Who cares or gives a damn about him - am sure I don't

In 1910, two unknown British comedians, Charlie Chaplin and Arthur Stanley Jefferson (later known as Stan Laurel), set sail for America as members of the comedy troupe Fred Karno's London Comedians. During the voyage, Chaplin and Laurel shared a cabin and subsequently spent a few years touring the USA with the Karno group, with Laurel often serving as Chaplin's understudy. The men eventually parted ways —Chaplin created the Tramp character and by 1918 had become one of the world's highest-paid and most celebrated figures; Laurel started a partnership with the American comedian Oliver Hardy in 1927, forming one of the most popular comedy duos in film history, Laurel and Hardy.

Throughout the years, Laurel publicly spoke about Chaplin with much admiration, considering him the greatest comedian of all time. By contrast, there seems to be no record —at least none that I could find— of what Chaplin actually thought of Laurel. Chaplin's 1964 autobiography does not mention Laurel beyond a brief reference in an early photo, despite their personal shared history. (Incidentally, in his book Chaplin leaves out more people, e.g. Buster Keaton, who appeared with Chaplin in Limelight (1952), is not mentioned at all.)

Stan Laurel (left) and Charlie Chaplin in 1913

Stan Laurel (far left) and Charlie Chaplin (inside lifebelt) amidst the Karno troupe en route to America in 1910

While Laurel spoke admiringly of Chaplin in public, privately he struck a different tone. In this letter to his friend Ed Paterson, dated 14 October 1957, Laurel openly talked about Chaplin, describing him in a negative way, while seemingly embittered and hurt by Chaplin's failure to acknowledge his old friends. The letter was written at a time when Laurel was still coping with the death of his partner and friend Oliver Hardy,  just two months earlier; it was a loss from which he never fully recovered.

Incidentally, when Laurel himself died in 1965, Buster Keaton spoke at his funeral, honouring him with the words: "Chaplin wasn't the funniest. I wasn't the funniest; this man was the funniest." 

Here is Laurel's letter, the first part dealing with Chaplin.

Source: Bonhams

Transcript:

25406, Malibu Road,

MALIBU. CALIF. U.S.A.

Oct. 14th. '57.

My Dear Ed:- 

Thanks yours 10th. inst.

I have to agree with you re Chaplin being mean & cheap, he never to my knowledge ever had any consideration to anybody - financially or otherwise, he never had any time for any of his close friends who worked with him in the early days, regardless of whether they needed his help or not, so you can imagine his feelings & actions towards utter strangers, including his beloved Kensingtonites. [Chaplin grew up in the London district Kennington, not Kensington.]

I was closely associated with Charlie for 2 or 3 years, I was his understudy & shared rooms with him on many occasions, so am fully aware of his idosyncrasies [sic], he was a very eccentric character, composed of many moods, at times signs of insanity, which I think developed further when he gained Fame & Fortune. I frankly believe Ed, that this was heredtary [sic], I understand both of his parents died in the asylum - at least I know definitely his mother did, shortly after he brought her to this Country & placed her in a sanitarium. I really think he is to be pitied more than censored - to my mind, he is still the greatest artiste in his field, but unfortunately his ideals have run amuck & he has lost all sense of propriety.

I realise the great dislike you have for him Ed, but I do'nt [sic] think you should get yourself all worked up, & upset yourself over it, its not good for your health, besides, who cares or gives a dam [sic] about him - am sure I do'nt [sic], whatever he thinks, says or does, is water on [sic] a duck's back to me - with all his millions we are happier than he is I'll guarantee, & one thing for sure, he go [sic] out the same way he came in, with nothing & without friends too, there'll be no tears shed.

I did'nt [sic] hear anything about Mack Sennett being in hospital - thats news to me. Interesting to note you are collecting cut-outs from old films, I remember very well when Billy Reeves made some comedies for Lubin Co. they were made in Florida, I think several of the old Karno boys were in them too. Am not surprised to hear re Fred Karno Jr. being in trouble - he always has been! through all the years I've known him, he sure threw away some wonderful opportunities when his father was alive, if he had behaved himself he would have acquired all those shows, but he was too fond of the four-ale bar dept. Incidently, I met his Landlady wife in '54. she seemed a very pleasant person. Thanks for your kind remarks re my Sister, am pleased she is so well thought of. Am writing her today & will mention the names of your friends Syd & David.

Yes, I understand TV is doing a lot of damage to the theatre business, especially the Provinces, its certainly a shocking situation for all those Variety artistes who are thrown out of work - its really serious.

Well, all for now Ed. Mrs L. joins in kindest regards & every good wish for health & happiness. Take care of yourself.

Bye & God Bless.

Sincerely always:-

'Stan' (signed)

Stan Laurel.

Note: "I understand that both of his parents died in the asylum..." — Laurel seemed unsure of how Chaplin's father had died. Chaplin Sr. was an alcoholic and died from cirrhosis of the liver. Chaplin's mother Hannah suffered from psychosis and was indeed committed to a mental asylum; she died while under institutional care.

Hence my nervousness that the property could get away from us

In the late 1950s, producer David O. Selznick and director Billy Wilder had plans to make a film together, starring Jennifer Jones, Selznick's wife, in the female lead. The letter for this post shows that the two wanted to make a film adaptation of a story by Austrian author Stefan Zweig, although it's unclear which of Zweig's works they were planning to film. In any case, it was a Zweig story dealing with an adult subject, which was previously considered taboo. At the time of Selznick's letter to Wilder, the Zweig property had not been purchased yet and Selznick worried that, if they didn't act quickly, it might slip away from them. 

Of Selznick's five-page missive to Wilder, this is the first page. "The [Audrey] Hepburn picture", mentioned by Selznick, is Love in the Afternoon (1957), and "the diamond story" is likely Some Like it Hot (1959). Paul Kohner, referenced in the letter, was a prominent agent hired to secure the rights to the Zweig property.

Source: RR Auction

Transcript:

28 May 1958

Mr. Billy Wilder

Samuel Goldwyn Studios

North Formosa

Hollywood, California

Dear Billy:

I am terribly afraid lest Jennifer's fervent desire, and what I had understood was your desire, to make the Zweig story with her —and to make it after you had finished the Hepburn picture and the diamond story at the latest (unless, unexpectedly, it became possible to do it earlier)— is getting all snarled up, in consequence of mysterious goings-on which frankly I don't understand. To obviate the possibility of any misunderstandings, I should like to impose upon you this statement of my position, which normally I would have thought quite unnecessary.

As you know, MCA is our agent for Jennifer, and our dealings with them have been through George Chasin. As is my wont, I have by memoranda informed Chasin of our conversations concerning the matter, and have further expressed my views, as they occurred to me, in the hope that it could be expedited, and out of my fear that the property might fall into the hands of somebody else. I am aware that the property has been around for a long time without it being bought; but the danger of it falling into other hands is, in my opinion, enormously aggravated by what could become the knowledge, if indeed this has not already happened, that you want to do it, that Jennifer wants to do it, that I am interested in it; and, at the very least, this could substantially boost the price— which, from what I understand of your own plans, could be most damaging to you personally. Furthermore, the principal reason why it has not been picked up sooner by others is obvious: the subject matter is of a sort that would have made it taboo until the recent easing, from a practical standpoint, of regulations on adult subjects. Additionally, there is apparently the complication about the French rights, which I was glad to hear from you Kohner thought he could clear up; but which would have kept many companies, particularly the European producing units, from wanting it; but since this apparently can be cleaned up, and since further this would not necessarily today be a deterrent to American companies (who are only able to exhibit a fraction of their pictures in France anyway, because of quotas), this too is no longer a factor upon which we can rely to obviate competition. Hence my nervousness that the property could get away from us while we were going through these elaborate manoeuvers and delays. 

****

Below is the last page of Selznick's letter (the other pages are not provided by the source). Walter Mirisch, mentioned here, was an independent producer and produced many of Wilder's films through The Mirisch Corporation. Interestingly, Selznick also mentions William Wyler, the renowned director; Wyler too is named as a possible producer and one of the potential buyers of the Zweig property (either independently or perhaps in partnership with Wilder). At any rate, Selznick's main concern was clearly to purchase the rights to the property before competitors did, with the matter of ownership and possible production structures to be settled later. 

Henry Citron, also mentioned in the letter, was a MCA agent, like George Chasin.

Transcript:

If, on the other hand, you still wish to wait for Mirisch's return, that is also all right with me; and in this case I should appreciate your consent to my telling Jennifer that you are going to go forward with Mirisch, if he is agreeable. And, finally, I do again urge that we instruct Kohner to close. By the time the copyright could be cleared and the contracts drawn, we would presumably know whether it has been approved by Mirisch or by Wyler; and we could then simply insert the name of the buyer -- whether you, or myself, or Mirisch, or Wilder-Wyler, or whatever other company or unit does go forward with it. 

You decide the course of action, or of inaction, as the case may be: let me know, and I will follow it precisely. 

You are of course perfectly free to show this letter to Citron and/or to Chasin.

Affectionate regards.

Cordially,

'David' (signed)

****

In the end, the project never happened, and Selznick and Wilder never worked together. In August of the same year, Wilder started filming Some Like It Hot, generally considered one of the best comedies of all time (despite Selznick's warning to Wilder beforehand that gangsters and comedy didn't mix). Selznick, by contrast, would never produce a picture again. While he kept looking for projects, his last film remained Charles Vidor's A Farewell to Arms, which was released in December 1957.

Incidentally, other than this letter, I could find no more information about this unrealised Selznick-Wilder project. 

David Selznick (right) with Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones, the stars of the last film he ever produced, A Farewell to Arms (1957). 

In the summer of 1958, instead of working with Selznick, Billy Wilder (right) started shooting Some Like It Hot (1959); here he is pictured on the set with one of his stars, Marilyn Monroe, and Maurice Chevalier who paid them a visit. 

You don't gain anything by suspending

It's been almost two years since I last posted here. The main reason for my long absence is that I had lost my appetite for watching classic films and, as a result, for doing this blog. A while ago, however, I started (re)watching classics again and, sure enough, my love for them quickly returned. The fact that the Filmoteca here in Valencia is holding an extensive retrospective on Billy Wilder certainly helps, allowing me to catch both my favourites and some new-to-mes on the big screen. 

In any case, I am back and will try to post here again on a regular basis. 

As I started a new blog last year, I will be dividing my time between my two sites. So whenever I am not here, you may find me at my new place: Letters from Centuries Past.

Now, on to the post!

Jack (left) and Harry Warner; the brothers had a complicated relationship.

Suspending actors as a punitive measure was practised by all the major studios during Hollywood's Golden Age. Roles were not chosen but assigned by the studio, and refusing a role usually meant suspension without pay (with actors also being prevented from seeking work elsewhere). Of the big studios, Warner Bros was among the most rigid in applying suspensions. During World War II, however, as many Hollywood stars joined the war effort, studio president Harry Warner worried that suspensions were hurting the company. In a telegram to his younger brother Jack, dated 7 June 1944, Harry asked him to temporarily stop suspending actors and allow them to play parts of their own choosing ("When the war is over … you can at that time suspend anyone you want— including me, but right now don't cut your nose to spite your face."). Jack Warner was in charge of the studio's day-to-day operations, dealing directly with the stars. He replied to his brother the same day.

[Harry to Jack]

June 7, 1944

After thinking it over, believe you will have to find some way of discontinuing suspending people. If they don't want [to] work in one picture, make some other picture with them, but for goodness sake make a picture. You don't gain anything by suspending, and you just lose a picture with a big drawing star. You must bear in mind that everyone is preaching liberty and freedom and the actors are getting to believe it, and therefore want to play only the parts they want to play. When the war is over and all the actors and help have come back, you can at that time suspend anyone you want—including me, but right now don't cut your nose to spite your face. If it were me and they wouldn't play in one picture then I would have them play in another.

 

[Jack to Harry]

June 7, 1944

Agree with you wholeheartedly about not suspending anyone, but all you have to do is let actors play parts they want to and you won't be in business very long. You must also remember it isn't always they don't want to play parts, but majority times have found they use this as alibi to get more money or rewrite contract. That's my opinion, however will try your method as maybe I am all wet. Also, everybody isn't suspended every time because they don't play in picture. If they were, we wouldn't be making pictures at all. We play ball with them but when people become ornery like [Humphrey] Bogart, [Olivia] De Havilland, this type, you haven't any alternative.

 

Source: Inside Warner Bros. (1935-1951) (1985), selected and edited by Rudy Behlmer

At the time of the telegram exchange, Warner Bros was awaiting the ruling of the appeals court in the Olivia de Havilland case. In August 1943, Olivia had filed a lawsuit against Warners after six months of accumulated suspensions had been added to the length of her contract. While actors usually signed a seven-year contract with their studio, it was common practice for studios to extend the contract with the suspension time —a practice Olivia single-handedly challenged. In November 1943, the court ruled in Olivia's favour, after which Warner Bros immediately appealed. 

On 8 December 1944, the California Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the lower court, again ruling in Olivia's favour. Warners subsequently took the case to the California Supreme Court for review, but their petition was denied. Olivia finally claimed victory in February 1945, with the ruling of the California court becoming state law (still known today as the De Havilland Law). While the suspension policy itself was not abandoned, from then on contracts could no longer be stretched beyond seven calendar years, effectively limiting the studio's power.