1961-07-15 — Page 21

$ THE CHINA, MAIL, SATURDAY, JULY 15, 1961.

SUSAN BARNES talks to a Hollywood enigma

*

*

Two Debbies-but which is the real Miss Reynolds?

HOLLYWOOD'S inmates hold diametrically opposed views of Miss Debbie Reynolds. Her

admirers see her as the brave little mother whose husband, Eddic Fisher, was stolen

from her by her friend, Elizabeth Taylor.

Tears come into their eyes as they recall the photograph taken of Debbie on the day the Reynolds-Fisher separation was publicly announced,

Debbie was to distressed that long-skirted dress of 1911 for

she forgot to take her hair out of Its aminc-like pistall, just she forgot that there were two huge diaper pins fusioned

Lu her blouse.

"How can you live with a 3101 Debbie plaintively ask ed reporters, "and not realise he's t love with somebody ClAC?"

4

Seepties of the Kenike-wife- and-inother Debbie see her as a shrewd business woman who

□ year carlier had divorce Driers drawn up, and then, on discovering that she was pregn unt, hed persuaded her hus band to stay on with her until the baby whe born.

Volcanic

They point out that when photographers weren't around there was purse to change the baby's diapers, as well as six

Seven other servants

ог

the usual domestic

these

chores,

In private life,

sby seepites, Debble displays voteanle temper and a wide knowledge of the blunter words in the English lon- guage.

When Debble and I lunched together in Hollywood, she wan

her role in Star in the West.

We talked about her recent marriage to a millionaire shoe manufacturer named Harry Karl.

"I feel," said Debble, "that God intended woman to be married and have family environment.”

Debble is not the first woman to see Mr Kart as the provider of these things. He had already been married and divorced reveral times before Debble became his wife.

"I have an old-fashioned way of thinking." she continued, enunciating in the measured way of o speaker who has memorised the text hi advance. "I feel that if you fall in love, that love should be consum- maled only by marriage. And you must put their happiness if you already have children, above your own at all times."

បង់ A

'Not me'

Debbie's fragile face looked us it is pretty. "I pure know pt no mother who could possibly involve herself with a man who didn't put her children fest.”

"Really?" I said.

"Well," said Debbie. hesitant wearing a prim, high-necked, ly, "I've read of such a thing,

Lidbrick Mann

Why Quique felt she just had to call on Cary Grant

I'

FF 1 have learned nothing else from Mr Louis Jourdan over the years I have learned this: any remark about his cut-glass good looks is more than. likely to earn plateful of escargota about the cars,

Д

Heroes in

Talk about his looks and he blanches. women's fiction may blanch no more, but Mr Jourdan binnelies on. Indeed, short of calling Victor Mature an actor, I can think of no insult more calculated to offend,

When Mr Jourdan was 70- cently voted the world's most handsome man-bealing Prince Philip by a short back-and- sides he almost choked.

"It is inevitably assumed that a good-looking man is also an Imbecile," le says crisply. "Why should I be put in the position of having to prove I Dia bot an imbecile?"

Why Indeed?

Unstinted

Mr Jourdon's looks, however, carn him rather more than the mere suggestion that he is an inbeelle: they also earn him the unstinted admiration of countless women the world over. Which makes life somewhat trying for his Parisienne wife Quique to whom he has been married for 18 years. Ex- pecially when Mr Jourdan is ilming in Europe-as he 19 in now-and Quique is homo California.

"When Louis

Says Quique: is away liming I understand perfectly when he goes out with a pretty girl. A French woman understands so much better than others that if your husband is good looking (watch out for those escargots, lady) you cannot expect him to dine alone.

at

"Louls often phones me our home in California and tells ne whom he took to dinner. He often says he had fun, but wo have a perfect understanding about these things."

which

One story, however, bas upset Mrs Jourdan is the linking of her husband's name with the beautiful and wealthy Tina Onassis, So much so that she sought the advice of old friend Cary Grant.

Ridiculous

"After all," she explained, "Cary had been separated from his wife and know how to deal

with such a situation. I didn't."

Handsomost man

Erm

so happy now -my greatest joy is to be with my family

so I know it exists, but that's accided it wouldn't be nat 'me. I could never have aight to discontinue my fallen in love with a man who work while the screen

children. ll wanted me. wasn't good to my Harry is marvellous with them. He already had four of his

own.

We discussed a recent state ment by one of Mr Karl's former wives, describing Mr Karl himself as rather child- like.

"I never get mixed up In nuch public statements" sald Debble, lowering her long

"Eut when the time comes that I am no Inger the property at the screen wishes, en I'll become a full- 1311 housewife. 171

ave my own Brownie trop."

Debbie turned away chy Ghough to decline the waiter's offer of a

lashes over her wide green drinks Returning to eyes. If other people want to. that is up to them. I don't me, khe explained:

"I've never happen to belleve in it.

cared for ilquor. "If you have children," she hard

My continued, "you want the mother never had it in stability and maturity of an the house." older man like Harry..

"He leaves the bringing up wi my children entirely in my hands. He and I don't do any- thing without considering the children

irst. They go where we go. They do what we do.

"After Harry and I had been on our honeymoon for niac

I couldn't stand days,

It any longer without the children.

"I would dream that their little hands were stroking my face. She put one of her own small hands to her own smooth. check and caressed it.) I would wake up at night crying. So Harry had them come and join

15

"My greatest joy is to be with my family,"

Then she continued with her recital of her current domestic

life.

"I get up each morning at six to go to the studio Usually I get home again at about reven in the evening. I to be arleen by eight.

"Harry is

un- completely selfish. Anything I want to do, he says All Hight and he's very busy. He has his own wolt. He's tired at night too He is content to read and leek ni television"

She discussed. relations with Eddle Fisher.

the children's their father,

"I was very happy in my Arat work-except for two short marriage. I am en happier ta, Interruptions. my recend-and last,

'It hurt...

"But I'll tell you what is a great source of hurt to me. Public opinion. I'll never under- cland...

There is no mental anguish or problem within themselves concerning their father's 11 nover absence," she said,

One lasted for 20 minutes, when Debbie's laughter on the long. set suddenly turned into gasping little cries,

Hysterics

matter

After these had continued for Glancing up at a singularly a quarter of an hour, an impa- fetching girl who walked by. tient stagehand asked: "What Debble Interrupted herself to the hell is going on?" And clserve to the man lunching another one, more devoted,

the with us: "I hate to sco a tiri replied: "What's who loupes up her looks. Sandra with pa? Ain't ya never seen souldn't wear that tight skirt, sterics before? That held has It makes her bottom look big,” d a hard time."

Then she continued to me: understand how "I have brought them up to out asking me. But I have great

people can print untruths with

respect and adoro him.

They faith in God, and He txipa mo will always

love him

as you in my thinking and my attitude. only

can love your father. If I've learned to turn the other they don't have respect for the cheek." name *father, huw

can they Shortly afterwards we went tenderly. She seemed oblivious "Well," said Debble, "Harry grow up to be good ones back to the net. The rest of the

to the hundred and I talked about that. And I themselves?

afternoon was devoted to her who milled

her.

"Really?" I said. "But didn't you state a good many times that if yoht remarried you would stop making films so you could be with your family?"

Decision

..

Trouble-when a schoolgirl keeps a

THE WORM AND THE RING

By

Anthony Burgess. Heinemann. 161.

OLD

FASHIONED

liberals used to hope

that universal education would solve all our prob-

lems; and so it might

•

diary about the Head

by RICHARD LISTER

idea of the average Frenchman.

do, if schools and teach master, loo unambitious to By Thompson. Monsieur Blot is his ers were as ideal as the higher.

In one of the best passages of Indeed Monsieur Blot is exter- idealista imagined they the novel, he and a member of ing a newspaper competition try would be. But in this the female stair are thrown discover, this mythical figure, wicked world education together on a holiday excursion and it is, through answering the with some of the girls and boys, elaborate questionnaire provid÷ is only as good as the in Paris. The children "areed that he comes to analyse the soolely in which it is pernod, as is its way, drives the

sharrefully neglected, for type he belongs to.

This average Frenchman has a practised, and how far two adults to heights of India middling position in a very big

Arm, a flat in the suburbs, from the ideal that is, crelian.

wife and discontented several novelists have

children (this ingenious figure is lately been exposing to

what wing him the competition and the large prize attached).

US.

Complaints from

parents make the Head's position rather discy, but a legacy enables him to resign with dignity. The posh new school, which has Mr Anthony Burgesa now now been bulit, will flourish joins them. He uses his talens under Dr Gardner's firm hood; for turning up the iowally but Ironically <racks comic side of the world we live already appearing in the new Ir. on a large 'provincial day plaster, and the drains do not school.

work.

are

2.3

On

At the office he is all day made conscious of how middling his position is. His bosses have a dozen different tricks to Impress him with. Just as at home his wife and children And every opportunity of impressing The actual building is in Leas exuberantly comic than him how inlddle-class he is. decsty. The teachers ure or- in his last novel Mr Burgess, Difficulties [dinary sinners like the rest of anatomices the English way of

and among the pupils sex life with a nardonic humour. rears is ugly head in wayward and a deadly accuracy of detail: juvenile formIS.

He is among the more in- teresting of the new school of novelista

Imaginary

Thus Linda has been keeping a romantic diary in which she describes, quite imaginary love passages between herself and the harmless headmaster.

A pasty-mindea, older boy wels hold of it and, falling in his hope of using it as black-

Mr Grant and Quique dis- And Nice, where he is making cussed the problem over lunch. a new film, The Count of Monte mall, usta it instead to curry She asked if she should lesua a Cristo, Mr Jourdan aald:-

Here comes

Mr Average

Of course it's quite another atter when being eu exactly middle class wins Monsieur Blot the competition and the prize, and he bc.com.co rich and famous.

Then arise all the dimculties of learning to live with tho wealthy, of picking up the im- portant Christian names and CERTAIN

dropping them at just the right MONSIEUR

moment, of learning the Voguish DLOT. By Pierra Daninos. adjectives and knowing which Weldenfeld "and Nicolson, syllables of them to inflect, of 75%.

not only buying the right THIS is not really a them as if he always had.

clothes, but learning to wear novel. It comes, un- These social mysterios-along the heading of dining out-Monsieur Mot anda

with racing, art collecting and Mr Jourdan, I report, is justly as I should be ran.

Head and run the school tough "funny books," and con- very hating, and is only too In the end he does. Such is the Bists of a string of face- glad in the end to retire into "Perhape," he says optimisil outline of Mr Burger's plot, tious generalisations Aho

obscurity again says. "I realise Tina Onassis cally, will be the beginning may have fallen for my hus of a new life for me. Now that and it is Deshape a weakrices of about the living habita odio cass, then, fallowed by band and that they faw each I'm 40 perhaps the gossips will the novel that his chief charac- other. But I think she now get tired of throwing me into ter, Howarth, watches it only of the middle classes. realises that when we say we the arma of every beautiful from the side-line. Ho is intend to remain married, we wornan I meet."

(modern - ani-hero, tog intelli.

gent for his job as languages mean it"

favour with the second master, statement since everyone waa "Of course I know Tina. So the power-loving Dr. Gardner talking about Tina and her hus- do zemres of people. But the who everyone knows is schep- band. Me drant advised her to story of fomance is ridicu-ing to oust the liberal, idealistic der

Jolis," say nothing.

"Ho zaid the best denial of tho reports was the fact that 40 years old. we were still together,"

I doubt it.

1.

4

And, so

.

comic analysle of the

a comis Analysis of the. Inters national Set. Personally I found Pierre Daninge made a bit the `ficatiquenose unremillingt, with his Frenchman's idea of and laid on with a bulldozer the typical Englishman, Major rather than a trowel

The ulher Interruption lasted just about as long. It occurred

their mother on the set, when a nurse appeared with two small chlidren, brought to viali

on 1

herself Debble seated chair in front of the set, receiv ing her children at her knee, She stroked their heads qulie

or so people around to watch

After 15 minutes of this, I found my desire to depart overwhelming. 1 needn't have hurried, as it turned out, Be- cause by the time I reached the doar and looked back, the check patting had come to an end.

Debble had gone back to her role on the set.

-London Express Service).

SERVICE