This Makes Me Love Him Even More!

I love this story. It just proves what an absolute gentleman Leslie Howard was. And how much he enjoyed a good prank.

Leslie Howard, sitting on a stool at the RKO lunch counter, was amazed to hear the two "extra" girls next to him talking about the Howards.

 "Oh, yes," one of them was saying, "Leslie and Ruth are very dear and old friends of mine. Why, I'm at their house often for the week-end."

Impressed, the other girl uttered sounds of admiration that died away in a gasp as she suddenly nudged her friend, pointing to their neighbor. Smallish, freckled, wearing big horn-rimmed glasses, Leslie Howard is not always recognized, but the hapless girl who "knew him so well" knew who he was, all right. Her face registered horror, which changed to relief as he leaned forward genially, nodded and said matter-of-factly, without a trace of facetious irony:

"Yes, indeed. But haven't you been neglecting us lately? Haven't seen you out at the house for some time!" 

Later, on the set, the girl came to Leslie and, with tears in her eyes, apologized and thanked him for not letting her down.

This is a special shoutout to When Hollywood was "Golden" and Clark Gable: When Hollywood was "Golden" for recommending my Facebook page. Thanks again!

Have a great weekend everybody!

[Leslie Howard - most likely a publicity
photo for Pygmalion, c. 1938]

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Mickey Mouse Polo

Leslie Howard had a love of horses. He once said that "one does not want many friends. But horses..." And for friends? He liked people who liked horses. He loved to ride and he loved to play polo. He considered polo, "unlike acting, really living." Howard was a member of The Riviera Club and his polo team was captained by none other than his friend, Walt Disney. They were the Mickey Mouse Polo Team. Honestly. The team included Will Rogers and his son, Will, Jr., Howard's good friend, Robert Montgomery, and a couple of other players.

[Leslie Howard with Walt Disney]

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More Inward Bound

Outward Bound (1930) was Leslie Howard's first "talkie." By this time he already had an extensive background in the theatre, having authored, acted in and directed his own productions many times. He had also appeared in many silent films.

It's hard to figure out why Howard ever acted at all. He never felt himself suited to the profession and he didn't seem to enjoy the process. He once wrote:

"First of all, let me admit that I am one of those unfortunate persons to whom any kind of public appearance is an embarrassment...from the moment when...I got my first job on the stage and sheepishly daubed my face with greasepaint, I had an inner conviction that this was the most embarrassing occupation in the world. And this belief, far from being modified by experience, I find only to be intensified by the years."

His real love was writing. But he considered himself to be lazy, unable to apply himself in that solitary confinement required by the writer. His friends and family, however, asserted that he was far from lazy.

After appearing in Gone With The Wind, he returned to England somewhat disillusioned and angry. And he actually feared that England might not win the war against Germany. But Howard would do his best to see a different outcome. He worked tirelessly creating films to bolster his countrymen's spirits and determination. Howard also appeared on radio broadcasts heard in America and traveled throughout Europe attempting to bolster the support of England's allies. It was on such a trip that his civilian aircraft was shot down by Nazis over the Bay of Biscay.

Unfortunately, Howard would never be able to experience the joy that so many others felt when the enemies of peace were eventually vanquished. Ronald Howard, Leslie Howard's son, in speaking of his father's short time on earth in Leslie Howard: Trivial Fond Records said "that was his destiny, to end his life incomplete, as if on the penultimate note of an unfinished concerto."

[Leslie Howard in a publicity photo
for Outward Bound, 1930]

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Out of the Picture

Today's photo is missing Leslie Howard. Why? Because he was behind the camera, a place he would much rather be. He was an avid photographer and his interests were really behind the camera, writing, producing and directing, rather than in front of it.

Here, he snaps a photo of his friends at Los Angeles station there to retrieve him and his wife, Ruth Martin (far right), upon their return to Hollywood after one of many trips east or abroad. How would you like to have this welcoming committee?

[Leslie Howard and his wife, Ruth Martin (far right)
being met at Los Angeles station by
Mr. and Mrs. Clark Gable, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.,
Claudette Colbert, Douglas Fairbanks and Joan Crawford]

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I'm Just Here For The Violin Lessons

Leslie Howard once stated that he didn't chase women but couldn't always be bothered to run away. However, while he was filming Captured! (1933) he was a frequent visitor to the set of Gold Diggers of 1933 which was filming in the next soundstage.

Apparently, he was so enthralled with all the women that when asked if he would take the salary cut being imposed by First National Films during the studio financial crisis of 1933, he quipped, "First, tell me, will those girls be working on The Gold Diggers of 1933 set very long?" After being informed that they would, Howard finally responded, "Well, in that case, just don't bother about cutting. I'll be only too happy to work for nothing."

[Leslie Howard and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., who were filming Captured!,
are being taught violin basics by Busby Berkeley, dance instructor
for Gold Diggers of 1933. Yes, their eyes really are on the violin.]
Modern Screen, July, 1933

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Remembering James Gleason On His Birthday

James Gleason (23 May 1882 to 12 April 1959), known as Jimmy to his friends, is another one of those character actors that always caught my eye. I love that New York tough guy with a kind heart character that he is so well known for playing. He was loved by his fellow actors as well. His friends (including Eddie Cantor and Gloria Swanson) had their monograms made of gold, silver, platinum or enamel and had them placed on his plain platinum cigarette case.

Did you know that he was also a playwright and screenwriter? He co-wrote and had a small part in Janet Gaynor's Broadway stage play, Change of Heart (1934). Gleason also had his own sitcom on radio with Robert Armstrong, Gleason and Armstrong (1931). His television credits include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Public Defender, and The Real McCoys.

Gleason enlisted in the U. S. Army at the age of 16 and served three years but didn't hesitate to re-enlist when his country needed him in WWI. It was after the war that his acting career took off. He had a small part in The Broadway Melody (1929) which was only the second film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. But my two favorite James Gleason films were A Free Soul (1931) with Leslie Howard, Norma Shearer, and newcomer, Clark Gable, and as the hot dog vendor in The Clock (1945), with Judy Garland and Robert Walker. Gleason will also be remembered for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), Meet John Doe (1941) and Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941). I also loved him in Crash Dive (1943) with Tyrone Power and as the taxi cab driver in The Bishop's Wife (1947). I could go on and on.

Happy Birthday, James Gleason.

Learn More About James Gleason

[James Gleason in
Miss Grant Takes Richmond, 1949]

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