The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-01-20

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Miss Lombard had been the lush
and curyesome heroine OF many a
torrid drama when, in 1886, she CO.
starred with her ex-husband, Will
liam Powell, in MY Man Godfrey.
This was the first OF the screwball
movies, which have emerged from
Hollywood in a never-ending flood
ever since.
The picture made a fortune for
its producers and 1t made Carole
one of the brightest stars in the
movies. Only trouble was, all the
fans figured she was the same kind
of girl she was in the picture. And
II that was what they wanted, fig
ured Miss L., she'd give it to 'em in
double measure. Her scheme
worked all around. She never did
have any respect for the pompous
gentlemen at the heads Of most
studios and in her new character
of wild-eyed wench she could get
by with things of which other &C
tresses dared not even dream. For
instance:
One studio chieftain functioned
at an ornate desk at the end of
room only two sizes smaller than
Grand Central terminal in New
York. He liked to glover at tremb-
ling actors as they progressed across
his polished floor and finally
reached his desk in a state Of near
collapse The first time Miss Lom-
bard entered his sanctum, there
he was, glowering.
Producer Is Reduced
'H-mmmm," she said, looking
slowly around the vast room and
finally at the producer, Hello, Mus
solini. Guess I'm in the wrong Of
fee"
She walked out. The master
mind had to rush out after her,
himself on the mental defensive.
She got what she wanted from
him. Producers were the gentle
men that she didn't much like.
"Way back In the early days Of
picture making" she once explained,
"they took all the money and gave
the actors nothing. Then came the
guild and bitter competition among
the studios and the performers
wages went up, like mine did, to
crazy levels.
Then the government came In
and took most of 1t in taxes and
that was all right by me. I'd rather
my money went to feed hungry
man any day, than into the bank
0f yNiot11rp kar yyhn |
didn't need it."
This conversation led later to the
memorable interview in which she
announced that she liked to pay rs
per cent of her salary in income
taxes. AS she put 1t:
"It is a pleasure to ride around
the country on Its fine roads, to
see It's magnificent schools and Its
fine post offices. 1t IS a pleasure
to know. that I helped pay for
them"
This was lese majestic in Holly |
wood, where the favorite sport, in
Bureau Of Internal Revenue. She
was falsifying her feelings, sneered
many another actor, just to get her
name in the papers. The rest Of
the country didn't think so. She
was inundated with congratulatory |
messages from plain citizens who
felt as she felt.
Today-thanks to Lombard-act-
ors don't grouse about their taxes.
Yet, soon after Miss Lombard told
this writer about her tax philoso-
ply, she was at the shop OF an OBJ
scure printer, dickering with him to
set up in type and make one copy
of the standard actor-agent con-
tract, with revisions Of her own de-
vising.
Caught Her Own Agent
When time came to sign new
deal with Myron Selznick, her
agent, she put her signature to her
own forms So did Selznick, with
out looking, and without question.
Next day she dropped him a note
suggesting maybe he should have
read the contract. Instead Of call
ing for her to pay him 10 per cent
of her earnings, the contract said