Photoplay 1944

Last month I purchased the October 1944 issue of Photoplay magazine. I'm trying to collect all the magazines with Lana Turner on the cover. Since I don't have a scanner, I'm working on typing up the articles. So, over the next few weeks I'll be posting them for your vintage pleasure. :) Up first, Inside Stuff — Cal York's Gossip of Hollywood (Part 1). Enjoy!

Inside Stuff

Cal York’s Gossip of Hollywood

In the Cummings Corner: A lot of people were surprised to see Bob Cummings and K.T. Stevens being a dinner twosome in a cozy corner. Of course, Hollywood fashion, the gossips tried to fashion a new “romance” out of the combination. But they must have short memories — or no faith in friendship at all. For Bob, though rumored “engaged” to Faye McKenzie, still has his heart in the safekeeping of Mary Constant, attractive widow of the famous flier, Max Constant — and it’s Cal’s guess they’ll marry. Then how come K.T.? Well, it just so happens that she has directly and indirectly played a big part in Bob’s life from the very moment he started his picture career — and they are very close friends — and that’s all. Not only is K.T. a pal of Bob’s ex-wife’s, but it was she who got her dad, the big director Sam Wood, to give Bob his first real break in pictures at Universal — and then again when Wood took up the megaphone for “King’s Row.”

Style Note: Lana Turner probably started a new fad or something — by walking into the Trocadero wearing a low-necked black dinner dress, with a scarlet red chiffon handkerchief (an enormous one) knotted tightly around her neck Apache fashion. The effect was startling — and the copycats promptly started making mental notes.

Married — and Happy:

Harry James and Betty Grable came back to Hollywood from Harry’s band-

playing jaunt back East absolutely exhausted — and with plenty of work looming ahead for both of them. Betty made her first public professional appearance since becoming a momma at a Brooklyn Bond rally with Harry when she cleaned up for her Uncle Sam. And of all the unromantic things! They had to spend their first wedding anniversary doing a one-night stand in Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania. But they’re so romantic about each other it really wouldn’t matter where they were spending the evening. They wouldn’t know!

Crosby Corner: Just to show you how un-hammy some actors can be, here’s a cute and true story about the one and only Bing. In all the years that he’s been famous (and it’s a good many) Crosby has never clipped or saved a single line that ever appeared about him in print. Most stars have scrapbooks a foot thick — but not Bing. But at last he’s impressed enough by something (notice we said something — and not himself) to want to keep some of the swell things that are being written about him. It’s the reviews and reams of comment that have been written not only about the picture “Going My Way” which is one of the all-time best, but about the Bing too. After all these years as a singing star, it’s so swell that he should now be gaining recognition as a fine actor for the first time — and evidently he thinks so too. Because the other day he called up his pal, Leo McCarey, who directed the film, and after clearing his throat in a rather embarrassed way, Bing asked “Say — Leo, how do you go about keeping a scrapbook?” ( ! )