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Show 7lA Poking at HOLLYWOOD! pREGOEY PECK is the hottest thing in town. Some say he is a second Gary Cooper. Actually he's the first Gregory Peck. Critics went all out about him in "Days of Glory" but not the picture. pic-ture. He co-stars with Ingrid Bergman in "Spellbound," which Alfred Hilch-c Hilch-c o c k directed. He's the only male star except Gary Cooper whom Ingrid Bergman has ever ev-er been able to lock up to. Peck is 6 feet 2. This lanky young man has not been i built up by des- j :AI perate Hollywood Gregory Peck studios scurrying to alleviate the acute male shortage. short-age. Greg was a pre-medical student at the University of California when he took part in a school production of "Anna Christie" and decided to give medicine and become an ac'" He got his first real break in the .latharine Cornell play "The Doctor's Dilemma." That decided iiim to become an actor. But before that he was a member of the Barter Bar-ter theater in Abingdon, Va. He was a stroke on the Bear crew that rowed at Poughkeepsie in 1938. Lowly Beginning Peck's first professional experience experi-ence in showmanship was as a barker on the Midway at the New York's World's fair. In a contest he won a two-year scholarship to the New York Neighborhood Neigh-borhood Playhouse. Between semesters semes-ters he won the Barter theater award. Guthrie McClintie saw him in a Barter theater play and engaged him for the tour with "The Doctor's Dilemma." v Made his Broadway debut in "The Morning Star." I Played juvenile lead opposite Jane Cowl in "Punch and Julia." Also played male lead opposite Martha Scott in "The Willow and I" and opposite Geraidine Fitzgerald Fitzger-ald in "Sons and Soldiers." Received no less than a dozen motion picture offers before he accepted ac-cepted the RKO-Selznick contract. Strictly Personal Gregory Peck's wife, Greta Rice, is a nonprofessional. He is modest, intelligent, and conservative. con-servative. He is prouder of his small son than he is of star billing. He's a collector of "how to bring up babies" information. He boasts that he pins a mighty neat diaper on his young son. Greg says that if as an actor he has to have a hobby, the help shortage short-age has fortunately provided one for him. He is a pretty fair and passably energetic gardener. Greta and Gregory Peck do very well without night clubs. Their favorite entertainment is visiting with half a dozen friends. Greg likes discussions any subject. He swims and rides, but his tennis ten-nis is bad, and he's never mastered mas-tered golf. Behind the Scenes . Peck is a quick study. He learns a page of dialog merely by reading read-ing it through twice. He always had stage fright at dress rehearsals. This tenseness lasts several days of shooting on each picture. He doesn't believe the "hoity-toity" "hoity-toity" attitude stage actors have toward to-ward the screen is justified. For his money some of the best actors in the world are right in this town. He's under the spell of Alfred Hitchcock. Says, "It's a privilege to work under his direction." He'd like to do one rootin', tootin' western. His enjoyment of horseback horse-back riding has something to do with this ambition. One Appearance Greg's father was a druggist in San Diego. He'd always wished that he was a doctor. Greg had a great devotion to his father still has. He decided that if his father thought doctoring was the idea career, doctoring was for him. At the University of California Greg studied medicine. Then came the school production of "Anna Christie." With that one appearance he discovered he reallj liked acting. When he finished school he left foi New York. He applied for the job as a guide at Radio city. Then came his scholarship schol-arship to the New York Neighborhood Neighbor-hood Playhouse, which was followed by the Barter theater award. And he was on his way up. Would Hamlet Pass? O, my gosh! The Hays office ha: put a ceiling on the number ol bodies you can have in a western Now it's eight. . . . Producers are mighty sensitive, too, about gun-women gun-women on the screen these days. Are they afraid it might give some Hollywood ladies an idea? . . . Elizabeth Eliza-beth Taylor is star stuff in "National Velvet," as I predicted she would be. In "Hold High the Torch," she'a also starred. . . . They've also gol the raven, Pete, who barks like s fog. |
