William Gargan - This post is dedicated to Leslie Gargan

[Leslie Howard with good friend Bill Gargan, along
with Fred MacMurray, W. C. Fields and George Arliss]

In William Gargan's book, Why Me? An Autobiography, Gargan enjoys recounting his memories of times spent with his good friend, Leslie Howard. One of the traits Gargan found amusing about Howard was his "frugality." This trait in Howard was also noted by Howard's daughter, Leslie Ruth, in her book, A Quite Remarkable Father. Leslie Ruth tells a

Love Wins In The End

[Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer taking a stroll in between takes
on the MGM lot where they were filming Smilin' Through, 1932]

Smilin' Through is the story of Sir John Carteret (Leslie Howard), a man who suffers a life-long feeling of loss and loneliness after losing his bride, Moonyeen Clare (Norma Shearer), at the very moment they are to share their wedding vows. Their mutual friend, Jeremy Wayne (Fredric March), shows up at the church to kill Carteret out of jealousy because

I Love My Husband, But—

[Leslie Howard as Peter Standish
in Berkeley Square, 1933

Norma Shearer, in an article "I love my husband, but—" for Modern Screen, June 1935, describes Leslie Howard:

"There was Leslie Howard . . . Leslie, true spiritual, who can wear the lace frills and bend the knee with such grace and conviction. Leslie with those amazing blue eyes that so