Detroit evening times., 1943-09-15

Couldn' say anything AT all.
Finally. l asked her where
she was born, and she said IRE
land, From then on IL was
easier. I forgot 10 write down
! some Of her answers, hut MIR.
Pickering did. ~ some Of the
quotations are from his notes.
i VA leeFN oi asking her If
that was her real name. but I
did. II j.. Greer II "A family
name. She was brought up nv
her guardian, an uncle. He WAS
killed on ship picking up
wounded men. She has "A cousin
whose name il Greer. 1t. Greer
{ anpteH Murray, who WIS on
the last ship Ia leave Dicppe
Another cousin, David, "a.
just got his commission and iS
In Sicily or possibly In Italy by
this time.
She said she got "a thuii from
selling bonds and ] believe she
Was telling tho truth about how
shc felt Any intelligent person
c8n SOC why she wants 10 get
'mg thing over with but when
>ho was on q bond tour In West
Virginia she wondered how she
could tell those people that
There was e. War gong ON.
Everything wa, >o peaceful
there
Along the road YOU would
see a hawk, flying alone" she
SAID "or a herd Of pigs being
driven along There was nothing
10 show that there was a war.
I kept asking myself, How can
YOU tell these peopleS How can
YOU make them realize that
there j. war?
AT night, In this small town,
they had q parade. Everybody
turned out for II. There were
miners with their picks and
ShoNels, and mothers leading
children by the hand, and wear
ing their aprons.
"On their shoulders they were
wearing stars, two, three. four
stars. And I knew ! didn't have
. 10 tell THEM that there was
war. Then. found that the
town was way over its quota.
What was there for me 90 ~ay
except just Thank Sou-lnd
please keep IL up"
II must have been longer
speech than that. as she re-
Ceivcd a telegram in the next
town saying that a Negro bell
boy who had heard her speak
had drawn M, liic savings out
Of the bank and bought bonds
wanted tO ask Miss Carson
how IT felt To- be famous. hut
Mr.. Pickering said he didn't
think IL was good question
il would h. hard 60 put into
words-hut | asked her any
way.
She thought minute and
then said:
This il my honest answer.
Ny nose il ~ close 10 that
fascinating grind>tone of Holly
wood, I'm 80 busy Just working
and learning, that | don't real
iLe that this thing YOU call fame
has been attached TO me.
But, out on this tour. YOU
hear people cry. Hello, Greer"
or we like YOU. Miss Carson
and YOU realize that "A great
many people know YOU and like
You. They know how YOU
wrinkle your nose. how YOU
laugh and how YOU Cry-and
that's very thrilling"
I also asked her how she felt
when She saw her name IN
lights. She replied that. in Lon
don, when She was on The stage,
she always went INTO the the
alter by the back way because
she was really afraid when she
saw her name in lights.
She also told me that Louis
3 Mayer told her that fame
always does one of two things.
II goes TO your head or il goes
10 your heart %
She was especially proud Of
one thing, ring, which she
showed me just before we LETT.
She called me "Gil" while WE
were talking, and she took off
the big ring and handed II To
me.
1T was given TO me just ~
wa finishing Mime. Curic.' Gil.
n was given 10 me bN The err
pcntcrS, electricians ami tine
other people ON the set. and I'm
very proud Of it."