Evening star., 1946-10-06

John Garfield is getting MS educa'
ton the easy way-in pictures. II
"Humoresque" Johnny plays a ia.
nous violinist and he had to leArr
how to play the violin. Il can &C.
tually now play Yankee Doodle
Dandy on the VIOLIN" Johnny tells
me at lunch in Lucey,s restaurant
In -Four Daughters" Garfield 1
first film in Hollywood, he had te
play the piano. And he learned
enough to play MY Country 'Tis OF
Thee" In q picture with Ann Sher-
idan, Johnny had to rumba and he
took lessons at Arthur Murray's
and now is q pretty good dancer
In Destination Tokyo" John had
to learn to work a machine gun
And had to learn to fish in Tor
tilla Flat" says Johnny, and he
adds, a trifle impishly, "and in all
my pictures I had to learn to make
love-" That he did not have to
learn. And he did not have to learn
to box for his new picture, Burning
Journey"
There's quite a story behind
Burning Journey" Every one in
Hollywood was under the impress
sion that this movie was to be q
movie on the life of prize fighter
and Marine hero, Barney Ross. In
fact, Garf1eld's new independent
company paid Ross $4,000 as an
option for his life story. Then came
the day few weeks ago when Ross
admitted prediction for narcotics.
And Johnny and his company had
to do some fast thinking. And they
came up with a new idea for Burn
ing Journey" It will still be the
story Of a prize fighter but it will not
be about Barney Ross. 1T would be
unfair to Ross" explains Garfield.
I'VE couldn't exploit him taking
DOPE"
A Good Horseman.
The new Burning Journey" is
about a boxer who is through as a
fighter at the age of 80, and the
decision he makes about his future
life. And as I said before, Johnny
doesn't have to learn to box-he
used to be q Golden Glover. There
are two important women parts
"One," says Johnny, 'is a hoochy-
koochy dancer, and the other is a
model who wants to be an artist but
discovers she can't paint" Garfield,
by the way, can paint and he also
collects American pfimitiVeS.
Nov that I'm In business on my
own so to speak," says Garfleld-he
recently finished his seven-year con-
tract at Warners-'I'd like to do a
Western and a comedy" It's hard
to imagine Garfield on a horse, but
In actual fact, he's good horseman
and rides a great deal when he has
time. And as for a Garfield comedy,
he tells me. II did a comedy for
Warmers, Saturdays Children, and
I don't think it was financial sue
cess, but I liked doing it."
But Johnny proved he is good at
comedy recently on the stage in
Hollywood when he put on Awake
and Sing" for five weeks at the
Actors Lab. He played Moe and
brought the house down. In the
original Clifford Odets play. Gar
field was the young boy, Ralph.
I'm interested In forming rep
ertory theater In Hollywood like the
Old Vic in London" says Johnny,
land then we could 60 to London
with 1t, like the Old Vic and Lau-
renee Olivier came to New York. I"
That would be interesting particu-
larly with the group enrolling some
Of our best character actors like
Morris Carnovsky and Edward J..
A Wonderful Time.
But the most interesting part of
the project as far as am concerned
Is that Garfield is behind it. I re-
member when he first came to
Hollywood, he was afraid Of what
the place might do to him as an
artist and an actor. Now I woud
say that Garfield has Hollywood by
the tail and can swing it whichever
way he wants to. Every one who has
seen him in "Humoresque" predicts
he will win the Academy Award for
his performance. And joan Craw-
ford, the most sought-after actress
In town, has put in a bid for another
picture with him. And Lana Turner,
with whom Garfield co-starred in
The Postman Always Rings Twice" I"
wants him for another movie. And
Metro wanted him to play Brahms
In "A Love Story" with Katharine
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