drednm
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Posts posted by drednm
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Funny, but I can't find anything on WHY Reinhardt apparently bailed on the contract in 1924.
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Hearst has tried to snag MAX REINHARDT in the 1920s as well, but nothing came of it.
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... and speaking of MARION DAVIES and LESLIE HOWARD, Davies was announced by Warners to star in a production of TWELFTH NIGHT under the direction of Max Reinhardt, who had just wrapped A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. MGM had announced ROMEO AND JULIET and 20th Century Fox had announced AS YOU LIKE IT (bother of which tanked at the box office).
Warners planned to star Davies as Viola and Howard was mentioned as Orsino. Reinhardt was coming off the (mostly) critically acclaimed film (which is stunning) which basically broke even. By December of 1936 all the Shakespeare projects in town were scrubbed. Reinhardt never made another film.
This was a major disappointment for Davies. The cross-dressing role of Viola who disguises herself as Cesario would have been a romp for her, having cross-dressed in two silent hits: LITTLE OLD NEW YORK and BEVERLY OF GRAUSTARK.
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7 hours ago, spence said:
Soory but Leslie was as dull & drippy as dishwater, though she had talent,. especially comedic of which Hearst wouldn't let her display, wanting her in heavy costume dramas instead
Davies made 4 costume pictures. FOUR out of FOUR DOZEN. And one of those was a drawing room comedy.
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6 hours ago, spence said:
Marion was creatively stifled by WR Hearst not wanting her to do what he always called "Baggy Pants Comedy" vs. what he thought were more esteemed costume dramas
In the end apparently she did not want her final resting place to be anywhere ne4ar him, he went in 1951 at 88 & her in '61 only at age 64. She chose HOLLYWOOD FOREVER, PARK I forget where he goose though right near, certainly nowhere near there (P.S. a couple movies to check out on these 2 & just plain love of classic Hollywood-0(something we'll never see again) THE CAT'S MEOW & THE HBO TV MOVIE RKO-281
Yes, Hearst was usually dismissive of Davies' comedies. He did not want her to make SHOW PEOPLE but King Vidor and MGM convinced him. Hearst also gave in for Davies to make the funny THE FAIR CO-ED, a modern-day college story directed by Sam Wood. Hearst dismissed Wood as a "B" director and referred to the film as "that cheap-looking comedy." To be fair, Hearst (and even D.W. Grifith) had rather Victorian tastes in all thing artistic. Hearst was born in 1863 (Griffith in 1875) so that helps explain Hearst's old-fashioned romantic vision. Was it at odds with his ruthless business persona? Yup. He was a fascinating bundle of contradictions and he's never really gotten his due as a film producer.
I don't imagine Davies ever considered burial with Hearst. They had one of the most complex relationships in Hollywood history on every level, yet there were boundaries. Davies' family mausoleum accommodates 12, so it seems she never planned on joining Hearst.
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MARION DAVIES personally selected LESLIE HOWARD as her leading man for FIVE AND TEN (1931) after seeing him in "Berkeley Square" on Broadway. The story is loosely based on Barbara Hutton (the Woolworth heiress) and the building of the Woolworth Tower in NYC. TCM is showing this on June 25 as part of Howard's Star of the Month salute.
Here's a shot of Davies and Howard atop a city building.
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9 minutes ago, TikiSoo said:
This sort of misinformation drives me nuts. As a historian in a very narrow field, I see misinformation published all the time, as if one person speculates and others publish the "possibility" as factual. Or in this case, just sloppy wording ie the Ziegfeld featured star vs chorus line.
Even when writing a historically correct piece for publication, I've had articles so heavily "edited" that some facts are changed or become ambiguous. And when public speaking, I can't tell you how many people try to prove their knowledge by parroting ridiculous "facts" they've obviously read on the internet.
It actually becomes dangerous when these "facts" are repeated by those trying to sell their product. Buyers think they're informed, but are just being fleeced.I just finished watching GOING HOLLYWOOD with Davies who is delightful & so obviously talented. The worst rumor that perpetuates is that she had no talent and was only given parts due to her relationship with Hearst. BAH!
You got THAT right! If anything, the massive Hearst machine behind Davies probably hurt her more than it helped. Yet Davies remained a popular star (in Hollywood and with audiences) from the late teens on. In her nearly four dozen films over a 20-year period, she starred in comedies, costume epics, romantic dramas, and musicals.
Davies was the #1 female box office star in 1922-23 (Rudolph Valentino was the male winner) and was so voted by the theater owners. Yet the old rumor that her films were flops is patently wrong. The vast majority of Davies' films made money and were popular at the box office.
Even the urban legend that her four films for Warners at the end of her career were bombs is not true. Both Page Miss Glory and Cain and Mabel were hits.
Anyway, I have no idea who wrote the blurb and yes I have contacted someone at Alpha. They slapped on a generic music track for this release of Enchantment and slapped on a blurb to match. And no, they will not update the blurb.
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The people who write these blurbs for Alpha have probably never watched the films they write about.
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Bravo to GLENDA JACKSON for winning the Tony on her fifth nomination!
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2 hours ago, TopBilled said:
Well I do too. But people aren't going to remember a write-up on the back of the DVD as much as they'll remember the film itself. So the important thing to keep in mind is how the film's now gaining exposure and finding a new audience.
To a degree, I agree with you. So far as I know, Grapevine is still planning a blu-ray release of this with the original music I commissioned. So far as I know....
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10 minutes ago, TopBilled said:
It's Alpha Home Entertainment. What else do you expect?
I always expect more....
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True. But you'd expect ... at least I would ... that they'd try a little harder on a product they're selling. Putting it in print just perpetuates the inaccuracies.
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Here's the back cover for a DVD of ENCHANTMENT (1921) that perpetuates the same wrong information about the star and the movie. This is an old Kickstarter project of mine that has aired on TCM a couple times. I have nothing to do with this DVD release and it does not use the music score commissioned for my project.
"Bed-hopping" aside, they get the basic plot right, but the info about MARION DAVIES contains wrong information. From all accounts, Davies was not raised in poverty in Brooklyn or anywhere else. Davies was NEVER a Ziegfeld Girl. She was a featured player in Ziegfeld's 1916 Follies. The term "Ziegfeld Girl" usually refers to show girls and chorus dancers.
Davies was NOT discovered by a producer for her first film. Davies wrote the scenario for her first film, RUNAWAY ROMANY, and it was produced and directed by her brother-in-law, George Lederer (a noted producer/director of movies and stage shows).
Davies was NOT in the serial BEATRICE FAIRFAX, which was released in 1916, not 1918. Davies never appeared in a serial. Davies would hardly have "gained a reputation as a comedienne" for this serial or her two 1918 films, THE BURDEN OF PROOF and CECILIA OF THE PINK ROSES since they were not comedies.
Hearst's Cosmopolitan Pictures company and studio also produced films for stars like ALMA RUBENS. Davies appeared in only FOUR films that could be considered "elaborate costume dramas": WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER, YOLANDA, JANICE MEREDITH, and the comedy/drama QUALITY STREET.
The comment that Davies "divided her time between extravagant dramas she felt unsuited for and hosting parties" is as inaccurate as it is dismissive of Davies' substantial career in silent films. WHEN KNIGHTHOOD WAS IN FLOWER and LITTLE OLD NEW YORK were among the biggest hit films of 1922 and 1923, respectively, years that saw Davies as the #1 female box office star in the country. SHOW PEOPLE and THE PATSY rank among the best silent comedies, and Davies' versatility was showcased in films like BEVERLY OF GRAUSTARK, TILLIE THE TOILER, THE RED MILL, THE CARDBOARD LOVER, ZANDER THE GREAT, LIGHTS OF OLD BROADWAY, as well as earlier films like ENCHANTMENT, THE RESTLESS SEX, and THE BRIDE'S PLAY.
MARION DAVIES was a major talent of the silent era (and well into the talkies). Her films showcase her talents in comedies, costume epics, and romantic dramas that also allowed her to indulge in a variety of impersonations, masquerades, and cross-dressing roles.
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Basically all programming gimmicks have been used. It's all been done. They should just concentrate on showing good films and not ignoring the films of the 1920s and 1930s. in the rush toward showing "newer" stuff to attract younger audiences. I can't imagine how a day-long gimmick of showing films with the word "straw" or "salmon" (or whatever) in the title attracts anyone.
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It's a Wise Child (1931) stars Marion Davies and had great reviews as a comedy romp. The film is tied up in copyright issues and is the only Davies talkie never shown on TCM.
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5 minutes ago, TopBilled said:
Since she's such a huge friend of TCM and comes from a Hollywood family, I see Liza Minnelli getting a Summer Under the Stars tribute at some point. Her most recent film is THE OH IN OHIO (2006).
And probably Jane Fonda will eventually be a Star of the Month. Her newest film just opened two weeks ago-- Paramount's BOOK CLUB in which she is second-billed (after Diane Keaton). Keaton's another possibility for either a SUTS tribute or SOTM tribute.
Fonda and Keaton were lined up to star in The Widows' Adventures a few years back. It's based on a novel by Charles Dickinson, a road trip story. That was in 2008. It never happened.
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She was terrific. She nearly stole Charley's Aunt from Ray Bolger and was memorable in the great They Shoot Horses Don't They?
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I don't see the difference. In the old days, almost every film director had started out as an actor. Once an actor, always an actor.
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Has anyone ever seen a Hugh Janus film?
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Chaplin & Keaton
Orson Welles
Woody Allen
Ida Lupino
Robert Redford
Warren Beatty
Barbra Streisand
Paul Newman
Richard Attenborough
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1 hour ago, Sepiatone said:
I recently mentioned seeing( for the first time) THE BELLES OF ST. TRINIAN'S in which ALISTAIR SIM played the headmistress of the all girl's school. Loved that performance!
Sepiatone
Funny film.... There's also Hugh Herbert in La Conga Nights (1940) playing himself, his four sisters, and his own mother.
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Marion Davies disguised as a page in the mega-hit When Knighthood Was in Flower (1922) and as a bellboy (with Jetta Goudal) in The Cardboard Lover (1928).
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12 hours ago, EricJ said:
Getting into less socially progressive/loaded choices, there's the dread pirate Glenn Close from Hook (1991):
Glenn Close was also Albert Nobbs.
Marion Davies & Leslie Howard
in General Discussions
Posted
Seems unlikely since he and Warners were ready to snag Reinhardt for Davies in 1935. Reinhardt had made on a few silent films. He just didn't seem to like film. Even his 1935 was largely a filmed version of his staged presentation. Hearst certainly knew talent. He signed Reinhardt in 1924 after he and Davies had seen the Broadway production of "The Miracle," which had starred Diana Manners. Reinhardt was also a friend of Joseph Urban, whom Hearst had snagged in the early 1920s.