Mother To A Star
Through courtesy of Esquire, Inc.. publishers of Coronet
magazine, the Mail Tribune publishes today the second installment
of "Mother To a Star." Sidney Carroll's personality sketch of Lela
Rogers, mother of the glamorous film star. Ginger Rogers. Con
cluding chapter of the sketch, pulbished in the July issue of Coro
net, will appear Tuesday.
The article is of particular interest to Mail Tribune readers
as the Rogers Rogue River ranch it located only a few miles from
Medford.
Copyright, 1944, by Esquire, Inc.
919 N. Michigan Ave.,
Chicago, 111.
(Coronet, July 1944)
(Continued From Yesterday)
In 1930, by dint of brains, per
sonality, talent, and Mama's
know-how. Ginger Rogers was
big-time. She was appearing in
George Gershwin's Girl Crazy
on Broadway and making a
t . thousand dollars a week. It was
then that the movie offers be
gan to come in. The story of
Ginger's first movie test is a
good example of the sort of des
perate ingenuity any stage
mother must be ready to exer
cise whenever her child's career
is threatened. Lela agreed to
one movie test by a major studio.
When the test was completed
she asked to see it and decided
it was terrible. She gave an an
nonymous little man 50 dollars
to secure the test for her, sotto
voce, and one dark night she
threw it into the East River.
Ginger's chances weren't going
to be wrecked by any half-
baked movie test. .
A short time after that bad
start, Walter Wanger got in
terested in the then red-headod
comedienne from Girl Crazy and
gave her a test which did her
credit. Then he signed her to a
contract. Lela arranged things
so that Ginger could go right'on
. working in Girl Crazy and make
movies in nearby Astoria at the
same time. Ginger made five
movies in Astoria before she
ever saw Hollywood.
Ginger and Lela came to
Hollywood in 1932. Ginger was
not an overnight sensation. As a
matter of fact, she was caught
. smack in the middle of one of
It's the last place on earth
or off it to go fishing. Yet
the Navy is sending out its
blimps to go fishing in the
sky! Not for submarines! Not
for tin-fish! For real fish!
The blimps fishing in the
sky flash word to fishermen
in boats where to drop their
nets. They spot the schools, as
fish swim below in the vast
deep. The fishermen bring them
in.
Use of Navy blimps to help
the fishermen super-lookouts
in super-crow's-nests is a war
sssignment.When these airships
arc taken off other war duties
to fish, it means fishermen and
their services are important.
By supplying salmon and
barracuda, tuna and sardines,
calorics and vitamins both to
the armed forces and the civil
ian populations western fish
ermen from San Diego to
Alaska are making history.
Yet, for fishermen, history
making is old stuff. The Vik
ings roamed the seas because
Norse fishermen learned to steer
by sun and stars.The Bible story
of the loaves and fishes cfcrnal
Iy recalls how close they've al
ways been to all peoples.
Somehow, it's hard to quit
thinking of fishermen as roman
tic fellows with venture in their
blood, and appreciate the war
contribution they've made by
hard work and scorn of danger.
Vet there is a way.
Let's ust think of the dif
ference it would make if the
starved children of captive
Greece could get their cod-liver
oil. Let's remember that
thanks to the fishermen the
children of America do get it.
Thanks to the fishermen!
I tie,, 1 101.
i simi rnrt
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Lela Rogers
those studio reorganization bat
tles that are the life blood of the
industry. While conflicting forces
wrestled back and forth with
one another, Ginger and her
mother sat in a hotel room, two
rookies in the army of the un
employed, waiting for an agent
to get a job any sort of job
for Ginger.
After six months of watching
and waiting and getting no
where, Lela Rogers decided to
look into the agent racket for
herself. She went over to War
ner Brothers, introduced herself
to several of the presiding
geniuses, and in a few minutes
she had Ginger signed for a part
in a super-musical called 42nd
Street.
The role she managed to get
for Ginger was a small one and
it paid just two hundred dollars
a week. Everybody in Holly
wood knows Rule No. 1 in the
mythical book: An actress who
has once made a thousand dol
lars a week must never take
less. But Lela Rogers was sick of
the unwritten Hollywood rules
by that time. "Ginger was get
ting hungry," she said. "We had
to go to work."
Lela Rogers has what all
great strategists have she
moves boldly and decisively, but
she has an X-ray eye for details.
She moved boldly vhen she got
Ginger that job in 4nd Street.
The rolr; in the picture was
that of a c!:wsts girl, and the pic
ture was goinf: to be filled with
chorus girls. Lela asked for a
copy of the script, took it home,
read it carefully, and re-wrote
the role of that particular chorus
girl. She suggested that Ginger
wear a monocle, sport a long
cigarette holder, speak with a
phony English accent and carry
a Pekingese under one arm. She
submitted these suggestions,
gratuitously, to the studio heads.
These gentlemen saw the pos
sibilities in her ideas and they
agreed to dress the role up for
Ginger according to Mama's
ideas.
Mama was no green hand with
a movie script. Long before Gin
ger was ever on the scene, Lela
Rogers was writing scripts in
Hollywood for four-reelers. As
42nd Street was being filmed.
Lela continued to write new gags
and new dialogue for Ginger.
The studio heads were so happy
to receice such contributions
free of charge that they accept
ed practically all of them. The re
sult is history. 42nd Street was
the smash success of the year
and Ginger Rogers, playing a
comparatively small part, was
one of the hits of the show.
From that moment on, Ginger
ascended the movie ladder, and
reached her next peak when
Mama manipulated things so
that daughter should meet Fred
Astaire. That legend is also well
known how the two of them
first appeared in a musical film
called Flying Down to Rio and
stole the film from the higher
priced stars. They made The Gay
Divorcee after that and for sev
eral years their singing-dancing
films were the big money-makers
of the business. The direct
result of the Astaire-Rogers
films was that Ginger Rogers
moved into the top bracket of
movie stars and has stayed there
ever since.
With Ginger's growing fame
there came added financial bur
dens. Financial burdens are, to
put it mildly, Lela Rogers' meat.
Her h.-thdling of Ginger's con
tracts would make a good lesson
in cost accounting in any busi
ness college. In the formative
stages of Ginger's Hollywood
career, right after 42nd Street,
Lela was never banal enough to
ask for an immediate raise in
pay. She asked only for a five
thousand dollar bonus with each
HARMONY
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picture and she got It. Then, at
the end of every nine months,
she would walk into the cashiers
and demand, without further
ado, that Ginger's salary be
mUltiplied by two. It wasn't the
orthodox Hollywood way of do
ing things, but it worked. Lela
had a product the studios want
ed and she made them pay for it
her way.
Then, too, she has the strate
gist's long view of things. When
Astaire and Rogers were the hot
test team in the business and
Ginger signed a colossal con
tract with RKO, Lela did a pe
culiar thing. She inristed that
Ginger be allowed to make one
straight dramatic picture be
tween every Astaire-Rogers musi
cal made. Her reason was a
simple one: she did not want her
versatile daughter to be typed.
That sort of reasoning has paid
off terrific dividends. The Astaire-Rogers
films had a long
career, but" they ran their in
evitable gamut. Ginger Rogers,
however, is still on top as a
dramatic star.
(Concluded Tuesday)
Olive
Barber', h
Observations
We say the world is a small
place. Well it seemed much lar
ger than I wished it were as I
read a letter but recently re
ceived. For I wanted to take
right off and have a visit with
the writer. Yet how to trot
across two states, get my visiting
done and be back in time for
an afternoon appointment I
couldn't figure out. So although
the world seems small some
times, it's mighty big at others.
"In May, 1887, when I was a
boy of twelve and a half, a Ca
nadian paper my parents were
taking reprinted a poem written
by a newspaper man in India;
one R. Kipling. The poem had
first appeared in the Delhi Mail.
"Close by while I was reading
it was a man watering a yoke
of oxen at the well. This was in
southern Kansas. The man was
'breaking' a tract of prairie. He
wished it would rain, he said,
but it was looking like a dry
summer. My eyes fell to the
poem: 'By the well where the
bullocks go, silent and blind and
slow. By plains where the young
corn dies in the glare of tropic
skies." I was just a boy, yet I
saw Kipling might have been
writing about the bearded Civil
War veteran pumping water for
his oxen.
"My father came up; said to
the man, 'This day 23 years ago
in '64, our spring wheat was in
and waiting for a spring shower
to start it sprouting.'
"The man looked up and said
to my father, 'You remember
that? Well here's what I remem
ber: 23 years ago today I was
lying with four rebel bullets in
me on the Bloody Angle of
Spottsylvania.' Then looking
down at me he asked, 'What's
the news, Tommy?' 'Not much',
I replied: 'Everybody in Canada,
is hanging out flags for Queen
Victoria having been 50 years on
the job.' 'Well, let her keep it;
she might do worse', he said and
returned to his plowing.
" 'But the plowman settled
the share more deep in the
grudging clod', ran the poem
and boy though I was, it came to
me that Victoria's world might
be far away yet in a part of her
kingdom, India, life was follow
ing the same pattern it was right
there in Kansas oxen plowing,
grain waiting for the rain. They
were in the same boat, so to
speak, though neither was 'eat
ing from the Captain's table',
Kansas and India being what
they were."
Other memories, had the writ
er, some of which I'll tell you
another time. Still more I'd re
ceive, and pass on to you, were
the world smaller; small enough
for me to trot across two states
and get back before lunch.
THE GRANGE
Central Point Grange
H. E. club of Central Point
Grange will meet with Mrs.
Warren Patterson at 1:30 p.m.,
Wednesday, Aug. 23 Mrs. Pat
terson will be assisted by Ethel
Freeman and Mrs. Brenner.
Mrs. John Bohnert will furn
ish a recreational number.
Pcp$l-Cola Company, Long l,hnd City. X. V,
franchised Bottleri Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Medford
Private Jennings Cited
1
Ibv- sV . u v, &
ft. "jtf 't v . ; -
Pvt. Robert G. Jennings, selected the outstanding man of his
recruit platoon at the San Diego Marine base, is shown here re
ceiving the honor badge of efficiency award from his commanding
officer. Col. John Groff. Mrs. Jennings and their two children,
who last resided at 413 Arcadia street, are currently in Illinois
visiting relatives.
Cars in Brazil Use Charcoal Gas,
Bananas Cost But 25 cents Stalk;
Perdue Writes Parents of Visit
Mark Perdue, son of Mr. and
Mrs. John Perdue of 207 McAn
drews Road, who is serving in
the Merchant Marine recently
wrote his parents an interesting
letter telling of his experiences
while at a Brazilian port, and
his impressions of the country
and its natives. Perdue returned
to duty Aug. 15, after a short
leave spent with his wife and
small daughter in Guthrie, Okla.
He is one of four sons of Mr.
and Mrs. Perdue serving jn the
armed forces or merchant ma
rine. His letter follows in part:
I've seen lots of beautiful
countries and traveled about
13,000 miles in all. We stopped
in Guantanama, Cuba and Trini
dad, a British island off the
coast of Venezuela where they
drive on the "wrong" side of the
car and also the "wrong" side
of the street. You get in a car
and start down the street and
you'll be ready to get out and
walk after the first block be
cause you just know someone
is going to crash right into you.
In Brazil the automobiles burn
charcoal. They have two large
burners on the back bumpers
that form some kind of gas, and
they drive like drunk Indians.
They had lols of fresh cocoa
nuts, bananas at 25c a stalk, and
almost any kind of fruit or
vegetable.
Wish you could have seen
some of the souvenir shops and
the people there. Many of the
people speak English and some
of them can't speak a word of it.
The workers there who un
load the ships wear hlgh-heelcd
flat wooden shoes with nothing
but a toe-strap to hold them on.
They really make a cKitter when
they get in a hurry.
We are painting the ship In
Santos, Brazil, and I had my
shirt laying down on the raft we
were painting off of. A bunch
of Brazilians were around,
watching us paint. One of them
wanted to buy my shirt, which
was a short-sleeved blue one. I
asked him how much he would
give me; he said five milrays, or
25 cents in American money, so
I sold it to him. They really got
a kick out of that.
Then he wanted to buy my
belt for 5 milrays so I sold that
to him also and he gave me his
belt made out of snake skin. He
had a ring on his finger which
he said he would give me the
next time I was there. They are
real friendly people and would
do almost anything for you.
It was supposed to be mid
winter down there but was
about 80 and real nice. The
weather varies from 70 to 95 de
grees the year around.
Although they have plenty of
silk stockings, Nylons and alarm
clocks, they are really high, as
they have learned the Ameri
cans don't have them at home
any more.
They are becoming more mo-
ft Li" I
"J
dern down there all the time,
and are building lots of new
up-to-date buildings. I am en
closing a Brazilian nickle. Their
nickle, quarter, half dollar and
dollar are all green, folding
money.
I went up on top of their
Sugar Loaf mountain on a cable
car across a valley you could
scarcely see the bottom of. The
mountain is of solid granite.
Other sons of Mr. and Mrs.
Perdue are Herbert I. Perdue,
seaman second class on duty
with the navy somewhere on the
Pacific ocean, Pvt. James T.
Perdue in England, and Carl A.
Perdue, apprentice seaman at
Farragut, Idaho and who will
soon finish boot training.
TREAT FOR GOURMET
Brazil, Ind. (U.R) James Ste
venson of Brazil thinks he has
found something which might
make him a fortune if he can
propagate exactly the small
greenhead frog he found. It has
six legs and four of them are
hind legs, greatly prized by gourmets.
Discriminating buyers are
sometimes disappointed when they
call at their dealers and ask for
Blitz-Weinhard by name.
But they know that their favorite
Hcer will again be on the shelves
in a day or two . . , and they
also know that it is most definitely
worth waiting for. Because
for more than three quarters of a
century, the Blitz-Weinhard
Company has brewed one fine
beer ... of unvarying quality and
flavor ... a beer so good it's
guaranteed satisfying.
ew.
GOP INCUMBENT
RETAINS OFFICE
Portland, Aug. 21 Mrs. John
Y. Richardson, Portland, was
re-elected vice-chairman of the
Oregon state republican central
committee in the only contest of
the biennial election Saturday,
which also saw Niel R. Allen
Grants Pass, re-elected chairman
by quick, unanimous vote.
Kenneth Nielsen, Eugene,
secretary, and Howard Wall,
Portland, treasurer, were elect
ed unanimously and without op
position in tho election held at
the Portland hotel, with all but
one of Oregon's 36 counties rep
resented in the balloting. Crook
county was the one not rep
resented. Plans for organizing republi
can war veterans clubs over the
state, announced by Carl Moser,
executive secretary, In his re
port to the group, were given
the approval of the committee
by a vote to authorize the organ
ization of such clubs.
Change Called For
The committee also went on
record in favor of a change in
the structure of the committee
which will double its size if the
plan is carried out. ,rhis plan
calls for automatic Inclusion of
all county chairmen and vice
chairmen on the committee, and
Is advanced for the purpose of
improving liaison between coun
ty and state groups. The action
of the committee .was a vote to
recommend to the slate legisla
ture that this change he made.
The state organization goes
into the campaign with a cash
balance of $12,199.11, and its
all-time biggest financial job
ahead of it, according to the re
port of Treasurer Wall.
Party Finances Eyed
Biggest stumbling block In
the way of party finances, Wall;
said, is the provision of the in
come tax law which classifies
campaign contributions as net in
come, rather than gross Income.
"When a man In tho high In
come brackets makes a $1000
contribution to the party," Wall
said, "he is actually shelling out
about $1900." 1
Speaking at the week-end
meeting of the committee Rep.
Everett M. Dlrksen, R. 111.,
charged "New Dealism" with
providing government by direc
tive, and of daily assuming more
jurisdiction from U. S. courts.
Constitutional government may
be lost if the trend toward ex
ecutive domination is not arrest
ed, he said. j
Use Mall Tribune Want Ads.
BLITZ WEINHARO CO.
ORTUlA). OREGON
f w
HI
Keep Asking lor It by Name
Monday, August 21, 1944 MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE THREB
i t9.
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Capt. R. C. Ashley, United
Air Lines pilot, and that Samoy
ede dog he is holding have
something in common. Both are
accustomed to the Arctic Capt.
Ashley in his flights for the Air
Transport Command over Alas
kan territory and "Eslooto" Is a
descendant of a rare breed of
dogs from northern Siberia.
Capt. Ashley raises Samoyedes
as a hobby in between his
flights in the north. The Ashley
kennels are in Seattle Inciden
tally, "Eslooto" is Eskimo for
brave.
Alaska Air Pilot
Raises Samoyedes,
Little-Known Dogs
When not flying over Alaskan
territory for the Air Transport
Command, Capt. R. C. Ashley of ;
United Air Lines has a hobby,
that is the envy of his fellow'
fliers. 1
The veteran pilot, who has
more than 1400 aerial hours to
his credit over the frozen Arctic,
raises Samoyede dogs, a breed
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almost never seen In the) eon
tincntal United States.
The animals originally wer
from northern Siberia and ar
said never to have been seen by
white men until they were dis
covered by members of one of
the original Arctic expeditions.
Two later were taken as an ex
periment to the famous Colby
Kennels in England.
Named after the Samoyeds
tribe of northern Siberia, th
dogs are described as having a
disposition similar to those little.
known people. The Samoyedej
were poor and, seldom having
enough to eat, always left a
little of the food offered them so
that the next person would not
go entirely hungry. Captain Ash
ley claims Samoyede dogs to this
day have the same trait, and no
matter how ravenous, will never
lick their food plates entirely
clean.
WEATHER
Northern California Clear
today, tonight and Tuesday, e
cept for fog locally along coast.
Slightly cooler In interior today.
Peace of Paris marked the end
of France's colonial empile in
1763.
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