Evening star., 1947-12-14
Own Image
Frightened
Mr.. Morgan
By SheiIoh Grohom
HOIJ,ywOr

I1OLh I WOOD.
I finally broke down and inter-
viewed Henry Morgan.
His press agents in Hollywood
tried for weeks to get us together,
but I said, "No-he's a radio star
and this is movie. column" They
finally convinced me that Morgan
will have a future in pictures when
the public sees him in $50 This Is
New York." Morgan's first movie,
based on the famous Ring Lardner
story, big Town"
Il look very unfortunate on the
screen" Morgan says right of the
bat, ignoring the anguished look on
his press agents face. "I ran
screaming out of the projection
room in the middle Of the first days
rushes," he continues. For years
I'd read about the great art of
Hollywood makeup men. So. after
sitting one whole hour In the make
up chair, let them work on me.
Then I see myself on the screen and
it's frightening-it looks just like
mel"
After that first look at himself,
Henry has refrained from seeing
himself as others will see him when
they see the movie. THE leading
character" he tells me, "is pretty
much like me-he knows what peo-
pie are doing wrong, but there's
nothing he can do about 1t; so he
makes jokes"
Likes Hollywood.
OF course, I had to ask Morgan
whether he liked Hollywood and, If
he didn't, why not. I waited for
the killing quips against the place.
He doesn't hate it, but he can't wait
to get back to New York. There's
too much apathy in Hollywood to
make it the ideal place to live" he
explains. Besides my home is in
New York"
Also, Morgan has a bet with his.
press agent that he won't be asked
to make another movie, although
he's supposed to be starring In an
other one, so This Is Hollywood
to be made in New York, Of course.
But, by and large, Henry likes
Hollywood and enjoys making pic
tures-"although I had to lose Is
pounds before they allowed me in
front Of camera. It was mutually
agreed that was too fat" Henry,
however, is a boy who likes to eat
and, with most Of the movie fin
ished, he gained back most of his
lost poundage.
I liked Mr.. Morgan-he's much
more modest than I had been led
to believe by his radio publicity.
For instance, he says, II find Holly
wood frightening. Every one here
seems to know exactly what he is
doing-I'm the only one who
Doesn't"
What's Lens?
One Of Morgan's first scenes in
so This Is New York" was in a
long shot In group. The camera
moved into a closeup, and he was
instructed to look straight into the
lens. So first he stared into a baby
spot. Then he looked at the finder"
attached to the camera and so on
everywhere except the lens. Finally
Morgan confessed, II don't know
which is the lens"
After seven or eight gruesome ex-
periences with rental agencies, Mr..
and Mrs. Morgan finally got an
apartment for 1920 month";
underneath piano player who
practices from 10 am. to midnight"
Morgan, like Dorothy Parker and
the late Robert Benchley, squirms
when he is interviewed because he.
thinks interviewers expect him to be
funny.
The first comedian Morgan worked
with in his picture was Bill Good
win, playing Broadway ham actor.
1t was Morgan's first experience
with the techniques of scene steal
ing, and he still had Rudy Vallee,
Hugh Herbert, jerome Cowan and
Leo Gorcey to come. when Hugh
Herbert shows up," Morgan says, II
might just as well stay home"
(Released by North American Newspaper
Alliance, Inc)