"Winkie"

In Leslie Howard: Trivial Fond Records, a book containing the writings of Leslie Howard, Howard tells a story of the first time his son, at the age of nine, visits him in the theater, long before Howard made his way to Hollywood and the movies. His son was Ronald Howard, aka "Winkie," who became an actor himself.

Howard recalls that his son, upon entering his dressing room, commented on how small, poorly furnished and dirty it was. Winkie wanted to know why his dad didn't have a dressing room like the movie stars. His father tried to explain that everyone connected to the movies had a lot more money than was available in the theater. Of course, Winkie wanted to know why his dad wasn't in the movies. Movie actors had much bigger houses--bigger than theirs. He also wanted to know why his dad's name wasn't on the marquee outside. Leslie Howard was beginning to see that his son thought his profession undignified and poorly paid.

Winkie watched as Howard applied his makeup, commenting that he would hate to have to put that "stuff" all over his face everyday. At that point the stage manager came into the room to advise Mr. Howard that in Act I he had called the bartender George instead of Charles. Because his son was watching, instead of saying what he normally would have said, he apologized and admitted how terrible it was that he had made this error. When the stage manager left the room Winkie asked him if he had to say the same words every day, over and over again. "Holy smoke," he exclaimed, "I wonder you don't go cuckoo!"

What Howard wanted to say was, "I do go cuckoo, my lad. After the first few weeks of saying the same things night after night even the substitution of George for Charles is a holiday." But what he actually said was, "A play is a work of art conceived by an artist and every word counts." Howard told his son he would realize this after he had watched his performance, to which Winkie replied, "Have I got to see it?" "Isn't that what you came for?" asked his father. "Well, no," his son explained apologetically. I came to get 75 cents to see The Student Prince."

[Leslie Howard with his son, Ronald]

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A Word In the Right Ear

Yesterday, I began to tell you about a movement by one government employee, a Mr. Murray W. Garsson, to rid from American soil all those pesky foreigners like Marlene Dietrich, Charles Chaplin and Greta Garbo.

Well, according to Mr. Garsson the whole thing started when the Actors' Equity Association and the Lambs Club of New York got hold of Mr. Garsson and bent his ear about the "influx of foreign players who, they declared, were taking the jobs that belong to Americans...for less money than the Americans have been accustomed to."

And it seems that once Mr. Garsson knocked on the doors of the big studio executives asking for the records of their employees, said studio executives were only too happy to comply. Now you know when big business is only too happy to comply with the government's request for information it usually means they are hoping something else stays hidden. Or maybe it had to do with Mr. Garsson's arrest of John Farrow, the future father of Mia Farrow, a lowly writer at the time and Mia only a twinkle in daddy's eye. The arrest came the first week Mr. Garsson started throwing his weight around in Hollywood.

More tomorrow...

[Leslie Howard leaving America for
the last time, August 22, 1939]

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History Repeating Itself?

Back in the early 1930's there was a movement abroad in the land started by a few in Washington, in particular Murray W. Garsson, Special Assistant Secretary of Labor, to kick out all of "Hollywood's aliens." According to Mr. Garsson:

"I would not even venture a guess as to the number of foreign players illegally in Hollywood--there are so many of them. These people will have to get out and go back where they belong. We are doing this to protect American actors and actresses. We do not object to the bringing of a player like Chevalier here to do a part no one else can do. But we do object to hordes of players coming here and settling, many of them illegally and, while claiming allegiance to another flag, taking the work that is so badly needed by our own players."

The people who Mr. Garsson was targeting were not only actors, but also writers, directors and technicians. Among the "hordes" who were asked to make a hasty retreat back to "where they belong" were: George Arliss, Charles Chaplin, Elissa Landi, Marlene Dietrich, Lupe Velez, Maurice Chevalier, Greta Garbo, Gregory Ratoff, Maureen O'Sullivan, George Brent, Ronald Colman, Benita Hume, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and, of course, Leslie Howard, along with many others. And then there were those Americans who were married to "one of those" people who had to get out or be arrested and deported, such as Constance Bennett. And don't forget about those dangerous Canadians like Norma Shearer. Oh, right, she doesn't count. She had become naturalized. Sorry.

If Rudolph Valentino had still been alive at that time, I think it is safe to say that the women of America would have run Mr. Murray W. Garsson out of town on a rail.

More tomorrow...

[Leslie Howard on one of his many crossings]

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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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Best Friends

William Gargan, who named one of his sons after Leslie Howard, recalled their beginnings:

"Our friendship started from the moment Howard grasped my hand and said I was okay for the part ["Red" Regan in the play, The Animal Kingdom, 1932]. We seemed to click from the start, and on the way to Pittsburgh we really had a chance to get acquainted.

"Mrs. Howard accompanied her husband, and both accepted me as one of the family. The play made a great hit at its first tryout, so much so that Barry [Philip Barry, playwright] declared my part, the butler, too important for the sake of the starring role. He told Howard he'd cut it down.

"'You won't cut down any of the parts,' Howard informed him. 'If you have to make the play stronger, build up the star, but don't chop any of the lines the others have.' At that opening night, too, Howard made me take five curtain calls of my own."

[from the article, "Pals," New Movie Magazine, October, 1934, by Whitney Williams]

[From left: Mrs. Gargan, Leslie Howard, Mrs. Howard,
William Gargan, and Leslie's son, Ronald Howard]

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