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Show Star Falters In Act Before RaiirofrJuice By FREDERICK C. OTHMAN HOLLYWOOD. Nov. 4 (UP) Gladys Swsrthout, the operstic col-orsturs. col-orsturs. wiped tomstoes from her esrs today, combed their seeds from her hsir. wsshed their juice from Jtejrrnnkjnd Quivering middle, and said she'd suffer again, if need be. for her art. I The pretty brunette star of the Metropolitan opera, naving signeiT a movie contract, got upon her turrred-up nose, in her sultry black eyes, on her dimpled chin, and in her million-dollar mouth such a barrage of soft and squishy tomatoes to-matoes as no actress no matter how bad ever got before, and that's no reflection on her acting ability Audience Angry The scene was. Paramount sound stage 14. The time was last night and tha occasion was the climax of her film, "Romance in the Dark," wherein she was supposed to be a peasant girl, impersonsting a famous fa-mous singer. That waa supposed to make the audience in Para-mount's Para-mount's replica of an Italian opera house so sngry that It threw at her a barrage of vegetables. if aiSwarUout walked, upnn tha stage, singing a Persian love song, while the dress-suited orchestra In tha pit played passionately. The paid audience, in formal gowns and long-tailed coats, waited, with cauliflowers cauli-flowers and soggy tomatoes in their hsnds, for the signal. Miss Swsrthout wore a blue brassiere, bras-siere, a skirt of transparent tulle, some talcum in between and an apprehensive frown as she observed the soundman adjust the microphone micro-phone to record every squirt and squish. While the blue-white lights beat down and the director called for quiet, Harlen Thompson crept Into tha orchestra pit, out of camera range, ao did Frank Chapman. Thompson, the dignified producer of the film, adjusted his eyeglasses and took from a waiting property man a tray of specially prepared throwing tomatoes. They had had their tops shred off and their Inaldea squeesed into a peculiarly sloppy mush. Chapman, tha ever-loving husband hus-band of Misa Swsrthout. and her music director as well, armed himself him-self with seven tomatoea, similarly mutilated. "Now, boys, get set. because we've got to mike one take or else." Thompson warmed, aiming tomato No. I. "What if I get a tomato right In the face?" Miss Swsrthout queried. "Just scrape It off." said Chapman, Chap-man, aiming tomato No. 2. Tens Moment It was a tense moment, a scene which could have occurred nowhere but Hollywood. It was of national importance, too. because chsmbers of commerce all over the land were waiting to learn whether the tomatoes to-matoes they shipped by air express would have the honor of smacking the gorgeous Gladys. "Go," ths director yelped. The notes of Miss Swart hout's love aong faltered aa the cauliflowers skidded at her feet. "Blooie!" A tomato landed- on her nose and sent juice dripping down her chin. "Wham!" Another tomato got her in the sr. By then tha air was full of tomatoes. to-matoes. They collapsed on Miss Swarthout's bare stomach, and driuled down her skirt, outlining her legs in red. They hit her in the neck, on the bosom, In the eye she opened her mouth, to have it atuffed with tomato. "Cut." the director cried, when all possible damage had been done. Newspaper cameramen rushed to the stage. They complained that the tomato Juice on Miss Swarth-out Swarth-out wouldn't show In their pictures. The makeup man obligingly daubed face with raspberry im, as If miraculously produced from nowhere, no-where, while ahe. with a tear in her eye and terror In her voice, sobbed: This is the end. She recovered quickly, though, offered to play target again, and disappointed all the chambera of commerce in the tomato belt, which had obliged with shipments of their softest produce. Miss Swart hout didn't know whose tomatoea had smeared her. The property man. to whom tomatoea look alike and the values of town publicity mean nothing, noth-ing, had dumped them all into the aame basket! Chile's purchases from tha United States in the first seven months of this year were 23.T per cent greater than In the corresponding period of 13. |