Remembering Ann Sheridan

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(1939)

In the strangest role of her career, Ann Sheridan, oomph girl of the screen, yesterday aided a crippled athlete to take his first steps in five years.

No cameras turned, although the scene was as dramatic as many a situation devised by scenario writers.

To a Warner Brothers sound stage, where the star was working in the picture, "20,000 Years in Sing Sing," was brought Bob Palen, one-time football star at the John Marshall High School here, but a cripple since an automobile accident in which he suffered a broken back followed by paralysis.

In the last few years, Palen had shown much improvement.  He promised doctors he would get up and walk, with the aid of steel braces, if he could meet Ann Sheridan.

So they brought him to the sound stage and told him to try.

Palen pulled himself up and, true to his word, he began to take halting steps -- his first in five years.

As a reward for this courage, he not only got to meet the star, his screen idol, but he had lunch with her in the Warner commissary.

 

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Several years ago, as a publicity stunt, Warner Brothers got Ann Sheridan an honorary commission in the Siamese army.  Well, the stunt has just had one of the funniest sequels in Hollywood history. 

Ann has received a communication addressed to A. Sheridan and notifying her to report for duty with the forces of Thailand.

I didn't believe the story either until I called Ann and she confirmed it herself.  She said she didn't know what the letter meant at first because she didn't associate Thailand with Siam.

"I'm going to be more careful about publicity in the future," declared Ann.  "I don't want to get called to war."

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