Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 38

Kathleen Burke crl. -Jl Usued Hubby -f "VJs Kathleen Burke sued Hubby Glenn Rardin, whose "panther girl" photos made her famous. Someemdiw Jon ED By Uan Thomas BRIGHTLY lighted movie set A a heart-free moonlight quarrels a beautiful actress cameraman love rides marriage Joan Blondell seemed unusually happy with George Barnes until she suddenly sued for divorce. (Dam uram and tie SUARS For some reason or other, the boys who take the pictures and the girls who act in them can't seem to make a go of matrimony out in Hollywood on every street corner these days. Consequently she will have to turn down a pretty sweet contract in order to stick to her guns.

That's the way things happen in Hollywood where gold is king. The film bosses have 1 i lS w- if 4 DIVORCE. That, in a nutshell, is the story ot Hollywood romances between actresses and cameramen. For some reason, which even the principals aren't able to explain, this is a combination that can't stay combined for long. Past marital smashups.

however, don't dampen the ardor of others who decide to try this combination. With all the zeal ol young lovers, they plunge into the marriage whirlpool confident that "things will be different in our case. Just a lew weeks ago pretty brunet Kay Sutton and Eddie Cronjager solemnly swore to "love, honor and cherish until death do us part." It didn't mean a thing to them that Hollywood's records showed only one similar couple. Evelyn Venable and Hal Mohr. still happily married.

And that achievement can't be taken to mean a great deal since the Mohr-Venable marriage is less than a year old. Over on the other side of the ledger, however, they were conlronted with numerous failures Joan Blondell and George Barnes. Jean Harlow and Hal Rosson. Lina Basquette and Peverel Marley. Kathleen Burke and Glenr Rardin.

But the precedent meant nothing to Kay ana Eddie. They went ahead with their plans just the same. And alter returning Irom a two-weeks' honeymoon they declared in unison. "We're married foi life. Before we were married we were confident that we would be able to make a go ol it.

But now we're positive. Nothing in the world will be a big enough barrier to stand between us." INLARGING upon this statement, the new Mrs. Cronjager lemaiked. "I think one of the reasons the othei marriages went on the rocks was because all of the girls kept right on with theii careers altei they were married. In my opinion that's always a mistake.

"Very lev couples are big enough to weather the storms ot two careers. In our family there only going to be one. As soon as my contract is up. which will tw in a few weeks. I'm going to retue horn the screen.

"Eddie is a good cameraman and has a great future ahead of him. There's no need tor me to work. He can more than supply us with eveiything we need. And I think I'll be doing my part best by staying home and making tilings as comfortable as possible for him." That's noble idea ol Kay Sutton's il it works. But whether it will or not is yet to be determined.

It's a cinch that executives at the RKO studio, where both she and Cronjager re under contract, are going to do all their power to break down het plan. Although Kay ha been in pictures less than two years, studio execs regard her as starring material, particularly in view of the performance she gave in Lily Pons recently completed film. "Love Song." And starring material isn't to be picked up Nn, Lf. Evelyn Venable is an exception to the rule. She and Cameraman Hal Mohr have been married nearly a year and they're still happy! no regard for a mere marriage.

Whether it succeeds or not is no concern of theirs. All they know is that a girl whom they believe to be a potential star wants to quit. And they intend to use every possible form ol persuasion to make her change her mind. Of course, just what the final outcome pi this marriage will be is something nobody would be so rash as to prophesy. But if there was any betting to be done, the odds would be against permanency simply because ot what ha happened in the past.

When Jean Harlow and Hal Rosson were married they were emphatic in their declaration that they were ideally suited to each other. This despite the fact that it was the platinum blond's third trip to the altar. However, after seven month's of married life the gulf between them had become so wide it was impossible to bridge it So they went their separate ways, VS in the case of Miss Sutton and Cronjager, Jean Harlow and Rosson met when he photographed ber in a picture, "Red Dust." But theirs was no speedy romance. It was while Jean was busily engaged on that film that Paul Bern, her second husband, committed suicide. Those were trying days, days in which Rosson's kindness and friendship meant a great deal.

A year later they again were brought together when he was assigned to photograph Fhe Blond Bombshell." Romance moved swiftly during the making of this production. Immediately after its completion they eloped to Yuma, Ariz. In commenting on their romance afterward Jean said, "We were on the desert on location last week. One night after we had finished shooting Hal and I went for a walL We stopped beneath a giant saguaro. silvered in the pale desert moonlight.

Hal looked at me. I looked at him. We knew then that we would be married." And then the actress continued. "Hal is the finest, kindest, most sincere and most honorable man have ever known. I know that ours is one Hollywood marriage that will last." Her statements sounded beautiful.

But how the tune changed when she got into the divorce court. Then she charged that he was sullen, irritable, and that his ungenerous character constituted, in effect, continuous brutality. And now let's see how things went with Joan Blondell and George Barnes. They also met when he was behind the camera, she in front of it. As he looked through the lens, George thought Joan was the most gorgeous creature he ever had photographed.

Pretty soon Joan began to think George was the swellest fellow she ever had knowrn. So they got married. For more than two years she had Hollywood convinced that she was the one girl who had been cut out for George. She insisted upon having him as the cameraman on all ot her pictures and once even threatened to change hei screen name to Joan Barnes. Only weeks of coaxing and pleading from studio executives averted this change.

The future looked doubly secure tor this couple when their son was born a year ago. But when the storm clouds began to gather they closed in swiftly. Almost before Hollywood even sensed a rift between them. Joan announced that she and Barnes had separated. A few weeks later she filed suit for divorce, stating simply that they were unsuited to each other.

What the real cause of their breakup may have been is still a mystery as far as the film colony is concerned. fTHE whole world locked rosy to beautiful Lina Basquctte and Peverel Marley while he was photographing her in "The Godless Girl." The actress, widow of Sam Warner, thought she had found happiness at last when she became conscious of the attention Marley was paying to her. And be worked rapidly, so rap idly that they were married in Beverly Hills a few weeks after the picture was completed. Theirs was a colorful wedding, attended by many of filmdom's notables. And they made the same kind ol statements given out by the other couples in the early stages of their married life.

But like the others, they too changed their tunes. Two and a half years later Lina moved out (Copyright. 1935. by Every Week Magenne) of their home and took up residence in an apartment. Their separation was one of those typical Hollywood breakups, however.

Each continued to sing praises of the other and they frequently were seen together in various night spot Even after Marley sued for divorce, charging his wife with being so jealous that she objected to his profession because it brought him in con tact with other women, they continued to friends. In fact, eight months after Marley 's intei locutory divorce decree was granted they me in Yuma, to discuss the possibility of a reconciliation. Nothing came of this meetinp however, and their paths veered in different di rections forood. A short time-later Lina mat ried Teddy Hayes, former trainer of Jac! Dempy, whom she divorced a year afterward It isn't necessary for an actress-camerama: romance to have its beginning in Hollywood ir order to be jinxed, however. Take the case ot Kathleen Burke and Glenn Rardin.

Their ro mance started in Chicago when he made the photographs of her that enabled her to win the nationwide "Panther Girl" contest over 60.000 other contestants. As a result ot winning tins content Miss Burke was brought to Hollywood and given a long-term contract by the Paia mount studio. A year later Rardin followed her to the film capital and they were married Apparently their wedding ceremony was the signal loi storm clouds to gather. Less than two month? late ihey separated but became reconciled agam. Another separation followed within a lew months and Miss Burke got a divorce.

Whether the fate of any ol these couples hanging over Evelyn Venable and Hal Mohr, married less than a 'year, or Kay Sutton and Eddie Cronjager, still virtually bride ana groom, is highly problematical. But you can't take the statements they make now too seriously. "After all. similar boasts and predictions were made by every one ol then predecessors but in each instance they turned out to be very hollow words..