Show HUM POKING FUN at our hats is even super superseding supersede ing the mother in law jokes these days but masculine scoffing to the contrary to women hats are the staff of life Y 0 aill see im not the only zany fe female male in hollywood ask irene dunne she sh e owes her career t to 0 a hat if it been for a big one in in pale b lue blue flor enz Z i e g f eld e 1 d would never have f noticed her shed never have won the I 1 lead e a d in IS show h 0 w boat hollywood would have missed her and but for a hat the cinema capital would have irene dunne kept her in musicals instead of giving her the plum role of sabra in cimarron a picture which changed the entire course of her life how it started shell never forget the day she earned her first money singing hymns in the indianapolis baptist church choir hymns taught her by the nuns at the loretto convent in st louis her reward was a crisp new 10 bill and just enough to purchase her hearts desire a new hat the hat was large of silky straw a pale blue affair with long streamers and extravagantly painted flowers under the brim I 1 truly believe that from the day I 1 wore it I 1 sub decided that I 1 might ully earn baj n nay my living by sing Comp The hat did it says irene chaps chaps she was thinking of that rhen hen she won a voice contest at icaco musical college and so which had lain dormant j childhood crystallized into a ia ae he aim to become a singer fler er way year later after hard study she singing the lead in the road w of the musical comedy irene fa salary of a week sack back in new york henry W sav re e gave her a chance to under ody peggy wood in the clinging ie 11 when peggys peggye father died ne stepped into the lead for a gle e broadway performance it enough to win her a chance at ammer of light opera sponsored he e chandlers chandless Chand lers in atlanta ga a yar pr stint in st louis and the in the city chap for the chams which was followed by ad in sweetheart time s called for a new hat and a Y at the new york biltmore A fige age I 1 gentleman noticed the hat t and requested an introduction ahree years later she married rna aried dr fancis arancis griffin the same gentleman the bridal couple boarded the and sailed for a european honeymoon the day after I 1 returned home wearing a beautiful new blue hat purchased in paris recounts miss dunne was the day I 1 met flo in an elevator bore B ore I 1 left the building he sent for the girl in the blue hat 1 I A dream come true because of that hat edna fer hers bers glorious show boat was irenes for the asking the opening night of show boat marked the starting of a rich and an d varied career for the pretty girl with a voice and pretty hats when the search for the heroine of cimarron began irene inveigled a test and there was an astounded gasp from producers sabra a straight dramatic role the emotional plum of the year to a musical comedy actress nonsense nonsense or not she wanted it and got it thanks to a hat which she borrowed from a wig designer de s igner trail blazer cimarron started an entirely new cycle magnificent obsession back street symphony of six million the secret of madame blanche the silver cord and so on then irene had a hunch it was time to try comedy she accepted the harum girl of theodora goes wild the awful truth followed and she phe found herself hailed as a coded comedienne lenne critics a are re again pointing with pride to her as an emotional actress for such romantic roles as the of M G Ms S A guy named joe girl opposite spencer tracy and that veritable cavalcade lifetime of a comans womans woma ns the white dover 10 cliffs of irene dunne griffin accompanied by dr went east for the premiere premier of the latter picture ashes back home now ready for either drama comedy musical or romance I 1 |