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Another thing Evangeline Adams did for U.S. astrology was to convince a young, wellborn Philadelphian named Carroll Righter that he ought to be an astrologer. As a friend of his family, she met him first at 14, found out his birth time ("I'm a gregarious Aquarius," he archly rhymes), and informed him repeatedly that his chart was perfect for interpreting the stars—"just like mine."
But young Carroll, the second of four sons in a proper Philadelphia family, went on from the University of Pennsylvania to take a law degree at Dickinson School of Law and work for a year in a large Philadelphia firm. When he found law incompatible, he turned to civic projects—the Robin Hood Dell concerts, the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company—and when the Depression struck, helped feed, clothe and house Philadelphia's unemployed. Under Miss Adams' influence Carroll had been trying his hand at horoscopes, and now he began to do them for the unemployed. He was impressed, he says, at how often the special ability indicated by a man's stars were useful in landing him a job.
When, owing to complications from an old back injury, doctors gave him six months to live, Righter looked at his own horoscope and found he had "physical protection in the Southwest." He moved to Los Angeles, and "in a year I could dance." His amateur astrologizing proved to be so popular among the movie crowd that he turned professional in 1939. In the 30 years since then, a constellation of Hollywood stars have been his clients, and his rooms are crammed with photographs of the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Susan Hayward, Robert Cummings, Tyrone Power, Van Johnson, Ronald Colman, Peter Lawford and Ronald Reagan. To newsmen's repeated queries as to whether he is using astrology to run California, Governor Reagan replies that he is no more interested in the subject than the average man.
Some of Righter's clients have tended toward fanaticism: Director William Dieterle insisted on starting the shooting for one movie on a certain date, even though it had not been cast by that time. For the most part, like many astrologers, Righter does his best to couch everything—even the unpleasant—in positive terms. "If I find a strong indication, say, that someone is going to lose his job, I say: 'You know, nothing in life is certain. This is a period of change. Your chart shows that you have some interesting new beginnings, and if I were you I'd prepare for them.' " He also tries to discourage what Client Robert Cummings calls "astrological hypochondria." Says Righter: "If all they want to know is what color suit or dress to wear, I cut them off, and I just won't talk to them again until they straighten out."
How does Righter help them, once they have straightened out? "Suppose you're an actor and you're offered three different scripts at once. How do you make a choice via astrology? It isn't difficult; you look at the aspects. If you have a beautiful Venus aspect, I tell you to take the romantic part. If you have a Mars and Saturn aspect, I tell you to take the part in which there is a lot of fighting and bloodshed."
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