Marjorie Hellen (Leslie Parrish)

This is a 1955 Lydia Lane article where actress Marjorie Hellen talks about haircare and skincare. Enjoy!

Marjorie Hellen has worked in five pictures in six months at 20th Century-Fox, which is something of a record. When I chatted with her in her dressing room, I soon understood why everyone at the studio thinks she is real star material. “Everyone makes so much of my being a natural blonde,” Marjorie told me when I complimented her on her lovely hair. “I’ve never given it much thought because so many of my friends in ‘Pennsylvania were natural blondes, too. I didn’t realize until came to Hollywood that we were such a rarity.” Marjorie said that she did not have to give her hair a great deal of care. “f just brush it as much as I can and after a shampoo I dry it in the sun whenever possible. I think natural hair-drying, or towel drying, is much healthier than a hair dryer, although it takes longer.

“Another thing,” Marjorie added. “I always wear a cap when I swim in a pool — so many girls don’t now that hair is short — because the chlorine in the water is very hard on your hair. “I try never to be out in the sun very long without wearing a hat or scarf because the sun makes my hair very dry.” Marjorie admitted that her first dream was a career in music. She was studying to be a pianist when her money ran out. “I used to wait on tables in the summer for my term at the conservatory but it was getting more difficult to make ends meet so I went to New York and got a job as a model. I was sent to school for three weeks and shortly after that I was signed to a contract with NBC to model for color television. I had to keep out of the sun then because my skin had to be a consistent tone for the tests I was making, so you can imagine how much I’m enjoying the summer here.”

Marjorie’s top beauty secret is a cleansing routine she learned from one of the studio make-up men, “I found that my complexion was showing little bumps under the pores that were clogged from wearing too much theatrical makeup. But now when these appear I have a routine that makes them disappear almost immediately. I steam my face with a hot wash cloth and to hold in the heat I cover this with a dry bath towel. I repeat this several times until I can feel my face tingle, then quickly pat on iced witch hazel to close the pores. This is wonderfully stimulating to the skin and those burns are gone almost overnight,” Marjorie told me. This sounds like a wonderful cleansing method for teenagers who have problem skins.

Anne Francis

This is a 1955 Lydia Lane article where actress Anne Francis talks about a bunch of beauty stuff. Enjoy!

Anne Francis, the attractive blond of “The Blackboard Jungle” started her career at the age of six as a radio actress. “Once you’ve been labeled a child star,” Anne told m in her dressing room at MGM, “it’s difficult to make people realize you’ve grown up. I was so eager to convince everyone that I was no longer a little girl that I went over board, ‘ Anne admitted. “I wore clothes which were much too sophisticated and which only emphasized my lack of maturity. And I nearly drove my parents to distraction with the heavy make-up I wore, covering my complexion with tinted bases, going all out for eye shadow and mascara. Like so many teen agers impatient to grow up. I thought their criticism was prejudiced and I wouldn’t listen to them.”

what finally changed your thinking on this?” I wanted to know, observing that her make up now was very subtly applied. “It’s the same old story someone outside the family told me time same thing one day, and I listened. It was a romantic young actor whom I admired. ‘You’d be so much prettier without all that make-up,’ he candidly remarked. That was all I needed. I couldn’t wash my lace fat enough,” Anne laughed. “I found that applying make-up so that it looked natural was much harder than plastering it on as I had been doing. I had to try different shades of powder and base to get the right effect. I also learned that by proper using of your mascara brush, the less chance of your lashes sticking together and that a very sharp point on your eyebrow pencil helps to draw a more natural line,” she continued.

“Sophistication is something you acquire with experience. It’s a form of assurance and it can’t be achieved by merely wearing sophisticated clothes. If you study truly sophisticated women, you’ll discover they all effect an elegant simplicity- They wise enough to favor the classic line which is timeless the line which is basic in the fashion cycle and which will not be out of style next season. “To follow the extremities of fashion is an extravagance,” she declared. “A teen ager has to search to find her type and what clothes are right for her figure,” Anne went on. “I’m tall and have small bones so I look like a bean pole In straight skirts and an unbroken line. If I have a solid colored dress, I break It up with a different color belt of a very full skirt. And despite my height I like accessories which are large. Because I stand up to my height, people seem less aware of it.” When I admired Anne’s rich, even tan she told me that although she has delicate skin she has learned to protect it from the effects of the sun by using a good home-made lotion. “A lifeguard told me about it a long time ago. It’s simply a mixture of baby oil and iodine, I add just enough iodine to a bottle of baby oil to make it an amber shade.”

Because Anne v as in the professional world so young, she learned the importance of good grooming at an early age. “It’s a big help to learn to di your own hair because when a last minute invitation comes up you can’t always get to the hair dresser. “Learning to handle hair takes practice. Mine U difficult because it is so fine, but I find I ran gie it body by using the proper rinse. I alternate with vinegar and lemon rinse- My hair looks better if I set it dry and if I let it dry naturally. letting It dry in the sun brings out the natural highlights. “Every woman wants a soft cur! today. The way to do this is to make our pin curls large. Also, there is a trick to the way you wrap your curl. If you start at the end and roll toward the scalp, making a twist so that the curl does not lie close to the scalp, it will brush out into a soft, natural curl. If vou start close to the scalp and twist up, the curl will b tight and pinched looking,” Anna explained.

Every time I’ve been with Anna I’ve noticed that she’s worn the same scent. When I remarked about this she said, “I’m a one-perfume woman. I think when yon are consistent, people will remember you for it.” Anne is one of those lucky girls who has never known an overweight problem. “I’ve always appreciated the nutritional value of foods,” she said and she believes this Is the answer. “I wouldn’t think o( starting the day without a well-balanced breakfast of orange juice, eggs, bacon, whole grain toast, honey and tea. I agree with the experts who say that breakfast Is the most important meal of the day. If you eat nothing until lunch, that’s going practically twelve hours without nourishment and by doing this you delay jour normal body functioning. “I also believe in the merits of vitamins,” she added- “When you cat sensibly you have more energy, health and beauty,” was her summing up.

Anna Magnani

This is a 1955 Lydia Lane article where actress Anna Magnani talks about a bunch o f beauty stuff. Enjoy!

Anna Magnani, the Italian movie queen, was lured to Hollywood to star in “The Rose Tattoo,” the Tennessee Williams play that scored such a hit on Broadway. At a cocktail party given for her by Hal Wallis at the Beverly Hills Hotel, she appeared with her long black hair hanging below her shoulders, devoid of make – up, even lipstick. Yet her face is so mobile and lights up with such intensity that some consider her to possess beauty in the highest sense. “I have never considered myself beautiful,” Miss Magnani told me later in her suite, “and certainly any success I have had as an actress has not been because of it.”

“You are interested in your appearance, though, aren’t you?” I persisted. “1 am interested only in preserving my authenticity,” She replied. Her companion, who accompanied Miss Magnani from Rome and who is more familiar with our language, explained that “authenticity” in the Italian language is a combination of integrity and reality. “But,” Miss Magnani added, “when women who are not beautiful succeed in creating this through their own efforts, they ere very clever and deserve praise. Miss M a g n a n 1 confessed that art, not make – up interested her. “Do jou feel that American women pay too much attention to make-up?” I asked. She shrugged her shoulders as she lit a cigaret. “You are a young country.”

I’ve talked about the increasing popularity of Italian couturiers and I wanted to know if Miss Magnani was interested in fashion. “Individually interests me,” she said. “I choose what is for me. I wear gray, black and brown and I change my style very little.” As we chatted, I commented on the perfume Miss Magnani was wearing. Her face lit up and I knew I had hit upon the phase of grooming she was most enthusiastic about. “This I like very much,” she confirmed, and, excusing herself, she disappeared from the room and came back a moment later with two perfume bottles. One was a well-known French scent. The other, which I didn’t know, she held out to me. “See if you like it,” she urged and awaited my verdict. It was a lovely floral scent and when I told her I liked it very much, she was pleased.

“‘What do you admire most about American women?” I asked her. “Their slender figures,” she replied. “I think it is easier to stay thin in America because there are not the rich sauces and dishes with pasta as in Italy. “Exercise is good,” she continued, “and I like to do it every day, but the way the studios work here it is impossible.” She explained that in Italy they report for work at noon and work right on without a break until 8 p.m. “This getting up like plants on a farm,” Miss Magnani put her hands to her face in distress, “it is very difficult for me. In the morning it is too early to exercise and at night I am too tired.”

I wanted to know more about her thoughts on exercise. “I like to breathe deeply and bring my arms in and out as I inhale and exhale,” she said after some thought. “There is one exercise I do where I lie on the floor and try to touch my toes, and another standing on my toes as I stretch as high as I can, then bend down and touch the floor. You must exercise, you know, if you wish to move with freedom.” Soaps Molars Miss Magnani attributes her extraordinarily white teeth to scrubbing with soap and water. “Afterward,” she added, “I use tooth paste to leave a pleasant taste in the mouth.” She attributes her glistening black hair to natural drying in the sun. As I started to leave, she asked ,me to tell her exactly what American women du to slay thin. “They count calories,” I explained. Nothing would do but that I sit down and explain how this worked, slowly, so that she could understand every word. Before we parted 1 promised that I would send her a in the traditional manner .

Alice Ann Kelley – Take two

This is a 1954 Lydia Lane article where actress Alice Ann Kelley talks about stretching and exercise. Enjoy!

“There is nothing like a swim suit to show up your figure flaws,” Alice Kelley told me the other day when I met her at Malibu Beach. “A ‘ well-cut gown or a good girdle ‘ can conceal a lot that should be corrected. But when you wait until summer to do anything about -your figure, it’s too late.” I asked Alice how she kept her figure. “You really don’t have to do too much,” Alice explained, “if you do it regularly. I exercise every day but I don’t spend more than five minutes on it. The trouble with most people is that they start out with a great big plan which takes so much time and energy that after a week or two they give up the whole idea.”

“I don’t think there is anything which keeps a figure more youthful and attractive than a tiny waist so every day I rotate from the hips first in one direction and then the other. This brings up the circulation and helps to wash away any sluggish fat deposits which might gather there. “I don’t think a skirt can hang well unless your hips are streamlined, so I do one little exercise for my hips,” Alice added. “I sit on the floor, resting my weight on my elbows and my heels, and roll back and forth. You reach different places by moving your elbows nearer and further away from the body.” “And are those the only two exercises you do?” I asked. “Yes,” Alice said, “except I always begin with a good stretch. It’s such a fine way to start the

day. You know’ if you watch a cat after a nap the first thing it does is to stretch. I lie on the floor and do cross stretch, one leg and the opposite arm. Then . I sit up and try to touch my toes and next I roll over and place my knee- behind my ears This may seem difficult at first but after you limber up your spine it will become quite easy. “The advantage of learning. to do this spine roil is that you reach those vertebra at the back of your neck which never stretched. And it is this how the hump’ is formed,” Alice said.

PS: Happy Easter!!!!!

Alix Talton

This is a 1953 Lydia Lane article where actress Alix Talton talks about perfume. Enjoy!

Even when Alix Talton was a little girl in Atlanta Ga she dreamed about being a musical comedy star She has not yet achieved that goal but she has had some important parts in both pictures and on TV. I first met Miss Talton on the “Equilibrium” set at MGM and as we chatted I became conscious of her perfume and asked what she was wearing.

I wanted to know if she had one favorite perfume or if she played the field. “I think of perfume as an accessory and I have scents for daytime night time and for very special occasions:” “How did you learn so much about perfumes?” I asked “Most people just wear what is  given to them” “I think that’s a big mistake” she said and explained that she considered perfume as an expression of your taste. “A girl was in a stock company once and was invited to room with a very nice girl but I hesitated because she wore the most vulgar perfume. Finally I got up enough courage to ask her if what she was wearing was her favorite fragrance. Much to my surprise she told me Isn’t it awful—I got it for  Christmas and I’m trying to use it up'” ‘How do you go about choosing your perfume?”

“When I smell something on someone else which I like very much I make a note of it and later try it on my own skin” Alix explained “You know that your body chemistry can change a scent so that one perfume which is lasting and lovely on someone else may not be the same at all on you.” Alix continued “I am lucky enough to be given a bottle of perfume which I like very much But if it is a scent I don’t know I always go to a perfume counter and see what it smells like first because I don’t want to risk opening a bottle and not liking it If I did” Alix smiled “I might be tempted as my friend was —and use it up even thought It was all wrong for me.”

Laurie Anders

This is a 1953 Lydia Lane article where  actress Laurie Andres talks about exercise. Enjoy!

Laurie Aners who has been guest many times on Ken Murray’s TV show is not acting when she portrays a cowgirl “I was brought up on a ranch in Wyoming” Laurie told me recently when we lunched at the Brown Derby in Hollywood “And I am planning to buy a ranch in San Fernando Valley before too long. I have five horses that I am boarding now and I can’t wait to have them with me.”

“As long as I ride rep tarty” Laurie continued “I never have a figure trouble. Exercise Is a wonderful way of keeping to conditioned and when we don’t have time to get on the bridle path my band and I work out in a gym.” “Do you advise exercise for everyone?” ‘Indeed I do” Laurie exclaimed. I think each person should work out a routine which suits his age and his way of living.”

“Lots of people talk about exercising but they plan such an ambitious program that they never find time to get started But it how much can be accomplished with just IO ‘minutes done faithfully. The muscle shortens and gets stiff when it Is not used” Laurie explained “That’s what happens to the tendon in the back of your leg when high heels are worn constantly. Some girls can’t even walk barefooted around a pool without being in pain. But there are other muscles in the body that get just as shrunk but you don’t learn about them until it’s too late.” “Like the lump on the back of the neck sometimes called a widow’s hump” I volunteered “Exactly” Laurie agreed “and tumblesault even if you don’t go all the way over Is a sure way of keeping that muscle stretched”

“Another place to check” Miss Anders cautioned “Is the chin-line There is nothing to age a person faster than having more than one chin. Watch your posture and the position of your head so that you do not slump over” I asked Laurie if exercise could prevent the double chin. I have a favorite exercise to strength the muscles tender the chin” she said “If you do it every day you’ll notice a firming up. Drop your jaw and push it forward as far as you can. Then in this outward position bring it up as if you were going to bite something in the bulldog fashion. Do this slowly pushing bard and you should feel a good pull under your jaw”

Yvette Dugay

This is a 1953 Lydia Lane article where actress Yvette Dugay talks about diet and working hard for success. Enjoy!

Though New Jersey-born Yvette Dugay is just 20, she has been in show business for 18 years. “I have been in more than 40 pictures” Yvette told me the other day as we were driving to Long Beach to visit some Korean casualties, “but my favorite part is with Donald O’Connor in Francis Covers the Big Town”. Yvette is very versatile and went to Korea to sing and dance for our troops. She has a scar on her leg where she was hit by a bullet. It is quite visible beneath her sheer nylons. She could cover it with make up, she explained, “but I’m very proud of it”. I asked Yvette what she felt were helpful ingredients in her formula for success.

“Thinking of other people?” she remarked. “Being liked plays a very important part in getting ahead no matter what you are doing or where you are. It isn’t always the most talented people who make their dreams come true. You have to work hard, but when you reach a goal, don’t become smug or you’ll find yourself being by-passed.” I asked Yvette to tell me about her top beauty secret. “That beauty comes from the inside,” she confessed, “You may not have the most regular features, or a terrific figure, but if you project sweetness, if you are good inside, your face will seem lovely when people are around you.” “You have made an important point” I agreed, “but don’t you think that the body needs to be cared for?”

“Yes, I do!” Yvette exclaimed. “The body must be cared for with nutritional food. Diet is the secret of beauty. My mother is in her early 40s and she looks 10 years younger. It is a great inspiration for me to follow in her footsteps. “What do you eat?” Basic foods,” Yvette explained. “Lots of vegetables, nuts, fruits, whole grain breads. My mother is a vegetarian. But when went to school I saw meat for the first time and liked it so I’ve had it ever since.” “Aren’t you tempted to go off your diet and have a fling with rich desserts and …” Before I could finish, Yvette noted “I am no martyr. I really am not tempted. I think so much depends on how you were brought up. If I want a sweet I take honey or dried fruit. I don’t feel well with heavy or rich food. And once you know what it is to have radiant health it means much more than the taste of fancy foods.”

Kathleen Lockhart

This is a 1953 Lydia Lane article where actress Kathleen Lockhart talks about how to care for mature skin. Enjoy!

Yesterday afternoon I had a visit with Kathleen Lockhart at Universal – International where she is making the picture “Walking My Baby Back Home.” Kathleen, wife of Gene Lockhart and mother of June Lockhart, doesn’t show, her age. “You never show your birthday,” told her as we chatted in her dressing room. “What is your secret for preserving youth?” “You can’t stay young by avoiding your mirror,” Kathleen commented. “Running away from the _ct that the bloom of youth has one accomplishes nothing but frustration. “You have to be realistic about his grim fact and accept maturity as a signal to assist nature.” he added. “The women who take a realistic attitudes that old age is inevitable are cheating themselves out of a lot of pleasure. If she is feminine, no woman wants to look her age.”

“That’s very interesting, but you still haven’t told me what you do,” insisted. “I believe in creams,” Kathleen confessed. “As we grow older our glands become less active and the less we supply our skin with extra moisture It will become dry and wrinkled. In a travel picture have you ever seen the faces of peasants who never take time to look in a mirror? That is what happens when nature is unassisted. “In regard to creams, I think it is definitely a case of one man’s meat being another man’s poison,” Mrs. Lockhart continued. “Very often you have to try several different things before you hit upon something which keeps your skin he way you like.” ‘Do you sleep in cream?” ‘No, I feel that It is not necessary because if you put a cream on when you start to undress, by he time you have brushed your hair and teeth and completed your toilette there should be very little left on the surface.”

“If there is,” Kathleen commented, “then you are using the wrong cream for your skin.” I asked II Kathleen used a different cream on her neck than she used on her face. “No, I do not,” she answered. ‘A cream that Is designed for the mature skin should work equally as effectively on one part of you face as on another. I don’t think women are as gullible about thing like that as they used to be.” “At what age to you feel a worn an should start ‘assisting nature’?’ I asked. “Let your mirror decide,” Kathleen said seriously. “Age is so relative and the condition of your skin depends on so many things such as health, habits and eve heredity. “

Anne Bancroft

This is a 1953 Lydia Lane article where actress Anne Bancroft talks about a bunch of beauty stuff. Enjoy!

Anne Bancroft has made 4 pictures in the 2 years she has been in Hollywood; she broke into pictures via TV when scouts at 20th Century saw her in “Studio One” and offered her a contract. “What do you consider the most important lesson Hollywood has taught” you?” I asked Anne as we drove to visit some Korean wounded in a hospital near Hollywood. “I find working in “pictures makes great demands,” Anne said. “There are voice and dancing lessons, personal appearances and tests ‘when you are not on a picture and when you are working there is no time for anything else. Even when you go to parties you don’t get very far away because you see mostly industry people and hear shop talk. I am trying to keep some time for myself but it’s difficult. “And,” Anne continued, “Hollywood has taught me how completely you are on your own here you cannot depend on other people.”

I asked Anne the hardest thing she had to overcome. “IN NEW YORK everything moves at a much faster pace so when I came here to live I had to learn to slow down. This was not easy and even now I have to work on myself to develop a more relaxed rhythm.” “What is your biggest beauty problem?” “My oily skin. When you have to wear makeup all day the problem is to keep it from clogging the pores.” “What do you do for this?” I asked. “I wash my face with soap and water after I have creamed off my makeup. Then I steam my face over a bowl of very hot water until I am sure my pores are well open. I wash my face with a very hot wash cloth and follow this by patting astringent over my face.” As my final question I asked Anne to tell me her success formula. “Love your work,” she said, “because then you will not mind long and hard hours. Be co-operative, because getting along with people is an important step.”

Dolores Dorn

This is a 1953 Lydia Lane article, where actress Dolores Dorn talks about dieting. Enjoy!

Dolores Dorn was born in Chicago and as long as she can remember she dreamed of becoming a movie star. She took advantage of every opportunity which was offered to practice dramatics and dancing. She did so well she was able to get a job as a chorus girl in a nightclub and saved her money to pay for more dramatic training. How does It feel to have your dream come true? I asked Dolores as we lunched at Warner Bros, last week. “I always felt it would happen some day, but I was prepared for It to be a lot harder, Dolores confided.

Just how did you get your break? It was having a soda in a drug store when a talent scout from Warner Bros, invited me to come to the studio, and they offered me a test which brought a contract. Dolores added: And I signed It on my lucky day, Friday the thirteenth. DOLORES HAD ORDERED cottage cheese salad with fresh fruit and when the waitress asked about dessert. Miss Dorn declined.

“You know, I had a terrible sweet tooth but I hope by staying away from sweets long enough I will lose my taste for them. Its awfully hard to break an old habit, but having a contract makes it easier. When I first came out here I had a weight problem,” Dolores continued. “I worried a lot and when I felt sorry for myself I’d eat something sweet like candy or a big slice of cake. I read where this is quite common it’s called ’emotional compensation.’ ” “Never underestimate the mental side of being overweight,” I commented.

“That’s true,” Dolores agreed. “Understanding this was a big help to me. Instead of going on a rigid diet and being miserable every calorie of it, I think it helps to find the cause of your emotional disturbance and try to overcome it. “At one time I wouldn’t have had the will power to go without desserts, but now,” Dolores confessed, “I think about my figure more than I do the taste of food. “But one thing,” she added, “that helps is to use this new sugar substitute which comes in liquid form and doesn’t have any calories. I can make sherbet with skim milk, eggs and use this for sweetening and still stay on my diet.”