The Wilmington morning star., 1947-04-13
They Want
Alice Back
In Movies
By RALPH DIGHTON

HOLLYWOOD, April IL 4s ~
A cal who can walk away and
leave you wishing she hadn't -
that's Alice Faye.
After all these years and two
babies. the lovely Alice is as love
Nv as ever. Still p~ossessor of the
best figure in Hollywood-broad.
s~bouldered, slim-hipped and full
bosomed - Alice lives on a hill
side at nearby Encino with none
tc appreciate her beauty but her
bandsman cutup husband, Phil
Harris.
Twentieth Century-Fox, to whom
Alice owes two movies, thinks she
ought to get back in pictures.
Twentieth is SO certain the public
would like to see Alice again it is
70 releasing "Alexander's Rag
time Band" But Alice can't quite
make up her mind.
The money no longer IS i'm
nortant. She made quite a chunk
in the movies, and kept it. Phil
is one of Jack Benny's headliners
lat about $50, 900 a year, and
Phil and Alice h their own
radio program.
The Faye = Harris snow, less
than a year old, enjoys a no.
operating around 20.4, compared
With Jack Benny's 20 and Edgar
Bergcn's 24.6. Some critics wond-
er. however, if the rating would
he so high if the Faye = Harris
show were not sandWiched in be-
tween Benny and Bergen-one OF
radios best Sunday spots.
Even SO. Alice is not satisfied
with the rating, but she isn't UNI
duly concerned. Her greatest in
terest these days is her family
flve-year-old Alice Jr. and thre-
tjve-year-old Alice Jr., and three
ing Phil can ex : man-about-town)
happy"
Phil, apparently, is happy. His
home life bears about as much
resemblance to his hard-drinking,
lame-brain radio roles as a quart
of milk does to a fifth of bourbon.
During h i S spare time, Harris
is a pretty fair amateur gardener.
Every tree and shrub on his once
barren eight acres a planted
bv the maestro himself.
The HAIRLESS currently are hav-
ing swimming pool trouble. Some
how or other, one of the drain
pipes clogged.
Now We gotta drill down
through three feet of concrete"
means Harris, land listen to
them guys chutta : chutta-chutting
with drills and swinging picks all
day long"
Phil will do anything for a
laugh. He's been that way ever
since he was a drummer in Nash
vile. Tenn, in the early '20's. 1t
was this love for a gag that first
put him out in front of a band
doing variety" numbers. over
tie years Phil has developed a
terrifically rapid delivery. He's
one OF the fastest men with a gag
In radio.
Alice says that's the one thing
she dislikes about their W show
st can't keep up with the guy"
she says. nobody could.
when we first started, he used
to bawl me out good for f'uoring
nv lines. Now Tn ho" -
get the hang Of it. But every Sun
day I wonder whether lfM Il.
10 get a pat or a push"
Alice. 80 and Phil. Al, have
been married six years. Each has
a divorce in the past. She once
was married to Tony Martin;
Phil to an Australian actress,
Marcia R a g r. Their friends
think this marriage has as good
a chance as the next one. Two
beautif u blonde children (Alice,
Jr. is as pretty as her rcother
and almost as good an a%ctress)
would seem to cinch the matter.
81 like a drink now and then
as much as anybody" says "a
ris. I'VE have our moneN
never in front of the kids. That's
the main thing. You got 20 b e
careful with kids
You also h a to be careful
Phil says, with the public. H i S
booze : hound characterization on
Benny's show is beginning to
backfire. He refuses to have his
picture taken W it'll anything re-
sembling liquor around.
cts just a gag" says h /,
sounding puzzled and hurt. 30 u t
them people are really getting
down on me-"