Dana Andrews — Frankly Speaking… (1948) 🇺🇸

Dana Andrews' dressing-room is hung with pictures of ships — big schooner-yachts, tiny craft in full sail, even old-fashioned steamboats. It wasn't hard for Dana to answer the first of the questions you Movieland fans sent in.

by Alice L. Tildesley

Q: What is your hobby, and why do you enjoy it? (Mary Colaprete, Columbus, Ohio.)

A: My hobby is boats. I think sailing is fun. It's something you can enjoy with your whole family. We all go out together, my wife, my daughter, my sons and myself. I like things that bring a family together.

Q: What actor or actress made the biggest impression on you when you first came to Hollywood, and why? (Mrs. M. E. Parks, Delmar, Delaware.)

A: I didn't meet anyone when I first came here. But Robert Donat on the screen did then — and still does — impress me. He is my favorite actor and one of the finest on any screen.

Q: How was your childhood spent? (Joyce E. Nutt, Vienna, Ga.)

A: My father was a minister, and up to the time I was 19 I lived in five different towns. It was a normal childhood, quite happy. I had seven brothers and one sister and I think I may say there was seldom a dull moment.

Q: I read that when you first came to Hollywood you were broke, so you hitched a ride with a truck driver who offered to lend you $10 on a ring you had. Did you ever pay him back? (Barbara R. Harris, Westfall, N. I.)

A: It's true, I was broke and that a man gave me $10 on a ring I had, but I never could pay him back because he gave me the wrong address and I couldn't find him. I would like very much to give him back his $10. My ring was worth $50, so I don't really feel that he lost on the deal.

Q: Did you do the background singing of the title song in "Walk in the Sun"? (Jo Mottola, 24 Stewart Ave., Hempstead, N. Y.)

A: No.

Q: What was the bleakest moment of your life? (Marcia Turshen, Hartford 5, Conn.)

A: I've had many bleak moments, but as time went on I'd often realize, looking back, that they were not actually bleak, but unimportant. Things are relative: Today you may agonize over something that turns out tomorrow to have been a godsend.

Q: Do you believe in the supernatural to a certain extent? (Florence Lutterman, Sibley, Iowa.)

A: No. I don't believe in ghosts. I have heard something of mental telepathy and believe there may be some truth in that; but once a thing is explained, it is no longer supernatural.

Q: I've heard that you've been married to Joan Crawford. Is this true? (Barbara Baker, Lillian, Texas.)

A: No. You may have read that Joan Crawford and I are playing together in Daisy Kenyon.

Q: What kind of education did you receive — what schools, what subjects? (Jeanne Rosendahl, Concord, N. H.)

A: I went to grade schools in Uvalde, Texas; high schools in Uvalde and Huntsville, Texas; college at Sam Houston College in Huntsville. I majored in Education, because that was the kind of college it was; I also studied Business Administration and Drama, among other items.

Q: Does the fact that your father was a preacher make it hard — or helpful — in making decisions in Hollywood? (Guyon Shelton, Jacksonville, Fla.)

A: Helpful.

Q: How did you meet your wife, and where? (Reba Montgomery, Florence, Alabama.)

A: We met when we were cast in a play together at the Pasadena Community Playhouse. We were engaged in the play itself, and backstage we became engaged during the play's run. We thought it quite a coincidence.

Q: Which scene in any picture did you find hardest to enact? (Margie Holquist, Omaha, Nebraska.)

A: The first scenes I did, because I was unfamiliar with my medium and didn’t really know how to use it. I believe comedy or farce scenes are always hardest for a beginner, because he must be relaxed and seem carefree and gay. I remember in Sailor’s Lady,” the director was so appalled by my efforts that he said: "If you go on like that, we'll have to have a murder in this picture." ... I hadn't learned to relax. I notice that amateurs always make the mistake of trying to do Noel Coward comedies which they can't do — instead of dramas, which are easier.

Q: What one person do you hold most responsible for your success? (Irene Fryzel, Pawtucket, R. I.)

A: My father. The background he gave me, the precepts he laid down, all helped. Then he taught me how to handle my voice and how to handle myself.

Q: How old were you when you got your first job? what kind of work did you do? (Shirley Hough, Raymond, N. H.)

A: I was thirteen. It was at Uvalde, Texas, keeping bees in an apiary. Uvalde is the largest honey-shipping point in the world. I learned a great deal about bees, and earned $40 a month, which seemed a lot of money.

Q: Do you feel that actors should affiliate themselves with political organizations or stay out of this field? (Lynne Stevens, Mansfield, Penna.)

A: I don't see why they shouldn't affiliate themselves with anything they believe in. Politics is a necessity of our society and an actor has the same duty as any other citizen to take part in civic affairs.

Q: Did you have a very hard time trying to become a movie star, and what was your experience? (Fannie Cassara, New York, N. Y.)

A: Yes. I came out here to get into pictures and it was nine years before I got a contract. During that time I went through the depression; did all kinds of work; dug ditches; drove a school bus; worked in a filling station. I studied opera for six years, too.

Q: I read that you have 9 brothers and 9 sisters. Is this true? (Dolores Ward, Newark, N. I.)

A: No. I have 7 brothers and one sister.

Q: Would you mind devoting one answer to your brother? I read a book review about a novel written by a younger Andrews, but can't remember the title of the book, its publisher or the first name of the author. Will you tell me? (Alison McAndrew, Philadelphia, Penna.)

A: I do not have a brother who has written a book. One of my brothers is writing one, however.

Q: What is your favorite sport? (Betty Rose Bentley, Seco, Kentucky.)

A: Sailing. My favorite spectator sport is football.

Q: Do you travel extensively, and what parts of the country or the world have you visited? (Florencia Balasbas, Wailuku, Maui, T. H.)

A: No. I have traveled on locations for pictures in this country. I've been in Arizona, Georgia and New England for pictures, but I’ve never been out of this country except into Mexico across the border a few miles.

Q: How do you prepare for a role? For example, the blind pianist in "Memory of Love,” from the time you receive the script to the actual direction on the set? (Marilyn Sanchez, Ventura, California.)

A: I read the script, getting an idea of the character. For this particular role, I got a dummy piano and was coached by an expert pianist who taught me to simulate playing the piano. I had an hour a day lesson and practiced six hours a day.

Q: What childhood memory stands out most in your mind? (Virginia Muirhead, Richmond, Va.)

A: The time I ran away from home. I stayed away four days and never had a more unhappy experience. I left home because of a silly childish ambition to make my mark in the world. It was too soon. I was too proud to go back at first. Then I was 90 miles from home and it took me the rest of the time to get back. My family received me very kindly. My father, instead of giving me a bawling-out, which I expected, talked very kindly to me, which made a great impression.

Q: What was your most exciting experience? (Marcella Morris, McMechen, W. Va.)

A: After I made a test for Sam Goldwyn, he sat down with me in a projection room and watched it run off. Then he said; "Well, young man, we'll sign you up!" I made the test from a play Oh, Evening Star that I was then doing in Pasadena.

Q: Is your hair really naturally curly? In some movies it seems extra curly, in others practically straight? (Jean Walker, Toronto, Ontario.)

A: Yes, it's naturally curly. It's all a matter of grooming my hair. But sometimes a change in atmosphere will make it curl more.

The End

Dana Andrews Answers the $24 Questions.

• Real Name: Carver Dana Andrews. Born in Collins, Mississippi.
• Married to Mary Todd.
• Children: David, Kathryn and Stephen Todd.
• Height: 6 feet.
• Weight: 168 lbs.
• Hair: Brown.
• Eyes: Brown.
• First Picture: The Westerner.
• Current Picture: Daisy Kenyon.

The Andrews children number three — two boys and a girl. Here's Dana with Steve, his youngest son.

Popular novel Daisy Kenyon brings Dana and Joan Crawford together on the screen for the first time.

Boats are Dana's hobby and sailing his favorite sport. He is pleased that Mary (above) and the children share this enthusiasm; thinks it important for families to have mutual interests.

Collection: Movieland Magazine, January 1948