Stogie Tempest

Twentieth Century-Fox could not take it. Scores of disillusioned cinemaddicts had written letters to express their horror at the idea that 20th Century's beglamored Gene Tierney smoked cigars. The studio told NBC to fire the man who said so (Hollywood Gossip Columnist Jimmie Fidler) or no 20th Century star could ever appear on the network again.

Patiently NBC pointed out that Fidler worked for its recently severed affiliate, the Blue Network. "Red, white or blue," roared Studio Head William Goetz, "it's all NBC to us." The Blue Network stuck by Fidler, so Goetz removed stogied Guest Tierney from Abbott & Costello's show, bountiful Betty Grable from Jack Benny's.

Gossip Fidler stuck by his popguns: what he had said was that blue-eyed Gene Tierney had been observed sickly smoking a cigar in hope of acclimatizing herself to her husband's stogies. Miss Tierney denied the charge.

Behind this pinpoint controversy looms an important issue. The Government's $25,-ooo salary ceiling has severely reduced the amount of work movie stars can do for pay. Hollywood wants its stars to use up their working capital in pictures, not on the air. But if all studios joined 20th Century's boycott, radio would lose a majority of its best names. Gene Tierney's husband's cigars might be the entering wedge.

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