Evening star., 1945-10-21
Vivian Blaine
Is No Happy
IEXtrOVert
By Rosalind Shafer

HOLLYWOOD.
Vivian Blaine's private life is more
of contrast to her film roles than
that of any other girl who sings and
dances and provides recreation in
musicals for tired businessmen.
Like Betty Cradle, Alice Faye and
Betty Hutton. Vivian came UP the
hard way from the band and night
club circuit. Unlike them, she's no
happy eXJrovert.
She's young, %. and one of the
new luminaries. but she never has
been center of flattering romantic
tattle and she doesn't surround her.
self with expensive perfumes,
feather gewgaws and other such
| feminine luxuries. She goes out very
little and never appears at night
clubs.
Vivian's reaction to her struggle
for success appears different from
her fellow actresses, who also worked
in chorus lines, sang with bands on
one-night stands, worked in night
clubs and took the hard knocks
when they still were kids. They
seem to have been able to put it
all behind and enjoy life nightly,
but Vivian says, Il don't believe
people ever really forget those one
night stands. The memory goes with
me wherever I am. It's always the
backdrop to any decision and some
times, In low moment, l have a
sudden dread of having to go back
to it,"
Hair Colored for Films.
Her first real break, she considers,
was in Mob Hill" as the cafe enter
tainer who Wed with Joan Bennett
for the love of George Raft. She
moved into state Fair" singing
with Dick Haynes, and then into
doll Face" singing with Perry
Como. In Three Little Girls in
Blue" she'll be singing and acting
with John Payne and Cesar Ro-
nero.
Vivian's cherry red hair was de-
signed especially for color pictures.
Actually, she is natural blond,
pretty, pert and fragile looking, with
nicely cut features animated by her
blue eyes and natural good nature
and charm. She is feet 2. with
pretty legs and figure and her voice
is rich and friendly.
Early responsibilities have made
her more mature in her outlook than
most girls her age, but there is a
tinge of unfulflled childhood about
her. She loves roller coasters and
stuffs herself on hot dogs.
Actually, she's home body. She
gets little out of night clubs Per-
haps because she has worked in
them since she was a. Because of
her mothers illness she had little
time for outside activities after she
came to Hollywood in 1912, for STU
dio chores kept her busy by day and
nome cares occupied her evenings.
She Never Had Lesson.
Her only escort was her agent,
Nanny Frank, whom she married
in January, after her mothers
death. So little chance did she have
for a girls normal friendships that
when she wanted another girl to
attend her at her wedding, the STU
dio publicity force called in Linda
Darnell. Linda since has become
her close friend
Although her singing brought her
to films, Vivian, like so many others,
never had lesson, and she has no
ambition to become second jean
cite Macdonald Songs are written
for her voice by the best song
writers in the business and she
knows how to put them over.
Vivian, a mixture of Irish, Ger
man and English, was born, Vivian
Stapleton, November 81, 1921, in
Newark, NJ J. She started her Ca
reer when her father, a booking
agent, put her. in spot in a New
ark theater when vaudeville
singer failed to show up. Four
teen-year- Vivian made a hit.
She showed me a picture of her.
self at Is, plump, pretty blond in
ar elaborate dress II made every
stitch of that myself ,'sshe said visit
fully, recalling the young girl who
grew up before her time
Actually, she looks younger now
than in that youthful picture, for
she is 80 pounds lighter.