WHEN PI cAsso later on Sept. 8, 1944. After two years, they were back in New York and Garrett was on Broadway in Call Me Mister, singing the showstopper "South American Way." Then Parks was called to Hollywood. He signed with Columbia and was eventually chosen by Harry Cohn, the head of the studio, to play Al Jolson in The Jolson Story. Jolson was not happy that a relatively unknown got the role, especially since he wanted to play himself — but was obviously too old. "He was a complete egotist," says Garrett. "But you've got to give him credit. He was a great performer." After two years of a bicoastal rela- tionship, Garrett moved to MGM, where she began a promising film career that included roles opposite Mickey Rooney in Words and Music and Frank Sinatra in Take Me Out to the Ballgame and On the Town. After The Jolson Story, it seemed like the sky was the limit for Parks. He made Down to Earth with Rita Hayworth and a couple of swashbuck- lers. Then Cohn decided to make another Jolson movie. A contract dis- pute ensued, and Parks sued the stu- dio in what turned out to be a land- mark case. Although the judge ruled for Columbia, he took away its right to enjoinment, which meant the studio could force Parks to make pictures but couldn't keep him from working for anyone else. But the couple's most serious trou- ble began in 1947 with the redbaiting. The original group summoned to Washington included 18 writers and directors and one actor, Parks. When asked "Are you now or have you ever been a Communist?" the first 10 cited the Fifth Amendment and were jailed for contempt. Just before Parks was to take the stand, the hear- ings were postponed. Then, in February 1951, Parks was called again, knowing this time he'd have to take the stand. He'd seen the toll taken on the families of the Hollywood 10. The mood of the country had changed. Studio support had dwindled. The Korean War was being fought. And the committee was zeroing in on big-name stars. Confusion ran rampant. When Parks went to Washington, he didn't know what he was going to do — take the Fifth Amendment or admit he had been a member of the Communist Party — because he felt he had done nothing illegal. He opted for the latter. But the rub was he refused to name names. The com- mittee insisted. "Nothing I have ever heard or read about this testimony makes it clear," writes Garrett. "When Larry said the names of the people he knew to be Communists, he was not volunteering. He was reading [from the committee's list]. "When the final session was over, [the committee chairman] told Larry, 'I think you could get some comfort out of the fact that the peo- ple whose names have been men- tioned have [already] been subpoe- naed so that if they ever do appear here, it won't be as a result of any- thing you have testified to.' "'It is no comfort whatsoever,' Larry said." And that was the end of Parks' film career as he once knew it. "Larry was a very resourceful man," says Garrett, "and he did not allow it to stop his life. We had' a wonder- ful, happy life." A highlight of the book is an episode Garrett laughs about now because it seems so bizarre. It took place in Las Vegas, where there was no blacklist. "We had just finished the late show at El Rancho Vegas one night when the maitre d' came backstage. 'Sen. Joseph McCarthy has just seen the show and he'd like to buy you a drink.' Larry just looked at me and I just looked at him. 'What do you want to do?' Larry asked. "`I don't want to have a drink with the old son of a bitch,' I said. But Larry had a kind of curiosity that sur- mounted everything. 'I want to meet the bastard face to face.' "So we went out and there seated in this big leather booth was Sen. Joseph McCarthy. Smashed. The first thing he did was put his arm around Larry and say, 'They giving you a hard time, kid?' You're asking me that?' Larry said. 'Let me give you a little motto to live by,' McCarthy said. Bastardae non carborundum. Don't let the bastards grind you down.' The next morning, Garrett walked out to the swimming pool to find her mother poolside. In the water was McCarthy teaching her boys to swim. "We got them out of there and took them back to the room," she says. "They never understood why they had to take a bath right after going swim- ming." Ell CREATED SOMETHIN G NEW HE INVITED ALL HIS FK1ENDS. W at RcdFirc Grill arc new to Walled Lake but not new to creating recipes we love to serve. Our chefs have created an artful palette starting with "Baked French Brie wrapped in Fillo," mixing "Linguine with Sauteed Chicken Breast"with tomatoes, basil and garlic, adding flare to "Char-grilled New York Strip Steak" on a bed of caramelized onions, roasted peppers and a dash of color you might not expect. "Grilled Fresh Salmon" with corn salsa, all without the gallery prices. 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