Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • Page 53

4 OAKLAND TRIBUNE, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31. 1933 "ill liJ "I don't think you could call our careers fifty-fifty," says Ruby Keeier, shown above with her husband. "My favorite role Is that of Mrs. Al Jolson and I don't care who knows it," she adds AGE CA1RJ on aSO-SO Basis but After All, Being a Real Wife and Mother Is nil More Important Than Success in Pictures, Say Noted Stars i. A I PV I mucn uepends on Temperame.it, 1 couldn't have one anyway what do I care?" "I have two ambitions," confessed Kay Francis, who Is Mrs.

Kenneth McKenna. "I want, first of all, to be a good wife. I hope to be a success! uJ actress. There is no necessity tor me to choose between them yet. I don believe there ever could be, because, to me, being a successful wife is more important than any other one thing.

"We manage marriage and careers uy the simple method of believing matrimony the more important and by keeping home and studio divorced as completely as possible. "It isn't very difficult to do. We leave studio troubles when we leave the studio gates and we drop home problems back of the front door as we go out. "One can 'manage' a career, but one cannot 'manage' marriage. It's far too important.

"If this is fifty-fifty marriage, then we have it Joan Changes Name JOAN BLONDELL recently begged her studio to permit her to use he; new legal name, Joan Barnes. George Barnes, ace cameraman, is Joans husband, and Joan is very much in love. "I was sitting in a beauty shop the other day having my hair bleached," related Joan. "I hate wasting my time having things done to me and I got to thinking of all the things I do that don't like. It seemed to me my life was spent on unimportant matters, while the really vital ones were neglected.

My husband is my most cherished business in life. I decided to let my hair, go brown again and take my husband's name." The relation between bleached hair and fifty-fifty marriages may seem ob- scure, but Joan insists that it Isn't. "For 2 cents I'd chuck the whole career business and settle down to be a wife and mother," she declared. "Happiness is the important thing. A career never did and never will bring any real happiness.

I don't Intend to miss the real thing forever. You'll see As to her husband's career: "Of course It's more important than The camera end of pictures is making greater strides than any other part of the industry." Not in Hollywood DOLORES COSTELLO gave up the idea of even a 10-90 per cent career when she married John Barrymore and believes that Is the best way to solve the problem. Many two-career advocates point to Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt as examples of the fifty-fifty career that actually works. "But they're not In Hollywood," said Louise Fazenda. "They probably live In New York apartments or hotels where things are run for them.

They have no children. We are talking of normal married life, where you have a home, entertain, Invite our mother-in-law to Sunday dinner and watch your children's education. That's where fifty fifty careers get strained!" Copyright By Alice L. Tildesley rpHEIRS i.s to be a fifty-fifty marriage. The career (il our is not to bo more Important (hahthc career of the other.

(The. shall not Void the oilier back for purely personal and selfish reasons when a great opportunity presents it-seii One shall not be expected or permitted to sacrifice for the other. It's to be an Ideal marriage, or so its two participants George O'Brien and Marguerite Churchill have planned. Other dreaming young lovers have planned ideal marriages, too, and some have achieved them, although perhaps not often exactly as specified. The fifty-fifty part of the O'Brien-Churchill idea suggests interesting speculation.

Didn't Joan Crawford and young Doug Fairbanks say of the sort back in the days when they very much in love and full of idnas about successful marriage? Younr; Doug's father and Mary Pickford also tried to have two careers of equal importance. Home Life First THINK it would be great if il could be woikcd." said Louise Fazenda, whose husband is Hal Wallis, executive of one of the larger picture-producing companies. "Theoretically il sounds all right. This Is the twentieth century- and women's careers are being accepted with virtually no fuss. Husbands encourage us to take an interest in something outside of our homes and rather look down on wives who do wot do something besides housework.

But they don't want any fitty-fifty business about their wives' careers. At least Hollywood husbands don't. "Hollywood men are likely to be nervous and high-strung. They need careful handling and plenty of coddling. After a strenuous day at a studio, some one has to see that things at home go smoothly; that there is no irritation or unpleasantness; that he can relax and forget his worries.

If his wife considers her own career as important as his, she'll feel that a hard day at her studio entails a lot of coddling and peace, for her at home. But will she get it? "I think the way to the successful marriage is for the wife to realize at owe that her career must be second' to her wifehood; that she has to consider first how to make her husband comfort-Bble and then her career can take its chance. She can't put her work ahead of her baby that is, if its safety, health or happiness is in danger and naturally tin chief business must be her personal "relation to this child. "Perhaps 60-40 might be a good arrangement in marriage, or 75-25 if careers for both are to be factors. An observation of other Hollywood honies seems to prove my point.

Of course, If a girl would like to lose her husband, that's different. Take 75 per cn of the family career and see how fjr It is to the divorce court!" Everything at the Thalbergs centers around Irving. His is the important not Mrs. Thalberg's, although Norma Shearer is rated among the top-noccb stars. She is Canadian, which may partly explain her husband-first tneory, since women are definitely in second place there.

It is Irving's preferences that are considered at his house. There is no shop at home, Norma being of the opin-i i that after hoars should be restful entertaining. If Irving doesn't care mm 1 "I want first of all to be a good wife. I hope to be a successful actress. There is no necessity for me to choose between them yet, remarks Kay Francis, here shown with her husband, Kenneth McKenna to go out, the Thalbergs stay home; if he does favor social stepping and Norma nas an early call, they go out, but Norma returns by herself, so that his enjoyment shall not be spoiled.

When her husband was taken ill, Norma obtained leave of absence to go abroad with him. "I'm terribly interested in my work," explained Norma' seriously, "and my husband pays most flattering attention to my career. It's usually his idea when I do something new. But after all, it's a questionmf values. Which is most to you home or career? Careers Wrecked Homes XJO REAL woman cares about her importance so much as any real man cares about his own.

He must feel superior or his pride is damaged. "To me, as to most women, the preservation of romance is of more moment than any acclaim that may come to nie. (low can romance help withering when the man's first right, to be head of his house, is taken away?" Ann Harding's marriage to Harry Bannister was wrecked because he could not er.dure the fact that she got more of the Hollywood spotlight than he did. "Once bitten, twice shy" is not applicable to this gentleman, however, as he was reported to be ready to take Mary Mc-Cormlc, grand-opera star, to the altar in January. William Powell and Carole Lombard once believed that two careers of equal importance could flourish under one roof.

Two years' experiment found Bill A Ine Claire, wlio.se brief marriage to John Gilbert wound up in a divorce court, once told me that any woman to whom a happy marriage is more important than anylhing else in the World can her husband. It's entirely up to her. Evidently Inn's own career seemed more valuable (o her than marital bliss. Jack's new wife, the former Virginia Bruce, who to be sure had no such outstanding fame as was Ina's, decided that homeniaking should replace film nctlng for her. Up lo date she has proved her predecessor's Iheory and seems content.

There was never, so far as I know, iuiy fifty-fifty discussion over Janet (iaynor's marriage- to Lydell Peck. He rave up his profession as attorney at law to lake a position as writer in the stueii; when; his wife starred. But the superior rank and importance of Janet rankled and his pride could not stand the "Mr. Gaynor" implication. "Women are not so little-minded as men," is Warner Baxter's comment on the idea of fifty-fifty marriage.

"They could go fifty-fifty and be fair about it, but men They have too much egc, or something. When we were first married my wife, Winifred Bryson, kept on with, her career. Working-at a studio or on the stage is a nervous strain. Two persons on a constant strain tend to snap at each other when their nerves are ragged. Realizing that quarrels over nothing seemed to be wrecking what we had hoped to make a happy marriage, Winifred voluntarily gave up her career for mine." June Collyer, who made decided up tlic film ladder before she inairled Stuart Erwin, has just returned the screen from a two-year absence.

"But I'm coming back with reservations," she announced gayly. "The most important one is that no picture is going interfere witli my career as wife and nioincr. I'm a free lance, so I can accept or reject parts ollered nie, and thus can arrange my time to suit my If Stuart has a vacation I can plan my work so that I can be free for l.jn "I enjoy pictures and 1 hope to keep busy but as to fifty-fifty careers not for me!" "Other women may have more vitality than I have," said Florence Eldrldge, who is Mrs. Prcdrlc March. "In that case a full-time career plus a husband may be all In the day's work.

But as for me, 10 per cent is about my limit. It takes practically all my time and strength to run the house, look after the baby and enjoy things with my husband. Now and then I do a picture or a play'. Mr. March is willing and eager to have me follow a career and would not make it difficult for me to do so, but I haven't the pep to do two things well.

Either one alone can be great fun, but each one is an all-lime job." Fifty Fifty Here r' TRENE DUNNE has a husband who pur- sues his profession in New York. Aline McMahon also has what 'used to be called a "life partner" in that city. Tlie.se lovely ladies flit across the continent upon occasion to visit their spouses, and entertain them In Hollywood whenever they can arrange to get there. But this sort of thing Is not what the young O'Briens contemplate, I gather. Claudette Colbert and Norman Foster actually have fifty-fifty careers, but they achieve them at the expense of a home, since each one maintains a separate residence and makes engagements with the other exactly as though there were no marital bonds.

"No, I don't think you could call our careers fifty-fifty," said Ruby Keeier. "My favorite role is that of Mrs. Al Jolson and I don't care who knows It. I was perfectly happy when I was Just that and nothing else, and I'd be perfectly happy to be just Mrs. Jolson again.

"Nothing is half so important to me as the success of our marriage and my husband's happiness. If my career were more Important, I suppose I'd be worrying about It, but I'm not." Jobyna Ralston and Dixie Lee decided soon after they were respectively married to Richard Arlen and Bing Crosby that careers and marriage don't mix-not even 10-00 per cent of them. TUejt are all great friends and have recently christened the Arlen and Crosby heirs at a double celebration. "Husbands and babies take up too much time to bother with careers," said Jobyna. "As a matter of fact, perhaps fill! 4 "Husbands encourage us to take an interest In something outside of our homes and rather look down on wives who do not do sdme-thing besides housework," says Louise Fazenda, pictured with her baby, Hal Wallit, Jr.

'1jr complaining bitterly that he might as well be single. He seldom saw his wife. When he did she had a new part to memorize, or was worrying over a difficult scene, an Interviewer was coming, or she had to go back to the studio on a night call. What Carole felt about it doesn't appear, but a trip to Reno was the end to romance..