Evening star., 1946-01-13
He's a Distinctive Snowman
BY Harold Hefernan

Things are back to near-normaI
in Hollywood once again The
towns favorite son, Victor Mature
has checked in after brilliant war
record with the Coast Guard, and
has settled into his old groove of
picture making - and supplying
movie correspondents with breezy
items to fill their columns. If the
war struck one devastating blow to
Hollywood life 1t was the subtraction
of colorful Mature from the glamor
scene.
Full of animal spirits and free of
inhibitions, Victor is a gariSh figure
among the present crop of stars,
who have taken up the rearing of
children and the establishment of
family life with almost as much
ardor as they studied gin rummy a
few years back.
Strangely enough, too, Vic, him.
self, has taken to patting small
children on the head and speaking
wistfully of the simple life in a he
roic endeavor to prove to the world
at large and Miss June Haver, in
particular, that he is not too bizarre
a figure to be taken seriously as her
suitor.
But if the leopard cannot change
his spots, Victor Mature certainly
cannot cease to be Victor Mature
Regardless of the outcome of this
romance, he is a cinch to return tc
character. No doubt about it; hes
hit hard.
Il can't marry the girl" he said
i have too much respect for her.
A Careless Dresser.
This is typical Maturism, all
right, because among the many
things he does not take seriously is
hinseif-a most unusual attitude
among actors. At the time he was
known as 'the beautiful hunk OF
man." Vic frequently referred tc
himself as "hunk" and consistently
skipped the posturing which such
a f1attering title might well inspire
in the most modest male.
Vic's egregious carelessness ex-
tends all through his personality
When alone or with intimate friends
he is probably the worst dressed
actor in the business. He'll wear
socks that don't match or any odd
combination of clothes you can think
of-but he's enough of a Snowman
to be careful of his appearance in
public.
His dietary habits are Equally
weird. The fact is, he has none
A coke and hamburger will dc
for his breakfast and a bowl oi
mush for his dinner. He just doesn't
care.
When he was mustered out of the
Coast Guard a few months ago, Vic
couldn't find a place to live ano
since that time has been sleeping in
his dressing room on the Goth Gen.
tury-Fox lot. This is room about
Is feet square and when he goes to
bed, he rolls up in a blanket and
sleeps on a couch. Despite the fact
that he is one of the most highly
paid young men in America, he takes
this comparatively primitive living
in stride 1t doesn't occur to him
to feel abused.
Takes Things as They Come.
And as for money, Vic seems to
operate entirely on the theory that
it is printed to be spent. When he
entered the Coast Guard four years
ago, he had $4,000 cash, two houses
an expensive car and part interest
in yacht-no very large estate fol
man with his income. When he
came out of the service he had only
the piece of the yacht and he hac
this merely because it couldn't be
converted into cash. He had spent
everything else.
While many an actor is fussy
about the roles he plays in pictures
Vic takes assignments pretty much
as they come. When he was put il
Three Little Girls in Blue" mu.
sical. recently, he told studio official.
he would rather have played a dra.
matte role. but didn't argue the
point. He thinks he is better suitec
for heavier parts than for work il
musicals
When these same studio execu.
tives later came around to tn,
Mature viewpoint and took him ou
of the musical and assigned him Il
the melodrama, THE High Win
dow Vic merely Shrugged hi
shoulders and told intimates: See