The lady likes the simple life
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1960.
LIMELIGHT by Gerard Garrett *
Mr. Chandler finds
... WITH CHEETAHS, ONLY the passage of
LEOPARDS AND BEARS
by RAMSDEN GREIG
TO COCKTAIL BAR
Ku
ARMAND and MICHAELA DENIS: Among the souvenirs. shrunken heads
FOR the
the record," said the blonde with the
silver-enamelled finger-nails, "it was a lion that bit my thigh, not a gorilla. The gorilla bit my chest. It was a leopard that bit my back, and a baboon that chewed up my knuckles. But one must never get cross with the darlings. You see, they only bite you because they're frightened of you."
The multi-starred blonke husband and asked: "Darling, arcoll "They're rather like whatever happened to our 1tle children, you know." shrunken heads?"
By careful racking through the asphat Jungk 1 had run down Michaela Denis lo a plush-lined inir in Piccadily.
Cornered, she called for her mate, Armand, and we went out for cocktails.
Michaela Denis said: "Thank goodness that it is only occa- sionally we have to put up with this civilised life of well-spring mattresses, central heating and Toom service.
Cuddly ones!
"We think this kind of civili- sation 13 retrogressive. But we've got to come to London from time to time to sign con-
Mr Denis could not supply the answer. I concluded that, like all people who move house a lot the Denises were bound to lose some of their possessions on removal days.
The Denises' current BBC TV series has taken them to Asia where, for a change, they have been filming people. They are slowly realising that people are almost interesting as animals. But they do have strange cus- toms.
Sald Armand Denis: "I'm still feeling queasy from a meal I had in Hongkong. My host assured me it was a great delicacy. It looked like an ordinary egg to me. But it turned out to be 20 years old."
tracts and check up on royalties, Said Michaela Denis, sipping Really we're much happier her unadulterated fruit juice, roughing it in the jungle, mak-- "And, of course, darling, there ing our TV flims, or in our home were those gali-bladder cocktails in Nairobi where we lead the we drank....
simple life with our pets.'
time--say about 20 years can relieve 42- year-old Hollywood actor Jeff Chandler of the em- barrassment of his exotic silver-grey hair.
By this time he will have reached the age where silver- grey hair is no longer con- sidered an abnormality.
Mr Chandler complains that he gets no
because of
it so easy to
let off steam
his hair. It stands out like HIS METHOD: PUNCHING THE NEAREST WALL!
neon sign OVOT A cinema. "I even have people calling out to me while passing in the dark in fast cars," said Mr Chandler wearily.
"Some actors can melt into a crowd. I can't"
THE GIRLS
He has tried dyeing his hair, "It didn't work. It looked terri ble. Nature has a fine sense of design. I need that colour hair to soften the heavy bones in my face."
He has a fan club with 800 branches. A girl from the Bri- tish department was waiting for him at the Dorchester Hotel before his airplane had even Jeft New York.
"1
may not suffer from this sort of thing any more than any other Hollywood actor," said Mr Chandler. "It may be that I am just more sensitive about it, People don't believe that
"A man said to me once, Tou are 6ft 4in. tall, you welsh None of these physical 210lb., how could you be sen- complications has prevented him sitive. There is no answer you becoming a successful Holly- can make to a man like that,” wood romantic hero. Mr Mer Chandler does Chandler is constantly fighting particularly suggest either senst off the attentions of girls who tivity or excitability. He speaks range from those who want to with such deliberate case that it kiss him to those who merely appears that each word is being long to hear his voice over the delivered from the pit of his telephone.
stomach by slow ft.
1041
WELLS... the natural artisi.
BENNETT 1 gulped my gin and tonic, and
I asked Michaela Denis what left. kind of cuddly creatures an
explorer likes to keep around
the house.
"Well now," said Mrs Denis,
nre the "there
cheetahs, the leopard, the 13 cats, the four dogs, the three bears and, of course, the monkeys." She to her husband, and turned asked: "Darling, how many monkeys do we have?"
Armand Denis said: "Darling: it's impossible to keep
count
of monkeys. They're so pro- miscuous."
No killing
The blonde with the silver enamelled fingernails con- templated the eight-carat dia- mond on her right hand, the
-(London Express Service).
the custare
devotes.
#
Know Your Dog
By H.M. HOWELL
GIANTS OF THE DOG WORLD NOT
(OT one of the very large breeds of dogs is listed in the "top twenty" of the canine popularity poll but each one of them has a staunch following of faithful enthusiasts and given space, and the money to feed a large animal, most of us would feel proud to own a dog which, when fully grown, is the size of a small pony or calf,
square inch of aquamarine on It' prevent day conditions developed a quite phenomenal her left one, and said: "Armand they can ever become common sese of orientation." and I have been chasing, captur- and there is a special satisfac- Ing, and filming animals all over tion to be found in the posses the world: since 1948.
sion of an unustai-pet which "We've grown to love animals does not yap or get under one's all animals-dearly. We are feet. proud of the fact that we've never had to kill one, not even in self-defence."
ordered dinner. Salad,
and
fifty years
was
"You wouldn't think I excitable?" rumbled Mr Chan- dier. “Still waters run deep and boll hard, A lot of people could give you first-class teari- moniai ar to my excitability. My wife, for instance."
This last remark was meant ironically. His wife is in the process of divorcing him.
MAUREEN SWANSON:
'I'm not the gay girl people
imagine...
"1 have a great habit of bang- ing my fist against a wall" continued Mr- Chandler. I "I have noticed which broke my hand dairy it recently, proves that I am getting older that my fists are getting soft- You can still see the swelling."
are getting
harder."
He displayed the swelling like a and the walls not
some actors display their Oscars.
"I do it when I get into & SILENT
the
B
point
•
state of frustration," when situation reaches
I pointed out that some less where there seems no possibility considerate actors, whon faced with a situation that they could
of resolving it.
P
Two literary greats
-but their letters
are such a let-down
ARNOLD BENNETT and H. G. WELLS. Edited with an Introduction by Wilson Harris.
Rupert Hart-Davis. 251,
AID Arnold to his friend H. G.: "Do you mind if I just arrange that SAID
tie of yours?" H. G. looked at Arnold's watercolours. "Arnold," he said, "you paint just like Royalty.”
The two friends were on terms of affectionate tolerance. Curious, in a way, for they might easily have been deadly foes. There they were, born in the same class at the same time, writing novels that contended with one another for popular success and critical attention, selling articles and stories to the same magazines.
Each pursued success with an Said Wells of a Bennett novel: unblushing plebetan zest. But "My impression is of a photo- where they might have been graph a lille under-developed." rivals, they hit it off instead. And Remelt reproached Wells: Each found the foibles of the "Art really you hate....and other diverting. And, over the the mischief is that, though you years, they exchanged a scries will undoubtedly do a vast of letters, reproduced here.
Alas, many of the letters are of 3 desolating triviality "Come to lunch on Thursday." "May I come down on Saturday, with toothbrush, Hommages à madame."
But some letters, rise above this level and the correspon- dence as a whole reveals a play-
ful and lively intimacy.
amount of good in the world, you will get worse and worse, more and more specialised, more and more scornful.".
ENVIOUS
Written In 1905, it was an astonishingly accurate prophesy. Wells werried of his novels and turned to something he called, in capital letters, Thought. Oi the other hand... Bennettt, the austere young THE DEFECTS
devoice of art. became one who produced far Looking at the other as a too much second-class work. novelist each could see that his friend was a Card. Looking as a friend, each could see and tolerate the defects in the work and outloook of his fellow craftsman.
Amid the reproaches for Wells's slapdash writing that besprinkle Bennett's letters one can detect a kind of envy of the bravura and exuberance which overspilt into Wells's writing from hire. It was something
When Napoleon crossed the Alps with his armies, some of his soldiers were saved by the monks and their dogs and the famous St. Bernard Barry, now Wells and Bennett were, in Bennett would not imitate, The Irish Wolfhound is an mounted and preserved in the fact, very different from one As Wells said of him; "Bennett the another, seeking success along was so remarkaby free from the saved almost irgendary bread, said to Borne museum, be descended from the wolfdogs tremendous number of forty different paths.
normal infantilism of the human She called a waiter, and of Ireland bred by Fingal. lives before gallantly losing his Bennett had begun as the male. He toda not so dependent | "And They were once given to heads own. It is now one hundred serious young English writer upon women for his comfort and of course, I would never dream of states as a mark of great travellers Brst reported how novels. He was worried about I think there was some obscure ago since who had read too many French self respect as most of us are.......
hitch in his makeup here, some She picked up her peaver their owners into battle. They huge dogs came to their aid Wells's careless syntax, stole. "Even my furs are resemble a massive and sub- with a cask of wine or brandy Wells more of a
natural early BOUT" phoney," she said, ylen, you stantially built Dearhound and tied round their necks and, in artist, cared much less about
blankets art." Each know, I consider every woman seventy years or so ago Scottish some
defecta who wears Teal fur, an accom-Decahounds were, in fact, used strapped to their backs, plice to murder. I consider it as a cross by Captain Graham,
Even today there are still acumen. quite barbarie to wear real who is rumoured to have spent dogs belonging to this breed £20,000 in rescuing this noble stationed at the Hosptee for use furs."
At the next table-a-matrably brood from extinction.
is guides. murderess ordered another
of eating one.” --
favour and used to necompany
Merman, made
C3S,
with
NOBLEST
The
•
saw the other's with extraordinary
F
Bennett thought that to have a mistress in France was part of the ensemble of a literary artist; just as it was right that the home of a rapidly rising novelist should have a smart attractive But apart from that? breed demands a combination wife. Martini. She was wearing a "An Irish Wolfhound, Sul-
of grandeur and good nature, Wells was doubtful of his friend. genuine mink: "Ugh!" said bamstead
courage and docility" and the He accused Bennett of never at this The Mastiff is one of the modern dog is silent and having allen in love and Michaela Denis. The Denises Supreme Champion respect for human beings, how year's Cruft's. This magnifi- oldest and noblest of the giant dignified, only barking when Bennett agreed. This was a failure to which Wells did not ever is not so touching. Some cent dog, which is only 17 broods,
Romans found really necessary.
They are so gentle with succumb. years ago a group of head-hunt-months old, stands 30 ins. them in Britain when Julius ing Jivaro Indians in Ecuador high at the shoulder and was Caesar, landed and used them children that in spite of their The correspondence, presented them with seven matched against a Pomeranian as war dogs in their subsequent great bulk, they will not step began with a formal letter from shrunken beads as a token of weighing only 3 lbs, in a campaigns. They even station on a crawling baby,
...Bennett in 1997, stretches over ed à Procurator of Dogs here their esteem. They were beau-thrilling final tifully done" recalled Michaela
to collect Mastiffs to send to Because of their weight they 34 years. Towards the end of it Denia.
The romantle legend of the Rome to fight wild beasts in the need only gentle exercise for a Wells is suddenly touched. have always wondered what Beard dog is known to amphitheatre In Queen short distance at a time, but in "Arnoid he writes, "you are one does with a present of everyone. The breed has been Elizabeth T's reign they were spite of the size the cost the bar and I've ever had." These letters do not go very shrunicen heads. Does, one line kept at the Hospice on the used for halting bears and lions; very little more to feed than an them up with the other bric-a-Great St Bernard Pass in the four of these dogs could tackle Alan With these res deep; they do not say much that mendations I feel they should is new, but, being written by brac on the mantelpiece,orSwiss Alps for centuries for the a lion and three a bear.
than the two remarkable men, they are be more popular what I asked.
purpose of rescular travellers
The Oli, English Mastiff Club twenty entries in this year's often interesting and always
Geary to read, can't recall." She turned to her mists, because this breed has standard of judging for the show suggest.
Said Michaela Denis: "I really lost in the now or mountain
which
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