Evening star., 1941-06-29

Jack married Ave years ago, had
something to do with the settling
down. How much, even Jacks
friends don't know But settled
down he has, definitely and for
good, to the life of a country squire
albeit a portly and not too active
master of the acres.
An Accidental Interest.
Jacks hobby used to be parties.
If some one else wasn't giving one
he would. Picture him now as set
tied down-with a hobby. Dogs.
The interest Is accidental Venita
saw an Afghan hound in Arizona
and liked it so well she bought it
and its mate. No one in Hollywood
ever had an Afghan. An Afghan
is regal even if it does resemble an
animated rug. II was somewhat
against Jacks wishes to buy even
one dog, but he INDUCED Venita
this whim. He thought 1t whim.
But Venita hasn't tired of the
AfghanS and, strange to relate, Jack,
too, is wrapped up in their lives.
He, who had been too busy and too
thrifty to have a pet, now lavishes
affection and kennels and special
diets on the AfghanS. Thirty or
40 dogs, 25 of them the special
breed, inhabit the Oakie ranch.
Venita spends her days with the
dogs and has a helper. An Afghan
puppy sells for as much as $500, but
Jack says there isn't any profit in
the business the way the Oakies
do it.
The Oakies take in many of the
dog shows and both have become
judges. Jack says Venita is so
wrapped up in the dogs that she
doesn't have time any more to 60
to race tracks and cocktail bars.
"And me, can't afford it," joked
Jack.
Back From the Grave.
Oakie's beaming face, which
always reminds me of a technicolor
sunset, gets rounder and brighter
at the mere mention of his role of
Napolini in the Chaplin picture. He
bubbles over telling how he got it,
like this:
Now I'm glad you brought that
up, pal. That brought me back
from the grave. that role. I hadn't
worked in nearly two years I don't |
know whv, but nobody wanted Oakie.
! guess maybe they were tired of
my elemental comedy.
One day the phone rang and a
guy says it's Chaplin. He wants
me to come over for test. I think
it's rib. Why would Chaplin call
me? Nobody's been calling me up
and besides, guys like Chaplin don't |
call up actors-they get secretaries
to do it,
so check around and find out,
sure enough, it is Chaplin. When
] get over to his studio, breathless
and jittery, he says. I want you
to play this part. You look like
Mussolini.' Well, pal, it was just like
the king patting you on the back.
I needed that pat, too. 1t gave me
confidence. ! hadn't been working
three days when every studio in
town wanted me. Amt that the
way 1t is--feast or famine"
Just Fiendish Delight.
To repeat Jacks eulogy of Chap
lin would test the readers credulity.
He says Charlie is the greatest and
the most and the best of everything
In Hollywood. Well, Oakie didn't |
earn anything one year; the next,
thanks to Chaplin, his income will
top 100000.
Even Chaplin was not able to |
escape Oakie's peculiar talent for
making himself more prominent in
a scene than the other actor. 1
wouldn't 60 so far as to say that |
Jack has a cruel streak in him
which expresses itself when he is
competing with other actors, as
some here have said. I think he
takes fiendish delight in belittling
other actors,
In the profession, Jack is mug
ger. He admits he is a mugger,
that he has been mugging since
1925, when he came here from
vaudeville and a New York chorus.
The only difference now is that he
mugs with fnesse.
Jackll steal scene from any
body. He did 1t to Chaplin, by
raising his right arm in a salute
that wiped Charlie or the screen.
Another Oakie trick is to turn
his back on the camera. He doesn't
know why, but no matter how i'm
portant the other players speech,
the Oakie back will draw the at
tention.