Elia Kazan and HUAC: I believe what I did was necessary and right

Despite being one of the great American directors, Elia Kazan will always be remembered for his damaging testimony before the House on Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) on 10 April 1952, a testimony which would taint his reputation for the rest of his life. During his first testimony earlier that year in January, Kazan had refused to name the names of people who had been members of the Communist Party with him during the 1930s. In order to avoid being blacklisted, however, Kazan testified again a few months later, this time volunteering the names of eight of his old friends (including Clifford Odets and Paula Strasberg), thereby destroying careers.

Kazan decided to cooperate with HUAC so he could continue making films. While he was an established stage director and could have kept working if he had been blacklisted —the blacklist didn't have much effect on Broadway — he didn't want to focus on the stage any longer, wishing to make motion pictures instead. To his close friend, playwright Arthur Miller, Kazan said prior to his testimony: "I hate the Communists and have for many years and don't feel right about giving up my career to defend them. I will give up my film career if it is in the interests of defending something I believe in, but not this".

And so, Kazan escaped the Hollywood blacklist and continued doing what he wanted to do most — make films. He would deliver some of his best work in his post-HUAC period, e.g. East of Eden (1955) and On The Waterfront (1954), the latter film regarded as Kazan's justification for informing. (Before 1952 Kazan had already made films such as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), Panic in the Streets (1950) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).)

His naming names cost Kazan several friendships (including his close friendship with Arthur Miller) and made him persona non grata in Hollywood. Even with the passing of time, Kazan remained a controversial figure whose actions could not be forgotten. In 1999 when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to honour him with a Lifetime Achievement Award, the decision caused a lot of commotion in Hollywood leaving people clearly divided. While some felt Kazan deserved the Oscar for his body of work, others disagreed refusing to stand up and applaud at the ceremony (watch here).

Kazan never apologised or showed remorse for what he had done. While he admitted to regretting "the human cost" of it, in the end Kazan stood by his actions: "Maybe nobody agreed with me, but I thought that was the right thing to do. Maybe I did wrong, probably did. But I really didn't do it for any reason other than that I thought it was right."

Above: Elia Kazan and Arthur Miller, the latter would be blacklisted in 1957. Below: Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy in On The Waterfront shouting: "And I'm glad what I done to you, ya hear that?"; in 1988 Kazan said:" [... ] that was me saying, with identical heat, that I was glad I'd testified as I had."

And now, the letter!

Eleven days after he had given his HUAC testimony, Elia Kazan wrote to screenwriter Robert E. Sherwood, saying that although his informing was "difficult and painful", it was also "necessary and right".

Sandy Hook, Conn.

April 21, 1952 

Dear Bob:

Your letter meant so much to me that I found it a little hard to answer. What can I say? You have it exactly. It was difficult and painful. No one likes to "tell". And to say that something is difficult and mean it is to face the fact that it can never come out 100% comfortable. It didn't.

I believe what I did was necessary and right. The silence of so many of the House Committee's witnesses had disgusted me. I thought what the nation needed was a sense of proportion about the problem and, for this, cold facts. Yet the first time I was called down, though I answered every question about myself and my own activities, I refused to name other individuals. It was as if 12th. st.* had kept hold of a little piece of my conscience all these years. The Communists had done violence to everything I believed in, and still somehow I stayed silent and shrugged it off and minimized and looked the other way.

Enough of that! I've been trying during these last weeks to let the air in and the light and to take a good fresh look at what's in my damned head. Painful as its been, I'm really glad it all happened.

Most gratefully yours, 
Gadg.

Source: The Selected Letters of Elia Kazan, edited by Albert J. Devlin with Marlene J. Devlin; published in 2014 by Alfred A. Knopf.

Notes

On 12 April 1952 following his HUAC testimony, Kazan took out an ad in the New York Times, defending his actions. Kazan's full statement can be read here.  

*12th st. = 35 East 12th Street, New York City, location of the Communist Party headquarters.

The Curious Stage Career of Jean Arthur

By the early 1930s, Jean Arthur's Hollywood career had failed to take off, making Jean turn to the theatre instead. She made her Broadway debut in 1932 with a small role in the play Foreign Affairs and a year later had her first starring role in The Curtain Rises which earned her good reviews. Jean later recalled that these two years on Broadway had been "the happiest years of [her] life". She preferred the stage over Hollywood, having said at one time: "I don't think Hollywood is the place to be yourself. The individual ought to find herself before coming to Hollywood.... On the stage I found myself to be in a different world. The individual counted. The director encouraged me and I learned how to be myself." 

Having made a name for herself on the stage, Jean returned to Hollywood and signed a contract with Columbia Pictures in February 1934. Ten years later, after a string of very successful films including Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936), Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) and The More The Merrier (1943), her contract with the studio ended and Jean reportedly ran through the streets of Columbia cheering "I'm free! I'm free!". Jean retired from making films, accepting only two more film offers, i.e. Billy Wilder's A Foreign Affair (1948) and George Stevens' Shane (1953). Over the next few decades, she would return to the stage a total of five times.

Jean's post-retirement stage career was, to say the least, a curious one. Jean suffered from chronic insecurity and extreme stage fright that made her abandon every project she had agreed to (with the exception of Peter Pan). In 1945, Jean was cast as the female lead in Garson Kanin's Born Yesterday (written especially for her) but then quit during try-outs, her departure paving the way for newcomer Judy Holliday who became a success both on the stage and on the screen (in George Cukor's 1950 Born Yesterday). Nine years later, Jean abandoned George Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan, calling it quits just before the play was to start a three-week run in Chicago. The Freaking Out of Stephanie Blake was cancelled in 1967 after a disastrous preview, with Jean refusing to go on. And in 1975, Jean walked out on First Monday in October (in which she starred opposite Melvyn Douglas) after eleven performances. On each occasion, Jean left the production claiming some illness or other, involuntarily throwing cast and crew members out of work and costing producers heaps of money.

Above: Jean Arthur as Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc), one of her heroes from whom she took her stage name (Jean was born Gladys Greene and the other hero to make up her name was King Arthur). Below: Playbill announcing the three performances of "Saint Joan" in September 1954 in Wilmington, Delaware. When the play opened in Wilmington, Jean's portrayal of Joan of Arc was very well received by both the critics and audiences.

Of the productions Jean had quit, abandoning Saint Joan in 1954 hurt her the most, having dreamed of playing Joan of Arc all her life. Right from the start there were problems with director Harold Clurman with whom Jean constantly clashed and who humiliated her in front of the company during rehearsals. By the time the US tour reached Chicago, Jean's confidence was at an all time low, not only because of Clurman's constant criticism but also because of the mixed reviews her performance had garnered. On opening night in Chicago, Jean told producer Robert Whitehead that she was not feeling well and half an hour before curtain time she left the theatre saying she was "too jittery and sick" to perform. Several days later, Jean's doctor diagnosed her with "complete exhaustion". By leaving the play Jean felt that she had failed her favourite heroine and later said: "Every bit of me was committed to it. When the show folded, I folded. I'd put everything into Saint Joan. There was nothing left.... I felt like the walking maimed".

Above: Jean Arthur as Peter Pan, her most beloved role. Below: Playbill announcing "Peter Pan" at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway, where it opened on 24 April 1950. Producer Peter Lawrence wanted to make a musical, but when Jean was hired it became "a fantasy with music" since Jean couldn't sing.

Apart from the debacles, there was one major triumph. Like Joan of Arc, Peter Pan was a role Jean had dreamed of playing all her life. In April 1950, her dream came true when she got to star on Broadway in Leonard Bernstein's adaptation of J.M. Barrie's play Peter Pan, giving a convincing performance which earned her both public and critical acclaim. But while the show would enjoy a long and successful run, it did have its problems in August 1950. With eight performances a week in a physically demanding role, 49-year-old Jean was exhausted and refused to go on. Producer Peter Lawrence sought to permanently replace her but Jean just wanted a vacation, having no intention to leave the show. Eventually, Lawrence and Jean's lawyer reached an agreement and Jean went back to work two weeks later. (During her absence, Jean was replaced by 23-year-old Barbara Baxley with whom she later became close friends.) The show continued being a big success and ran until January 1951 with a then record of 321 performances. Jean later said that playing Peter Pan was without a doubt the highlight of her career: "That was my happiest role and I think my finest acting." 

And now, as always, I will leave you with a piece of correspondence. The following note concerns a play that Jean was interested in doing. Jean, who was an admirer of the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, wrote to a Mr. Funke in February 1952, saying she was thinking about starring in Ibsen's The Master Builder. The role she wanted to play was Hilde Wangel, the story's impulsive heroine. In the note Jean mentions the opening of the play to be in the fall of 1952, but according to biographer John Oller it wasn't until early 1954 that Jean was to join the cast of The Master Builder. In the end, however, Jean never played Hilde. Another play she was dying to do, Saint Joan, got in the way.

Source: PSA

Transcript:

Dear Mr. Funke (?)-

I am contemplating a production of Henrik Ibsen's - "The Masterbuilder" -
the opening to be in New York in the Fall -
I shall be Hilde -

Sincerely
Jean Arthur

R.F.D. 32 A
Carmel, Calif.

2/29/52

Often dubbed "The American Garbo", Jean felt ill at ease around people and was most comfortable in her own home. Here she is photographed by Herbert Gehr in her Hollywood home in January 1940.

Dear Bill Holden

Fredric March and William Holden starred together in two films, i.e. Executive Suite and The Bridges at Toko-Ri, both released in 1954. March, who belonged to an older generation of Hollywood actors being 21 years Holden's senior, was one of Holden's acting idols. In September 1950, a month after the release of Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard starring Holden in one of his best roles, March wrote the following letter to his younger colleague praising his performance in the film. Holden must have been thrilled to receive this letter from March, not knowing he would be working with him (twice even) in a few years' time.

Source: Heritage Auctions

Transcript:

130 E. End Ave
New York 28 NY

Dear Bill Holden

Yesterday Mrs March and I saw "Sunset Boulevard", and I think yours is one of the finest performances I've ever seen. 

Some months ago, my eighteen year old daughter pointed out to me some very glowing things you had said about my work. So, even at the risk of this sounding like a mutual admiration society, I could not resist telling you what I felt about your truly superb job. 

Keep it up - (+I'm sure you will). All good wishes to you and yours. 

Sincerely,

Fredric March

September 25th, 1950

Above: William Holden as Joe Gillis with co-star Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard.

William Holden and Fredric March in Executive Suite (above) and The Bridges at Toko-Ri (below).

R.I.P. Doris Day

Doris Day has always been one of my mum's favourite singers and her beautiful, unique voice often filled our house when I was growing up. Long before I began watching her films, I listened to her songs. She was so much part of my childhood that I felt quite sad to hear about her passing yesterday.

Doris began her singing career in 1939 as a big band singer, scoring her first big hit with Sentimental Journey with Les Brown and His Band of Renown in 1945. A few years later she started a highly successful solo career, spanning several decades and recording hundreds of songs. But it was with Les Brown that Doris had her first success and in 2012 when Les was honoured at the Les Brown Centennial Festival, Doris sent the following heartfelt letter to 'Friends of Les', remembering those early days with Les and his band.

Source: Les Brown Big Band Festival

Transcript: 

February 29, 2012

"Friends of Les" 
c/o Mr. David Miller
3 Greenview Court
Little Rock, AR 72212

Dear Friends of Les,

It's hard for me to write this letter because most of the boys in the band are no longer with us, except Stumpy Brown and Frank Comstock. I speak with them often, and we talk about the good old days that were really great. We always remember something funny that happened during our years together.

Everyone in the band was so wonderful to me, and I truly loved them all. They took care of me since I was very young, and they treated me like a sister. I miss them when I think back to those good times.

There was a good reason why everything went so beautifully, and Les was that reason. He was so nice, so considerate and so thoughtful that I just loved him, and I really miss our telephone calls that we had through the years. When I remember those band days and all the wonderful songs I sang, I smile and wish I could do it all over again. 

I know that when you read my letter, Les will be listening, so I am sending my love to him right now, this very minute!

Love, 

Doris 

P.S. Love you, Les!

Dodo

(Handwritten)
Doris Day

With my love to all the boys in the band

D.D. x x x

Joan Crawford & her devotion to her fans

When biographer Donald Spoto was eleven years old, he went to the movies with his mother to see Sudden Fear (1952) starring Joan Crawford. Afterwards young Donald told his mum that he was going to write Miss Crawford a letter saying how much he had liked the film, to which his mum said: "Movie stars don't have time to answer letters from strangers, so try not to be disappointed". Not long after, a letter arrived in the mail.

Dear Don, 

Thank you for writing such a sweet letter.  

I am so happy that you liked my new picture, "Sudden Fear". It was a challenge for me, and there were some very hard scenes. But I enjoyed working in San Francisco, and I was very lucky to work with fine actors like Mr. Jack Palance and Miss Gloria Grahame. 

I am so impressed that you read Miss Edna Sherry's book that our movie was based on. I don't think there are many eleven-year-old movie fans who do that! 

Thank you again for writing to me. I hope you will stay in touch, and that we will meet some day. Good luck in school!  

Your friend,

Joan Crawford

(Source: Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford (2010) by Donald Spoto)

Spoto's mother obviously didn't know that when you wrote a fan letter to Joan Crawford you would always get a letter back-- guaranteed. No one was more devoted to his or her fans than Joan was and I guess it's safe to say that no other actor or actress has been ever since. Joan personally replied to all her fan letters, its number estimated at roughly three million (!) throughout her career.

Sometimes people question why I love my public so. It's because the studio didn't make me a star. They gave me the chance to be one. It's the audiences that made me a star. I never forget them or what I owe them.

That's why I never get tired when I'm answering their letters to me, even when I have to work for more than sixteen hours doing it, even when I did it while I was waiting between takes on films or on the way to the studio in the morning, or on my way home at night.

On the soundstage, we don't hear applause the way stage actors do, so being asked for my autograph and receiving fan mail, that is my applause. As an actress, I love applause, because, after all, I'm not performing just for myself. But I did not want to be on the stage. I loved the movies, so the fan mail, millions of pieces of it, yes, that's my applause.

(Source: Not The Girl Next Door: Joan Crawford, A Personal Biography (2008) by Charlotte Chandler)

In her correspondence with her fans, Joan was always very kind and very polite and always apologetic when she was late in answering ("Maybe most of them might not really care much, but there are a few, I'm sure, who are waiting for my response and will be disappointed if they have to wait too long"). Joan often sent out letters that went beyond the generic fan letters, talking about private things with her fans (both hers and theirs), at times giving them advice and with several of her fans she maintained a correspondence spanning years or even decades. Joan referred to her fans as 'friends' rather than just fans, indeed becoming good friends with a number of them (among them was Betty Barker who became Joan's lifelong secretary). 

For this post I've selected six letters from Joan to her fans, written at different times in her life, resp. 1927, 1943 and a few letters from the 1950s. The recipient of the first two letters was New York resident Dan Mahony, one of Joan's earliest fans with whom she corresponded over the course of several years. Her correspondence with Mahony meant a lot to Joan and she probably opened up to him more than to any other person in her personal life (in her letters she often called him her "best friend"). Written in the fall of 1927, the following two letters are very personal showing a vulnerable Joan, just a year before she was launched to stardom with Our Dancing Daughters.

Transcript:

Home

SEPT, 1927

Dan dear,

Everything happened so fast that I didn't know anything myself till I was on the train. In two hours time I had to pack eight bags and four trunks, and catch a train with people like Harriet Underhill* in between. I know you'll forgive me, but gee, Dan I was very miserable while in New York. Perhaps it was because I was so unhappy, that you saw the real me. Please forgive for that too?

But I'm home now. Home where I can run away from everyone and hide till I want to come out of my shell. Home where I’m able to relax. Home where those dear walls know my every secret. Well, after all Dan, don’t you understand, it’s just my Home, the only place where I am able to hide, the only place in all the world I can run to and as I walk in my front gate and close it it seems as if I’m closing the gate to all activities, all human beings and deeds. I’m in my world to do as I will. Now do you know? My walls do not expect me to act, to be a woman or to be a lady. They expect only the child, who plays with her toys, or they expect my tears.

I'm so afraid this letter shall bore you for I've been rambling again. Thanks so much for the clipping. And know that your faith in me and my success will help me to attain that success.

Please never lose that faith in

Joan

[*Underhill was a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune]

Transcript: 

Wednesday

NOV. 1927

Dan Dearest,

This letter is going to be a horrid bore to you I know, but I'm at the studio, have a few moments to myself so I came up to my dressing room to talk to you.

I'm low low as hell, I haven't any other term I can use but that one, for it seems to describe my feelings so, oh so well. I'd give anything if I could just stand up and scream it "I'm low as Hell", yes isn't that dreadful? I've been up since six, it's only ten, I've smoked one package of cigarettes already and have had about ten cups of coffee. I have to to keep going, don't scold me, yes I know my nerves are all shot, I know too that I'll have a nervous breakdown and also my doctor told me yesterday I had to go to the hospital right after the picture. Oh Dan, for the first time in my life I'm afraid. I'm afraid of the silliest thing, it's just this I'm afraid to relax. I've been doing three pictures at once, having more and more trouble with mother, you see she is living with me again. My home, the thing I need most to go to and relax isn't a home. I'm so tired at times. I get sick inside, I can't relax for when I do I'm going to pieces. I'm acting always each waking moment and when I go to bed I can't get to sleep till the wee hours of morning, then when I get up I'm all tired out. If I could only go away and rest. Oh God, me thinks I shall go mad at times.

This letter is rambling on and on, I told and warned you it would, if you can read it you're a miracle for I must hurry and finish for they will call me back on the set any moment now.

Dan you've been such a precious to write so often, all because I asked you to, your letters have kept me going, honestly they have, keep up the good work and help me. I'm selfish I know, but I want more poems, you see, you shouldn't be so clever and marvelous, then I wouldn't be a pest and beg for more, or want your letters.

Oh do write soon. I'm trying so hard to work and not disappoint you in my "Rose Marie" character. I want so for you to love it. I want so to have you tell me again I made you cry when you saw her on the screen. Oh I want so very many things, and have nothing. 

Oh Dan I do ask so little of Life, why can't I get that little bit that I do ask for.

People keep rattling their rotten tounges [sic] about me when I broke my engagement to Mike Cudahy, they talked not that I care, but why can't they keep their vile thoughts to themselves. I hate people, I loathe them. The only thing in the world I do ask for is love, tenderness, sincerity, beautiful friendship. I can't find it, you give it to me, yes. Oh, I don't want to become hardened, I won't for I believe in dreams, oh but it's hard to keep building up those dreams, when they are torn down so often. 

I'm sorry I'll stop now, you see I know I've surprised you terribly. You didn't know I'd put down my thoughts like this, did you? Well here they are, try and read between the lines and really see the true heart and soul of

Joan

Note:

According to the website Legendary Joan Crawford, Joan and Dan Mahony never met. However, the letter dated September 1927 (shown above) seems to indicate that they did. Also, it looks like Joan referred to a meeting in another letter dated July 1928: "We practically know nothing about each other, yet one Sunday we seemed to have known each other all our lives".

Joan pictured above with Michael Cudahy

Fast forward to 1943, when Joan was sixteen years older, already an established actress and obviously much surer of herself. The following letter was written to fan-turned-friend Pearl Pezoldt (with whom Joan maintained a correspondence spanning several decades), followed by three more letters that I like, with Joan giving advice and replying to fans who had asked her for a favour.

Transcript:

December 14th, 1943.

Dear Pearl:

Please do not ever think it's an intrusion whether it's 4:30 A.M. or not. Of course, we have to have someone to unburden to and I'm delighted that I'm the one. I hope by now Joan and Charles are much better and don't you worry about Marshall-Fields cancelling the balance of the order. Of course, it's dreadful that you have so much money tied up in the materials.

Yes, Pearl, I do think we gain in character from experiences and trials. Try not to get to the point where you wonder why. I found that, with my self, at least, if you keep saying why- why did it have to happen to me- that that's the first stages of a very depressed condition and if it goes on long enough it can become quite a bad case of self pity. Just know there's nothing presented to us that we cannot cope with. That there is a power much greater than any one of us, who created us and who continues to give us strength and courage - not only daily, but hourly. Learn to depend on that and lean on it.

I don't know what religion you have -- every one has one -- but it's the only thing one can really depend on when one is in great need and I repeat to you what I said in my last letter, don't even think of us at Christmas time. You have done enough with the lovely handkerchief and card.

Do keep me posted on everything and write whenever you feel you need to. 

Signed 'Joan Terry'*

Mrs. Hanford C. Pezoldt,

1452 Whitcomb Avenue

Des Plaines, Ilinois

[*At the time Joan was married to actor Phillip Terry, her third husband]

Transcript:

November 11, 1951

Frances M. Egan

810 Hanna Building

Cleveland, Ohio

Dear Frances, 

Thank you for your sweet letter and your interest in writing to me.  I am so sorry to be so delayed in answering, but I am in production now so that means a very crowded schedule and most of my day is spent at the studio.

I do wish to thank you for all the lovely things you expressed about me and my work. It is pay for all the long hard hours required to give a successful production. It is a joy to add your name to my list of friends. 

Regarding your inquiry as to a position as a script girl in a studio, I am sorry that I cannot give you that information as I am not acquainted with the requirements and method of hiring. I would suggest that your [sic] write to the employment office of several of the studios and ask them the proper procedure of applying.

Best of wishes to you and your daughter. I do hope you will be able to fulfill your desire to move to California. Do have a joyful Thanksgiving Holiday. 

Sincerely,

(signed 'Joan Crawford')

JOAN CRAWFORD

Transcript:

March 12, 1953

Dear Mrs. Emerson:

Thank you so much for your nice letter. I am deeply sorry to know that your life has been upset recently. It is a hard adjustment to make, when a home is broken and there are children in it.

I think it is fortunate that your children are old enough to allow you the freedom necessary to start a career. I feel it is essential at a time like this to keep busy with something you are most interested in.

You ask if you are too old to go back to studying dramatics. I do not think anyone is too old to study, and I do not consider 39 old. Nowadays a woman can keep herself attractive and young-looking. Naturally, it will take time to make the readjustment, but I am sure you will find the happiness you seek, if you go about it with courage and determination. 

I hope I have helped you a little, and do write me again and let me know how you are getting along.

Sincerely,

(signed 'Joan Crawford')

JOAN CRAWFORD

Mrs. Ruth Emerson

7304 Kester Avenue

Van Nuys, California

Transcript:

September 27, 1952

Miss Bettie Smith

520 Grant Avenue

Cambridge, Ohio

Dear Bettie,

Thank you for your letter which was waiting for me upon my arrival home from my tour and then a few days vacation with the children before they returned to school.

I am very sorry to hear of your illness. The death of your father would be a shock to you all since he was the earning power of your family. It is wonderful that your sister is sharing so much responsibility and is to be admired. 

I only wish I could help you buy a television set. The demands of my family increase each year as they grow older and it does take much to keep them. I have so many desiring a similar favor that I cannot possibly grant them all. Have you ever tried any of the contests which offer prizes? It would be fun for you and a chance to get your desired set.

Best wishes and I do hope you are better by now.

Sincerely,

(signed 'Joan Crawford')

JOAN CRAWFORD

Source of the letters: The Best of Everything: A Joan Crawford Encyclopedia

This post is my contribution to the JOAN CRAWFORD: QUEEN OF THE SILVER SCREEN BLOGATHON, hosted by PALE WRITER and POPPITY TALKS CLASSIC FILM. Visit either blog for links to all the other entries!

There is only one you

In his 1996 biography on Audrey Hepburn, Barry Paris stated that Audrey was not only a biographer's dream but also a biographer's nightmare. A beloved actress and a passionate advocate for children's rights, Audrey was (and still is) só admired and revered that practically nobody had anything negative to say about her. Paris found that the worst thing Audrey seemingly did was her failure to mention Patricia Neal at the 1965 Oscars (read more about that here).

Audrey is and has been an inspiration to a lot of people, even long before she reached her icon status. One of the people she inspired in the early 1960s was Cherylin Sarkisian, an insecure teenage girl who became later known as Cher.

A teenager who didn't really fit in, Cher hated high school but loved to watch movies. In 1961 she saw Breakfast at Tiffany's with Audrey Hepburn for the first time leaving her completely awestruck. At that time most of the female stars were blondes with whom Cher couldn't identify (e.g. Doris Day and Sandra Dee), but now seeing Audrey --a brunette portraying an eccentric, free spirit like she was herself-- she had found her role model. Cher became fascinated with Audrey, dressing herself and behaving like Audrey's character Holly Golightly and getting herself into trouble at school in the process.

It wasn't until many years later, after she had become an actress herself, that Cher finally got to meet her idol. The occasion was the 1988 Academy Awards Ceremony where Cher was awarded the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in Moonstruck. Audrey loved Cher in Moonstruck and told Cher that night that she had wanted her to win. (Cher was in fact one of Audrey's favourite contemporary actresses and Audrey admired her for her "enormous scale of emotions and total lack of inhibition.")

Three years later, on 22 April 1991, Audrey herself was honoured at a gala tribute in New York. Seeing how much Audrey loved Moonstruck and the performance of leading lady Cher, Audrey's then-partner Robert Wolders suggested that Cher be a surprise guest at the tribute. Cher was invited but then two days before the event she got sick. Heartbroken that she wouldn't be able to attend and tell Audrey in person how much she meant to her, Cher took pen to paper and wrote Audrey the following letter.

Source: Christie's

Transcript:

April 20, 1991

Dearest Audrey,

This is a very hard letter for me to write, because what I had dreamt of doing all my life was to be able to tell you all of this in person- or at least in front of hundreds of people Monday night! I bought a new dress (something I thought you would love) and was completely ready to tell my innermost feelings about you because of the profound effect you have had on my life.

On the night I won the Oscar you touched my hand and said you were glad I'd won..... you can never imagine what that meant to me. Since I was a little girl you have been my idea of a "star" and it was partly because of you that I became an actress.

You were a brilliant light for me in a sometimes dark childhood. I so wanted to be like you in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" that I put my hair in 2 ponytails, bought huge sunglasses, and wore the closest thing to "you" that I could put together. I got suspended from school for the sunglasses but never mind- I was on my way to being just like you. But as I started to grow up I realized I couldn't be you because there is only one you.

(There is no better argument for being an individual than you, being you, living your life as you do on screen (I could never presume to know the private you by your image alone))

Someone once said to me that I was like a "3rd world Audrey Hepburn"- I'm not sure how they meant it, but it's one of my favorite comments regarding me. Your work is so beautiful that it has inspired me again and again.

I love you and respect you and you will never know how sad I am to miss this golden opportunity to say it in person. I send you my love,

Cher

This post is my contribution to the AUDREY AT 90: THE SALUTE TO AUDREY HEPBURN BLOGATHON hosted by SISTER CELLULOID. Be sure to check out all the other entries here!!