European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 14, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Lela. Who died at age 83 in 1977. Split from her husband. Eddins Mcmath. When Ginger was a child she later remarried and eventually left John Logan Rogers. He provided her with ? solid lather image. He was Loving he was Sweet he was kind he was tender. And he took my Side in Many things against my Mother " she says to keep me Rio studios. Roger s1 spawning ground gave Lela a staff position heading a theater to showcase new playwrights. One of her finds was / remember mama. She appeared in one of her daughter s movies. The major and the minor. Ii i had not had my Mother. I would never have survived it Rogers says of dealing with the Good old boy network of Hollywood. With my Mother s Marine background she was a help in muscling through things. Because when you started to get into negotiations you found that it really was a Man s world in which women were not invited to even comment. Well my Mother commented and she almost got fired. I be sort of emulated my Mother Rogers admits. I had a Clear sense of who i was i did t know How far i was going to go she gives a Raspy chuckle. Tough talking Rogers who drives Home the Point that this Star was born on her Talent not on her reputation As the sidekick of Fred Astaire. I was making four movies to every one movie Fred Astaire was making she says. I would run Over to his movie Start dancing then run Back and finish the movie i was making. Not to try to take the top off his ice Cream soda but i was in Lor an awful lot of creativity too she says. I loved dancing with him but i had not come into the movie business to be a top dancer of the screen. I came into the movie business to be an Only 10 of her 73 pictures were made with Astaire. That s one seventh of my whole shot. I did t win an Academy award for dancing did i that Honor for Best actress came for her 1940 portrayal of Kilty Foyle a White Collar girl from a lower Middle class family who is courted by a Rich philadelphian played by Dennis Morgan. Despite Rogers Solo successes it was her coupling with Astaire that she is Best remembered for. Works like Roberta top hat the Gay Divorcee and swing time put some Sunshine into the depression and world War ii years while making a Fortune for Rio. Our films were keeping the studio open Rogers says. We were the moneymakers and still Are. I d like to see the Money that is paid to use these films on television today and the cassettes. The Money that has compiled must be hundreds of millions. I Don t see a Nickel of it not a Penny she adds but won t take Legal action you want me to fight City Hall the Rogers Astaire chemistry was explosive she says because although their styles were different when they came together they came together As a match. Yet Rio s penchant for Slot in her As a cancer was far from satisfying. It disturbed me. I did t know i was was going to just suddenly be pigeonholed and i was let s face it. Not that i wanted completely out of it. I Only wanted not to be so typecast. And that s what they do to you. You know. If you can make a Dollar Here Lay Pound it into the the Rogers Allaire Swan song was the Barkley of Broadway in 1949, but the two remain acquaintances. In the mid 60s, she returned to the stage in hello Dolly on Broadway As Carol Channing s first replacement then starred in the London production of mame and in a . Tour of Coco. Fred and i remember each other at Christmas and at birthdays and things like that. He s married to a real cute Gal she says of the reclusive Astaire 86. And his Wile jockey Robyn Smith who is 46 years his Junior. But i Haven t had any heart to heart talks about it with him. I Don t think it s any of my business. I would t like for anybody to get that close to the epidermis of my heart either. I want people to stay away irom my those who do come close Are carefully screened by Rogers. Of my Mother and those i be married but not anyone else. I mean i Don t say come in i want to Tell you All the things that have happened to me no Way. No no no Over breakfast of poached eggs and Toast Rogers reveals one Juicy episode How an Ostrich Feather and Satin dress caused a major till with Rio honchos and Aota Lre. The Story is this she says methodically breaking the yolk.1988 up photo Rogers and Jimmy Stewart won oscars in 1941. It was a dress designed for me by Bernard Newman Lor top hat. When it came time to shoot the Cheek to Cheek dance number the wardrobe Man brought Down Fred s Tuxedo but when my dress came Down Fred said what s that Mark Sandrich the director said is that the dress you Are going to Wear i said yes in t it Beautiful Fred was the one that did t like it let s face it. It was an attention getter. So when i started to put it on there was a Knock at my dressing room door. Mark said Ginger you know that dress you wore in Gay Divorcee Why Don t you Wear that " her voice drops to a whisper. I said you mean Wear a dress out of another film " she Rolls her eyes incredulously. A riled Sandrich called the president vice president and whole front office of Rio to come Down and convince Rogers to can the dress. I was All alone one girl against 20 men All bunched she phoned mama. Appearing in a Lela Rogers calmly instructed Sandrich ill Tell you what. You wan Ginger of Wear another dress i suggest that you get another Mother and daughter stomped off the set. Out the door and onto the Street the director relented when we started dancing. Fred was saying feathers All Over my Suil " Rogers says in a Grumbly voice. Well you could t see a Feather floating on him and he claimed thai you could i Don t know How you d see them in loss. You put the film under a there was never a Romance Between Rogers and Astaire. She says Well a sigh. I dated him and there was a possibility. But i was too fascinated with my career. My career always came first " concentrating on her Job with the Fervour of today s feminists put a crimp on her Domestic life. From 1928 to 1969. She was married to and divorced from dancer Jack Culpepper actor Lew Ayres . Marine Jack Briggs lawyer Jacques Bergerac who was 14 years younger. And actor William Marshall. Certainly i was Bent on my career but it was not so evident to me at the time because i seemed to be Able to sacrifice Kings she says. I thought my husbands should be As lenient with me As i was with them. But men weren t like that Are they yet i was not one of the fortunate ones who had that kind of attitude in a she once was engaged to Howard Hughes and is reportedly the Only woman who Ever made him cry. Is that True i was t there she says softly. Why the two never married is a Story Rogers is saving for her autobiography which she is in the process of writing despite offscreen flops Ginger Rogers in celluloid was an Ace at snagging her Man the Quick kisses longing looks and smooth footwork hardly failed her. Leaving millions of Ponien hungry to find fairytale Romance. The raw sex of the modern movie business was nowhere n be found. A Young Man i Admire very much his looks and everything is Tom Selleck. I think he s kind of a Clark Gable of today. I told a Friend of mine in the newspaper business it she interviewed him. Tell him to Stop kissing girls in his films with his Mouth open like she mimics a gaping Bass. It looks like he s biting into a piece of Rogers say. Women of Vintage Hollywood like herself. Lana Turner. Rita Hayworth and Zsa Zsa Gabor married several times in the name of morality. All of those marriages came from wanting to live up to the Golden Rule and say. We Are legally paired if any children come from this Union " having babies out of Wedlock like the new Hollywood Morns Farrah Fawcett. Jessica lunge. Amy Irving sits poorly with Rogers. Well i m sorry i Don t go with that so there is nothing i can say about it. Other than that it is not something i would have done. Drugs Loo. There was cocaine then. Sure a lot of people were using it. And marijuana. Robert Mil chum was caught and put behind and Gable no not Gable us. Us. But alcohol was very important in those Days of course. I was never at All tempted b any of that because i did t have to. Of. No. Once you have a realization of your place in god s plan you Don t need a devout Christian scientist. Rogers says god has been at the top of her life since she was a child. That s Tho Only Way to go. There is no other i mean you can go perfecting the mortal body As much As you want to you la still have a mortal body. You have to perfect your understanding of god. And recognize that Man always has been and always will be a spiritual idea of the one perfect her closest confidantes Aren t movie stars and never have been. We meet at things but Don t keep in touch she says of Peers like Jimmy Stewart and Bette Davis. I think people who Are in the same actual line of work Aren t your very great buddies. You just can t be because you re talking about the same things and who cares about that it s head relaxation comes from listening to classical music and cooking. The woman who at age 19 was earning $ 1,000 a week on Broadway in girl crazy says Money is merely a vehicle. Money gives you the Opportunity to go from place to place that s All it she says. I would t want anything like Money to be my god. It s Sand in your hand and in your shoes and in your eyes. I Don t yearn for that. I yearn to understand life More. I m at that stage where i want to be Able to share. The stars and stripes Page 15
