Melvyn Douglas In “There’s Always a Woman”

Northern Advocate, 18 March 1939, Page 3 (Supplement)

Melvyn Douglas In “There’s Always a Woman”

There’s always a woman, it seems, in the career of Melvyn Doug'las. A woman turned his thoughts towards the stage when the boy was vacillating between urges to he a musician, a lawyer, or a poet, A woman furnished him the Open Sesame to Broadway when the youthful trouper had proved his mettle in seven years of stock repertoire in the middle west. ‘A woman induced him to make comedy his metier when the young man’s talent was being squandered in sentimental leads. They are three different women, and their names are Lena Shackleford Hesselberg, Jessie Bonstelle, and Helen Gahagan. One is his mother, one his patroness, and one his famous wife. Lena Shackleford was a Kentucky girl whose family sprang from the Douglas clan of Scotland. She married Edouard Hesselberg, Russian-born composer and concert pianist. To them Melvyn Douglas (the Douglas was adopted from his mother’s family for the stage) was born in Macon, Ga. His mother would read plays, and dramatic stories to him. Shakespeare, the poet, aroused his interest and soon he was spellbound by Shakespeare the dramatist. . ’ , For several seasons after the war Douglas played in Shakespearian repertory and stock before Broadway beckoned him., But the beckoning was a mirage. With a shock he learned Broadway was deaf, dumb, blind and callous.

He then learned that Jessie Bonstelle was in town. Jessie, veteran stage actress, was Heading her own company in Detroit, Michegan. He gained her confidence and enthusiasm, played opposite her for two seasons and through her good offices made his Broadway debut in “A Free Soul.” In his fourth season on Broadway Melvyn encountered real romance behind the footlights- While appearing in “To-night or Never,” which proved the farewell p reduction of the late David Belasco, he slipped away with Helen Gahagan, the star, and was married.

Helen Gahagan, whose domestic role is friend and critic as well as wife, urged Douglas to seek a different type of role in films. “You ought to play comedy.” she suggested.

“There’s Always a Woman” is the fifth of his comedy leads for Columbia. Alexander Hall directed the film from a screen .play by Gladys Lehman. / Mary Astor and Frances Drake aie featuied in the cast.