Show “WHO’LL BUY— BUY?” Fact That Glamorous Claire Luce’s Start to Stage Fame Was As a CigarettWHO’LL 1ft a e-Girl Little-Realiz- in a New York Night Club— and Nils Granlond Saw Her and Got AH Smoked Up duped disillusioned! words these yet they entire scenario in the life of Clifford Warren Smith a young man with as many millions as there are letters in his surname of course and a deep-dye- d It’s a love-plmelodrama with a reveree-Englis- h twist Just when the heroine properly should make her exit with a snug and satisfying cash settlement for life to at the assuage her broken final curtain the whole plot suddenly collapses — and she stands to lose both the spotlight and the spot-cas- h No sir— Clifford Warren Smith isn’t the type of playcrafter (or call him playboy if you insist) to stand for a prosaic and conventional ending! He has laundered a lawsuit the like of which you never never heard— the lawsuit of a millionaire against a showgirl to recover money- - It's news! Not so very long ago Cliff hastened to Reno — and cast his wife bewitching Claire Luce long the toast of New York and London as “The Gay Divorcee” nee more in the role of the divorcee divorcee Only this time it was a real-lif-e and not a gay one (as it proved) He introduced of course a villain — male dark mysterious and Russian — into his Reno divorce complaint The villain may have the more drama about his sinister personality for being unnamed Anyhow the divorce was uncontested and genial Cliff got his decree And now for good measure (or in Stage vernacular to top the gag) he has appended a civil action designed to hit the flustered leading lady in her most vulnerable spot the handbag! So that the writing in of the new last act entails also a change in the billing of the Show —something like this: “Romance and Rift— then Restitution!” Lawyers everywhere are watching this suit one of the most unprecedented At the of marital time they first parted there was an amicable separation and a $25000-a- year settlement on the luscious Claire All was by the magnanimous Cliff aceful and Claire became known as The Richest Showgirl” Hut this amicable and lucrative arrangement was followed all too quickly-bcertain discoveries on the part of Smith which he labeled “infidelity” and “deception” in court — “Nasty words those Sir Clifford!” And this resulted in a speedy divorce Now the $25000 agreement wasn’t But Claire affected by the divorce turned around and sued Cliff right in the face of these more or less moral less allegations asking an accounting for arrears An alimony in the sum of $1500 and— Wow! Was Cliff mad! So mad in fact that he turned right DAZZLED ot ur white" admitted Cliff Smith “hut" he added thoughtfully "finally I gmv red" Which probably g merry-go-roun- & y i HE SAW RED Genial Clifford Smith Millionaire Settled $25000 a Year on Claire—Then Learned About That Dark Villainous Russian Whom She Secretly Entertained around in turn and filed his unique demanding that she restore to him a sum totalling $35000 — counter-clai- one year’s allowance- - on that “friendly” settlement and extras old ad- vanced Not that the principal involved meant a thing to Multimillionaire Cliff Smith — but the principle did he explained When he signed the $25000 heavyweight Champs of the Canine World - ’ one is going to in get fresh with this picture NOthefourladyIrish wolfhounds and four These Great Danes look formidable enough in fact to stand off the charge of an entire light brigade They have just proved their superiority at one of " thp greatest kennel events in the world in England where they won all sorts of honors And there to"'1 jf' ' he has made for a world-totogether So afterward there’s one of those “Tou go your way and I'll go mine conversations —and Smith generously agree to give the former cigarette-gtr- l the $25000 a year But the scene now briefly shifts to the Smith’s Sands Point home Juices of the grape and the grain flow freely and an oadly assorted Bohemian mob swirls around Claire—a veritable spirit of Bacchante—and her distinguished looking guest the dark and suave Russian of the melodrama plot Among the other guests one glimpses Erskine G wynne the playboy of Paris BeUe night-clu- b Livingston operator and similar personages Clair and her Russian are ever together It is the story of this association brought to Cliff by Claire’s disgusted personal maid Madeleine Worrel and the chauffeur and his wife Mr and Mra Carl Carlson which quickly brings the i r trv t "ii i- - prouder lady in the land than the one who holds this ton of dogs in leash for she is Mrs J V Rank their mistress Mrs Rank is the owner of kennels at Ouborough Godstone in Surrey and has been accorded a high place among dog fanciers Contrary to the predilection of many a woman Mrs Rank hlsn’t kny r°°m for the lap dog In her affections the bigger they Pity the poor tramp who c°me' the better she likes them climbs the Rank fences for a handout or a place to snooze! Tv If he escapes those INS- - teeth he’ll run for the nearest constable and give himself up — for protection 4 was Cliff’s way of describing the stage when he challenged Claire to “see any green in my eye?” When Cliff and Claire married Claire She learned that had only one kick her husband was paying $750 in real money every month for the support of Ardath a daughter of his first marriage to Ardath Minnie Crane whose father was the late William Crane a railroad and oil official of Kenncbunkport Me That Claire naturally thought was a considerable slice out of his limited trust fund of $50000 to pay over to a comparatively wealthy woman well able to care for the child It didn't occur to Claire that $750 was actually a small sacrifice for her to make for the privilege of marrying a multimillionaire for it was Mrs Smith MAY SET A PRECEDENT the First (now Mrs Vandenburg JohnAll Sorts of Millionaires May Try to Get who all obstacles cleaied from stone) Their Money Back From Broadway the path to the altar for Mrs Smith the Beauties If Attorney Bennett Siegelsteln Second namely Claire For when she Makes Cliff Smith’s Contention Stick discovered that her husband had fallen in love with the then dancer she sued famfor and obtained a divorce After all ‘whatever money they made in the ily Cliff had only married her on the “reThey pooled their wealth and turned bound” when his first love Doris Floyd it over many times in 1853 at the time of the Ziegfeld Follies had bounced him To placate Clane Cliff now sou ght to of the Colorado gold strike by fitting covered wagons and wagon trains evade these payments bv contending out the rush to the goldfields They inthat Ardath Smith's Maine dvorce was for vested in the stockyards at Chicago and illegal — and discovered that in so doing in railroads banks cattle he was virtually accusing himself of Omaha and scores of promising venranches living a biga'hfous life with Claire as a tures never permitting theirmoney to little forethought might have shown The quandary was solved by the Guar- - lie idle And ss one after another died true to their pledge the remaining anty Trust Company of New York who brothers inherited the accumulated administer the Smith trust fund They hoardings until with the passing of the sued both Stmth and his first wife to last in Boston in 1932 the na-- ’ determine which Was light and the tion survivor was dumbfounded at the size of the Court recognized Supreme disputed fortune divorce decree as legal— also affirming theWhile plus romantic a graduated scale of income for little Inroads the depression Cliff’s share o the Smith upon which will eventually give her estate Ardath the have considerably $10000 annually sum still at least $5000000 yet Alas this penny-wis- e move and the original remains to finance any frolicksome fuattendant publicity had disastrous ture ventures into the realm of romance repercussions It incensed Cliff's mothef which the burdened young playboy may the late Mrs Josephine Winslow Smith see fit to engage in Carlton wife of Newcomb Carlton Now from this chapter of maipifi-canc- e chairman of the board of the Western and munificence the scene shifts Union Telegraph Company and proved It is Act II and it has to abruptly h pound-foolisto the extent do with definitely alleged duplicity and deception of just a cool million In lieff of that For the plot is to thicken expected inheritance Cliff got a $300 The scene reveals our Dollar set of silver plate — and not a gold spoon Prince first cot at St Luke’s Hospital ina in from a risky operation bn No tears were shed by Cliff over the recovering his ear Claire apparently is very matter for he was with she sees him seldom and then the four other grandchildren of another es- busy seems to be one of money rather tate estimated at $200000000 left by errand than mercy The neglected man has a his grandfather Benjamin Franklin of time to think and develops a conSmith — a rise to riches that eclipses in lot all is not above board or some aspects the princely acquisitions of viction that Even Claire’s smiles and something the Vanderbilts Goulds Attors Rockesomehow seem to him arblandishments fellers and Fords tificial in the so literal atmosphere of With his brothers Francis George his new Surroundings Warren and David Cliff’s grandad had He recalls that he has acceded to her left the pioneer farm at Frvrdom ’every wish foregoing home life so that-hMaine in the early part of the lu- -t ccn might remain on the atage ven her lo achieve fame ih legitimate tjiry to embark in the engraving busi aiding ness in Albany and as success came to roles dufing their entire married life— ’ them they pledged each other to keep whereas she has flouted the one request aenouement Purchasing a ranch in Nevada In order to establish a residence there without loss of time Cliff proceeds quickly “to end a flrce without benefit of footlights” as he stated — adding that such entertainment on the stage graced by is a different thing alhis now together And he won an unconditional divorce when the servants told the judge in depositions of many overnight visits of the dark mysterious Russian at the Smith home during absences of the master of the house They told of drinking and rowdyism and of repeated and welcome invasions of the star’s dressing room at the theater by the same dark intruder who often embraced and kissed her they said Claire During these developments winning London plaudits became worried She kept burning up the cables to such an extent that presently it was ound cheaper to have her take a steamer New York during a for a conference lull In her London season — which waa a mistake for it led to the filing of the courtier-sui- t which brought Smith’s wrath and his action for restitution down on her pretty blonde head That’s how it comes about that a millionaire is suing a showgirl at last— years in which showgirls have sud millionaires and made them pay and pay! Lawyers are awaiting with great interest the ruling of the Supreme Court next October in Claire’s test to establish whether a separation agreement is valid in view of a wife’s belatedly proven There is at present no law infidelity Smith asserts to cover the situation he would never have signed the agreement had he known about the Russian Smith unworried two days after his Reno divorce married pretty darkhaired Charlotte Fantoni former dress-sho- p buyer and model with whom he has been making a trip to Europe which for five years Claire had been denying ex-wi- fe after-countles- it Cm i 1111 Dm toll ) - him In the meantimJ Claire now deprived 'of her'dailv jot of $80 or her weekly tittle of $750 may really have to “work at” being an actress with no perpetual “vacation money” to fall back upon when the spirit thoves or the play fails i |