Evening star., 1943-04-25
Life Has Always Been Lark, No Less
At Least It Has for That Mad but Artistic Pair,
Cornelia Otis Skinner and Chum Emily Kimbrough
By Kate Holiday.
HOLLYWOOD.


moments but they can't remember
them. They describe themselves as
lunatics. They mutter with much
headshaking that maturity should
have brought them dignity, but evi-
IDENTIFY didn't.
Any one meeting them can see
instantly that Our Hearts Were
Young and Gay" was true in every
particular. The story in that book
could have happened only to Kim
brough and Skinner. 1t did.
They Met at Bryn Mawr.
They met while attending Bryn
MaWr and realized they were kim
dred spirits. Emily was sophomore
at the time; Cornelia a freshman.
During the previous summer, Cor
nelia had played in summer stock.
One show featured an elegant coun-
try club scene, in which the "eXtras"
were supposed to pantomime and ad
lib the polite teatime conversation
of a group of socialites. To Cor
nelia's inexpressible joy, one actors
idea of this was to bow to her and
declare:
About this time of the afternoon,
always prefer nut sundae."
The line never varied. 1t contrib
uted to the background buzz on the
set, of course, and invariably broke
up young Skinner.
At college the following fall, Cor
nelia went to see Hamlet" There,
as Rosencrantz, was her erstwhile
colleague. Sitting beside her in the
theater was girl named Kim
brough, laughing Historically. Even
as RoSencrantZ, the man was un-
believably bad.
Would you like to know what
he's saying?" Cornelia whispered.
She didn't have to guess.
1t Was Hilarious.
The idea of Rosencrantz spouting
about a nut sundae amid the hair
tearing of Hamlet" began the KIM
brough- Skinner alliance. They have
been hilarious ever since.
Our idea of humor is usually the
practical joke" Cornelia says.
Maybe it's really funny to other
people; maybe it's not. It's funny
to us. And I'm nearly always the
goat. Why? Because have a placid,
saint-like disposition. Coughs from
Kimbrough) Emily has a nice one,
but there's the flavor of the fiend in
it."
Before we go any further. word
about the other sides OF the pair.
Cornelia is a great monologist, a
really fine actress. She is married to
Alden Blodgett of the War Produc-
ton Board and has 12-year-old
son, Otis Skinner Blodgett. Emily
has been an editor of Ladies Home
journal and free-lance writer OF
prominence. She is divorced and has
13-year- -old twin daughters, Mar
garet and Alice.
When they play the roles of career
women and mothers. they are sane.
civilized, poised. Otherwise, they're
screWballs.
On their way to Hollywood, lately,
they met in Chicago. Emily arrived
with an enormous box which she
presented to Cornelia in the middle
of the station. In it was a 4-toot,
white satin heart, edged with lace,
covered with forget-me-nots and
fake roses, across which was en-
blazoned in 6-inch gold letters: TO
My Valentine" Emily had seen 1t
in a florists window in Philadel-
phia and had thought Cornelia
needed it to make her life complete.
She lugged it all the way to Chicago.
From then on, it was Cornellas
problem.
Straight From Ash Heap.
BY the same token, Cornella once
sent Emily a large framed picture
of a graduating class-collect, KIM
brough spent the day with magnl-
fying glass trping to find either Cor
nelia or some one else she knew in
the throng. At last, she gave up
and called the Skinner home.
Who is the picture of?' she
demanded.
oh" Cornelia replied, airly, Il
don't know. I never heard OF any
of them!"
She had found it on trash heap
behind her house.
They go to endless lengths to work
gags on each other. And OCCASION
ally they backfre. Emily has still
not forgiven Cornelia for faffalr
Cornelius Vanderbilt. And Cornelia
still insists she had nothing to do
with it.
Cornelia has a penchant for call
ing up people and pretending to be
some one else. Because she is an eX-
cellent actress, she usually gets away
with it.
One day, Emily came home in
Philadelphia to find that Cornelia
was going through town, had called
and would call again. A few minutes
later the phone rang and a husky
voice said:
This is Cornelius Vanderbilt"
"All right, you old fool" Emily be-
gan. Il know it's you. And you can
stay all night. Your bed is waiting"
There was slight lull on the
other end of the wire. This is Cor
nelius Vanderbilt the voice re-
peated.
MIR. V. Was Persistent.
eyes, know" Emily said YEARLY,
Htlu Id uIlClltQ llllU dll ullSOliiplllliCiA-
tary discussion of Mr.. Vanderbilt.
The voice tried a third time. Miss
Kimbrough, we have mutual
friends" it said, patiently. They
have told me so much about your
twins, and my wife and l thought we
might drive out for tea this after
noon"
Emily, for once. was Mortified. She
hurriedly made an excuse to avoid
facing the perplexed Mr.. Wander
bilt.
A few minutes later Cornelia
really did call. To this day she says
she didn't deserve the dressing down
Emily gave her.