The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1943-07-26
- In
Hollywood
BY ERSKINE JOHNSON
NEA Staff CORRESPONDENT

1t took Lucille Ball 10 years to
travel five miles to stardom.
There's a smooth, concrete high
way all the way with oily an oc-
casional boulevard stop. But it's the
toughest five miles" Lucille says,
that I've ever travelled in my life"
With, she added, plenty detours
and barriers and tears
The story Of Lucille Balls l0-year
fight along those five niles - be-
tween the RKO studio in Hollywood
and the M-G-N studio in Culver
City-is the type Of success story
Hollywood doesn't like to talk about.
Lucille was looking back at those
10 years in her dressing room at
M-G-M, where she's receiving the
years greatest star buildup. In less
than six months she has beer STAR
red in three million-dollar pictures,
'DuBarry Was a Lady" BEST Foot
Forward" and Meet the People"
SHOWGIRL
Looking back, Lucille said, without
bitterness. Those 10 years were
good for me A wonderful appren-
ticeship. But sometimes I wonder
ed
Ten years ago Lucille Ball ar
rived in Hollywood as a chorus girl
via Butte, Montana. where she was
born, the John Murray Anderson
dramatic school and modelling in
New York City. If you have good
memory, you'll remember her film
debut as showgirl with Eddie Can
tor. in Roman Scandals" which
won her a short-lived stock contract
at Columbia studio. When Colum-
bias stock company was dissolved,
Lucille figured it was the end, but
Then came a minor role in
Roberta" a long-term contract at
RKO and Lucille began six of the
dizziest years of her life at a studio
where they turned out more eXecu-
tives than pictures.
With every role at RKO, Lucille's
performances drew more and more
praise from the critics. The pic
lures were terrible, but Lucille was
good. Studio executives were just
about ready to elevate her to star
dom, when the bankers in New York
fired every executive on the lot.
Lucille figured it was the end but
she was wrong.
1.-THE new regime called me in
and said, Miss Ball, you're going
places with us. Just give us
time to get organized. And we're
raising your salary just to prove
that we have faith !. you
Lucille was walking on air. This
was what she had been waiting for.
She gladly played more unimport-
ant roles in unimportant films but
the few weeks dragged into months.
Then, Just as studio executives said
they were ready to give her the kind
Of roles and films she deserved. the
New York bankers again let the ak
fall on RKO. All the studio eXecu-
tives were replaced.
THE new regime called me in"
Lucille said, "and gave me the same
routine-and a raise in salary"
Well, thought Lucille, this IS Hol-
lywood You have to expect such
things. After all, she had another
raise. Again she gladly played small
roles, and waited patiently for her
new bosses to get organized"
ANNUAL GUSHING
If the insane history Of the RKO
studio wasn't a matter of record
six different sets of executives in six
years-We might have trouble in be-
lieving Lucilles story. Not once
not tWice-but five times she was
on the threshold OF stardom when
her studio bosses were ousted. And
five times in six years Lucille was
called to the front office, assured
she was RKO's most valuable pro-
perty, given a raise and promised
stardom just as soon as eve get Or
ganized."
On her sixth visit to the RKO
frnot office, the new boss behind
the desk was Charles w. Koer-