It was he, you will remember, whose boyhood pact with Nelson brought about the victory of the Battle of Trafalgar in LLOYD'S O FLONDON. It was he whose mother's cow, aided by his own indifference to bad housing condition, started the fire that burnt out old Chicago. It was he who illustrated Irving Berling's musical fame, and a few months later (as the time goes) vainly tried to snatch Marie Antoinette from the guillotine. In many a case he looked strangely like Mr. Power, spoke oddly like Mr. Power and when asking, in MARIE ANTOINETTE, how would you use a native of Sweden?") he behaved as gallantly and nicely as I am sure Mr. Power must behave.

Now this same young man has turned up again as a Frenchman. Ferdinand--or Ferdi-ttand, as they insist on calling him--de Lesseps, in the film of SUEZ, at the New Gallery. I must confess that his participation in history this time does surprise me. I was always under the impression that the Suez Canal was the product of centuries of thought, matured and carried out by the untiring efforts of a middle-aged family man and inventor. I had heard that Haroun-al-Raschid envisaged the thing in the eighth century, and that the Venetians began negotiations for a canal across the isthmus some time in the Middle ages. I even had an idea that Leibnitz and Napoleon were somehow interested in the project. Now I learn that the Suez Canal came into being because young Mr. Power went out riding in the desert with Miss Annabella one stormy afternoon.

He saw it seemed, a rainbow, with one end in the Red Sea and the other in the Mediterranean. His quick brain, cinematographically trained, visualised its possibilities. He dreamt of a great trade route across the desert, carrying the ships of all nations. (He knew something about shipping from LLOYD'S OF LONDON.) Setting out to realize to dream, with Miss Annabella as secretary-companion, he began by winning over the heir to the throne of Turkey by teaching him boxing, fending, and how to disappear a handkerchief between the soup and the fish.

Growing bolder, he won the support of Louis Napoleon through the kind offices of his former sweetheart, Miss Loretta Young, now the empress Eugenie. He won the co-operation of Britain by hopping across to the House of Commons and materially assisting Disraeli, still Leader of the Opposition, with his election propaganda.

Now, any one who might find himself billed in such company--and in upper case letters, too--would have ample reason to regard himself as in. And particularly would he have cause to be proud if--as is the case with Mr. Power--he had been musing around the same corner less than three years ago a rank unknown.

But Mr. Power was neither on street corners nor shouting when a scribe caught up with him the other afternoon. He was sitting in a little restaurant just west of the Martin Beck Theatre and was reminiscing fondly with the help about the old, old days when he, a hopeful youth, was playing exceedingly minor roles at the theatre next door. That was was something like two and a half yeas ago. And the play in which Mr. Power was making his Broadway debut was Katharine Cornell's "Romeo and Juliet," with himself playing Benvolio. The help was remembering him with extraordinary vividness. One might have thought Mr. Power was the restaurants' prize customer at that time--when, as a matter of fact, he confessed himself that he was a precarious patron.

If ever there was a living example of the popular success story, a la Hollywood, young Mr. Poewr is it. Three years ago he was dreaming of having his name up in lights. Today his famliar handle is blazoned forth on Broadway in companhy with the great, and farther uptown on Seventh Avenue--at the Roxy Theatre, to the exact--his boyish phiz is being splashed all over the screen in another triumph, "Alexander's Ragtime Band." As stars are listed in the movies, Mr. Power is of the first order.

And, modestly, he professes that he doesn't yet know what to make of it. One day he just woke up and found that Darryl F. Zanuck had created him. From small stage roles with Katharine Cornell in "Romeo and Juliet," and "Saint Joan," he was suddenly playing picture leads in "Lloyds of London" and "Thin Ice." And, if any one has a notion that the direction of his progress is disputable, they should hae a look at his payckeck and comparative box-office figures.

"Boy," Mr. Power was saying the other day, "when I rode down Broadway last night and got a load of that electric sign--boy, it was wonderful!" that was about the extent of Mr. Power's boasftulness. Nor, indeed, could he offer any explanation of his sudden rise to fame. Perhaps modesty forbade. To him, apparently, it's just one of those things. And, although he sincerely hopes that the honeymoon will last, he is nevertheless saving his money. He has had experience with what is called "show business."

Son of the famous stage actor of the same name, Tyrone Power, this exceptionally handsome young man was an usher in a Cincinnati movie house. (And, like a good trouper, he had to cross his fingers and and up his age a few year to get a job.)

Later he made his real stage debut in Chicago at the Civic Auditorium, playing minor roles in the Shakespearean company which included Fritz Leiber, his famous father. William Faversham and Helen Menken. Indeed, it was with this company that he first appeared on Broadway in 1930--but his roles were seldom listed. What were they? "You know," said Mr. Power. "'Light your torches and pull up your tights!'"

Then it was here and there across the country--Hollywood, looking for work which had a most disheartening way of eluding him, and back to Chicago. There he got some radio jobs on a couple on a couple of programs--"First Night her" and "Grand Hotel"--on which a promising young actor names Don Ameche was quite the glorified stuff. And finally, in 1934, he was cast to play a lead opposite Eugene Leotovich in a Chicago revival of "Romance." That was, in those days, success!

Following the run of this effort, young Mr. Power came to New York and--after considerable expense of shoe-leather, winning smiles and patience--was given a chance to understudy Burghess Meredith in "Flowers in the Forest" a lesser item in the Cornell dossier). The Summer of 1935 he spent at the Beach Theatre in West Falmouth, Mass. where the movie scouts looked him over and reported "promising." And then, the following Winter, while displaying himself at the Martin Beck, he was yanked out to the West Coast.

The rest is history--marked by such bright chapters as the aforementioned "Lloyds of London," "Thin Ice," and "In Old Chicago." Now come "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Marie Antoinette" and--in the not-far-distant future--a picture entitled, "Suez," in which Mr. Power, is his favorite of all the pictures he has made. Success apparently, has not gone to his head.

TYRONE-ANNABELLA PRESENTED TO POPE.

Rome, July 22, 1939. Tyrone Power and Annabella's look-see at Italy's Hollywood, Cinecitta, coupled with a presentation to the Pope, marked the high spots of their Rome sojourn.

They arrived in Italy last week, and after a quick look at Naples, came here, where Bruno Fox, head of local 20th-Fox office, took them under his wing.

Darryl Zanuck, production head of Twentieth Century-Fox, yesterday announced that he was withdrawing Tyrone Power, one of the company's leading stars, from further radio broadcasts because of objections from theatre exhibitors to excessive appearances of screen stars on radio programs. In and agreement with Power's sponsors, the company will terminate his program after next Sunday's broadcast.

In his announcement Mr. Zanuck said: "We have no quarrel with the studio but...by the crowding of the air lanes with screen personalities...not only the theatres but the stars themselves are endangered, because it is so difficult to get adequate material for these programs, especially when they must present something new every week."

No little miffed by Zanuck's action, which may have a tendency to spread, although a canvass of other plants failed to disclose any bandwagon climbers-on, network and agency spokesmen gave out freely with their own versions of what was behind the Power withdrawal.

The Boyer Influence

Those close to the Woodbury Playhouse setup claim that Power hasn't been the same since he returned from his South American trip. It was during this layoff that Charles Boyer was brought in as replacement and so impressed the sponsors that he was contracted to take over the series permanently when Power's contract ran out. This is said to have rankled Power no little, ergo the squawk against the half-way commercial cut-in. Boyer takes over next Sunday (12). Power was in the seventh week of the second 13 on a year's contract.

Exhibitors throughout the country hailed Zanuck's action as a move in a direction designed to aid ailing biz. They are hopeful of similar action by other studio heads.

Power and Miss Macdonald dethroned Clark Gable and Myrna Loy, first in the hearts of cinemagoers for 1938. Miss MacDonald entered the contest with an advantage, for she is a singer, and dancer as well as an actress. Power was born to the stage. Both his mother and father were actors. His name derives from County Tyrone in Ireland.

Power's popularity in New York captured for him the No. 1 position among the male stars. In Chicago he finished second, Miss Macdonald was first in both cities.

Power received 89,617 points in the national poll. Gable, in second place trailed him by more than 35,000. Miss MacDonald's victory total was 59,608. Sonja Henie, the Norwegian skating star, was close behind with 52,098....

The first item of cost was research. While Louis Bromfield was careful to lay the scene of his bestseller in an imaginary locals he was also careful to hint that his scene was drawn from an actual place in an authentic modern India. It was up to the Twentieth Century- Fox people to get hold of technical exports who knew their India so well they could think up a costume for Power that would be at once authentic and unreal. these whizzes were found in the persons of Major George Remington, Charles Whitaker and Hussain Nasrl, Indian experts all. (Another expert, Lal chand Mehra, was employed to adapt Indian music to the use of occiddental instruments, but that had nothing to do with clothing of Tyrone Power.)

Certain details of the leading man's costume needed only deft fingers, not imagination. His turban, for instance, had to be wound a certain way and only that way, because he is supposed to be a member of the warrior cast, and as such his headgear would be wound the same way, regardless of where in India Ranchipus was supposed to be. the curved jeweled sword he carries was simply copies from an authentic article in a Los Angeles museum.

One the other hand, there was considerable argument between the authorities as to whether the turban, once wound, should be decorated with (a) a large jewel, (b) a jewel and white peacock feather, (c) a jewel and bird-of-paradise feather. they finally chose the last because it was easier to obtain than white peacock plumage. Another ;point of dispute among the experts was the number of strands of matched pearls Power should wear on his coronation day. Major Remington said they should be no more than three and that they should be supplemented with necklaces of other jewels. The other men said that this would make it too easy to identify what State Power came from if he wore replicas of existing jewels. Nine strands of matched pearls were finally decided on.

The exact cut of Power's coat was also debated; it seems that an Indian expert can tell just where you come from by the cut of your ceremonial robes, and the studio preserving the Bromfield spirit didn't want to identify Ranchipur too carefully. the patter to be embroidered on the coat was also a problem; an expert can tell what part of India you come from by the way the leaves and flowers run. A neat way around these two difficulties was found by copying cut and pattern from an old Persian coat. It's gold thread on red cloth, and it took two months to make, thought it will only show up as black and white on the screen.

Telling You--in Case

"I haven't got any records of that money," Bennie wrote to Tyrone, Jr. "All I've got is this picture I'm just telling you--in case."

The photograph came back with a new autograph. Along with it was a check. Now Bennie can get back into business, and he has another precious memory of the Power family.

And I ended up by signing six pages for him, five of which he was going to hold against the time when I am worth something more than 25 cents.

this demonstrates, I believe, one of the many facets of this glamorous business which might turn an actor's head and possibly lead him along that troublesome road going to Hollywood. As I have said before, it is understandable why some of us travel that path.

With so many agencies pumping ego into heads, there is some excuse for strange conduct by film players. this adulation of motion picture players, unsurpassed in any other field of endeavor, is extremely trying.

Motion picture acting is a business of good and back luck. No actor should pat himself on the back because something beyond his control suddenly projected him into a position of great prominence. The men who believe in themselves also are able to take themselves apart and with clinical interest recognize the elements that made them stick."

I know that but for the circumstance of a very good picture [start] of my career I might still be hammering at the gates of Hollywood. Realizing this, I have nothing to "go Hollywood" about.