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I t v| ___£ -——a *s__F £ aaa_F INSIDE HOLLYWOOD ft,H**s*e» HOLLYWOOD, April 30.— Off-the-Rec-ord On: Carl Laemmle Jr. — Some 250 friends merged for a party at the Beverly , wnig Club on Monday I t v| night night to to help help one one of of night night to to help help one one of of the towns legends go to the post for the half - century mark. Carl Laemmle Jr. turned 50. And "Junior" stories will ricochet all over the place, loudest laughter coming from Junior himself. For despite his idiosyncrasies and hy-kpochondria. MJOchondria, theres theres a a MJOchondria, theres theres a a bigness about bantam-sized Laemmle that lets him enjoy jokes at his own expense. . . . Junior is the son of the late movie pioneer, "Uncle Carl" Laemmle. who founded Universal Pictures. The Laemmles sold Universal long ago, when the price was right and television wasnt around to* light up homes and darken theatres. They had money when it was fashionable. . . . While Junior hasnt been active in the picture business, he often invests in NY legits, spends much time managing the Laemmle estate, also manages to indulge in his favorite pastime, viz. insuring healthy dividends for Hollywood and Santa Anita stockholders by regular season attendance at those meetings. AAA We came to know Junior before, the war. through Mervyn LeRoy. Weve been close friends since. While we didnt know him during the opulence of his studio days, when he produced such pictures as "The Collegians," All Quiet on the Western Front," "Show Boat," "Back Street." "Frankenstein," Dracula," "King of Jazz," .etc., weve come to know him better than most. m — If theres one thing Junior fears its a draft. The Army draft never bothered him as much as one from a window or moving car. He always sits in the last row of a theatre, this on the advice of the late Arnold Rothstein, who told him: "In the last row, no one can shoot you in the back or sneeze on you from behind." Driving with "Lem" is an experience. Even on the hottest days youre In a hermetically sealed car until it hits a stop light. Heathen allows the windows opened and you quickly smuggle in all the air possible before the chauffeur closes then electrically till the next stop. . . . There have actually been days when the temperature was in the high 80s that Junior has "roughed it" and gone out sans overcoat or muffler. AAA We lived with him a few months on his 32-acre estate before he received his World War H. draft nod. The day he was to report for his medical, we found him outside breathing beautifully. Long a hay fever sufferer, he exclaimed, "Dammit! My nose is as clear as a bell — aint been this way in 20 years!" I-A! . . . His Army career "hadnt quite started when LA had its first blackout. During the lights-out. his friend, the late Bert Friedlob, phoned Jerry OBrien, said: "How do you like that Hitler— defying Junior!" . . . In Army uniform, he once sauntered into Cartiers to buy sister Rosa-belle Bergerman a gift. Clerks eyed the lowly private with disdain, avoided wasting time waiting cn him. He called the manager, established his gilt-edge credit.walked out with a 0,000 bauble as four salesmen stared glassy-eyed. AAA His pill collection was once fabulous. Damon Runyon used to say that when Schwabs needed a" rare medicine, they came to Junior. ... One lunch hour at the Derby, he was with Mervyn LeRoy and Sidney Skolsky, two other well-known hy- # • pochondriacs, scanning some papers. A curious tourist asked if the trio were discussing scripts. "No," replied the head-waiter, "theyre just comparing prescriptions." AAA Laemmles loyalty to friends and family is one of his great attributes. Single-handed, he waged the battle against "The Unfriendly Five" — five barbers who quit Harry Druckers barber shop to go on their own. Juniors fight for name customers to remain resulted in a Life spread. Laemmle interrupted multi-million-dollar confabs of film execs with "urgent" calls to the Dore Scharys, Buddy Adlers,- Lew Wassermans, Mervyn LeRoy etc, with the battle cry: "Dont quit Druckers!" They didnt. AAA Junior is generous to a fault but no sucker. He has his quirks. One Hollypark! lunch we both had a turkey sandwich, the I check was less than three bucks. He left ■ the waitress . "Is that enough?" we asked j bug-eyed. "You dont understand. Herb," j he said. "This girl, has been like a mother to me." AAA His regular barber comes to his home Sundays to shave him at five bucks a copy. At one point. Junior planned a NY trip and, since he doesnt fly, went into training for the train by practicing shaving himself Sundays. He put in a piggybank for each shave. After five weeks, the bank held only 3. "How come?" we asked. "It should be 5." "I know," Junior replied, I | "but I cut myself last Sunday, so I only] I gave myself three bucks — thats all it was worth." j AAA I Hes a sharp, poker-faced gambler. At , cards or the track you never know if he holds the winning hand or the winner. . . . Hes an avid moviegoer, an astute judge of Continued on Page Forty-Three | [inside Hollywood! By HERB STEIN Continued from Page- Two pictures, can guess with canny accuracy what a new picture will gross. . . . One of millionaire Laemmles proudest possessions is a Fox-West Coast pass, allowing him free admission to theatres. Yet hell invite 10 friends along, gladly paying their tab. . . . If he has loyalty to friends, he is just as loyal to doctors. He has as many medics as Calumet has horses and he keeps em in ample hay. . . . Hes fearful of colds, but will venture to the track in storms and floods that scare away the bravest. . . . He is a confirmed bachelor, has never been married although hes dated a long string of name fillies. Hes 1,000-to-l in the future book not to hitch. its a safe bet, hell gamble on anything but marriage.
