Evening star., 1946-12-08
Your Letters
Also Influence
A Stars Status
By Harold Heffernon
HOLLYWOOD.

Au,VVV letUcTS aIl0 plCtulc Io90csec
month are fairly common in Holly.
wood studios. They're on the pam.
pered list. on the other hand, II thu
postman fails to ring often enough
at the fan mail window, 1t spell,
curtains for the struggling performer
Because fan mail is such telling
barometer, every major studio main
tains an imposing department and
stan of workers to sort and count
communications addressed to the
stars Of celIuiqid.
In most instances, that is just
about as far as the studio will &c
on the mail matter. They'll open
the big bags, sort the letters and
put them in box with the actors
name upon it-but after that, it's
invariably up to the recipient tc
take care Of the answers. And that
in the case OF a popular star is q
full-time job for q secretary and a
couple of speedy helpers. Some
stars, of course, have contract ar
rangements whereby the studio
guarantees to take care of the fan
mail situation, even to supplying
and mailing photographs.
Can BE Expensive.
II star suddenly leaps the pop
ularity ladder and finds himself
bombarded with requests for photo
graphs, it can prove severe finan-
cial blow. Those who have risen to
overnight success can attest to this.
Betty Hutton was one who almost
went broke sending out pictures,
until Paramount came to her rescue.
After the release Of her first film,
she Unexpectedly found herself q
leading star and 1t wasn't long be-
fore she was receiving several thou
sand requests week for photo
graphs. Determined to play the
career game to the hilt, Betty saw
to it that every request was filled.
Her expense in engaging secre-
tary, three helpers and in paying
the cost of pictures and mailing was
Ut one time exceeding her salary.
Rifing through a basket OF fan
mail is like studying cross section
of humanity-devotees, lonely souls,
hero worshippers, chiselers and plain
screwballs. Regardless of this, no
star ever sneers at those piled up
envelopes.
Dropping in at the busy Goth Gen.
tury-Fox fan mail bureau the other
day we were invited to read an as
sortment of the choicest epics. On
every side were girls, opening and
scanning the nissives, making rec
ords of coins and stamps received
for photographs and bustling about
on q hundred and one other little
chores detailed to this important
behind -the-scenes department.
Right here, where Cornell Wilde
topped all others last month with q
total Of "A, ,760 letters, some six mil
lion envelopes are ripped open and
their contents read during the course
of a year. In all studios, it is ex-
pected that 1916, the greatest movie
going year the industry has ever
known, will smash past records for
fan mail receipts.
Unadulterated Swoons.
So far as Wilde's mail is con-
cerned, we were informed by Madge
Inman, ruler Of this studios fan
mail roost, the bulk Of his letters
are plain, unaduiterated swoorls.
They come from fond and some
what foolishly frank young things
and are admittedly love missives.
"Funny, isn't it?" remarked Miss
Inman, who says she's read more
gush than any person in the world.
aYou'd think these people would
stop to figure out that Mr.. Wilde
has q mighty beautiful wife named
Patricia knight and that he could
be in love with her. But that does
nothing to temper their ardor. Many
of them take him apart for not re-
plying to the letters they write IN
such silly vein."
A considerable portion of all fan
mail still comes from the men In
service, especially those stationed
in lonely outposts. Many OF the
boys rely on the studios answer 10
nroyide the letter that would come
from a family group-if they had
one. Miss Inman has long nst
Of lonely hearts correspondents tor
this reason. The pinup they're ask
Ing for is the least Of their troubles,
She points out-they want the nu-
man touch of q letter.
In sharp contrast is the profess
sional fan, some Of whom transact
such an exhaustive business that
they use printed slips for their re-
quests, merely filing in the players
name in longhand. This form sell
dom gets much attention from the
studio or the. star because the
writer's are Immediately suspected
Of conducting a racket in photos.
Fans Are Critics, Too.
Fans in some cases aren't bashful
with criticism, even about an actors
personal affairs or habits. They
include caustic tips on conduct in
public places and invariably con-
clude with this explanation: Il feel
/ know you so very we'll that I can
offer this helpful suggestion
Interspersed with the honeyed
notes are the pleas OF chiselers and
down-and -outers seeking something
for free. If not cash, then clothes
or whatever the star may have to
send along. One out of every 10
letters received by q star contains q
request for some article or money
"touch"-the amount ranging any
where from dollar to SIC, 900, occa-
sionally even more.
Among the most common are
those for clothes, the writers all
agreeing that one dress or one pair
of shoes never would be missed by
the star. Tyrone Power never read
this one but in his mail the other
day was the sad tale Of Seattle
fan whose car had collapsed. With
out his car he couldn't get to work.
but he did have q solution. He
had read some place that Power
owned six automobiles. Why not
let him have one? And he would
be glad to come out, pick it up and
drive 1t home.
nn~arSiA.e ~ ,r,J,af the fan writes