele
gated to call the hospital and make
arrangements. He reserved a room
for Joan and seven others to take
care Of the relatives. They all went
in that night, and next morning,
while the red-eyed Benny Kin hud-
died in the corridors, Joan's ade-
noids were shipped out. She was
back in less than a jiffy, and
couple of hours later was in a mood
to get back home among her play
things. The immediate kin did not
sare so well. Mother Mary kept to
her bed in the hospital the rest of
the day. Father Jack managed to
pull himself together and report
back to the studio that afternoon
for scenes in his picture.
Most tragic sidelight of the re-
cent break in Wallace Beery's
household is the acknowledgement
separation that must ensue between
Wally and little adopted Carol Ann,
practically the entire pride and Joy
Of the rugged stars life. Init
mates say Wally is now a changed
man, brooding and anguished at
the prospect of missing the COM
panionship of the child for long
stretches at time.
The entire life routine of the Pat
O'Briens is built around their
adopted youngsters, Sean Patrick
and Margaret Mavourneen, and any
conversations in which those doting
parents join are invariably led
around to the problems of child
rearing. Pat is an incurable con-
veyor of cute sayings" uttered bv
his pair. A few months ago, when
Margaret Mavourneen complained
in a childishly petulant way that
there wasn't enough room in the
back yard for her rabbits, Pat sud-
denly became dissatisfied with the
home they had occupied the last
four years. A few days later "for
sale" sign went up and the O'Briens
bought a lot on which they could
build-a big lot with plenty of play
space.
Loretta Young, a glitterbug who
hits about with an endless stream
OF escorts, gives way to deep-seated
motherlng complex. A year ago she