The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-09-21
By ROBERT RUARK Democrat Washington Correspond

! picture lady, 6 @ very beautiful creature, Nalld apart from the rec hair and the eyes and other things she is a normally healthy, if not ex- actly strapping female. She is healthy to a point where 1t takes 6 fairly narrowing experience to flor her into a hospital bed for a week which is where she ended after she completed one of those bond-selline tours.
 Miss Carson, whose new film Mrs Miniver" currently Is responsible fol an immense number of sodden hand kerchiefs,, went out on slightly dif- ferent tack from the average rnoom- pitcher war bond salesman. She was shooting for the big five thou. sand and ten thousand-dollar bond buyers who, you gather, are really the eaiest to separate from their dough- Miss Greer went after the little fellows, seeking for quantity on the 10c store plan.
 T went out" she said, Ito put salt on the tail of the 25-dollar bond buyer, the person whose money is eventually going to win the war. The dollar buyer is the man the treas ury is. the most interested in"
 This tail-salting tour led the lady into the tough country mining towns in Virginia and West Virginia in the coal mining and apple grow ing sectors. An Englishwomarl, Greer got her first real look at typical Americana, and the folks who do not live in Hollywood and Washington and New York got their first look at Miss Carson. CARSON ON THE GO
 In 10 days the Carson caravan touched more than 20 towns, always hitting as many as two a day. She rarely travelled less than 250 miles between stops, and she never made less than two appearances in each town. Her all-time high was eight separate functions, touching every thing from radio broadcasts to talks in public squares and cozy little 200-woman meal with the local housewives. And the folks who heard her are buyings bonds to beat the band.
 So strenuous was the routine that the Carson maid got a pitchers el- bow from shucking perspiration- soaked clothes from Miss Gs shapely chassis, and tossing fresh garments on that chassis. Greer started out with fancy evening dress wardrobe and ended up by working hatless in the toughest rag she owned.
 When the tour began, Miss Gar son was speaking from 8 short 10- minute script, prepared by one of the Hollywood press boys. As she hit her stride, she threw away the script and talked on an ad lib basis. Toward the end, La Carson was giving out with something like 25 minutes of impassioned plea per spiel, and laying the ladies in the aisles. Like the excellent actress she is, she delved into the vital statistics of each town before she appeared in it, and she used every opportunity for ad libbing
 And what business the lady did! Papers all over her territory are still writing headlines about the Carson inspired bond buying fever. She showed so much real sincerity in her stuff that one soldier, hitch- hiking 800 miles home because he was al- most broke, took his last 25 dollars and invested it in one $16.75 bond and some roses for Greer. That kind of thing is what you call read audi ence response.
 The lovely smooth Carson voice declined into sort of gutteral croak like Marlene Dietrich with bad cigaret cough. But the lady kept talking. At the end, when her voice, legs and nerves all collapsed, her studio representative pushed her on- to hospital cot and then went to bed himself, in nearby hotel.
 ALL DOUBTS DISTILLED
 If you have been skeptical of the worth of this movie star promotion of war bonds, a short confab with a gal like Carson pretty well dis pels your doubts. She has been working on her own time, of the studio payroll, time that had been designated for the first vacation she was to have had in years. She has probably ruined the most important implement of her trade-her voice and whipped her nerves to a frazzle.
 And the only thing she wanted to do was to get back on the Sawdust trail and peddle some more bonds. She had made up her mind to ask for release from her new movie contract, to devote all her time to bond campaigning, when treasury official tactfully pointed out that her value as stimulant to bond buying was high only so long as she continued to make movies So she is working on an arrangement where by she can make pictures half the year and work the bond business during the other six months.
 It is 8 hard thing to explain. but one movie star actor or actress can arouse more patriotic feeling in the mass mind than nine generals. The crowds that have been turning out for great Hollywood emissaries have been tremendous, and the response terrific. Millions and millions 0f dollars worth of bonds will be bought during this war as direct result of the actors harangues.
 A gal like Carson, or guy like Gable-who is in the Army as of- ficer candidate-is more valuable to the industry out of uniform than in it. We must have money to beat the war and the actors are bring ing in the sheaves.