St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 55

ii ii Publij-hed Everq Da.t Weekdaijr and Jundaqr in the ST.LOUIS POST-DISPATCH PART SEVEN ST. LOUIS, SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 14, 1944 PAGES 1 8-1 vu Tragic Founder of Mothers Day Coiffures De Luxe ere Man's Account Of Antome at Work By Ear Wilson The Film Front By Harold Heffernan NEW YORK, May 13. ADIES, eat your hearts out! I have beheld with' my own eyes the famous Antoine, the 50-bucks-an-hour hairdresser! Agog and a-tingle, as I squatted in the same chair sat in by the Duchess of Windsor, Garbo and other cus ii i ill ii n.i IS 1 UN- tn Tnntii tr nil Tt tomers, I used up $75 worth of time just hanging around his salon, at a Fifth Avenue department store. Overawed, I forgot to ask him to create a nifty new hair-do for myself. He'd have fixed me up with a swell new coif, I'll bet; Antoine of Paris, who used to sleep In a glass bed shaped like a coffin; who drove an auto of jade and silver; who dyed his dogs mauve; who appeared publicly in white evening clothes, white wig and white slippers with white glass heels; who slumbered in white satin pajamas.

I can remember when mom cut my hair with a crock, so I was staggered by the thought of Antoine's ladies. He sent an operator ANNA JARVIS AS SHE APPEARED SHORTLY BEFORE BEING ADMITTED TO A SANITARIUM LAST FALL. Once Charming Anna Jarvls, Now Blind and Bitter Old Woman, Is Inmate of Sanitarium Sacrificed Mind and Fortune for an Idea. By John LaCerda A Special Correspondent of the Pott-Dispatch t--. i ntfarfrMSJ.J,2iijl jfniit imli'liii mini i iiwrMMiMMBfcMMiM fcfc A St ANTOINE "FRIVOLITY IS WOMAN'S WEAPON." attention to hair-dos of famous to Nassau to fix up the Duchess of Windsor's hair, you remember.

When I arrived at the "Antoine de Paris" salon and saw a lot of chic chicks sitting around in blue smocks getting the works from Antoine's operators, I looked for the master. "Would you be a darling and sit down for a minute?" said Mme. Levine, the sweet, courteous manager. I WAS A DARLING for at least 10 minutes (my maximum time for being a darling), and Mme. Levine revealed that the $5-an-hour bite is just Antoine's consultation charge.

For that he just advises. "lie dresses hair only if he feels In the mood," she said. I was in luck, for this time the mood was upon him. I saw the gray-haired, boyish-looking genius drawing a comb lightning-like through the hair of Countess De Ca-margo. When that wu over, I was admitted and sat down under some enormous flowers hanging out of a vase.

"SOME BARBER SHOP," I thought. Antoine hovered above me a spring symphony. His own hair was glossy. It was a warm day, but he wore a heavyish shirt of cream-colored flannel, socks of the same, gray suit, elevator shoes that hoisted him three inches, and a large onyx platinum ring. Sticking out of his coat pockets were some gray antelope gloves.

I asked him what he was doing with gloves on such a warm day, and he said in accent I'm going to have trouble with, "I wear gloves to have zomezing in my hands because I don't wear hats." PHILADELPHIA, May 13. TOMORROW will be her day, but Anna Jarvis probably will not know nor will she care. In her sound-proofed room there will be a few flowers. There will be an understanding word from the sanitarium's doctors and nurses. Perhaps someone from the Jarvis Committee will come by to read the telegrams and letters.

But to Anna Jarvis, 83, gaunt, sightless, bitter of heart, the Mothers' day to which she sacrificed mind and spirit and fortune will be but an empty interlude along the way to final peace in Pennsylvania's unending hills. When Miss Jarvis founded Mothers' day, she was an attractive, poised woman, charming of manner and challenging of wit. She had suitors, but she ignored them to care for her blind sister, Elsl-nore, seven years younger. With the passing of the years Anna was to change, to become a recluse, a woman of tyrannical moods, a chronic seeker of satisfaction in the courts. Not much is known about Anna's mother, Mrs.

Anna Reeves Jarvis, other than that she was the daughter of a Grafton (W. Va.) clergyman and for a time taught Sunday school at the Andrews Methodist Church. She was a lover of flowers; the carnation was her favorite. Near the turn of the century the family moved to Philadelphia to be near Claude Jarvis, the girls' brother, who had founded a taxi company and was well-to-do. Within a few years Claude died and left the women a $250,000 estate, including a three-story brick home in one of the better residential districts.

ON May 9, 1905, Mrs. Jarvis, her sobbing daughters at her bedside, passed away. Anna's grief was unbounded. She drew the curtains of the redbrick house and seldom, in the years 'to follow, were they opened. On the second anniversary of her mother's death a memorial service was held at the Grafton church and there Anna announced that she.

intended to do something to honor the world's mothers. "They suffer so much and receive so little," she said. Returning to Philadelphia, Anna settled to her task. She wrote to kings and governors, teachers and clergymen, bootblacks, prisons. Army posts, the White House and members of Congress.

Endlessly the letters went out. By 1908, under spur of Anna's pen, the movement began to sweep the country. It spread to every state. Some 43 countries took up the idea. In 1914.

President Wilson signed a Congressional resolution making the second Sunday in May a "flag holiday." Anna was pleased but somewhat alarmed at the trend the observance was taking. "Live this day your best day," she had advocated. "Visit your mother, wear a flower in her honor and display the American flag." Now, with the movement worldwide, things were getting a little out of hand. "Mother's Day," Anna complained to a reporter, "is being desecrated. The telegraph companies with their ready-made greetings, the florists with their high-pressure campaigns and awful prices, and the candy manufacturers and greeting card manufacturers have made a lucrative racket out of my ideas.

"Even a barber in my neighborhood saw a chance to make some money. He put a sign in his window: 'Get a shave and take a clean mug home to As Anna's bitterness increased she began to isolate herself. Her letter writing increased. Her records and papers became so numerous that she bought the house next door for storage. She admitted no one to her home without an appointment and then the visitor had to use a code knock before the door would be opened.

She no longer had her telephone listed in the directory, and on her stationery she substituted a postoffice box number for her address. The letterhead bore the inscription: "Mother's day is in honor of the best mother who ever lived, the mother of your heart." She seldom retired until 1 a. m. and usually was up at 5 a. to walk twice around the block for exercise.

The neighborhood was steadily deteriorating and this added to her resentfulness. Her own property was in disrepair. Anna had alarm clocks in most of the rooms of the gloomy old HOLLYWOOD, May 13. SUCCESS of "escapist" films has all Hollywood stars crying for pure entertainment roles, away from "messages" and propaganda. Greer Garson is now doing "Mrs.

Parkington," the first story, she has done without a "message." Bette Davis, whose "Mr. Skeffing-ton" is a propaganda picture, still has "The Corn Is Green" to do before getting into the escapist category but is anxious to do so. One reason Claudette Colbert refused to renew her Paramount contract was because she wants to be free to pick her stories. She has expressed a flat opinion against doing any propaganda films. Cary Grant is another star who wants to go for pure entertainment, feeling that's what the world needs right now.

War pictures have met no complete washout at the box office, but they are weakening. And the stars, with a weather eye on the future, are trying to protect -their hank account by having nothing to do with that type of theme. PREVIEW GLIMPSE of Fred MacMurray's new film presents that exponent of one-woman-only type of man roles in a different light. The camera follows Fred and Claudette Colbert as they stroll through Central Park. They are at a point in the story where she is still far from sura of having him clinched, as suggested by the title, "Practically Yours." So, she tells him about an election held in the offices where they both used to work.

"I think you should know," she says, "that the girls on the fourth floor elected you King of the Wolves." "How many of them?" MacMur-ray asks. "One hundred and twenty-five replies Claudette irt scathing-tones. "Huh," muses MacMurray, "I wonder how I happened to miss the other three?" IF DAVE WILLOCK could take his make-up man along he might be able to break into the Navy, but they've got rules against that Willock, who has been mistaken so often for Frank Sinatra that he doesn't even argue any more just signs Sinatra's name plays the role of a Navy flying ace in "Wing and a Prayer." But when he went down for induction in the real thing he was six pounds short of Navy requirements. However, he's being allowed to finish his role in Navy uniform before he changes into Uncle Sam's Army khakL SIGNING JOAN BLONDELL to a term contract at Twentieth Century-Fox means two things. The role of Aunt Cissy in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is considered one of the prize plums of this or any other year.

The actress playing it is likely to risa to great heights and naturally the studio would want to hold her for future starring roles. Furthermore, if Alice Faye and Betty Grable aren't going to return to work until next winter, as now seems the case, the Zanuck studio eels it should go out and get all the feminine Btars available to make up the deficit. Wallace Beery out after a. championship. II missed It last year by a feather.

It's the annual trout fly exhibit and contest a( Jackson, Wyo, where he owns a big ranch. One of Beery's entries last year got second prize. He's after the blue ribbon this year, and hU homework right now Is on trout files, every evening. JAMES CAGNEV brought back a swell story from England. He was rushed into a landing field in a great hurry and told he was "just in time for the christening." They wanted him to christen a new bomber.

But the payoff was that it was named "the Lucille Ball." Cagney, always a good sport, quipped, "Well, we've both got red hair," and smacked the champagne across the nose of the fighting ship. PRESTON STURGES, who recently left his producer-writer-director post at Paramount. ha rented space the California Studios, owned and operated by Harry Sherman, specialist in "Hop-along Cassidy" and other westerns. Sherman was showing Sturges around the place prior to the deal, and knowing that his prospect was a bit superstitious, said: "One thing to remember, Preston, is this: There never has been a flop picture made in the California Studios." Sturges paused for a moment in deep thought and then said: "How about 'Eyes of the World'? That was made here and that was a flop." "Flop nothing." replied Sher- man. "That was just a bad pic- ture." I I 1 I 1 1 1 ivrtswWifoVi'TriwiM it IWWTrlOWSfcte 1 I tSSJ x-W; -xw-V -s- ---r-wvv "V- fcjM ANNA JARVIS IN EARLIER DAYS WHEN SHE WAS REGARDED AS A WOMAN OF GREAT CHARM AND WIT.

house, but never did she use them to rouse her in the morning. She would set them for various times during the day to remind her of something to be done on schedule such as the reading of a chapter in a detective story, her favorite type of literature. A LARGE oil portrait of her mother was kept on a chair in the parlor. Beside the chair was a huge urn filled with palms from the funeral. In front of the painting was a bowl of withered roses.

Once Anna took time out to go to Grafton and act as her own counsel in a suit contesting an award of only $50 for land on which a power company wanted to string a line. The land was part of the 60-acre Jarvis farm. Anna questioned witnesses, roundly denounced the Judge and jury and won an award of $160. Shortly thereafter Anna incorporated herself as "The Mother's Day International Association" and registered the title in the United States and Canada. She announced that buttons would be the official Mother's Day insijrne.

These she made available at $2 a hundred, taking a loss on the price. In 1925 she was arrested after storming into a convention of the War Mothers' Association and upbraiding the members. A kindly I 3IUST HAVE LOOKED as pop-eyed as Eddie Cantor when he told me the elegant ladies of prewar Paree used to visit his salon three times a day to have their hair fixed, for lunch, for the races, and for dinner. Stranded here by the war, while his wife still runs the Paris salon, he's kept busy visiting "Tschicago," "Feeladelphia," "Beveraly Hills" and such places, but now he's eager to create some postwar beauty. "My life beegeening at 60," he said.

(Hell be that in December.) "For elegant womans I will open a supair-Antoine's in Paris. I will have dentist, medjico, pedicure, my own stu-djio, ewyzing togezzer. Zey will stay morning till night and I create for it the name, 'Antoine's Day. REAR OF THE ONCE FASHIONABLE JARVIS HOME IN PHILADELPHIA. SHOWING HOW THE PROPERTY WAS ALLOWED TO DETERIORATE.

judge let her go. In 1931 she assailed the Golden Rule Foundation, of which Eleanor Roosevelt was a member, for trying to have the day set aside as one on which those whose mothers were dead could give funds to destitute living mothers. She forced the cancellation of a memorial service in New York and issued statements denouncing Alfred Smith, Dr. Royal S. Cope-la nd.

Otto Kahn and other noted sponsors. THEN LUXURY AND FRIVOLITY will return?" I asked. Higher than ever before," Antoine said, with gestures. "You'll never kill freevolity of woman; it izz her weapon. She will be more independence than ever.

I will surround myself wiz youngest most genius people, having, most op-timlstism. Halrdressing will be done on rooftops. life will be absolutely above xe street. You will land on rooftop and come down by lift. You will not find an elegant woman on street.

"Streets," he added, coeksurely, "will be for trucks and eabdrivers!" Girls, Tomorrow You Will Wear 1935 she went to Washington and castigated James A. Farley because of the Mother's Day I SIMPLE suit hats of dressy fabrics; a horn burg, for instance, of white starched trimmed Venice type lace. with bows of velvet ribbon. "Summer black" bareback 0 SOME ANTOINE FANS say he helped bring the Duchess of Windsor along socially. All he says is, "I know her when she is Mrs.

Simpson. She is 20 years in my place." Antoine, by the way, often cuts his own hair with a mechanical razor. I was worrying all the time how he was doing in America without the famous coffin-shaped bed of glass, and what he sleeps in here, so I up and asked him. "Here I have just a little apartment on Fifth Avenue," he said." Bed is just a couch. Very simple.

White zatin." suit dress or a chemise dress of rayon matelasse needs little trimming, as the fabric makes it formal. Blinker mil lorn. The sailor in summer' favorite hat, and the newent of them list far over the eye, shutting off the view of the skies. Scalloped sandals tiny scallops edge the straps so that the shoe has a dressy look, though it is plain otherwise. Smart for afternoon wear in the spring, and for all-day in the summer.

Striped taffeta weskits with your dark faille or taffeta suit this spring and summer. Some of the weskits are tailored, some finished softly at the neckline with a bow. Checked or dotted street dresses of sheer cottons such as voile. When simply made in tailored styles or trimmed with white, they are the perfect solution to the heat problem. Satin suits for weddings.

worn by guests and mothers of bride and groom, they are right for an informal wedding, and useful later too. Black and navy are the favorite colors. Dress-up blouses of black sheers for dinner and evening, to wear with any plain black skirt. They make a feature of low oval necklines, of long full sleeves or ruffles as trimming. Bright colors in shantung suits, for all-day wear during the summer.

Such bright shades as green, shocking pink, tomato red, purple and gold 'are favorites. Panama hats with bright colored bands for wear with summer suits and cotton frocks. Guatemalan cotton makes smart bands, and others gain sparkle through sequins or- beads. Raincapes, as the newest expression of dressmaker fashions for rainy days. Of satin-back twill in black or colors, the capes are pretty enough for sunny days too.

stamps. "Sheer commercialization," she shouted. To the newspapers she sent streams of letters saying that greeting cards were "a poor excuse for the letters that lazy people should write." She urged that candy never be sent because "somebody other than mother usually eats it." She filed numerous lawsuits and at one time 33 were pending. One day last November, Anna wandered into Philadelphia General Hospital and asked for treatment. She was emaciated, virtually blind.

Her money, she said, was gone. She was taken to Marshall Square Sanitarium at West Chester. A group of Philadelphians formed a committee to care for her. Left at home, refusing to leave the cold, dilapidated house, was El si nor e. In December, a policeman dropped in to see how the aged woman was faring.

He found her dead on the floor, in front of a lighted gas stove. Icicles hung from the ceiling. To this day, Anna refuses to believe that Elsinore is dead. "My sister," she tells the doctors, dresses with tie-on bolero jacket. With the jacket on, it looks more like a dress than a two-piece combination, because of the bows.

Printed crepe jumpers for wear with plain blouses. They're rather plain, as the print is decoration enough, and can be worn with simple or dressed-up blouses. The lumberjacket dress for summer. In butcher linen or coarse cotton, it Is smart and street-worthy in two colors, dark skirt and light jacket or vice-versa. "My party" sun suits for tiny tots.

The suits have a kicking mule or a pudgy happy elephant appliqued on them, according to preference. Plain dresses of patterned fabrics, for afternoon and dinner wear. A simple two-piece MISS JARVIS PLANTING A MOTHER'S DAY TREE IN THE DAYS BEFORE SHE BECAME A RECLUSE AND WOMAN OF TYRANNICAL MOODS. "will never die until I do." Anna in her troubled hours accuses her benefactors of keeping her in a darkened room to torment her. She does not believe she is blind.

Neither does she know that part of the money for her care is coming from florists and confectioners who feel that they owe her and her ideals a. real debt. 0 BEST GAG ABOUT the 30 per cent cabaret tax: Frankie Hyers, at the 51 Club, spotted half-pint Don Meade, the jockey, and yelled to the waiters, "Charge him only a 15 per cent tax." I have received a wonderful new honor. I was chosen America's No. 1 Bum at the 51 Club's first annual Bags and Bums party.

Frankie Hyers told the cptfwd they were all bums for going around to "night clubs, but that I was a bigger-bum because get paid for it; a professional bum. The award was presented in absentia, although Hyers erroneously said 1 was receiving it "posthumously," which means "after the death of." What makes me sore is that Hyers knows what posthumous means. i 4.