Looking at Hollywood with Hedda Hopper
Chicago Sunday Tribune [date unknown]

Tyrone Power, who is rapidly becoming our number one ambassador of goodwill, had hardly settled down from his recent 32,000 miles jaunt over Europe and Africa before he was planning another trip. This time he hopes to visit the Scandinavian countries, India and Australia.

"Why not Russia?" I asked

"I hardly think I'd be welcome there," he replied wit a grin. Since his return to America, Ty has no soft-pedaled his comments on Communism in Europe.

"You don't hear the word 'communism' mentioned very much abroad," said he, "but there's plenty of evidence that it's around.

"The Communists are already hard at work to win over Europe. Time is important we must lend aid.

"In Greece, I was driving out to Corinth one day when I spotted a many laying a rock wall. Here was a common laborer; so I decided to get his viewpoint. Thru my interpreter I asked whether he preferred a democratic, communistic, socialist, or royalist form of government.

"He replied that he didn't care what kind of government he had so long as it enabled hi to have a roof over his head, milk for his babies, and a fair insurance that he could provide for his family the necessities of life. I think that fellow spoke for a lot of people. That's why I consider our help so important.

"Greece is full of confusion. You see soldiers everywhere. The democracies have no great influential newspaper there; but the communists have two. Our most potent institution there is the United States Information service, which demonstrates to all who are interested [in] the methods of democracy at work. It could have a much ore powerful influence if it were not forced to operate on such a slim budget--$7,500 a year.

"If we make the proposed vast contributions of material to stave off communism in Europe, it seems foolish not to protect our investments by backing them with our own brand of propaganda, expounding our way of life. Political and diplomatic advice is needed as well as material aid. Europe must have help from either America or Russia; and I think that the great majority of the people would prefer that it came from us.”

Ty reached in his pocket and handed me a copy of a story that appear in the communist dominated, "People's Letter," published in Zareb, Yugoslavia. "Here's an example of communist propaganda in Europe," said he. "Those Reds will stop at nothing."

The article stated that Ty had been imprisoned in Hollywood because he had been marked as a "leftist." Then it went on to tell how buster Crabbe had organized a movement to "protest against the investigation of Un-American activities against Gary Cooper, Charlie Chaplin, and others."

Crabbe, according to the war, was finally machine-gunned at the corner of 7th Avenue and Broadway in New York; and Ty acted as one of his pall bearers.

"The story had spread to Italy," said Ty. "Anti-Communists hissed Gary Cooper's name; and I was asked a number of times about the death of Buster Crabbe. The article did me no good either."

When Ty started flying in 1937, 20th Century official almost had a mass heart attack. They just couldn't bear the thought of their million-dollar baby traipsing among the clouds. But Ty is a stubborn character. He kept right on soaring off into the wild blue yonder, whether the studio liked it or not.

After he returned from the war and announced that he was flying to South America, 20th Century gave in and decided not to argue with Ty about his flying, but to make his traveling as safe as possible. So the studio bought a new plane and turned it over to the actor. He took South America by storm, scattering goodwill and winning thousands of new friends for Hollywood and 20th Century Fox.

The studio took the attitude a proud but worried parent. When Ty decided to span the ocean, it promptly got him a DC-3 and sent a press agent along, to help the star in his public relations work. The trip cost 20th Century more than $150,000, but officials figure on getting that sum back and more with Ty's increased prestige at the box office. And they're not indisposed to shelling out shekels to create goodwill for our whole industry. Other studios could wisely follow suit.

Ty's the kind of lad who could go into a cave for hibernation and still make news. Everything he does hits the headlines: his romance with Janet Gaynor; his marriage to Annabella; his service with the Navy as a flier; his recent romance with Lana Turner.

While in Italy, he visited the studio at which "Cagliostra" is being filmed. In the picture was a new Italian actress Valentina Cortese, whom 20th Century has signed to a long term contract. Ty was asked to pose with her. And, of course, he complied. Otherwise, he never saw the girl again. But right after he got home, he picked up a pear and there he found the picture, which was captioned: "Tyrone Power with His New Girl Friend." When I asked, "Well, is she?" I thought he was going to slug me.

In the next few months, you will likely see his name connected romantically with half a dozen feminine names. Take the reports with a grain of salt. He's young and popular; so naturally he will be seen in the company of women. But he will remarry in his own good time, and to the girl of his choice. He plans eventually to raise a family.

I asked him if the war had changed him. He replied, "Not exactly, but it awakened in me an awareness of people and conditions outside of Hollywood. Before the war, many of us movie people accepted life as a gravy train on which we were fortunate enough to be riding. But no more.

"In the services we were brought fact to face with really, and the impression it left will remain with us. We can't go back to the old days. And responsibility has been thrust upon us, and we must accept it."

Since his discharge from the Navy [sic], Ty has been extremely fortunate in being given a varied assortment of film roles. In The Razor's Edge he played a veteran of the last war who gave up ease to seek a meaning to life and to search out his own soul. He followed that with the part of one of the most disreputable characters ever seen on the screen, the "geek" in "Nightmare Alley," who sank so low that he ate live chickens as a carnival freak to get a bottle of whiskey daily. "Captain form Castile" shifted him to historical romance.

In that picture, he plays an officer in the army of Cortez, during its conquest of Mexico. This Old Magic veers off into fantasy. In it, Ty has the role of an American newspaperman who goes to Ireland and pals around with a leprechaun.

There are two stories which he would give his right arm to do: The Robe and Forever. He would be good in either; but his studio owns neither of them. Forever, the lovely and delicate tale written by Mildred Cram, has had a sad history in Hollywood. Originally Janet Gaynor bought it as a starring vehicle for herself. She got it for a pittance, and sold it for $75,000, after deciding not to make the picture herself. Then Metro bought it for Norma Shearer.

The Asking price for the story now is, I understand, more than $200,000.

Ty comes from a distinguished theatrical family. I knew his parents well; and I watched their son, who is about the same age as my own, grow up. His father, and grandfather before him, were noted actors. Both his mother and grandmother were well known in the theatre. But the background did not create a royal road to Hollywood for Ty. He had to do a bit of staving first.

He read comics over the radio, and finally landed a job at a Century of Progress in Chicago. He worked with an organization that demonstrated how movies were made. It was at the fair that a talent scout spotted him and recommended him for films.

His first picture, Girl's Dormitory, starred young Simone Simon, and boasted such stars as Ruth Chatteron, Constance Collier, and Herbert Marshall. But the audience latched on to Ty. After the preview, I heard many people ask, "Who was that charming boy?" Few people knew, because Ty hadn't even been given screen credit.

Nobody can say that he hasn't gotten the breaks since then, and he has made the most of them.

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