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!!

John Ford's love letters to Maureen O'Hara

After completing Rio Grande (1950) director John Ford started preparations for his magnum opus The Quiet Man (1952), his personal tribute to Ireland which he had wanted to make for a long time. In the fall of 1950, Ford left for Ireland developing his story and seeking locations, while his preferred leading lady Maureen O'Hara flew to Australia to make the film Kangaroo (1952). It was at a stopover in Honolulu where O'Hara received a strange letter from Ford addressed to "Herself", the first of many letters which surprised and confused her. In her 2004 autobiography 'Tis Herself, O'Hara described the moment when the letters, apart from confusing her, also started to worry her: "I hadn't been overly concerned about these letters up to this point, but now I was. Over the next several weeks, more letters arrived for Herself. By the end of February [1951], I had received a stack of them. I couldn't keep dismissing them as John Ford eccentricities or as harmless whims during a drunken stupor. I could no longer deny that, for whatever reason, John Ford was sending me love letters."

John Ford and Maureen O'Hara in Ireland-- above they are pictured with Ford's secretary and script supervisor Meta Sterne and below with John "Duke " Wayne. 

Trying to figure out why John Ford was sending her these letters, Maureen O'Hara came to realise that it was not hér Ford was in love with, but the character Mary Kate Danaher she was going to play in The Quiet Man. O'Hara believed that Ford (who was born in the USA to Irish immigrants and wanted to get in touch with his Irish roots) was so absorbed in writing his script that she became his ideal Irish woman through Mary Kate and that the letters were all part of Ford's creative process as he was preparing The Quiet Man. Naturally, when filming finally began, O'Hara was curious to see how Ford would behave towards her, not having seen him since receiving the letters. In her autobiography 'Tis Herself  she recalled:

Obviously, I was eager to see how John Ford was going to act toward me on and off the set. His letters had me confused and curious, but not overly concerned. I wanted to know if he was still playing this Quiet Man romance-fantasy of me in his head. I was relieved to see that he was no different from how he had always been. He never mentioned the letters to me, and it was strange, as if they had never existed. On the set, he was the typical Mr. Ford-- happy at times, irritated at others, sometimes insulting, at times abusive, acerbic with his wit, a bastard, but always in control-- and so I felt everything was normal. I later learned, after the picture was finished, that he was still clinging to these fantasies about me. But while we were making the movie, he managed to hide that from me.

And she hastened to add:

With that said, let me get this out of the way once and for all: I did not have an affair with John Ford while we were making The Quiet Man, or at any other time. The man was old enough to be my father! I've heard the rumors that have been thrown around. These stories and assumptions are spewed out in interviews and end up printed in books about John Ford as though they are fact. I'm sorry, guys, but you have it wrong. You should have asked me. Ford did not assign me to a room at Ashford Castle that was adjacent to his, as one person alleged. What Ford did do, however, was deliberately assign me to a room that was very beat up, with holes in the worn-out carpet and wallpaper peeling off the walls. Duke, on the other hand, had a gorgeous suite. I thought, Oh, that old bastard. He did this on purpose, just so I'll make a fuss and complain. But I never said a word. I would never have given him the satisfaction.

Whether it was indeed as Maureen O'Hara believed (i.e. John Ford not really being in love with hér but with her character) -- well, who knows ... At any rate, in the years following The Quiet Man the relationship between O'Hara and Ford grew more difficult with an embittered Ford often verbally assaulting O'Hara, especially during production of The Long Gray Line (1955). (O'Hara once said about Ford's bitterness: "He wanted to be born in Ireland and he wanted to be an Irish rebel. The fact that he wasn't left him very bitter".) Still, O'Hara respected Ford and considered him a friend. She also felt that he was the best director she had ever worked with, having made a total of five films with him (i.e. How Green Was My Valley (1941), Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952), The Long Gray Line (1955) and The Wings of Eagles (1957)).

Maureen O'Hara as the feisty Mary Kate Danaher in The Quiet Man (of all the films she had done, it was her favourite film); pictured below with co-star John Wayne as Sean Thornton in the film's romantic rain scene.

And now to the letters!

Seen below are two of John Ford's letters to Maureen O'Hara. The first one is part of a letter, not the whole letter, probably written in late 1950. The second letter was written in January 1951 in Korea, where Ford was making the documentary This is Korea! before returning to Ireland. (Incidentally, Ford signed his letters with "Sean", Irish for John, which was also the name for his male protagonist in The Quiet Man.)

Source: Bonhams

Transcript:

[darling Maisín, I have a great need of you- a great physical urge- not the bay but the heart- if I could only see you, just to hear you laugh]

I'm sorry about the mail business- the distance makes things tough but I'm not expecting too much. You've a job to do- that comes first. You know my dear, that whatever you feel like doing or do is OK with me. I'm so grateful for the few weeks happiness you've given me (few weeks! it was a lifetime!) You're still my darling loyal girl- come hell or high water- I'll always love + revere you- please think kindly of me- not much- a little bit.

BUSINESS: I think honestly we're getting a great story. The girl's part is simply terrific! It's the best part I've ever read for a gal- dramatic- comedic- wistful- pathetic- yet full of hell + fire- passionate + sweet. For goodness sake + your family's sake, bend every effort to get it. This is my farewell to movies + I want it good. It will be only great if you play it for I [sic] written it- guided it- slanted for you. As my last picture- if the shootin' war holds off. I can only force myself to enthusiasm if you + Duke are present—

frankly- before I pass on, I want to see you established as a great actress (which you are) with a great performance to your credit. Our personal friendship- past or present- doesn't enter into it. Altho' I'm selfishly professional in my attitude and you can't blame me, on my last pro. effort I still feel as tho' you're part of me- the things I love, I couldn't or wouldn't do it with anyone else. Something would be missing- They say "There's no fool like an old fool"+ I'm in love for the first time- and proud as all bloody hell about it- So you can see- Maisin [....] how important you are to the picture- (and you're important to me- will you laugh!

 

Korea

My darlin' my loved one my heart-Maisín!

Oh God-at last-at long last-I hear from you! And such lovely letters (Oh thank you my heart) the last dated Jan 6. And here I was moping like a gossoon-about my last & only love— Irish like- an' all the time you were writing regularly! And thru' it all I got the impression you were still fond of me. Darling-you've made me so happy! I looked at the letters for a whole day—afraid to open them—then I said, "I'll read one a day." Then like a drunk & his bottle I read them all-word for word-inflection for inflection-I thought I would have a heart attack- frankly, I damn near fainted several times. I've read them over a hundred times, each time they're different. Again my love thanks. You've made me so happy!!! I love you-I love you-I love you! I kiss you a million times! I'm delirious with happiness.

Oh Maisín agrad, why can't we just chuck it & go back to our lovely Isle-the three of us? Life is so different there-the people-our people-are nicer. We can social climb a bit and say we're peasants.

Did you like the "houseen"? It's at Ballyconnelly (Hell-I already told you) but it's lovely & lovely-so beautiful—

Brian Hurst and I have paid two years rent on Michael Killanin's church cottage (church of Ireland ol' dear) in Spiddal. Nice fishing-bathing- plain but comfortable- but too near my relations- Ballyconnelly is away up in Connemara-near Ballylahunch-

(Gawd what am I raving about! And me old enough to be your grandfather!) But a guy can dream can't he? And I'm in love-for once. Ireland was so pretty my darling-oh how I love it-and you.

I hope this letter makes sense. I'm writing by candlelight out in the boondocks. (I think I'll knock off a while and rest my eyes & hands & re-read your letters a couple of times-I feel sensual- all aglow & warm with love-I can feel your arms around me-and your lips pressed to mine and your red hair-oh my love).

Sleep tight my sweet. I hope I'm still y'fella- think kindly of me my love for I love you with all my heart & soul.

Séan

Source: 'Tis Herself (2004) by Maureen O'Hara with John Nicoletti 

The on-screen ageing of Bette Davis

During her impressive career, Bette Davis starred in a number of films in which she played characters older than her actual age. In 1939, Bette (aged 31) played spinster Charlotte Lovell in The Old Maid, her character ageing some 20 years to 40 at the end of the film, the look of 'middle-age' created by makeup artist Perc Westmore with pale makeup. The same year Bette portrayed 60-year-old Queen Elizabeth I in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, shaving her hairline and eyebrows to resemble the older queen. To play 40-year-old Regina Giddens in The Little Foxes (1941), Bette had Westmore give her a mask of white powder in order to look her character's age (much to the dismay of director William Wyler who felt she looked like a Kabuki player). Then in 1944, Bette played Fanny Skeffington in Vincent Sherman's Mr. Skeffington, being mid-20s at the beginning of the film while ageing to 50, with her looks not only affected by age but also by diphtheria (Bette wore a rubber mask to get the look she wanted). And in 1945, 37-year-old Bette was a schoolteacher in her fifties in The Corn is Green, wearing a grey wig and padding under her clothes to look the part.

Above (clockwise): Bette Davis playing older than her age in The Old Maid, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, The Corn is Green and The Little Foxes. Below: Bette as the younger and older Fanny in Mr. Skeffington.

While Bette didn't shy away from portraying older women --for The Corn is Green she even insisted on her character being older, feeling it suited the part better (even though Warner Bros. wanted her to play someone younger)-- in some cases she did object to ageing for her role. For Mr. Skeffington Bette initially turned down the role of Fanny after Warners had acquired the film rights in 1940. The novel by Elizabeth von Arnim was mostly told in flashbacks by the female protagonist, and in the original script Bette would have long scenes as the older Fanny while talking about her past. Bette felt she wouldn't be convincing as the 50-year-old woman, as she explained to her boss Jack Warner in the following letter from December 1940. It wasn't until several years later that she was offered a revised script and agreed to play the part.

December 5, 1940 

Dear Jack, 

I have also heard rumors that Skeffington with Mr. [Edmund] Goulding [directing] was my next. This, I would be forced, for my own future career, to refuse. It is physically impossible for me to play this woman of fifty- I am not old enough in face or figure, and I have worked too hard to do something that I know I would never be convincing in. The Old Maid and Elizabeth [in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex] were different. They were very eccentric characters and wore costumes which always helps age. This is a chic modern woman.  

If your action in these matters is suspension, or if you decide to give me my three months vacation for next year in January, February and March, I would appreciate knowing as soon as possible so I can open my house in New Hampshire.

Sincerely,

Bette Davis

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

Make-up artist Perc Westmore adjusting Bette's makeup on the set of The Little Foxes.

Another project for which Bette had to age against her will was The Gay Sisters. According to a memo from producer Henry Blanke to co-producer Hal Wallis dated 7 June 1941 (as seen below), Bette was worried that she had to play an older woman again, at the time also playing the older Regina Giddens in The Little Foxes. When assured that the character Fiona would not age beyond 32 years, Bette still had objections to the casting of Mary Astor as her younger sister (Mary was two years her senior). In the end, The Gay Sisters (1942) was made without Bette or Mary, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Geraldine Fitzgerald instead. 

TO: Mr. Wallis

FROM: Mr. Blanke

DATE: June 7, 1941

SUBJECT: "The Gay Sisters" - Bette Davis

Dear Hal:

When you got me on the dictaphone yesterday to inquire about the Bette Davis situation in regards to the Gay Sisters script, I forgot to tell you a rather important point which she made in her telephone conversation with me.

She stated that she likes Mary Astor very much and -as I could prove- helped her in every way on The Great Lie to make a success. So-  this as a preface in order not to misunderstand her motivations on the following point:

She is now in Little Foxes [for Samuel Goldwyn], playing an elderly woman and one of her main objections on the The Gay Sisters was that she was afraid in "Fiona" she would again have to portray an aged woman.

I set her at ease on this point by telling her that in the story she is six or eight years old at the time of 1918, which makes her for the most part of the story around thirty to thirty-two years old.

This set her at ease in regards to this point, but brought her to the criticism of casting Mary Astor as Evelyn, her next younger sister. Her point is that Mary Astor, no matter what we do, will always photograph older than Bette, and that Bette automatically would have to age herself considerably in order to make it believable that she is older than Mary Astor, and by doing this we would get to the result that she is afraid of-- namely, that she will arrive at an age similar to the one she is putting on in Little Foxes...  

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

Bette Davis and Mary Astor in The Great Lie (1941). It would take a few decades before they would make another film together- Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964).


This post is my contribution to the THE FOURTH ANNUAL BETTE DAVIS BLOGATHON, hosted by IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD. Be sure to check out all the other entries!

Doris & Lucy

In 1968, Doris Day started her own television show The Doris Day Show which would run successfully for five seasons until 1973 (at its peak watched by some 13 million households!). During the show's run, Doris was also offered to do a television special with a main focus on her songs. The Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff Special was recorded in the summer of 1970 and aired by CBS on 14 March 1971. Following the show's broadcast, Doris received lots of praise, also from fellow actress Lucille Ball whom Doris sent a sweet thank-you note five days after the show (as seen below). 

Doris Day and Lucille Ball, two of the greatest comediennes ever. Unfortunately they never got to work together.

Charmed by Doris' note to Lucy Ball, I searched the web to see if I could find more about these two ladies together. Apart from what I already knew —they were both animal lovers (Doris still is at 97 (!) and with Lucy she had raised money in the 1970s for Actors and Others for Animals)— I came across an interview from Lucy with Doris for Lucy's radio show, recorded on the set of Doris' film Do Not Disturb (1965). The interview is simply delightful and while it's been on YouTube since 2012 I had never heard it before. From the interview it's quite clear that Doris and Lucy liked and admired each other a lot. (I especially love the part where the women discuss their different styles of acting, i.e. Lucy liked to rehearse while Doris liked things to be spontaneous.)

So— below you'll first find Doris' note to Lucy, written on 19 March 1971, and then the wonderful interview from Lucy with Doris which was recorded six years earlier.

Via: icollector.com

Transcript:

March 19, 1971

Mrs. Gary Morton

1000 N. Roxbury Dr.

Beverly Hills, Calif. 90210

Dear, Dear Lucy:

It made me so happy that you enjoyed my special and it made me even happier that you told me so. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and again, thank you for taking the time.

Hope to see you soon.

Love, 

(signed 'Doris')

Doris

This post is my contribution to THE THIRD DORIS DAY BLOGATHON, hosted by LOVE LETTERS TO OLD HOLLYWOOD. Click here for a list of all the other entries.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DORIS!!!

Dear Mr. Kubrick

A few days ago, my sister and I went to see the Stanley Kubrick Exhibition here in our hometown Barcelona. The exhibition has visited several cities worldwide since 2004 (including Los Angeles, Mexico City, Seoul and Paris) before coming to Barcelona with some added material. (I saw that the exhibition was also held in Amsterdam in 2012 when I still lived there, but I somehow missed it then.) While I am not a Kubrick fan --I do like his earlier work though, e.g. The Killing (1956) and Paths of Glory (1957)-- I enjoyed the exhibition a lot. It was very well laid out, each of Kubrick's films having its own dedicated space, with on display original props, costumes, storyboards, photos and lots of documents, including production documents, screenplays and correspondence. Attention was also paid to Kubrick's early days when he worked as a photographer and also his unrealised projects were presented in detail.

(Photo by me)

Of course I was glad to see a number of letters displayed at the exhibition. For this post I chose one letter concerning Kubrick's unrealised film about Napoleon Bonaparte. Kubrick was fascinated by Napoleon and had researched his subject meticulously, putting together a massive archive of research material. In 1969, Kubrick completed his script and also drew up a detailed shooting plan. In the end, the film was never made since no studio was willing to take on the exorbitant production costs. (More about Kubrick's Napoleon can be found in the 2009 voluminous book by Alison Castle Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon: The Greatest Movie Never Made.)

Lots of photos were on display at the exhibit, including this one of Kubrick and Kirk Douglas on the set of Paths of Glory. (Photo by me)

Kubrick's preferred choice for the role of Joséphine, Napoleon's first wife, had been Audrey Hepburn. Audrey, in semi-retirement at the time, wrote to Kubrick in November 1968, kindly declining his offer while asking him to keep her in mind for future assignments. (Whether Kubrick ever asked her again, I don't know.) The image shown below is a photo taken by me of a fascimile on display at the exhibit, the original letter being part of the Stanley Kubrick Archive at the University of the Arts London.

Source: Stanley Kubrick Archive

Transcript:

Sunday 
17 Nov '68

Dear Mr. Kubrick

Thank you for the kind letter you wrote me - I am flattered and happy you would like me to work with you. 

I still don't want to work for a while so cannot commit or involve myself in any project at this time. 

I hope you understand this..... and will think of me again someday?

Thank you again

Warmest wishes

Audrey Hepburn

NOTE: The Stanley Kubrick Exhibition in Barcelona will have its final day tomorrow. From 26 April until 15 September 2019, the exhibit can be visited at the Design Museum in London (more info here).

We really did not like Bob Montgomery

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Laurence Olivier became best friends in the early 1930s and remained so for the rest of their lives. Someone they used to hang out with was fellow actor Robert Montgomery, with whom they went fishing and yachting. The following letter from Douglas Fairbanks Jr. to Betty Barker (known for being Joan Crawford's long-time secretary) shows that Fairbanks and Olivier put up with Montgomery but that they didn't really like him, feeling Montgomery was "pompous". Fairbanks wrote to Barker as he wanted to play a practical joke on his buddy Larry (the joke having to do with Montgomery) for which he needed her help. The letter is from 1987 when Fairbanks was 77 years old, but apparently not too old to play pranks.  

(left to right) Douglas Fairbank Jr., Laurence Olivier and Robert Montgomery in their younger days.

Source: WorthPoint

Transcript:

16 June 1987

Betty Barker

839 North Fuller

Apartment H

West Hollywood

Los Angeles

California 

U.S.A.

Betty dear-

I have an inside joke with Larry Olivier, though we do not like it generally known as it is in rather gruesome bad taste. Although we were outwardly friendly and former fishing and yachting partners of the late Bob Montgomery, we really did not like him, and thought him pompous.

I want to play a joke on Larry if I can, and I am going to sign a picture of Bob to him. However, I haven't got such a picture- could you please find one somewhere of any size, kind or description and be good enough to mail it to me at White Club, St. James's Street, London SW1?

Thank you dear, love,

(handwritten)
As ever
D.
P.S. How and where are you?

Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Laurence Olivier and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. photographed with Lilian Gish in the 1980s.

The controversy of colourising classic films

During the 1980's, a number of famous classic black-and-white films started to appear on television in a completely colourised version. As most audiences (especially younger ones) were not really interested in watching black-and-white films, studios and copyright holders had turned to colourising classics in order to still make money from them. (Television stations paid far less for black-and-white films than they would for colour films and videos of black-and-white films were rarely sold.) One of the most important proponents of film colourisation was media mogul Ted Turner, who had acquired the film libraries of MGM, RKO and early Warner Bros. and thus became copyright holder of an enormous collection of films. Realising there was money to be made from 'dusting off' the black-and-white films in his collection, Turner commissioned the colourisation of numerous classics including Dark Victory (1939), The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Casablanca (1942). 

Needless to say, filmmakers were not at all happy with said development. Frank Capra protested the colourisation of his It's a Wonderful Life (1946), a film that was in the public domain at the time and, like other public domain films, had become fair game for colourisers. Other opponents of film colourisation were filmmakers such as Fred Zinnemann, Stanley Kubrick, Elia Kazan and Orson Welles, the latter having said weeks before his death: "Don't let Ted Turner deface my movie with his crayons." (While Turner did have plans to colourise Citizen Kane, in the end he left Welles' film alone.)

Above: While black-and-white photography is essential to film noir, even noirs like John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle (1950) couldn't escape colourisation. In 1988, Turner Entertainment had the film colourised, much to the horror of Anjelica Huston whose father had died the previous year. Huston started a law suit in France to stop the broadcast of the colourised version on French television and the French Supreme Court eventually ruled in her favour. Below: Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre colourised in Casablanca.

Of course the main objection from filmmakers to colourisation was that it violated their artistic integrity and that people would see their films not like they had been intended. "These pictures were conceived in black-and-white, and by adding colour one betrays the intentions of the maker, which should not be done, because it damages or destroys the style of the films", said Fred Zinnemann. Proponents of colourisation didn't see the problem as the original black-and-white print would still be available alongside the colour version. Opponents disagreed saying that people watched classic films mainly on television or on video —remember, we're talking the late 1980s here— so if the films were offered in colour, people wouldn't even be able to see the black-and-white version. A film would thus be seen in colour for the first time, basically ruining people's "first viewing".

The colourisation debate eventually died down in the mid-1990s, mainly because film colourisation was a very expensive process. Costs could amount to $300,000 for a feature film and since the demand for colourised films had decreased over the years, it was no longer lucrative for Ted Turner and others to continue. Nevertheless, a lot of films ended up being colourised (click here for a list), but fortunately we can still watch and enjoy them in black-and-white, just as they were intended.

Above and below: James Stewart in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, a film that has been colourised three times,  i.e. in 1986, 1989 and 2007. The colour photos are from the latest Blue-Ray release from 2007.

Here is a letter from James Stewart (one of the people who fiercely opposed the colourisation of classic films and even went to Washington to testify before Congress) to a fellow opponent, written on 15 January 1987. 

Source: reddit

Transcript: 

Dear Mary Phillips:

I want you to know that I'm very grateful to you for your kind and encouraging letter. I think you have expressed your disapproval of colorization of movies better than anyone I have heard so far.

I have been against it from the time I first heard about it and have been on television several times arguing with the colorization people. However, the jury is still out on who is going to win in this mishmash. The coloring process is very expensive and inasmuch as the whole idea of colorization is based on making money, a lot of us are hoping that the colorized pictures don't bring in the "dough"and this may slow the whole thing up and we can sit back and see the films that were originally made in black and white still remain in black and white.

It's wonderful that you have taken this interest and it's very encouraging to read your thoughts on it. You certainly are very articulate on the subject, which I think is of great value to us non-colorization people.

Thank you for your help and I send my best wishes to you for a Happy New Year.

Sincerely,

James Stewart (signed)


Note 

According to Wikipedia, Frank Capra was initially not against the colourisation of It's a Wonderful Life. Following Cary Grant's enthusiastic reaction to the colourisation of Topper (1937), Capra signed an agreement with Colorization Inc. to have his film colourised, however wishing full artistic control over the colourisation. When it became clear that It's a Wonderful Life had entered the public domain and the film could also be colourised without Capra's approval, Colorization Inc. returned Capra's investment and the director subsequently joined the protest against colourisation.