Evening star., 1944-03-08
MRS. Hawks Proves
That Movie Wives
Can Pick Talent
BY HAROLD HEFFERNAN.
HOLLYWOOD.

spotted Lauren Bacalls high
checked face and tall, 1.-THE figure
in a fashion magazine ad, he wrote
to the publication asking her iden-
tity and whereabouts. Miss Bacall,
told about it, didn't wait to reply.
She boarded the first available train
for Los Angeles and answered
Hawks inquiry in person.
There is no sad sequel to this
story. Miss Bacal was Immediately
signed and put to work as Hum
phrey Bogart's leading woman in
ITO Have and To Have Not" which
just got under way. She must be
a high-powered prospect, even with
out previous acting experience, for
Warner Bros. shunted their much
priced Dolores Moran into the Sec
ond feminine lead of the picture
If Miss Bacall makes good, it will
be Mrs. Hawks and not the pro-
ducer entitled to take the bows.
Reading the magazine, she was i'm
pressed by the photograph and
tossed it over to her husband with
the word, why don't you get a
really good-looking girl like this in
one Of your pictures?"
Often it never comes out, but
wives in many instances have a lot
to do with the success of their Hol-
lywood husbands. We know a
famed producer-director who has
been written up and pointed out
repeatedly as one OF the screens
greatest discoverers OF new talent.
Actually. his wife has picked all his
prospects, several of whom are now
great stars. He takes the bows at
the studio; the wife at her bridge
sessions.
William Allen Whites death has
revived plans for filming his biog-
raphy at MGM. Several years ago
when that studio approached the
Emporia editor with its plans, he
said. mot while / am alive"
Spencer Tracy, who seldom goes
to pictures, went to see "Jack Lon
don" the other night-but because
friends had been telling him how
much Michael O'Shea, who stars as
London, looks like him. Retire
ments have badly riddled the War
ner Bros. list of feminine stars to
such an extent that the studio Is
now forced to borrow much of its
glamour talent. Rosalind Russell has
just been signed to term contract,
which willhelp, but so far the studio
has got no work out OF Joan Craw-
ford, who went over from MGM sew
eral months back.
X
Most Of the star movie talent
which will entertain military forces
during the current year will do 1t
overseas, according to present plans
Of the Victory Committee. About 80
per cent will be sent across the AT
lantic and Pacific, the remaining
20 per cent to domestic camps.
However, regular vaudeville and
acts, not routed by the
movie industry, will continue to
tour American camps, reports show.
X X X n
Most expensive illness Of the year
at 20th Century-FoX was that Of an
actor whose name doesn't yet mean
box -of1ice dollars on a theater mar
quee.
TN the Meantime, Darling" was
closed doWn six weeks because of
the absence of Stanley Prayer,
young comedian who has a featured
role. The miracle drug, penicillin,
was resorted to In his case.
Prayer more or less had to get well
and come back to the set when he
did because Frank baltimore, the
Leading man, has turned 18 and
Uncle Sam has issued him an invi-
tation he wouldn't dream Of de-
clining.
Young man named Jimmie Dodd
slipped over a neat deal, accidentally
Or on purpose, with Warner Bros.
Dodd is a redhead with loads of per-
and a great soldier type.
Reporting for work as an extra
In JAMIE" he was quickly singled
out by Director Mike Curtiz to do
some dialogue and scenes with Joyce
in the picture. When Mr.
Dodd had established himself in