Haya Harareet

This is a 1960 Lydia Lane article. Enjoy!

When MG.M gave the coveted romantic lead in “Ben-Hur” to Haya Harareet, she was unknown to us, but in Israel she was their leading actress. The photograph I had seen of her scarcely resembled the poised, slim beauty in a chic Dior gown whom I saw at a premiere recently. A few days later, when I mentioned this to Miss Hararett, she confessed, “I have had to study fashion and make-up. In my country we are not conscious of these things: In school and during my two years basic training in the army, I did not wear lipstick. So when I went to Europe, it never occurred to me that I would be judged by my appearance.” Haya was chosen to play the lead in an English picture made in Tel Aviv, and with the money she went to tendon to live. Her budget for lodging, food and entertainment was $75 a month. “I wanted to see as much of the theater as I could, so I found a tiny room that cost only $4.50 a month. I cut my hair short, so that it would be easy to take care of. I wore clothes that were warm but not fashionable because I used to stand in line early in the morning to get cheap scats in the front row of the balcony. ‘ “It was quite a triumph to return to London four years later as the star of ‘Ben-Hur’,” she said with a smile.

“My bathroom at the Claridges Hotel was much larger than my old bedroom in the boarding house.” , “To what do you attribute your success?” I asked. “Of course there is always fate, but I think there is more hard work and good judgment in good luck than most people realize. . ‘ “When I. first came’to Hollywood, I was puzzled by all this talk of being psychoanalyzed and about the increased number of mentally ill persons and I wondered what causes it. “In my country, life is hard. We think of it as a battle, and from an early age we are prepared to face conflicts. It seems to me that one needs to be trained to cope with problems ‘ and to realize that we grow by overcoming them.” Miss Harareet’s English is excellent and I learned that in their schools it is -a required the course. She also speaks four other languages. She was living in Paris when the news came asking her to fly to Rome for another “Ben-Hur” test. “This came as a great surprise,” she confessed, “as I had given up all hope of getting the role and I had let myself get overweight. I wasn’t fat, but I knew I had to lose to look well on the screen. “I had three days of rehearsals in Rome, and during that time I went on a starvation diet and dropped six pounds.”

“You must have a lot of discipline,” I remarked. . “About some things,” she admitted, “but grooming isn’t one of them. In my country, young girls do not wear make-up and I was used to seeing myself without it. Even in London I didn’t use any, but one day I came into the commissary in Rome to lunch with my director, he went into a huddle with the publicity man. Although they were afraid of offending me, they exaJained that with no lipstick and my hair in curlers, people wouldn’t understand that I always looked like this. They would feel that 1 didn’t care enough to make myself attractive for them and perhaps they’d, be offended. There was only tfme for me to tie up my head in a scarf and put on some lipstick, but after lunch I went to the make-up department and asked them to teach me how to use cosmetics. And after the picture was completed, I went to Paris and bought a complete new wardrobe,” she concluded.

Corinne Calvert – Take two

This is a 1960 Lydia Lane article. Enjoy!

Corinne Calvet decided to leave Hollywood and return to Paris, but before her departure we had a glass of sherry together. “You never have had any trouble in the date department,” I commented. “What advice can you give about attracting the opposite sex?” Corinne liked the question and replied that a girl should never worry whether she is pretty or not because girls with the most beautiful features often are not very popular. “What a man responds to more than anything else,” she went on, “is a woman’s attitude. You don’t have to say that you are interested in him. He can tell by your eyes. “Let us say you are at a party and a certain man appeals to you. Stand in back of him so he can’t see you and begin to stare at his hairline just above his collar. A concentration of nerve centers is located there. Without knowing why, he will turn around. Look at him with charm and he will come over.

This is a trick that always works for me. And the one thing that most men like is for a woman to be a good listener. A man appreciates your complete attention, and if your mind wanders while he is talking, your eyes will reflect it. The average man feels that a woman talks too much. Be sure that your conversation is not going to bore him. You will always be safe if you let him talk about himself. “Another point,” Corinne generously offered, “is to feel attractive. The thought of beauty is more important than beauty itself. Do something to give yourself a lift. Find a perfume that makes you feel desirable and use it so that you are wrapped in a cloud of’ fragrance. It may take time to find a scent to suit you, but you will know when you find it by the compliments you receive. “If I wear a perfume and my date admires it, I always jot it down in my date book so I can be sure to wear the same scent again,” she concluded.

Katyna Ranieri

This is a 1960 Lydia Lane article. Enjoy!

Katyna Ranieri, the most popular girl vocalist in Italy, is now living in Hollywood and continuing her singing career at the new “Ciro’s” on the Sunset Strip. She is not a conventional beauty, but her face is so expressive and she has so much warmth and charm that she creates the illusion of beauty. “I strive for individuality.” Katyna told me, in her tiny dressing room backstage. “I keep my hair long so I can wear different hairstyles.” She is currently wearing the “beehive” coif. “I don’t look attractive with my hair hanging on my ‘shoulders. And too many curls don’t become me either.” Katyna is tall and extremely poised. When I remarked about it she said, “I was with the ballet in Florence for five years. Dancing comes naturally to me. But I am the only member in my family who has been on” the stage.” Katyna believes that knowing you are graceful, even if you are not a dancer, gives you confidence and helps you look better in fashionable clothes.

Katyna’s eyes are her best feature, and she told me the long thick lashes were her own. “See,” she said, pulling them with her fingers, “they don’t come off. I make them grow by using olive oil. I brush it on. Brushing is healthful for lashes. And I take mascara off with oil, too. It keeps them from breaking. “Olive oil is good for the skin, too. In Italy many girls put salt in olive oil and scrub their faces with it to make all the little pores clean.” In parting, I asked Katyna if she had a favorite saying. “Yes,” she replied. “Va piano, va sano e va lontano.” Which means go slowly, go safely, go far. It sings the virtue of patience. In English it is the equivalent of “Haste makes waste.” ,

Bette Davis – Take two

This is a 1960 Lydia Lane article. Enjoy!

There are many people who consider Bette Davis the first lady of Hollywood. She has won an Oscar twice and been nominated for an Academy Award nine times. Recently Miss Davis returned to Hollywood to win more laurels for her performance in “The World of Carl Sandburg” at the Huntington Hartford Theater. The critics were unanimous in their praise and when I saw her a few days later, her bungalow was filled with flowers from well-wishers. “You look years younger, Bette,” I said, as she greeted me at the door. She was wearing a chic black suit that followed the slim lines of her figure. When we last met, it was on the set of “The Catered Affair,” and she was much heavier. “I think the most aging factor in the whole world is being overweight” she declared. “White hair or lines in the face don’t take from your beauty nearly as much as being fat.” Miss Davis emphasized the last word with feeling. “And it’s depressing, too,” she added. When Bette broke her back, she was in bed for many months. “For a year I couldn’t move well enough to exercise and it defeated me completely. I went to pot.” she said with characteristic frankness.

“My broken back was only part of it. I had problems we won’t go Into, but when you say “pooh and don’t care, you end up with a depressing attitude toward yourself and toward anyone you be treated like alcoholism. There is something wrong within. You turn to food for compensation. You have to fight back. No one can do it for you.” “Was this your problem and did you diet?” I asked, for she had cone down from size I5 to a 12. , “It’s not pounds that give you your well-being.” She struck a kitchen match and watched the flame flicker a moment before lighting her cigarette. “It’s a question of circulation. I exercised for half an hour for over a year. And I feel wonderful, even after a tour of one-night stands in 56 cities. We motored 14,000 miles, and it isn’t easy playing to a different audience every night,” she exclaimed. “I never could have stood the rigors of that tour without first getting myself into good condition.” She rose and walked restlessly to the window and turning abruptly she said: “It began one morning when I was watching TV and an exercise program came on. A man was enthusiastically doing exercises and urging the audience to work with him. I was receptive and followed his instructions. I enjoyed it so much that I watched the program and participated every morning without fail. “The father of my eldest daughter was an exercise bug,” she revealed. “And he used to urge me to exercise, but I said, ‘pooh.’ I don’t think you can tell anyone anything not even your children will listen. But I was lucky to discover the importance of activity. I had always played tennis, swam a lot and ate intelligently and in moderation, so I never had a problem with my weight or my health.” I asked Miss Davis what she did about clothes and grooming on her tour of one-night stands. “I had a duty to arrive look-ing my best,” she replied.

“And this was a challenge. Everything of Gary’s (her husband and co-star is Gary Merrill) and mine had to fit in the luggage compartment of our car because we had a chauffeur and maid in front. I never could have managed so well without careful planning. The big thing in traveling is to limit your colors so you can interchange your accessories and organize your luggage, for when you are so constantly on the go you never completely unpack.” “What about your hair and nails?” “I have always done my own hair everything except permanents. Grooming is a bore!” she exclaimed as she crossed the room for another cigarette. “But you have to do it. My daughter and I do our nails together. I try to make it fun.” I complimented Bette on her skin. “It is good,” she admitted, “for all the make-up I’ve had on it, but I have always kept it clean and I believe in creams.” Before I left we talked of age and she said rather crisply, “To place emphasis on the shell of youth is a terrible sign of immaturity. What is inside you is on your face at 50. I think one can look younger with a lifted face with the tired eyes and all the marks of living erased. Mr. Sandburg has a youthfulness and charm at 82 that is unbelievable. He doesn’t try to be young. He is too busy living and creating to think about growing old.”

Peggie Castle – Take three

This is a 1960 Lydia Lane article. Enjoy!

Peggie Castle’s suggested cure for an overweight problem is for anyone to work as hard as she does tn the “Lawman” TV series. “In order to be on the set by 9,” she said, “I have to be with the hairdresser at 6:30 a.m. And often we rehearse until past six at night. If I am to get eight hours sleep, I have to be in bed by 9. When we had a heat wave and I had no appetite, I went down to 105. ‘And it took me months to gain. For my height. I can’t be so thin. “I tried everything people told me but I couldn’t gain until f John Russell told me to try his way. I took his advice and put on 10 pounds. This is what I did. I mixed 1 quart of whole milk, 4 tablespoons of fig pep-syrup that you can get at most health stores, 4 tablespoons of liver oil and 2 tablespoons of bone meal. The figs give it a sweet taste and if you mix it in a blender, it is more palatable. I drink a pint of it a day; a quart lasts me two days. If anyone is having a serious problem of being underweight I can recommend this mixture.”

Peggie has a lovely, figure, and the slacks he was wearing showed it off. “You know, my doctor told me never to wear a girdle, and he suggested that I do stomach exercises so I wouldn’t need one.” I wanted to know one or two of her favorites for tightening the stomach muscles. “I sit on the floor with my legs spread as wide as possible and reach for my toes. I bend forward keeping my back erect. This sounds simple but it gives a good pull. Next I lie on the floor with my hands stretched above my head. Then I bring my legs up and at the same time I touch my bands to my toes. I hold this position and then relax. This is a more advanced exercise that builds ‘muscle-tone. But.” Peggie concluded, “newcomers should begin slowly or they’ll become sore.”

Tracey Roberts – Take two

This is a 1960 Lydia Lane article. Enjoy!

“In my opinion, a girl who” is indifferent to her appearance closes doors,’ Tracey Roberts declared. “Even when I was in high school I gave a lot of thought to what I was going to wear, and I was particular about everything being immaculate. Perhaps I paid too much attention to clothes, but when I look back, my desire to stand out from the group came from a feeling of insecurity. But I guess there isn’t a girl alive who doesn’t like to be admired, and I got my share of compliments and attention from the boys.” -Tracey and I were chatting at MGM on the set of “Go Naked m the World.” I spoke to Gina Lollobrigida who passed by and remarked to Tracey that I ‘ didn’t know Gina had dyed her hair red. “She did it for this picture, and that’s why they made me bleach mine,” Tracey explained. “I’m a natural redhead and I made the most of it. I played it up and wore bright colors. And I had no trouble getting work as a model in New York because my hair photographed so well.

I chose my clothes for excitement, and I achieved a kind of individuality with my wardrobe. You can go overboard with this but when a girl feels she is no great beauty, there is a lot she can do to sell her appearance in other ways.” Tracey believes that God helps those who help themselves and she assists nature all she can. “Circulation is the foundation of a good skin and I use ice on my face lot that reason,” She revealed. “In Summer I keep my astringent in the refrigerator and it gives me a wonderful feeling after a hot day. “I never use soap on my face,” she went on. “I cleanse my face and remove the cream with a hot washcloth, rinse my face with cold water and then run i an ice cube over it to close in the pores. Then I use a moisture cream for lubrication. I like the fresh shiny look instead of the flat finish that comes with make-up. The one rule to follow,” Tracey concluded, “is to use every aid to look lovelier but not artificial.”

Connie Francis

This is a 1960 Lydia Lane article. Enjoy!

When Connie Francis name was in lights at a Hollywood night club, some of the older generation asked, “Who is she?” But the teen-agers know, for they have bought her records so avidly that she now possesses three gold ones, and won the national “Cash Box” popularity poll as female vocalist. And this is quite an attainment for a girl who is just 21. When we met, I wondered if the same sweet mannerisms she projected at the mike would be in evidence face to face. But you aren’t with Connie very long before you know that her simplicity is basic and her head hasn’t been turned by success. When I mentioned it to Connie, she said, “Things happened so fast that I must admit I had a slight case of conceit at first. On one TV show I had decided to live it up and I had all sorts of things planned to wear. I think it must have showed at home because my father took me quietly in hand and we had a long talk. He pointed out that people who remain on top do so because they keep the same personality. You know. Perry Como and Bing Crosby are down-to-earth people. “Lose your simplicity,’ Dad warned, ‘and you’ll lose your audience.’ It’s true, too. I think this rule applies to all fields not just show business. If you advance, the people working under you have to like you or you won’t be in charge long.”

The talk turned to beauty. Connie confessed she believed anyone could make a dream of beauty come true. “But you get nowhere without the dream,” she observed. “I was born in Newark, New . Jersey. My family are Italians and they love two things, good music and good pasta. And my mother believed in serving generous portions. I am under five feet and I weighed 140 pounds when I got my first professional job. But fortunately I played an accordion and that covered most of me. ‘ , – “I hadn’t given a thought to being fat until I compared myself with the other professional children on the same TV show. All the girls were so conscious of their hair, their complexions, their weight. I was 12 and very naive by comparison. If they had let me alone, I would have reached a decision about reducing, but people who had my career in mind began telling me how fat I was and this built up a block. “You don’t reduce because someone has a dream of your being thin. You have to have it yourself. I was stubborn and continued wearing a size 14 dress.

“Then I “met a boy that I wanted to impress and I told myself that I would try dieting just for one day and see what it was like. I knew what to do to lose weight. So I had no starches, sweets or snacks for 24 hours. The next morning I told myself ‘Try again.’ This went on for 60 consecutive days. I was not held to any promise or plan because each day was to be my last to diet. This psychology worked so well with me that I slimmed down painlessly without any frustrations or setbacks. And.” Connie added, “I didn’t talk about it to my friends. Sometimes our enthusiasm dies in talk. . “I wear a 12 now,” she confided, “and someday perhaps I’ll wear a 10. Once you have found a way to reduce, fat is never a problem. I have had my share of beauty problems. For almost a year I had terrible acne. I tried everything anyone suggested but nothing helped. Finally I went to a doctor and in almost three weeks I was cured. And in several months, it was all gone. If acne is stubborn, don’t try to treat it yourself,” she concluded.

Joan Staley

This is a 1960 Lydia Lane article. Enjoy!

Joan Staley made her debut at the Hollywood Bowl at the age of five playing a violin solo in a children’s orchestra. Even before she could talk, her family noticed that she was listening to music and her mother used to play the violin to put her to sleep. We were chatting on the “Bonanza” set at NBC-TV and I noticed that Joan seemed more reposed than the average member of a cast. “Has loving music taught you to relax?” I asked. “Actually, no,” she replied. “I learned how when I was in Europe. They have a certain tempo that is different from ours. My father is an army chaplain, and when he was stationed in Germany and France, I was with him. I found myself developing the sidewalk-cafe habit. People just sit there sipping coffee or something for hours and watch street happenings. Doing this slows you down.”

“What else have you learned from living abroad?” “I learned about clothes. I had a girl friend in Paris who ‘ was a fashion model. She had a wonderful style sense. I learned that high fashion is for headlines and never to buy a dress that detracts from the figure. She taught me to keep’ in mind the complete picture. That included shoes, hair and make-up. She also placed great importance on color. You don’t always look the same and so a vivid color may be becoming on you one day and not another. I’ve noticed when I don’t get enough sleep or have been under a strain, I need more somber tones. “And I never go shopping with another woman. You can always trust a man to tell you what really looks best on you,” she concluded.

Jean Ingram

This is a 1960 Lydia Lane article. Enjoy!

When I was Introduced to Jean Ingram on the “The Millionaire” Set at CBS-TV, the hairdresser told me, “She is one of the few natural blondes in Hollywood. I take care of her hair and I know.” “It’s beautiful,” I exclaimed. “Thank you,” Jean said. “I became an actress because of it. Dress designing was my first love, but then I married, sold my business and became a housewife. Then I received an offer to do hair commercials for TV, Later I hired an agent and he placed me in a series of roles. I studied acting because I believe in being prepared. And it paid off.” I wanted to know what care she gave her hair to make it so soft and shiny. “I like simple formulas,” she replied.

“I use the same preparation for cleansing my hair and my face. It’s liquid and I buy it at a health-food store. It makes a quick lather. I pour just a little on my hair, rub my scalp and it washes out quickly and easily. And it leaves my hair so soft that I. only use a little fresh lemon juice in water as a rinse.. I dry my hair partially, with a towel, before I pin it up. , “I use this same liquid to remove my make-up. I smooth it on my face and rinse it off with warm water.” “Do you use any skin lubricant?” ‘ “Yes,” Jean confided. “I buy sesame seed oil at the same , store for 65 cents. It keeps my skin so smooth and soft. I like a little of it also on my hair as a dressing. “I have tried many cosmetics,” Jean concluded, “but the routine I am using now does – more for my skin and hair than anything I’ve ever used.” .

Donna Anderson

This is a 1960 Lydia Lane article. Enjoy!

One of the happiest girls in Hollywood is Donna Anderson, who has received such fine critical notices from her first picture, ‘On the Beach.” Now she is working in “Inherit the Wind” with Spencer Tracy and Fredric March. ‘It was a difficult time for me, waiting for Mr. Kramer to find the right part,” Donna told me when I visited her on the set. “I was under contract to him for four years without working. The first two years I was busy studying and learning, but then I became impatient to do something professionally. But Mr. Kramer kept telling me, ‘Timing is everything. It can make the difference between success and failure.’ The only professional in Donna’s family was an aunt who danced with the Metropolitan Ballet company in New York. “When I was ten years old, I started dancing, but it wasn’t Until two years later that I became dedicated,” she confided. Stanley Kramer saw Donna in a pantomime and was so impressed with her dramatic ability that he offered her a contract and acting lessons. For a girl just out of her teens, Donna takes her success without affectation.” “I have always had a lot of drive,” she said. “I wanted my life to have some meaning. I feel sorry for people who don’t have goals, because achieving something is the way to be happy. You can’t generalize, but it seems to me, a lot of teenagers try to see how quickly they can do something instead of how well, and they miss a lot of pleasure.”

“Have you ever had any regrets about giving up dancing as a career?” “No,” she replied, “but I still dance to keep my body limber. I can’t stand to feel it getting stiff. I also dance for my own pleasure. It’s a form of relaxation for me. When I finish a day on the set, I find that I sleep much better if I exercise before going to bed,” Donna went on. ‘What exercises do you do?” “I sit on the floor, spread my legs out in a wide V and bend over and touch my knees with my cheeks first one knee and then the other. This gives a good stretch to my spine. “Then I stand up, put my hands on my hips and rotate my torso in a big wide circle, alternating directions. “I like to exhale as I bend over rag-doll fashion and try to make my back as limp as possible. Then I come up one vertebra at a time while inhaling. “The I stand up with my arms relaxed at my sides and rotate my shoulders back and forward. I let my head fall forward and hang heavy and I rotate it always in both directions. . Then I go to bed and fall right asleep. “Relaxation is something I really have to work on,” she continued.

“Some people have it naturally, but I believe it can be developed. “They say the most effective way to relax is through the mind. That if you learn to quiet your thoughts’ you can quiet your nerves. I have been practicing. I try to meditate a little every day. It may sound easy to make yourself think about one thing, but it’s not. Just try it. You start out repeating a word or a phrase or holding on to an image, and the first thing you know, your mind has wandered to a different subject. “I have a mental picture of a church bell, high in a tower, going back and forth ding-dong, ding-dong. This routine teaches you to control your emotions when you have a disturbing problem. It helps to make you think of something else. “Several people have told me of mental pictures that help them relax. One is to picture yourself lying in a meadow of soft green grass with a gentle breeze stirring and the warm sun making your drowsier and drowsier until you are fast asleep. Usually when a person falls asleep so greatly relaxed, he’ll awaken rested, feeling full of energy,” she concluded.