On the Firing Line

Mrs. Fritz Kreisler, audibly restless as she listened to a speech in praise of General Charles de Gaulle, was herself suddenly interrupted by Playwright Henri Bernstein, who leaned forward from the platform and said to the violinist's red-haired wife: "Mrs. Kreisler, would you please be kind enough to keep your mouth shut?"

Chili Williams, LiFE-famed pin-up model now in Hollywood, was maybe nude, maybe not, when the Mrs. stormed into Artist Husband Earl Moran's Manhattan studio one hot day last summer. Pretty Mrs. Moran, suing unhappy Artist Earl for divorce, said that Chili was. Chili (via Western Union) said she wasn't: I AM SUGGESTING THAT YOU TAKE BACK YOUR RIDICULOUS STATEMENT ABOUT ME --AND FAST. . . . Wired back Mrs. Moran: I TAKE BACK NOTHING. I KNOW WOMEN'S UNDERTHINGS WHEN I SEE THEM. YOURS WERE STREWN ALL OVER THE STUDIO. . . .

Veronica Lake, her temper a shade frayed by a thumb broken at a Chicago bond rally, engaged in a shouting contest with a Boston gallery that heckled her soft-spoken plea for the Fifth War Loan. Said she of the extra-long bob: "Who are you? bobby soxers?" Said they: "No!" Said she: "Well, who do you think you're listening to, Frank Sinatra?" A happy ending to the squabble came with the purchase of a $100,000 bond which included the privilege of having Veronica wash dishes at Mayor Maurice Tobin's luncheon.

Clifford Heinz II, in the 14th week of a court battle for custody of his four-year-old son, went right on throwing body blows. The socialite grandson of Henry ("57 Varieties") Heinz, who had testified that Mrs. Heinz once offered to trade him the boy for their cocker spaniel, produced ten photographs of a woman, posed in various stages of dress and undress, claimed that they were pictures of his wife in her more irresponsible moments. She denied the nudes, said the others had been taken when she planned to become a model. Before the bell rang for Round 15, an inclusive explanation of everything was offered by Witness Josephine Douglas, Clifford III's nurse: "The vibrations of the Heinz household were wrong because the kitchen was painted black and red."

Behind the Battlelines

General Sir Bernard L. Montgomery, Commander of Allied Ground Forces in the European Theater, put in a full week fighting and entertaining on the Normandy beachhead. Jaunty Monty's guests included:

Winston Churchill, who wore a yellow Mae West, navy blue overcoat, Trinity House cap, saw two Spitfires down a Nazi bomber, saw himself depicted as an octopus on a Nazi propaganda poster;*

Jan Christian Smuts, who accompanied the Prime Minister, and took yards and yards of home movies on colored film;

King George VI, who lunched with his host and decorated seven heroes;

General Charles de Gaulle, who had a joyful welcome from his host, a joyful reunion with the French (see FOREIGN NEWS).

Work Done

Bing Crosby, on the lookout for some choice Crosby records ever since he lost his collection in the fire that destroyed his home last year, was reported by Columnist Harrison Carroll to have tracked down an out-of-the-way Ohio collector with 22 of them. Purchase price (to the croon tycoon): $3 apiece.

Governor John W. Bricker's campaign headquarters in Chicago was aflutter over a happy omen: its new telephone number was "Wabash 1944."

Kate Smith, 230-lb. radioriole, figured surprisingly in the Father's Day buildup: the national committee which doled out the Eisenhower medals brightly awarded her one--as a friend of fathers.

Mickey Rooney, brash half-bracket of Hollywood's higher income brackets, became the smallest soldier at California's Fort MacArthur.

Mohandas K. Gandhi, who had scarcely peeped since his release from British confinement (TIME, May 15), finally agreed to a 15-minute press conference --on his day of silence. The newsmen stood silently around for the quarter hour, then one wrote a note asking extension of the time. Scribbled Gandhi in reply: "If there is a good singer amongst you, you can take extra time . . . there's no such thing as silence in journalism." In response to a reporter's brave try, Gandhi decided a little vocalizing was enough.

* Back in London, the Prime Minister's trip was the talk of the town. There were plenty of pub arguments about such risk-taking, but the comment was mostly rather prideful: "Well 'e couldn't resist it, could 'e?"

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