1954-12-11 — Page 6

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ཀ

Numebar: Fiòe in THE GERTRUDE LAWRENCE STORY. by Nancy Spain

GERTIE FALLS

• THE STORY '30 FAR'I Gertrude Lawsones, bar'name, ablato do Haw York and London alternately, unsorted by the selebrities of the "thosire and social werkte, wont bankripts 1the awad £24,000. Once more No Geward azma to the risene. Hike new show, Tusight at 430, out her back on the right flanela) read. From then yn it was triumph affer Esbomph.

IN LOVE AGAIN

Press Conference

Gertle and Noll Coward at a Press conference in New York, Throughout her career, Gertle sought Coward's advice on day show, in which the was offered.

part

Α

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N spite of huge. New York success Gertie Lawrence in 1988 and

1989 was still frightened

WOMATI.

and Jonely

War scares and panles closed other shows, but Gertle con- tinued to play to record houses. Monotonously she won the crlles' award, the Comoedia award, the award for the best plny

of the year for Susan and Godt," for "Skylark," for that astonishing mustead, "Lady in the

Dark" But

behind all this gitter she knew perfectly well that she belonged to nobody In tho world. Except, possibly, to Pamela,

her daughter.

As the Munich Crisis burst Gertle

wired to Pam ip Switzerland

to

join her at once. As the

Munich

Crisis died down she wired to Pam to join her just the same. "Come to Bermuda on holi-

"Go 10

Great Arsh" "Fly "Wait

for

the

the

Queen Mary." Let Pam please her- self, but only let her come quickly, quickly. The bill for cables at this time most of which contradicted one another--was

€ 1,000.

with the

mán “who was

rather rude

to her

Richard Aldrich and Gertrude Lawrence.

Aldrich was

six feet four, sondy-haired, relaxed. He was the absoluta opposite of Gertid's noturn. She determined to marry him.

L

the religious play. Cortic therefore

became dramatically religious.

Pam, I think, is about

person in the world who look Gertie seriously. The effort

One

Her letter to Pam was not the bewildering. Omcially

only manifestation. She rushed "Anished" by Brillamont in Switzerland, Pam was not 20..... into the pulpit of the Broadway Temple to preach. "Religion has extremely pretty, with all her mother's features and

en come to the theatre, large

she cried. brown

Naturally eyes.

Commented the New Yorker she found a number of heart-throbs, slyly: "That's what we mean by

divine rervice, fallers."

And her lovable mamma, who

had so often played ping-pong with other people's hearts, sud- denly "came the heavy purent"

on

descended from every high- ranking family in the American' social register.

Ho never played outdoor sports, nover smoked a pipe, never hummed a tune under his breath. He was tall--6ft. in- sandy-haired, relaxed. He had been intended to enter the family banking, business, had upset his mother when he decided to go into the theatre.

When Gertie met him he was the managing director of the Cape Cod Playhouse, determined not to be stampeded by temperamental actresses. So he was rather rude to her,

They argued

A

Dry

LDRICH had been married already. He was the kind of man who floated unused stamps off envelopes. used penclis right down to the last quarter inch; be was the absolute opposite of Gertie's generous, luxury-loving, extravagant nature. He was complementary to her. She determined to marry him.

THE TENOR WHO SANG FOR 10d.

• His name was Enrico Caruso. He was starting a career that was later to bring him £3,000 for a single performance.

T

name

For once she moved carefully. No newspaper columnist must know she thought she was In love again. Their courtship was long, punctuated with quarrels. They argued about Gertie's dog Mackle. They argued about her By Thomas Wiseman extravagance, his lack of it. They argued finally about Gerlie's determination to drop | NO most people the that of his valet, Martino, The all her contracts overboard and

valet accompanied him overy- Caruso brings rush to England to join

where, slept outside the door of to mind a tinny voice His master's bedroom. He even WRNS.

"How I had to work to get on an old, scratched and took his valet with him when him," Gertie used to say. Once treasured

he died privately with the gramophone re- Kaiser, Wilhelm I one of her friends told her not cord, or that impersonation 10 worry. "It's his nature." they said. "He was born on by Mr Mario Lanza in the Plymouth Rock." He is Plymouth Rock," snapped

"Born there? film which made so much

money.

The real Caruso,

Gertle.

the

of And she combined her court-

course, เฟ ship with a flirtatious display of not born under business witchcraft.

American a gramophone playwright Moss Hart planned a necdic, He was play about psycho-analysis. It the 18th child of Then "Susan and God" closed.

turned into a musical, the day In To keep her position

a poor Neapolitan the he saw Gertie perform at

a family. His mother theatre Gertie had to do even War Relief Show. Gertle was better.

gave birth to 21 John Golden found her, delighted. But her fortune-teller children. Only play called "Skylark." It dealt had said, "Do nothing until Caruso, ONO

advertising world

Apell 17" Overnight Gertio became inter- ested in advertising. She spoke at ogency luncheons, delivered herself of a slogan, for linned milk: "What we want we talce from udders.”

her. (She was, rehearsing "Susan and God, B play. about a mother with a problem with the daughter.)

Furious

PAM, who by now

brother and one sister survived

and

It is the contra-

dictions that make

the

the man; it is the

unexpected and

unflattering details

April 17 was the day Noel Coward arrived in New York.

the play He must read approve. He did so.

Other people must read play. They did. They all loved

And eventuaily "Skylark" it. had joined her and God"

topped the success of "Susan and Gertle was ** holiday in

acknowledged the Number One Bermuda, had got engaged to a charm Draw on Broadway.

ing young Lieutenant Holmos.

too.

Ferley

man,

In London

we were

WC

heard of Gertie's triumphs. In London Perley we joined them, Everybody hysterical, unpredictable,

jealous, New York, had worked overtime to convinco accepled her. Audiences jammed Gertle that Perley was the one the theatre, her dressing-room man in the world for Pam.

was stuffed with reses. "Every Gertie gave her blessing, tears night," said Gartie, "1 go down in her eyes. (She enjoyed doing on my knees and thank heaven." this.) Then Pam disengaged Then two things happened. herself from Forley and sald she England declared war on Ger- would marry someone else after many, Gertie played a summer all, a medical student called season in Cape Cod, Massa- Bill Cohan.

chusetts.

Marriage

When he resumed his singing engagements he had not got over his sorrow. www

He began to suffer from headaches, which developed into brain fever.” At ho · had

Caruto's curlesturs

of himself?

times

three

doctors in

attendance.

consumption

His 01

nedatives was un- believable.

According

manager

to Letner,

Caruso was much run

-1 aftor

by

women, He adds,

never under- stood why... H personality .was neriainly not such As to arouse in- terest. I nipped

obviously

about Caruso's life, revealed in. In the bud some the lastest blography by T. R. teoth love affairs. In procOSS Ybarra (Cresset Press),

A

in Д

Was

which of development."

make the legend come to life. Eventually he married the the peak of his career daughter of an old New York

KIRJ

bull family. She has gehe Town on in Mexico-and ring

paid record as saying: “E did not CONTRACTS were £8,000 for one performance like opera.... It neemed to

drawn up, Gertle But he began his professional noisy and unnatural." lost them. Duplicate life as hired sorcnader for contracts were drawn 10d. a serenade.

Gerle forgot

Bear-

up...

Finally, demented Moss Hart cabled Gertie that the whole lay was off and he would hire nother leading lady.

4.

Gertie's reply on July American Independence Day and her birthday, wast

She was no beauty. Because of her marriage to Caruso she

sign them. The Tear of Russle (Nicholas was disinherited by her father,

1) presented him with^ gold, ▸ Caruso, the character, gave

King Edward VII' birth to a fund of stories. Cufflinks, gave him a diamond ruby. But In Now York he had an order a New York, police court ne at a certala restaurant to re- was accured of plaching a woman in the Monkey House at Central dining room and enough Italian SÜTVE every night aprivata Fark. And was fined 10 dollars food for half a dozen guests..

Caruso had a phenomenal volce, but that did

•Sometimes he turned up. Some not render him immune to the normal the bill just the same..

times he didn't. But he paid, LOVE FROM MRS RICHARD human weaknesses: Ho was as STODDART ALDRICH bad at being lted as any Out shopping with a woman THEATRICALLY KNOWN AS bathroom warbler. When Ada who was fond of perfumo, be GERTRUDE LAWRENCE !

Glachetti, his mistress for 11 startled a salesgirl by saying: UNSIGNED.

years, left him for her "Please, miss, that perfume over chauffeur, The

there one gallon, plesse." with with grief and became Ly ill

"I can't sing any more," he sobbed. But he did sing. And

Gertie was furious. She wrote Instantly the rumour started Pam a "Victorian" letter," re-. Gerife, was trying to avoid, the marking “In a great many casce, war by remaining in America. a child of your ago starta What nonsense this was. Gertle to become the protector of the was fighting liko 鼈 hooked parent."

(I shouldn't be a bit salmon to break free of her surprised If this wasn't? a theatrical contracts. Her heart straight quote from "Susah and 'was not in New York at all-it

I can't blome Moss Hart. He God."

Why was in those shabby streets cabled to Richard Aldrich:

around Clapham, Such fino sentiments rounded

ARE YOU SURE GERTIE extremely odd, coming from the She went to Cape Cod in a SAID YES? woman who had "very nearly, state of violent conflict She married" Philip Astley, Bort wanted to go back to England

More than ever, sho Taylor, Douglas Fairbanks, the at once. Earl of Dudley and (most wanted someone: a rock upon recently) the Hon. Ivor Guest. whom she might lean

Sho found a man called Gerlie meint no harm. "Susan Richard Aldrich. Four yCRIS and God" was a dramatically younger than Coitle, he wou

MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN

THE FIGHTER PLANESSA DIVING AT US--THEY'RE GOING TOSHOOT, US DOWN/«

MANDRAKE THE PLANES ARE DIVING NOW. IF I STOP THEM, DO YOU PROMICE TO BRING KARDA BACKEN

(World: Copyright, Reservod)

NEXT WEEK: Our Last Triumph

Then Tragedy

AND DO

| PROMISE TO STELLENARDATI

was overcome

agcang physical

News boys would rush over to him brandishing their papers aid shouting, "Buy your picture, Mr Caruso. Right here on this

g

many years later he said: “I page." suffer so much in this life

Caruso would buy the paper That is why they cry. Once I for one dollar. He could afford

annual Income was around 100,000. When his big earn- ings began there was no Ameri- can income tax

had a great voice, and from it. In his golden years his

it came a new

There is no doubt that Caruso suffered. After Ada, left him, he shunned all company except

By Lee Falk and Phil Davis

KY-YES. STOP THEM

1 BELIEVE YOUARE A MAN.OR

BARTUN SPEAKING; PROTSA DO NOT FIRE, ON