Evening star., 1940-03-10
She Took His Advice With an Iron Resolve
For Film Success
You Must Fight,
Said Cagney
So Olivia Has Been
Doing Just That
Ever Since
By Sheilak Graham.
HOLLYWOOD.

HOLLYWOOD.
you've got to fight, kid" said
Jimmy Cagney to Olivia de Havil-
land f1ve years ago. The advice was
the answer to Olivia's question,
How does one make q success in
HOLLYWOOD" The next few months
should show whetner Olivias lit
eral application e Cagney's doc
trtne will give her, the success she
wants In Hollywood.
To look at Olivia's gentle exter-
Ior you'd never guess at her deter
mination, giant-like will and iron
resolve to get what she wants,
Right now Olivia wants dramatic
roles Of the caliber portrayed by
Bette Davis. But q peek behind
scenes, . survey Of Miss de Havil-
hands private-lfe personality sheds
. STRONG hight on the most interest,"
0g young player In Hollywood
today.
Olivia IS q. She was born in
Tuakio of British parents. Her ia
Aer was an attorney. At present
she lives alone In q hillside bunga-
ow-rent, $50 month. There is
one matd-of-all-work. Olivia
drives q car, for which she paid $500
four years ago. Her bedroom is
very small. .. She sleeps in a large
four-poster bed. .. She likes to eat
dinner in bed. :. Her room is lit
tered with books-books on her
dressing table, books on the chest
Of drawers. She reads every
thing and anything. When boy
friends want to buy her gifts, she
tells them to make it books.
Olivia's house is always full of
howers-from Howard Hughes and
Tim Durant chiefly. Jimmy Stewart
sends them, too. Olivia is shy, but
not too shy to hint to the boys that
she likes flowers and books. At
night she puts her gardenia loot in
the ice box and wears them next
day-until the new ones arrive.
When Miss De Havilland is not
on strike against her Warner bosses
her $3.50 salary is dispatched to
her stepfather, who lives with her
mother in Northern California
he sends her back a weekly allow
ance of between 500 and $3.50, in
vesting the rest in Government
bonds. Olivia is a frugal soul and
usually stays within her allowance.
Her weakness is clothes. The bills
for these are sent to her stepfather.
She owns three fur coats-a full
length mink, short sable and a white
ermine jacket.
She is a good sport with men
financially speaking. When her
escort is Of modest means she says
ut the beginning Of the evening,
This is my party. can afford to
pay" And slips one or two $40 bills
into his hand. But when the lad
is wealthy Olivia puts him through
the money hoop and insists on the
best and most expensive entertain
ment and food.
Her attitude toward Sister Joan
fontaine Fontaine is the surname
Of their stepfather) has been subject
to criticism. At first Olivia regarded
Joan's acting ambitions with con-
descenEion. She gave her a weekly
allowance and forbade her to visit
the Warner studios (where Olivia
received her first contract five years
aSo). There Is q difference Of only
q year between the two sisters, but
Olivia bossed Joan-before Joan
married Brian Aherne. They quar-
relied frequently during Joan's early
picture days. But now that Joan is
forging ahead. Olivia has accepted
the idea Of q rival in her own family
and Is roofing for Joan's continued
success.
When Conrad Nagel became in
terested In Joan, Elder Sister Olivia
didn't like 1t bit. She tried to
upstage him, but found this rather
didicult in view of his fatherly atti-