| MEMORIES
REKINDLED
Nineteen years ago, a devoted fan of 1940s B movies
and the son of a dancer who appeared in many 40s musicals
at Universal Pictures (as part of a jitterbug group
called
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| Three
old friends: Rand Brooks, Jane Withers, and Jimmy
Lydon. |
The Jivin’ Jacks and Jills) decided to stage a reunion
of performers who worked in movies at that time. Michael
Fitzgerald and Gary Bell have made a lot of people happy
ever since. The latest gathering was held this month
in Studio City, California.
Not everyone who attends was a major star, but they
all were part of a special time in Hollywood. My wife
and I sat at a table with Ann Richards, the Australian-born
leading lady of such 1940s movies as An American
Romance, Rita Quigley, who made an auspicious screen
debut at the age of 16 in Susan and God with
Joan Crawford, Dorothy Morris, who was an MGM ingénue
at the same time, and her sister Caren Marsh, a studio
dancer who also worked as Judy Garland’s stand-in.
 |
| Sybil
Jason costarred with Al Jolson in The Singing Kid.
Betty Garrett sang and danced with Gene Kelly and
Frank Sinatra, and hasn't ever stopped performing.
Their smiles could light up any room. |
The night before, Ann Richards had been at a dinner for
the Hollywood Cricket Club, for whom she’s served as mascot
for many years, and I pried her for memories of its patriarch,
the glorious British character actor Sir C. Aubrey Smith.
(He was the memorable costar of the 1939 version of
The Four Feathers.) She told me that he and his
wife kept chickens on their Beverly Hills property, and
named them for Aubrey’s leading ladies from the London
stage. Rita Quigley explained that she was a latecomer
to movies, as her sister Juanita began at the age of two.
Caren discussed her autobiography, which she hopes to
have published some time soon.
Cruising around the room, I said hello to some movie
veterans who have become friends over the years: Dick
Jones, the prolific child actor who gained immortality
as the voice of Pinocchio... the irrepressible Jane
Withers... Jimmy Lydon, whose Henry Aldrich movies were
great favorites of mine when I was growing up... Rand
Brooks, who played Scarlett O’Hara’s first husband and
Hopalong Cassidy’s last sidekick...
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| Showstoppers:
Peggy Ryan, still cutting up at 78, and Fayard Nicholas,
still graceful at 88. |
Patty Andrews, of the unforgettable Andrews Sisters...
Margaret O’Brien, the beloved MGM child star... and Joan
Leslie, the lovely actress who starred opposite Gary Cooper,
James Cagney and Fred Astaire while she was still a teenager.
Rose Marie spoke about her autobiography, which is due
from the University of Kentucky Press this fall. Former
child actor Sam McKim and I discussed his “second” career,
as an artist with the Walt Disney company. And the list
goes on: Virginia Mayo, Frankie Thomas, Trudy Marshall,
Noel Neill, Barbara Hale, Billy Chapin, Russell Wade,
Elisabeth Fraser, Betty Garrett, Nancy Marlow, Carol Bruce,
Kristine Miller, Beverly Washburn, Gigi and Janine Perreau,
Colleen Miller, Anne Gwynne, Vivian Austin, Barbara Fuller,
Edith Fellows, Gary Gray, David Holt, Gloria Jean, Tommy
Ivo, Kathleen Hughes, Elinor Donahue, Teddy Infuhr, Patrick
Curtis, Ben Cooper, a shy but sweet Jean Parker, and the
amazing nonogenarian Anita Page.
Apparently the genesis of this party, almost twenty
years back, was a birthday celebration for Donald O’Connor’s
peppy musical partner Peggy Ryan.
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Peggy now lives in Las Vegas, and every year she brings
along a dance troupe she’s sparked and choreographed
for many years. The TNT Dancers are attractive
businesswomen who love to kick up their heels, and the
group always puts on a good show, with the effervescent
Peggy out in front. But this year she stopped the proceedings
cold by coaxing Fayard Nicholas to join her briefly
on the dance floor.
Fayard is, of course, the surviving member of the Nicholas
Brothers, an altogether extraordinary act that dazzled
audiences on stage and film for decades. Fayard is 88,
and explained that he doesn’t dance any more, but Peggy
persuaded him to do some moves alongside her as the music
played. He is such a pro, and so incredibly graceful,
that his “faking,” with swaying hips and elegant hand
gestures, was better than most tap dancers’ finest efforts.
Needless to say, it brought the house down. There is so much show business history in this room
that it’s almost overwhelming at times. As a lifelong
movie lover, it’s a wonderful feeling to bask in the
glow of such talent. |
