YOUTHFUL FILM STAR

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 19, 21 April 1947, Page 7

YOUTHFUL FILM STAR

TYPICAL AUSTRALIAN CHILD What happens when an ordinary, normal child finds herself a film star? Two years ago Harry Watt of Ealing Studios discovered Helen Grieve, and gave her a part in “The Overlanders.” At present Helen is working in another film and will probably get parts in many more. Last week I went to East Lindfield in Sydney and talked to Helen at her home. East Lindfield is one of Sydney’s loveliest suburbs, and the Grieves must be Sydney’s most charming family. I arrived at East Lindfield at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning. Helen who was dressed in blue checked shirt wore no shoes or stockings, was helping her mother hang washing on the line. Helen is a very lovely girl and promises to be more beautiful yet when she grows up. She has olive skin and that stunning flaxen hair done in plaits. Her ears are small, and she has large grey-blue eyes and long black eyelashes. She has a neat little nose and a large mouth which curls engaging when she smiles which is often. She has long legs and a boyish way of throwing them about when she walks. Helen is four feet ten inches tall and weighs six stone two pounds.

But as Mrs Grieve confessed - to me in despair after I had crossquestioned her for two hours, Helen has no history. She is one of those absolutely normal children to whom nothing ever happens. She is fair at school work, loves animals and is placid in temperament. She likes acting in the movies but she is not sure she doesn’t ‘prefer going to school.

Helen was a great favourite with the seven women who travelled with “The Overlanders” unit into Central Australia. All of them including the star, Daphne Campbell, still visit her. Helen told me a lot about Willie the Wombat, Whist the horse and Celia the Sealyham. Willie and Whist belonged to the Grieves when they lived at Moss Vale, New South Wales two years ago. Celia lives with the Grieves at East Lindfield. She has had 28 children and is 70 years of age—you multiply by seven to put a dog’s age into human years, so Celia is really only 10 years old. Helen told me she liked Lassie of “Lassie Come Home” better than anyone else on the screen. Of the human actors and actresses she likes John Mills and Greer Garson best. Helen herself is not over-anxious to continue her movie career into adult life. She says that at present .she feels she would like to be a veterinary surgeon but may change her mind later.

I. formed the opinion of Helen that she is an extremely healthy girl mentally as well as physically. She has never been ill in her life. Her comments on the other members of the cast of “The Overlanders” were friendly and generous. She loves having an aniriial for a pet and always looks after all the needs of her pets. When she had Whist both of them were nine years of age and Helen fed and groomed him herself.

If Helen is typical of what happes to a fourteen-year-old girl who becomes a film star, then my conclusion is that fame does a child no harm whatever.