Ava Gardner, of Rock Ridge, who some day hopes to become a star in Hollywood. She is shown here with King
Vidor, the director, discussing a part in the “H. M. Pulham, Esq.,” script
Ava Goes to Town
Slie started out as a Powers model: then
the movie folks found out about her and
asked her to report at Hollywood. She’s
been advancing steadily since then.
WITH Randolph Scott, Vir¬
ginia Dale, Kay Kyser, John
Slicpperd and a number of
olhcr« already representing the Old
North State in Hollywood, North
Carolina has contributed one more
member of its fair citizenry— Mies
Ava Gardner of Rock Ridge.
Ava has already Uren in Hollywood
-eve nil
не
<n i Im and has had small
parts in three pictures. On top of
all that, her constant escort, Mickey
Rooney, is bringing excellent pub¬
licity to her very door.
Although Rock Ridge is her present
Imme, Smith field can claim to be
Ava's birthplace, for she was born
there in 1!*23. In fact, she was al¬
most a Christmas present, for she
came into the world on Christmas
Eve.
Her birthday doesn’t mean very
much to her, according to Ava, who
tty JOHN C. THOMAS
ruefully claims: "I’ve never had a
birthday present in my life.”
Passing over her early life in
Smithfield, she moved on to Newport
News, Virginia, with her family and
romped through grammar and high
school there, pausing just long enough
to learn to swim and play a very
fair game of tennis.
After leaving Newport News, she
came to Kook Ridge where her mother,
Mrs. J. II. Gardner, got the position
of matron at the toacherage, a job
which mother still holds. Ava grad¬
uated from Rock Ridge High School a
couple of year* ago at a time when
the high school there had to have its
graduation exercises out in the open
because the school had burned down
the Christmas before. Then Ava took
a year at Atlantic Christian College
in Wilson and then, honing to make a
little money for herself, applied for
a job of modeling at the John Powers
agency in New York — and was ac¬
cepted.
That was the turning point. And
here the real story begins.
Hollywood press agents who are
daily sending out dozens of releases
and pictures of Avn now all over
the country declare :
“Contrary to her usual custom,
‘Miss Opportunity’ knocked several
times at Ava Gardner's door— in fact
she nearly had to knock the door
down before Ava heard her.”
When opportunity knocked the first
time at Ava’s door the knock was
timid. The green eyed brunette was
vacationing in New York at the time
