Make no cracks about my behind!

Here's a light-hearted, funny exchange of memos between producer David O. Selznick and director George Cukor. While their most-talked-about collaboration (the 1939 Gone with the Wind) had ended in Selznick firing Cukor, they had worked together successfully on several projects before. Their most successful pre-GWTW film was David Copperfield (1935), and the following memos were written while Selznick and Cukor were putting together the cast of that film. The two men had become friends years earlier, apparently in Rochester, N.Y, as Cukor mentions in his memo. (In the 1920s, Cukor worked there as a director of summer stock shows). After Cukor was fired from GWTW, the two remained friends although Cukor never really forgave Selznick .

Transcript:

INTER-OFFICE COMMUNICATION

To  Mr. Selznick

Subject

From  George Cukor

Date  Feb. 9, 1934

Dear Sir:

It was a consideration, and a very important one in my contract, that I was to have free access to your CAN on the first floor.

You have in direct violation of this- locked the door on your side. Unless this is rectified immediately, I will notify my agent, Myron Selznick, of Joyce, Ltd., who will then arrange for the abrogation of my contract.

This is not sent to you in any unfriendly spirit, but I am sure you will see my side of the question.

Transcript:

INTER-OFFICE COMMUNICATION

To  Mr. Cukor

Subject  DAVID COPPERFIELD

From  D.O.S. 

Date  2/14/34

Well, so what about Bob Montgomery and that test?

If you think you are just going to stall this along until we leave for the East, you're crazy.....I'll leave you behind!

D.O.S.

Transcript:

INTER-OFFICE COMMUNICATION

To  Mr. David Selznick
Subject  David Copperfield
From  George Cukor
Date  Feb.15, 1934

Dear Mr. Selznick:

Robert Montgomery

I'll thank you to make no cracks about my behind. I am dying to make the test of Mr. Montgomery. I think he will make an ideal David Copperfield.

I am also looking forward to renewing again the delightful friendship we started in Rochester. 

Incidentally, when the hell do we leave for New York?

Your ardent admirer,
George Cukor


Note
Robert Montgomery didn't get the role of the adult David Copperfield; it ultimately went to Frank Lawton.

Images of the memos courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

Casting Oklahoma!

On 21 September 1953, Oscar Hammerstein II wrote a letter to director Fred Zinnemann, expressing his concern over the slow casting process of Oklahoma!. Zinnemann had been hired to direct the film adaptation of Rogers and Hammerstein's successful Broadway show, and Hammerstein —he and Rogers were the film's (uncredited) executive producers— was eager to get the ball rolling. Interested to know how things stood with Paul Newman who was considered for the role of the male protagonist Curly, Hammerstein wrote: "I spoke to Dick Rogers on the 'phone yesterday and I was disappointed to hear that so little had been done since I left, he had no report on the young man in whom we were so interested (was his name Newman?) I hope you, Dick and Arthur will follow this up right away." [read the full letter here]. 

Shortly after receiving Hammerstein's letter, Zinnemann held two days of auditions with Paul Newman and several other actors. One of them was James Dean who, like Newman, was trying to land his first film role as cowboy Curly (admittedly, Dean had appeared in films before but these roles were uncredited). Also tested were Joanne Woodward for the female lead role of Laurey, Rod Steiger for the role of Jud, and a few others. On 30 September 1953, Zinnemann reported back to Hammerstein, informing him about the recently held screen tests. Zinnemann's letter is shown below and is especially noteworthy for his remarks on Newman and Dean. 

James Dean, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and Rod Steiger all auditioned for roles in "Oklahoma!", but only the latter was eventually cast.

Oscar Hammerstein II (left) and Fred Zinnemann on the set of "Oklahoma!".

Images letter via: Playbill Vault

Original source: Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Transcript:

September
30th
1953

Dear Oscar:

We had two full days of tests- Monday and Tuesday. I think that this is as good a time as any to report on my impressions. Arthur and I will not see the rushes until tomorrow, but I feel confident that seeing the rushes will not influence my present reactions. Also, tomorrow will be a very mixed-up day because I will be leaving for the coast and I am afraid that it would be impossible for me to write at that time.

Of the people tested, I was very much impressed with Eli Wallach, Rod Steiger, Joanne Woodward and James Dean (Curly). Wallach, I thought, was exceedingly original and yet he maintained the traditional feeling of "Oklahoma!". He was quite far away from any conventional acting and he got a great many laughs from the crew. I believe he could do extremely well as the Peddler, and I think it will be very difficult to improve on him.

Joanne has a lovely quality. It may be that she is a bit too wistful for the part, and perhaps she doesn't have quite the kind of radiance and vitality required for Laury. However, I was amazed at her ability to play the part believably- as though she were a very young and naive teenager.

Paul Newman is a handsome boy but quite stiff, to my disappointment. He lacks experience and would need a great deal of work. Still, in the long run he may be the right boy for us. He certainly has a most winning personality although I wish he had a little more cockiness and bravado. We were unable to shoot his love scene with Laury because we ran out of time and the kids had to get back to the show. They were not sufficiently up on it anyhow, and the scene would have been quite mediocre and would not have done them justice.

Rod Steiger, I feel, could make an excellent Jud. He has a real grasp of the character. He managed to make Jud an understandable human being. I believe he sets a standard of performance which will not be easy to improve upon.

Barbara Cook and Betty Garde both did quite well. Barbara Cook came off much better than I expected. Betty Garde is OK but does not have that extra quality of warmth and love which Marie Dressler could have given the part. Somehow I feel that we must find that kind of woman to play Aunt Eller. At any rate, we should test quite a few more Ado Annies, Aunt Ellers, Will Parkers and Laurys, not to mention Curlys.

We tested James Dean as Curly with Rufus Smith playing Jud. Dean seems to me to be an extraordinarily brilliant talent. I am not sure that he has the necessary romantic quality. Just the same I shot his scenes with great detail because I felt that with an actor of his calibre a standard of performance would be set up which would later on become very helpful as a reference and comparison. Also, in this scene I tried to work out a film approach to the characterizations of Jud and Curly. I would be very much interested to know what you think of the three characterizations as demonstrated by Wallach, Dean and Steiger after you have seen the rushes.

Before leaving I will see a number of actors Johnny has rounded up for Arthur and me. I understand that Johnny is not too sanguine about any of them, but on the other hand, he has not had a chance to work with them because of the tremendous demands on his time which Arthur and I have made.

I will be in California Friday night (October 2nd). I expect to return east around the 10th, on my way to the Caribbean. I will let you know the details just as soon as I know them.

Very best regards,

Ever,

Fred Zinnemann

FZ/bw

Mr. Oscar Hammerstein II
The Berkeley Hotel,
London, England



Notes

-The role of Curly finally went to Gordon MacRae in March 1954. Just before MacRae was chosen, Frank Sinatra was considered a serious contender. On 12 March, Zinneman wrote to producer Arthur Hornblow Jr.: "Oscar shares my feeling that Sinatra would be the ideal casting. He would like to bend every effort to see that we can get him". I'm not sure what happened with Sinatra, but by the end of the month it was MacRae who got the part. Zinnemann himself initially wasn't too happy with MacRae, as he wrote to casting director Barbara Wolferman on 24 March: "In regard to MacRae, you and I are in the minority and actually I am sure that he will do well and that the material will carry him along. It would have been wonderful to get an electric performance from somebody but I am afraid it is just not in the cards and at this late date we will just have to buckle down and do the best we can." [Zinnemann's full letter can be read here] 

-Despite Eli Wallach's impressive screen test, he did not get the part of Ali the Peddler; it was Eddie Albert who was eventually cast. The roles of Ado Annie and Aunt Eller, which Barbara Cook and Betty Garde auditioned for, respectively went to Gloria Grahame and Charlotte Greenwood. Rod Steiger did get the role of Jud, and it was 20-year-old Shirley Jones who was finally cast as Laurey.

I think that Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones were good choices for the roles of Curly and Laurey. And nobody could have sung those songs better!

Barbara Stanwyck: The Ultimate Pro

The incomparable Barbara Stanwyck was an actress everybody loved to work with. She was a favourite with directors, fellow actors, and even crews and extras. Frank Capra, who had directed her in five films, once stated that "in a Hollywood popularity contest she would win first prize hands down". 

Barbara was the consummate professional-- always on time and fully prepared, never complaining, and always ready to support her colleagues (for example, during the filming of Golden Boy (1939) she defended a young, insecure William Holden to studio boss Harry Cohn, who was about to fire him). Cecil B. DeMille once said that he had never worked with an actress who was "more co-operative, less temperamental and a better workman"; Lewis Milestone was impressed with her technical savvy and said that "she astonished everybody with her knowledge of lighting"; and Mitchell Leisen called her "the greatest" and said that "everybody worked harder, trying to outdo her."

And there were many others who respected and admired her. The four letters for this post show that also John Sturges, Fredric March, Gilbert Roland and Fletcher Markle, who had all worked with Barbara, commended her for her professionalism. Their letters, written in 1972, were addressed to Ella Smith, who was then preparing her biography about Barbara. Entitled Starring Miss Barbara Stanwyck, Smith's wonderful book was published in 1973.

The first letter shown below was written by director John Sturges who had worked with "Missy" (as he and other colleagues lovingly called her) on Jeopardy (1953). I love the last paragraph in which he explains how Barbara had learned to move the way she did.

A scene from "Jeopardy" with Ralph Meeker and Barbara (left photo); director John Sturges (right).

Via: icollector

Transcript:

June 13, 1972

Dear Miss Smith,

Please add me to what I am sure is the huge list of Missy's admirers. Making a picture with her is such a stimulating and productive experience, it's hard to think how it could be better.

Energy, optimism, an aggressive will to make things work, talent, total professionalism and with it all a disarmingly friendly and un-self important quality. In the relationship between actress and director, what else could you ask?

I recall one aspect of her approach to her work that struck me as meaningful. I commented one day on how purposefully and yet gracefully she moved, the marvelous sense of contained power in the way she walked, stood, sat down, or whatever.

She told me years ago in New York that she had the standard heel hitting clack-clack jolting walk of a chorus girl, which she was then. What to do? She went to the zoo, and for days and weeks studied the tigers, and made herself move like they did. That straight-on attack to become what she wanted to be seems to me a strong indicator of the kind of makeup she has as a person.

Best,
John Sturges (signed)

JS:gdz

Ella Smith
The University of Connecticut
Dept. of Dramatic Arts
Storrs, Connecticut 06268



The second letter is from Fredric March who worked with Barbara on the 1954 Executive Suite.

Via: icollector

Transcript:

4/13/72

Dear Ella Smith,

As you say, I only did one film with Barbara S*. She was a joy to work with, a complete "pro", and more than knowledgeable about her craft.
As I recall she bruised her leg badly during the film + had a black n blue spot of sizeable dimension for days, which must have hurt badly. Never a whimper. She was a wonderfully good sport.
Sorry I'm not of more help, but I wish you great good luck with your venture.

Sincerely,
Fredric March

Barbara Stanwyck and Fredric March in a scene from "Executive Suite" (above), and Barbara attending the Golden Globe Awards with Gilbert Roland in the early 1950s (below).

The following letter is from Gilbert Roland who worked with Barbara on two films, The Other Love (1947) and The Furies (1950).

Via: icollector

Transcript:

Wednesday,

September 6, 1972

Beverly Hills, 

California

Dear Miss Smith;

Barbara Stanwyck is a most sincere woman in the world of make-believe: the film world.

She is a professional, considerate woman, and a joy to work with. 

No prima-donna attitudes with Barbara Stanwyck.

She is realistic with a tremendous sense of pride in her work. She is artistic, honest, real. 

I made love to Barbara Stanwyck in a scene from the film The Other Love, and dear Miss Smith, it was real.

She is devoid of temperament- because temperament is a disease that afflicts amateurs. 

She is not conceited-

because everyone has a right to be conceited until he is successful.

That is all, Miss Smith. No more. Nada mas. 

As Voltaire said: 

"The secret of being a bore is to tell everything."

Salud!

Gilbert Roland (signed)

And finally, this is the part of Fletcher Markle's letter where he writes about his collaboration with Barbara; Markle had directed her in The Man with a Cloak (1951).

Via: icollector

Transcript:

Unfortunately I don't have your original letter immediately available-- but I do recall that you asked for an informal assessment of Miss Stanwyck as a performer and that you asked, particularly, why we did not employ her own voice in the recording of the song her character delivered in the picture.

The reason for not making use of Miss Stanwyck's own voice in the recording of the song elude me entirely. David Raksin composed the sore for THE MAN WITH A CLOAK (which, incidentally, introduced the 12-tone scale to film scoring) and it is my assumption that the range of the song was not a comfortable one for Miss Stanwyck.

Nevertheless, like every other aspect of her skills and talents, Miss Stanwyck gave us a superb example of what is known in the trade as "lip-syncing" when it came time to do the actual photography of the song. Which leads me to those other aspects of "Missy" Stanwyck's work: I have never had the privilege of collaborating with such a totally professional actress in the star category-- always first on the set in the morning, with any make-up and wardrobe problems behind her, all lines and movements perfectly memorized (not only her own but those of all others in a given scene) and, through the long hours of many a rough day, the essence of good cheer with an unselfish concern for the welfare of her colleagues. (How glad I am that you are not writing a book about Leslie Caron who cried, with monotonous regularity, at 10:15 every morning!)

I am aware that I used a term of endearment for Miss Stanwyck in the previous paragraph-- "Missy"-- and I hasten to say that it was always employed by members of the cast and crew as an indication of their admiration and respect for a lady of quality.

With warmest best wishes for every success with your book, I am,

Cordially yours,

(signed)

Fletcher Markle,

Head of TV Drama

Barbara Stanwyck in a publicity still for "The Man with a Cloak" flanked by co-stars Leslie Caron, Louis Calhern and Joseph Cotton (left photo); Fletcher Markle (right).

This post is my contribution to the Remembering Barbara Stanwyck Blogathon hosted by In The Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood. For a list of all the other entries, click here.

Frank Sinatra's passion for puzzles

Growing up in Hoboken, New Jersey, Francis Albert Sinatra was about fifteen years old when he was asked to do a summer job for a firm in Wall Street. Young Francis gladly accepted, and it was on the ferry to and from work that he fell in love with crossword puzzles. Seeing how fellow commuters worked on the puzzles, Francis began to tackle them himself and within a couple of weeks he was hooked. And it wasn't just a temporary thing— solving crossword puzzles remained a passion for the rest of his life.

In the early 1980s, Eugene Maleska, editor of The New York Times crossword puzzle, made a reference to Frank Sinatra in one of his puzzles. After Sinatra had sent Maleska a thank-you letter, the two men began a correspondence and they became friends. One of the letters Sinatra wrote to Maleska is this great letter from 1989, in which he recalls how his passion for the crossword puzzle had begun.

Source: letters of note

Transcript:

September 19, 1989

Dear Gene, 

Many, many, many years ago (I was about 15) I was living with my parents in Hoboken, and a school chum of mine asked me if I wanted to work for the summer months. Of course I said yes I would and he helped me get hired with a firm in Wall Street...It was Stryker & Co. My salary was $12.00 a week. I had a wonderful time delivering stock orders, picking up stock orders, etc., etc., etc. The point of this small tale is to say that my job got me into the Crossword Puzzle world. 

Getting to work each morning and returning home cost me four cents each way on the ferry. I don't remember learning a hell of a lot about stocks and bonds but – I was introduced to the world of Crossword Puzzles. 

My first day to work I stood on the bow of the ferry boat to Christopher Street, where there were other men and women on their way to New York to work, doing my New York Daily News Crossword Puzzle – in pencil. Several days after I started working I noticed a man standing next to me on the ferry also doing a puzzle but in the New York Times. And what put me away was the bum was doing the puzzle in ink! Well sir, not to be outwitted, the next morning on my way to work lo and behold I whipped out a fountain pen. And boy did I ever make a mistake. I realized that without an eraser I was in a lot of trouble. After two or three weeks I wasn't doing too badly and I fell in love with "puzzles", and I still am, and I'm proud to say that I threw away my pencil and from that moment on I moved up to ink, and man was I ever in trouble. Obviously trying to rub out ink was impossible. The challenge delighted me. From that time on I kept timing myself to see how quickly I could complete one. Today I would say a daily puzzle is completed in 30 to 40 minutes. The Sunday puzzle is completed in 90 to 120 minutes. What a wonderful way to pass the time and also learn new answers every day. 

So Gene, my boy, keep up the good work and for all puzzlers, we thank you!

Francis Albert (signed)

Mr. Eugene T. Maleska
c/o The Players Club
New York City

Top row, from left to right: Frank Sinatra in Anchors Aweigh (1945) with Gene Kelly, The Manchurian Candidate (1962) and  Guys and Dolls (1955)-- middle row, l to r: From Here to Eternity (1953), High Society (1956) with Grace Kelly, and Suddenly (1954)-- bottom rowl, l to r: Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) with Gene Kelly, The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and On the Town (1949) with Betty Garrett  —And I can only imagine how Sinatra killed time in between takes.....

This post is my contribution to the Sinatra Centennial Blogathon hosted by The Vintage Cameo and Movie Classics. You can find the links to all the other entries here.

Presenting Gone with the Wind

When Gone with the Wind was released in December 1939, it was first exhibited in a roadshow format. Roadshow films were generally lengthy, epic films (with components like an overture, intermission and exit-music after the film) and were shown in beautiful, selected theatres in the bigger cities before they were released nationwide. For the public, the experience was much like attending a theatrical play with tickets being sold in advance at a premium price. Tickets to GWTW cost no less than 75 cents for a screening during the day --twice the price of a regular feature film-- and $1 in the evening. It wasn't until 1941 that GWTW went into general release at normal prices. 

Concerned with the way GWTW would be presented in theatres during the roadshow run, producer David O. Selznick wrote to the theatres' exhibitors urging them to present GWTW in the best way possible. Selznick's letter was accompanied by a set of instructions regarding matters like the exact moment when to open or close the curtains, when to dim the house lights etc.. These GWTW presentation instructions essentially formed the basis for other roadshow presentations for the next few decades. Below you will find Selznick's instructions in full, preceded by his letter. (This presentation booklet was sent to the exhibitors along with the film print.)

David Selznick at the Oscars flanked by Olivia de Havilland and Vivien Leigh (with  Laurence Olivier).

Via: reddit

Transcript:

SELZNICK INTERNATIONAL PICTURES, INC.
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA

INTER-OFFICE COMMUNICATION

TO EXHIBITORS EVERYWHERE

SUBJECT: PRESENTATION OF "GONE WITH THE WIND"

DATE 1940

No time, effort, or money has been spared to make GONE WITH THE WIND as perfect as possible. We have fully realized our obligation to the countless millions of readers of Miss Mitchell's beloved work, and have gone to elaborate pains with every detail of production.

This picture represents the very finest obtainable in technical equipment, including a new, greatly improved Technicolor, and the use of many new devices designed to improve photography and sound effects.

But all of the time, money and effort, and all of the new devices, will have been in vain if we do not have the complete cooperation of the exhibitor, without whose showmanship and presentation abilities a perfect show is impossible.

It is with this in mind that we have addressed this booklet to you, the link between the producers and the public, the men who will finally determine whether GONE WITH THE WIND shall be presented in the perfect form in which the public demands to see it.

I shall be personally grateful if you will take the time to read this booklet carefully; and to abide by as many of the suggestions as you find practicable in your particular theatre.

Very sincerely yours,

(signed)
David O. Selznick

Via: reddit

Transcript:

IMPORTANT!

REEL ONE

Reel one of Gone With the Wind begins with a 2 minute and 31 second musical Overture preceding the Main Title. During the last 30 seconds of this Overture, it is urged that the house lights be gradually dimmed so that all lights in the auditorium (with the exception only of exit lights required by fire ordinances) will be fully out at the end of this Overture.

Between the Overture and the Main Title there is a 7-second drum roll before the music of the picture begins. This is designed as your cue for opening the curtains. They should be fully open before the Main Title music commences, so that the first part of the long-awaited title of the film comes on the full and unobscurred [sic] screen.

The film running past the picture aperture during the Overture and the drum roll is black leader.

The opening bars of the musical accompaniment consist of ringing bells. The first bell is your cue to open the dowser to achieve the full effect of the picture fade-in.

INTERMISSION

There is a silent title reading, "Intermission", running for 10 feet, which comes in Reel 6 of the 2,000 foot reels. (In Reel 6b in those rare cases where 1,000 foot reels are still being used.) This is followed by approximately 30 seconds of silent black leader. This, in turn, is followed by approximately 4 minutes and 8 seconds of music on the sound track, also accompanied by black leader. (This is Southern music, especially prepared and scored for Intermission.)

The curtains should be closed over the INTERMISSION title and the house lights should gradually come up after the curtains are fully drawn. At the end of the title please close the dowser, but continue running the remainder of the reel, in order to play the Intermission music on the sound track that follows the 30 seconds of silence.

If it is decided that the audience requires more than the 7 minute musical intermission provided at the end of Reel 6 and the beginning of Reel 7, simply delay the start of Reel 7 accordingly, for as long as your experience dictates that you should increase the intermission. 

__________

PLEASE!

PART TWO

Reel 7 begins with another Overture, this one running a minute and 31 seconds, and it is suggested that you follow the same procedure used in opening the film. During the last 30 seconds of the second Overture, the house lights should be gradually dimmed so that all lights will be fully out when the Overture ends.

Between this Overture and the music of Part Two there is a 7-second drum roll.

The film running past the picture aperture during the second Overture and the succeeding drum roll is black leader.

The drum roll should be your cue for opening the curtains; and the cue for opening the dowser should be the first bars of music following the drum roll.

THE END

After the END title in Reel 13 there are 13 seconds of silence and black leader, followed by 4 minutes and 15 seconds of EXIT music. The house lights will presumably be gradually turned up following the END title, but because of the color effect of the last shot, it is requested that house lights should not be turned up until immediately after the END title.

Care should be exercised that a slow drawing of the curtains should not commence until "The End" is fully on the screen, as this title comes over a dramatically important pictorial effect.

The Overture to the two acts of the film have been carefully designed to establish a mood for the enjoyment of the film, and the cooperation of the house managers is earnestly sought to this end.

Carl Laemmle: Father of Universal

This post is my contribution to The Universal Blogathon, hosted by Silver Scenes. Click here for the links to all the other entries.

German-born Carl Laemmle moved to America with his family when he was seventeen years old. After doing a number of odd jobs, he worked as a bookkeeper for many years. In 1906, Laemmle bought a nickelodeon and started a chain of nickelodeons in Chicago. Soon he also started a film distribution service, The Laemmle Film Service, followed by the production company Independent Moving Pictures (IMP). In 1912, the IMP became Universal, and Laemmle became the studio's first president. Three years later, on 14 March 1915, Laemmle opened Universal City, the world's then largest production facility in the San Fernando Valley, California (until then, the studios of Universal were located only at Fort Lee, New Jersey).

Under Laemmle's reign, Universal was the biggest and most productive studio in the world from 1915 to 1925. Specialising in low-budget melodramas and westerns, the studio enjoyed its biggest successes with the comparatively expensive The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925), both based on novels by French author Gaston Leroux and both starring Lon Chaney. Laemmle's son, Carl Jr., became head of production in 1928 and had great successes with All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and a number of horror films that the studio became famous for --films such as Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931) and The Mummy  (1932). But "Junior" kept spending too much money which ultimately led to the downfall of the Laemmles. By the end of 1935, both father and son were removed from the company and Charles R. Rogers took over as Universal's new head of production.

Top row (left to right): Lon Chaney as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Chaney as The Phantom of the Opera and Bela Lugosi who became famous for his role as Dracula; below: Carl Laemmle Sr. with "Junior".

Looking back at Hollywood's formative years, it's hard to ignore the role Carl Laemmle Sr. has played. Not only did he turn Universal into Hollywood's most successful studio, but he was also a pioneer in several ways. Laemmle was the first to give actors credit on screen. Florence Lawrence --known as "The Biograph Girl"-- was the first actor he named publicly and she is often referred to as "the first movie star". By promoting her and other actors, Laemmle helped create the star system. Laemmle understood, better than his competitors, how to mix film entertainment with business. The Universal studio tours were also his idea. He suspected that the public would pay money to see how movies were being made, and he was right.

The correspondence for this post consists of two letters from Laemmle written in 1924 and 1931, respectively to a Mr. Duncan Boss and Miss Celia Brown. In the first letter, Laemmle discusses the picturisation of literary masterpieces and his reason for bringing The Hunchback of Notre Dame to the big screen. He also mentions that The Phantom of the Opera will be made into a film and that the sets will be exceptional. In the second letter, Laemmle talks about Dracula and how --thanks to Dracula's success-- Universal had plans to make two more films of a similar nature, Frankenstein and Murders in the Rue Morgue, once again literary adaptations. Interesting to note that in this letter Laemmle casually mentions Bette Davis as one of Universal's "feminine players of the present season". Laemmle reportedly wasn't very enthusiastic about Miss Davis, and it wasn't until cinematographer Karl Freund told him she had such "lovely eyes" that she was given a role in The Bad Sister (1931). A year later, Laemmle wouldn't renew her contract, and Bette moved on to Warner Bros. where she made her fame and fortune.

source

Transcript:

October 2, 1924,

Mr. Duncan Boss

299 Market Street,

Paterson, N.Y.

My dear Mr. Boss:

I enjoyed reading your letter of September 21st and agree that the educational possibilities of the screen are almost unlimited. I know that there are hundreds of thousands of people who have neither the time nor the inclination to read a great many of the literary masterpieces of the world, and that is exactly the reason why I have wanted for years to bring THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME to the screen. In some instances, it is of course necessary to make changes in the story structure in order to meet pictorial demand and the attitude of the censor, but we take particular pains to see that the beauty and spirit of the theme are not destroyed in this way. Of course, the first mission of the screen is to entertain and for that reason, we cannot put upon the market at one time too many pictures of the serious, heavier type, but I believe producers and patrons as well have come to realize that classics can be so picturized as to be entertaining and educational at the same time. We mean to make more of them.

I wonder if you have read that we are planning now to follow up THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME with a picture of similar magnitude in the production of Gaston Leroux's famous story, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, with Lon Chaney in the leading role. Work has already started on the great sets for the picture, which, by the way, are to be built of structural steel. This is the first time such a set has ever been built at Universal City, and as far as I know, the first anywhere. Just a few days ago, I received an interesting studio note on this picture, copy of which I am going to enclose, because I believe it will prove of real interest to you.

Answering the question in the last paragraph of your letter, our studio in Fort Lee is used for the developing of all the negative prints that come in from our California studios. The positive prints are then sent to all parts of the world. 

I hope you will feel free to make suggestions or criticism at any time.

Cordially yours,

Carl Laemmle (signed)

President

source

Transcript: 

June 9th,
1931

Miss Celia Brown
4 1/2 Salem Street
Nashua, N.H.

My dear Miss Brown:

You may be sure I am indeed very glad to hear from you after a silence of considerable time. I am glad to know you still turn to my column in the Saturday Evening Post with pleasure, and trust it proves to be a guide to you in your selection of moving picture entertainment.

Of course, I was interested to have you tell me you found DRACULA such a thrilling tale and that it so thoroughly appealed to you. You will be glad to know its success has prompted us to arrange for the production of two other pictures of a similiarly [sic] fantastic nature on our schedule for this season- FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley and MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE by Edgar Allen Poe. We feel particularly fortunate to have secured the services of Bela Lugosi, who you felt played the part of Count Dracula with such consummate skill.

While we no longer have Lupe Velez under contract, I am sure you will be more than pleased with our feminine players of the present season- Sidney Fox, Bette Davis, Genevieve Tobin and Rose Hobart- who are all busily at work and are making pictures which you will find the last word in entertainment. Miss Hobart has just completed an interesting part in EAST OF BORNEO in which she plays with Charles Bickford and Georges Renavent.... John Boles and Sidney Fox are hard at work on STRICTLY DISHONORABLE. As a matter of fact, I think Universal has finer entertainment to offer its patrons this year than ever before.

In answer to your inquiry about my biography- it was published in April by G.P. Putnam's, Sons, 2 West 45th Street, New York City. The author is John Drinkwater and he has called the book "The Life and Adventures of Carl Laemmle". If you are not able to secure it in your local bookstore, I am sure you can get it by writing directly to the publishers. Outside entirely from my own part in it, you will find shining through its pages much of interest in the moving picture business in general.

Cordially yours,

Carl Laemmle (signed)
President

Images of both letters courtesy of Heritage Auctions.

A belated thank-you from Hitchcock

In early 1950, Patricia Highsmith's debut novel Strangers on a Train was published. Almost immediately after publication, several filmmakers expressed interest in turning the book into a film, among them Alfred Hitchcock. In trying to secure the rights to Highsmith's novel, Hitch made an anonymous bid —as he always did in order to keep the price low— which Highsmith accepted. The winning bid was $7,500, and Highsmith was reportedly annoyed when she heard that Hitch was the bidder, realising she could have asked for a higher price. 

Having secured the film rights to Strangers on a Train, Hitch remembered to thank the woman who had made him take note of Highsmith's novel in the first place. Ramona Herdman was publicity director at Harper & Brothers (Highsmith's publisher) and had sent him a copy of the novel to read. On 17 May 1950, Hitch sent Miss Herdman the following thank-you note, informing her that he would be using the novel for his next film. Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train was released in 1951, starring Robert Walker and Farley Granger, and is generally regarded as one of his finest efforts.

Source: Patricia Highsmith Papers (Swiss Literary Archives)

Transcript:

10957 BELLAGIO ROAD, BEL-AIR, LOS ANGELES 24, CALIFORNIA

May 17, 1950

Miss Ramona Herdman

Publicity Director

Harper & Brothers

49 East 33rd Street 

New York 16, N.Y.

Dear Miss Herdman,

I know this is a very belated note, but thought you would like to know that as a result of your sending me "Strangers on a Train" I'm using it as the basis for my next picture.

Thanking you,

Sincerely,

(signed)

Alfred Hitchcock

Note: Raymond Chandler was hired by Hitchcock to write the screenplay for Strangers on a Train. To read about their troublesome collaboration and the angry letter Chandler wrote to Hitchcock, feel free to visit this post.

A toast, a toast to dearest Joan...

Joan Crawford not only had many friends, but her friendships were also deep and long-lasting. One of her friends Carl Johnes (writer of the book "Crawford: The Last Years: An Intimate Memoir" (1979)) once said: "She never took any friendship for granted. In fact, I think one of her many talents was the one for friendship— perhaps it was her greatest. Once she made the decision to enter into a real friendship with another person, she became devoted to that person forever. She worked at it, and understood the importance of it" [source].

One of Joan's Hollywood friends was director George Cukor. The two first started working together in 1935 when Cukor directed Joan in No More Ladies; three more pictures followed, i.e. The Women (1939), Susan and God (1940) and A Woman's Face (1941). With The Women Cukor helped reboost Joan's career (after she had been labelled box-office poison), and it was around this time that they also entered into a lifelong friendship. Shortly after Joan's death, Cukor remembered his friend in an article for the New York Times: "In private life, Joan was a lovable, sentimental creature. A loyal and generous friend, very thoughtful— dear Joan, she forgot nothing: names, dates, obligations. These included the people at Hollywood institutions who had helped to make and keep her a star..." [click here to read Cukor's tribute in full; the same text was read by Cukor at Joan's memorial service in June 1977].

As with many of her friends, Joan Crawford also kept up a correspondence with George Cukor. Shown below are two of the letters they wrote to each other. In October 1973, Joan wrote to Cukor while she was busy moving house. At the time she was still on the Board of Directors of Pepsi Cola, hence her reference to her "Pepsi work" (her fourth and final husband Alfred Steele was CEO of Pepsi Cola and when he died in 1959, Joan was elected to fill the vacant seat on the board). The letter from Cukor to Joan was written in January 1974, in which he most eloquently thanked her for the food she had sent him for Christmas. As you can read in one of my earlier posts, Joan Crawford loved to cook and was apparently also good at it (there is even a book with her recipes).

Image: The Best of Everything: A Joan Crawford Encyclopedia

Transcript:

October 15, 1973

George darling,

I've been trying to write you since the last of August but things have been too hectic between my Pepsi work and packing linens, towels, dishes, etc. I've been up to my "you know what" in packing cases and will be until I make the big move the first week in November.

How good you were to write me about my New York Times article. I adore your letters. They are so very articulate, so visual.

The boys from the University of Connecticut's Film Society sent me a copy of "The Films of George Cukor." I thought it was excellent.

Forgive the brief letter, as I really feel like a visit with you, BUT those empty cartons are yelling "fill me, fill me."

I'm only moving to another apartment in the same building, but it might as well be to Switzerland. Dear God, the things we collect.

All love, dearest, beautiful friend.

Joan (signed)

Mr. George Cukor

9166 Cordell Drive

Los Angeles, California 90069

Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions 

Transcript:

Jan. 3, 1974

My dearest Joan,

They're always misusing the word delicious- 'what a delicious dress... what a delicious room...' and on and on. But in this case it's the mot juste. What a delicious Christmas present you gave me! What's more, the 'presentation' was almost as grand and impressive as the steaks themselves.

Then came the proof of the pudding... the steaks were super. After we'd taken a couple of bites we raised our forks with a luscious piece of steak on them and cried 'A toast .... a toast to dearest Joan'.... You've been toasted under all conditions on all continents, but I'm sure never with delicious broiled (Omaha) steaks. They were not consumed in one sitting, no fear - I hoarded half of them for some other great occasion- for myself.

Dearest Joan, I wish for you a wonderful New Year- that you're well, happy - and with your enormous energy and zest for life, that you'll be kept on the run all the time- doing the things that you really enjoy.

As for me, I'm doing okay. In a few days Peter Schaffer is coming out to work on the script of his play, BLACK COMEDY, to be done in England. It's a funny, funny farce (we hope!) We figure that the poor public will be delighted and relieved to see something jolly after all the torments and degradations of Exorcism, police brutality and other such unappetizing subjects.

Grateful thanks, dearest Joan

and all love, George

On the set of "The Women": eating water melons with Joan Crawford, George Cukor, Norma Shearer and crew.