Trudy Gold
Icons and Iconic Moments of the Silver Screen, Part 2
Trudy Gold | More Icons and Iconic Moments of the SIlver Screen (Part 2)
- Well good evening everyone from London and you might just ask why we have decided to go ahead with teaching on Tisha B'av. And I thought long and hard about it. After all, it’s the day when we commemorate the destruction of the second temple, the expulsion from England, the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and the Shoah, among others. Among other, that was probably the greatest of the catastrophes. And I’m sure eventually October the 7th will be added. And it’s a day to think and a day to reflect. But one of the other issues about being a Jew is resilience. Believe it or not, and I’m sure many of you know this, that even in times of total extremists, there has been humor, there has been theater, there has been poetry. And because Hollywood was such a Jewish business, you can make the case that it was American Jews, a lot of them immigrant-born, who really did decide on America’s perception of itself. You can go as far as to say they created the American Dream. So I just wanted to say, knowing that today is a day of great respect and knowing for many of us at the moment, there’s a lot of soul agony going on. Whether you live in Israel or whether you are a Jew in the diaspora, or whether you are not Jewish, but feel a huge amount of sympathy, I just wanted for, whilst acknowledging today, remembering that we are the people of resilience. And by trying to give you some of the great iconic moments of cinema and some of the great scenes and looking at some of the great icons, we can at least smile because that’s what we are, a people who are enjoined to do.
So that’s by way of a, that’s by way, and Rose said, did I know the expulsion of the Jews in 1290 was on the ninth of, Rose, let me tell you something very strange. The edict of expulsion from England was on the ninth of Av, but England had to be Jew free by November the first, which in the English calendar was All Saints Day. They should leave on Walpurgis Night, the night of the witches. Halloween. Very, very strange, the story of Jewish history. But let’s switch subjects now and talk about James Dean and Elvis and then Marlon Brando, the symbol of rebellion, because when are these films being made? I want you to think about the second World War, think about Korea, and think about the growth of a generation who were rebellious and who wanted something very different from the world. And of course it’s going to lead to huge changes. It’s also going to lead to the end of the studio system. So having a look at some of the icons, though, I’m going to go backwards because I want to look with you at the life and times of David Selznick and of course “Gone with the Wind,” “Casablanca,” “The Maltese Falcon.” I’m going to do about five different sessions on icons over the months. Whenever we feel a bit dark, I’m going to do a session on icons, because of course, we could go all the way up to today. I must admit the thirties and the forties are my favorite. But I wanted to start with James Dean. Remember what I said to you last time? To be an icon, to be a real icon, you have to have a troubled life, be gorgeous, and to die young.
Why was Marilyn Monroe an icon and Liz Taylor wasn’t, Liz Taylor, just as gorgeous in her own way, but a different kind of character. Whereas with James Dean, he died. Look how long young he was when he died. He was not yet 25 when he died. So who was this boy? He was born in Indiana. He was the only child of a mother who was of Native American Indian descent. And according to him, his father could all, could actually go back to the original settlers. The family eventually moved to California. He was very, very close to his mother. I’m doing a little bit of psychology here because these angry young men, it’s fascinating how many threads they have in common. Unfortunately, she died when he was only nine years old. Hold on, I didn’t realize my phone’s on. Turn it off. Beg your pardon. She died when he was only nine years old and he was sent to live with relatives on their farm in Indiana. They were Quakers. And as an adolescent, he sought the company of a Methodist preacher. And the biographies indicate that there was a sexual relationship. In fact, he told Liz Taylor, who he starred with in “Giant,” that this chap actually interfered with him only two years after his mother died. So he would’ve been 11 years old. But what we do know, he was very bright. He was an exceptional student. He was popular, basketball. He studied drama and also competed in public speaking. So after graduation, he went then to live with his father and his stepmother, and at the University of California, he changed his major to drama. Now this resulted in family estrangement because his father wanted him to have a proper career. What kind of career was acting? But he played “Macbeth.” In “Macbeth,” he played Malcolm, and then he drops out.
He wants to act full time. His debut was actually a Pepsi commercial. And then walk-on parts. Also, how did he survive? He was a parking attendant at CBS Studios. And then he has a small role on Broadway at TV. Remember, it’s now the era of television. He has small parts on television, and then his break. What was his break? He has admission to Lee Strasberg’s Actor Studio. And I don’t have to tell you about that, we’ve already discussed it. Marlon Brando was there at the time, Julie Harris, Eli Wallach. And he wrote to a friend, “Very few get in. "I’m one of the youngest to belong.” And he developed a very close friendship with Carol Baker, who later on of course became a big star, and she was with him in “Giant.” And in 1953, Eli Kazan, who was the Greek director, of Greek descent, he was looking for an actor to play in Steinbeck’s “East of Eden,” one of the important novels of the period. Who would he choose? He, in the end, against a lot of opposition because Paul Newman was suggested, and there was another, I think it was going to be John Garfield, but he was considered too old. And then this is his first breakout role. And then of course, “Rebel Without a Cause.” Let’s have a look at some of his important films. Can we see the next slide? Here, you see “East of Eden,” then of course, “Rebel Without a Cause.” “East of Eden,” of course, the story of “East of Eden” is the story, it’s the Cain and Abel story. It’s very dark, it’s very dramatic. And then it is “Rebel Without a Cause,” which stars James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, who also had a terribly tragic and troubled life. Many of you’ll remember him as the Irgunista in “Exodus,” Dennis Hopper, and as an, in fact, it was a very, very dangerous picture to make because they were worried about the beginning of teenage rebellion, and there was a very dark knife scene, which was actually cut out. And it wasn’t actually included until into a new version in 1967.
In fact, the film was banned in New Zealand, quote, I’m quoting now from the census, out of fear it would incite teenage delinquency. There was a big worry about, quote/unquote, emotionally confused middle class teenagers. Now “Rebel Without a Cause,” was directed by a fascinating guy called Nicholas Ray, who himself had come from a very troubled background with an alcoholic father. Again, a brilliant, brilliant young man. His first film was a film called, “They Live by Night,” a film noir about a young boy and his nocturnal adventures. He was too young to convict. So they’re dealing, you know, it’s fascinating. Up until the second World War, American films, not European films, mainly had a happy ending. Even in the gangster movies, the good guys always won. Things are going to change, and here you see the first wave of, if you like, the dark films. Now, and of course, who is making them? Warner Brothers. Warner Brothers makes “Rebel Without a Cause,” makes “East of Eden”. Now his love life becomes more and more complicated. He was probably bisexual, and he becomes the screen idol of his generation. He’s moody, he’s mean, he’s completely misunderstood. And then of course he makes “Giant.” “Giant” was a huge epic with Liz Taylor, Rock Hudson, and he plays the bad boy in it. Now the problem was he also had this incredible love of motor racing and he’s going to die in a terrible car accident, which was just screaming around bends much, much too fast, and he dies tragically young. He’s very much the harbinger of Youth Revolution, and when he is buried, at the funeral, there were 600 mourners, 2,400 fans gathered outside, and the accident was in fact his fault. Did he have a death wish? He played hard. He drank hard. He becomes the symbol of youth in rebellion and then he dies young.
Now this is what Elvis Presley said about him because he becomes the archetype. “I’ve made a study of Marlon Brando and of poor Jimmy Dean. "I’ve made a study of myself. "I know why girls, at least the young ones, go for us. "We are sullen, we are brooding, we something of a menace. "I don’t understand it exactly, but that’s what girls like.” He says this, this is, remember, it’s Presley. You can’t be sexy if you smile. You can’t be a rebel if you grin. It’s the really, it is the epitome of what young white teenagers are feeling about the parental values. Think about pre-War America. Think about parental values in Britain as well. Everything was very, very regimented. And then all of a sudden the teenagers were born. He wins posthumous awards, by the way, and there are thousands of biographies about James Dean. Kazan, who found it very difficult to work with, he said, “But you can’t not like a guy "with that much pain in him. "You know how a dog will smile at you "and be mean and then you pat him "and he is all over you with affection.” So in many ways a very tragic young man, and many of the stars of today, people like Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicholas Cage, they actually cite James’ three films, particularly, East of Eden and Rebel Without a cause, as, if you like, the inspiration that got them into films. And this is Leonardo DiCaprio, “Something so raw and powerful about his performance, "his confusion about his history, his identity, "his desperation to be loved. "That performance just broke my heart.” And the other icon of the period who I cannot neglect, of course, let’s have a look at him, and there have been so many books and documentaries and that of course is Elvis Aaron Presley, if you like, the musical symbol of descent, and one of the greatest cultural icons of the 20th century. There’s an excellent film that’s come out quite recently about Presley and his very, very strange relationship with his manager, the man who seemed to be so evil, Colonel Parker. So you know his story, I don’t have to go into in detail.
He’s born in Mississippi to Vernon and Gladys Presley. Evidently, he was a Shabbas guy, guy, a Shabbas goy, we should call it. His twin was stillborn and he became incredibly close to his mother. She was the woman in his life. He came from a very poor background. Even though he is probably has Jewish blood in him, he was very much influenced by evangelical Christianity and of course the music he heard. And he loved the music of the African Americans at school. He was considered to be the trashy kid who played hillbilly. He is addicted to music. When he was 13, the family moved to Memphis and he could play by ear the blues, the spirituals, again inspired by African American music. His musical career begins in August ‘53. By '56 he has a commercial breakout and huge controversy. His first number one is Heartbreak Hotel. A letter to J. Edgar Hoover: “Presley is a definite danger "to the security of America. "His actions, emotions arouse the sexual passions "of teenage youth shows Thousands of teenagers "try to to gang into his rooms.” This is the “New York Daily.” “Popular music has reached its lowest ebb "in the grunt and groin of Elvis Presley. "Elvis the Pelvis, that’s what they called him. "There was mayhem at his concerts.” He becomes the major figure in rock and roll. And let’s have a clip. Let’s just see the, was it the magic of Presley? What I really want you to see is the impact he had on the crowds. Do you remember last time I talked about Lisztomania? Now this is Presleymania. Let’s have a look at an audience. No. Thank you.
♪ Well you can do anything but ♪ ♪ Lay off of my blue suede shoes ♪ ♪ Well, you can knock me down, step in my face ♪ ♪ Slander my name all over the place ♪ ♪ Do anything that you want to do ♪ ♪ But uh-uh honey, lay off of my shoes ♪ ♪ Don’t you step on my blue suede shoes ♪ ♪ You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes ♪ Elvis the Pelvis. ♪ Well, they said you was high-classed ♪ ♪ Well, that was just a lie ♪ ♪ Yeah, they said you was high-classed ♪ ♪ Well, that was just a lie ♪ ♪ Yeah, you ain’t never caught a rabbit ♪ ♪ And you ain’t no friend of mine ♪ ♪ You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog ♪ ♪ To a heart that’s true ♪ ♪ I don’t want no other love ♪ ♪ Baby it’s just you I’m thinking of ♪ ♪ Don’t be cruel to a heart that’s true ♪ ♪ Don’t be cruel to a heart that’s true ♪ ♪ I don’t want no other love ♪ ♪ Baby it’s just you I’m thinking of ♪
- Okay, I think enough of it all this. But do you see what’s happening by the fifties? Do you see this sort of absolute mania? Just look at those crowds. This is, you can also see that kind of adoration if you look at Adolf Hitler, frankly, and the mob. This is the modern world. This is the dark side of the moving image. Or is it? It’s for you to make your own minds up. But this is when these icons are created. And of course he also had a tragic life. He married a very, very young girl. He became addicted to drugs. He performed in Las Vegas and died in his forties. He became addicted to food, addicted to booze, addicted to drugs. Who can cope with that kind of adulation. And obviously in the end, another icon who is destroyed by modernity. And I suppose the third in the trio. Let’s have a look at him because Marlon Brando, an icon in his youth, but a very, very different kind of character. He’s going to live a long life and he’s going to be the . He was born in Nebraska. His father was a salesman, his mother, an actress. A very difficult background, difficult marriage, moved around a lot. He excelled at sports and drama, but failed everything else. He was held back. He was always a rebel at school. He was expelled from school. And he goes to military academy. Again, he excels at acting, but insubordinate. He leaves. He’s unfit for military service, ‘cause he has a very bad knee. So he follows his sister to New York and he manages to get into the Actor Studio. He’s tutored by Stella Adler and the Stanislavski system. And there’s a wonderful story. It’s the chicken story. She says to all the actors, the would-be actors, a nuclear bomb is to drop on New York.
You are all to pretend to be chickens. What would you do? What would you do? And of course the actors all running around and Marlon Brando is just crouched there, and he’s clucking, he’s clucking. And she said, why are you just doing that? He said, because I’m a chicken. I’ve only got the size of a chicken brain. And it’s a fascinating, I think it’s a fascinating story. He goes into Summer stock, then he’s in Broadway, a small part in, I Remember Mama. He is, the critics call him a very promising young actor. And then in 1946, he gets involved in a very important production, important from a Jewish point of view called A Flag is Born. And of course, it’s written by Ben Hecht. Kurt Vile wrote the lyrics. And it’s produced by an American League for a Free Palestine, headed of course, by Hillel Kook, better known as Peter Bergson. A Flag is Born is the story of the Jews coming again to Palestine. And it stars Paul Muni. One of the reasons Marlon Brando agreed to take the part is he wanted to play with Muni. And he only took equity rates because he believed in the cause. And it’s a very, very powerful and of course incredibly pro-Jewish. And in his memoir, Brando wrote: “What we were beginning "to learn about the true nature of the killing of Jews, "and because of the empathy I felt for the other Jews,” Stella Adler, of course, who had tutored him, “because of the empathy I felt for the Adlers "and other Jews who had become my friends "and teachers who told me of their dream "for a Jewish state.”
And also he was desperate to work with Paul Muni, who he felt was one of the greatest actors ever. So all the cast, including Brando, they accepted absolute minimum wages and the actors all relaxed at the home of Ben Hecht. And Hecht wrote, “The Palestine underground crackled constantly,” because of course mixing with the actors were a lot of the Irgunistas. And so he then, so he’s involved in that. And then gradually his career really continues brilliantly. He has a breakout role in a play that is put onto the screen written by Tennessee Williams, put onto the screen by whom, onto the stage by Irene Selznick. David Selznick, one of the most enterprising of the Hollywood producers, had married Louis B. Mayer’s daughter Irene. By this time he had become obsessed with Jennifer Jones. Irene Mayer had had enough. She comes to New York where she becomes one of the greatest of the New York producers, and she puts Brando in Streetcar Named Desire and he’s a total success. And then he goes into film. Later, he’s in the film that’s made in 1951, and I’m going to show you a clip from it later. He was also in Julius Caesar with John Gielgud, directed by Mankiewicz. 1953, The Wild One, again, the image of the rebellion. He is the cultural icon. It’s fascinating because it’s Brando, it’s Dean, and it’s Presley. And in 1954, I think in many ways his greatest role, On the Waterfront with Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, and it’s written by Budd Schulberg. And I’m going to talk, before I show you an extract, I want to talk a little bit about Budd Schulberg because one of the interesting aspects of course of show business at the time is just how many Jews are involved.
And Budd Schulberg was the son of BP Schulberg, who was already a producer and his wife Adelaide, who founded an agency, which later was taken over. She’d been born Jaffe, and it was her brother Sam Jaffe, also an actor, who took over the agency. But when Schulberg was 17, his father left to live with the actress Sylvia Sidney, who’d in fact been born, Sophia Kosow in the Bronx, of course a Romanian Jewish girl, and he started writing while at college. Also, he was very close to Scott Fitzgerald. It’s important that you know that Brando and Hecht and all these characters, they all knew each other very well. Now Schulberg in World War I, World War II, he worked with a field photo unit and was there when America liberated some of the camps. And he was actually involved in gathering evidence for Nuremberg. And he was one of the arresting officers of Leni Riefenstahl. And he said, “Of course, I’m really so,” she said to him, this is a very famous quote, “Of course, I’m really so misunderstood. "I’m not political.” And of course she was Hitler’s favorite filmmaker and survived internment as, as far as I’m concerned, an unrepentant Nazi. And these films that he and his brother made were presented at Nuremberg. Two films. They made Nazi Concentration Camps, and the Nazi Plan. He also made, wrote a very important book, What Made Sammy Run?, the story of Sammy Glick.
And he is responsible for the screenplay of On the Waterfront, one of the great writers of Hollywood. And I often think, why were the films, for me, why are the films of the thirties, the forties, the fifties, so much better than they are today? My kids and my grandchildren say I’m an old fogey, but I know why I think they’re better. They had the writers. Some of the writers were the greatest writers that America’s ever known and they were writing for the movies. And the producer of On the Waterfront was another character. We could spend a session on all these characters. His name was Sam Spiegel. And I remember when I was interviewing Janet Suzman on another matter, she said, she was telling me stories because when she went to Hollywood to make Nicholas and Alexandra, she of course met Sam Spiegel 'cause he was the producer. And she was quite upset, she said in a very amused way, because he had a terrible reputation with women. He was actually, you know, today we would, he was guilty, he would be considered guilty of sexual misconduct. And she said he never chased her, and she thinks probably because she had a Shakespearean accent. Anyway, he was an independent film producer. Now Sam Spiegel, for a while, he changed his name to Sam P. Eagle, and it was said of him, he could parachute into any town in the Midwest, start naked, and within three days he’d be mayor. He’d been born in Galicia in the Habsburg Empire. His father was a tobacco wholesaler. He went to the University of Vienna. Why am I giving you these biographies? Because the characters who made the gritty films themselves came from incredibly gritty backgrounds. His older brother, Shalom Spiegel, became a professor of medieval Hebrew poetry. He went to America and worked briefly in Hollywood.
Then he went off to Palestine, a stint with Hashomer Hatzair. And then he goes to Germany working for Universal on adaptations of their films in French and German. 1933, he has to flee Berlin, the Nazis. It’s incalculable the impact of these refugees on entertainment. Friends of mine have just got back from the Edinburgh Festival. There was some antisemitic incidents, but the Edinburgh Festival was created by middle European Jews. Anyway, he becomes gradually one of Hollywood’s ruthless men, one of Hollywood’s both greatest independent producers, and he won the Academy Award, his first academy award was for On the Waterfront. He also produced Bridge on the River Kwai, got another Oscar for that, and Lawrence of Arabia, another Oscar for that. His nickname was the Velvet Octopus. And this is a bio, that that term was actually coined by the extraordinary Billy Wilder. I was reading about Billy Wilder again the other night. And you know, when Billy Wilder was in Germany, he was a colonel in the Army declassifying Nazis. Why am I telling you all these stories? Because it’s all so Jewish. And whilst he was in Germany, the chap who was, who had in the past played Jesus in the Ob?? Girl passion play, he said, please de-Nazi-fy me, he’d been a member of the Nazi party, because I’ve got to play Jesus. And Billy Wilder said to him, sure, you can play Jesus provided you use the real nails. And it was Billy Wilder who coined the term, Velvet Octopus, about Sam Spiegel. And in a bio, this is what the reviewer of the bio said, it’s all here.
“The sleazy financial maneuvers "and the creepy taste for underage girls "that make Spiegel a decidedly flawed protagonist "as well as the wit, the sophistication, "and the old world charm that makes him a Titanic figure, "the light of which the movie industry will not see again.” So let’s have a look at Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront. Sam Spiegel gave him $100,000 to play the protagonist in On the Waterfront. And of course you all know the story, I’m sure you do. It’s the story of a guy who, it’s all set on, it’s set on the docks in New York. It’s got three brilliant actors in it, Lee J. Cobb started in the Yiddish Theater. He plays the mafioso. Rod Steiger, a brilliant, brilliant actor who actually stars in my favorite Jewish film, The Chosen, he plays the corrupt brother, and Brando is the hero, the tragic figure, and we’re going to show the scene where I said that this isn’t just about icons, it’s also about the iconic moments and the quotes. And this is the conversation with his brother where he gives one of the most famous quotes in the history of the movies. So take it away please. They’re all method actors by the way.
How much you weigh? You weighed 168 pounds. You were beautiful. You could’ve been another Billy Khan, And that skunk we got you for the manager, he brought you along too fast.
It wasn’t him Charlie, it was you. You remember that night in the garden, you came down my dressing room and said, “Kid, this ain’t your night.” We’re going for the price on Wilson. You remember that? This ain’t your night. My night. I could have taken Wilson apart. So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors in a ballpark. What do I get? A one-way ticket to Palookaville. You was my brother, Charlie. You should have looked out for me a little bit. You should have taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn’t have to take them die for the short end money.
Well I had some bets down for you. You saw some money.
You don’t understand. I could have had class, I could have been a contender. I could have been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am. Let’s face it.
Could have been a contender. Thank you. Thank you.
Okay.
Let’s stop that there. And of course, his early films, The Angry Young Man, one of the films I wanted to bring to your attention was The Young Lions. It’s based on a book written by the brilliant Irving Shaw, better known as Irwin Gilbert Shamforoff, born in the South Bronx to immigrants, and it’s the story of three men in World War II. And Marty and Marlon Brando actually dyes his hair blonde in Young Lions, and he is the Nazi in it. But he’s the Nazi who doesn’t know what’s going on in the concentration camps and goes crazy when he finds out. It’s a film that really is worth watching. It revived the career of Dean Martin and of course the other person in it is the wonderful Montgomery Cliff who plays the Jewish character of the three. So that’s another film that’s worth seeing. And of course his career, so many, many different movies. He had a very troubled personal life. He had a very troubled family life, marriages, one of his sons committed a murder. He puts on an incredible amount of weight. He balloons. He also makes some nasty remarks about the moguls, antisemitic remarks. During the 1970s he’s considered unbankable. And then of course in 1972, The Godfather. And let’s have a quick look at a great quote from the Godfather.
Godfather, I don’t know what to do. I dunno what to do.
You can act like a man. What’s the matter with you? Is this how you turned out of Hollywood, hero that cries like a woman? What can I do? What can I do? What is that? You spend time with your family.
Sure I do.
Good. There’s a man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man. You look terrible. I want you to rest well and a month from now, this Hollywood big shot’s going to give you what you want.
Too late then, he starts shooting in a week.
I’m going to make them an offer they can’t refuse.
Can we stop that? You do realize how often these phrases are used? Can we have a look at the next clip, because I want to show you a clip from the film version of Streetcar Named Desire. Of course, it stars Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh in a very different role. This is 1951, remember, it’s going to be a very different role to what I’m going to go onto next with Gone with the Wind. But this is, she plays Blanche Dubois, the rather fragile lady who comes to stay with her sister, who is married to the incredibly sexually attractive Marlon Brando. There is an altercation between the two, it’s actually a rape scene, and in the end she goes crazy. And this is when she’s finally taken away, one of the most famous lines in the movie. A brilliant, brilliant performance by Vivien Leigh, who was herself an incredibly tragic creature. So let’s have a look at, and remember it had first, Tennessee Williams first comes to the screen having been a play produced by Irene Selznick.
Please.
It won’t be necessary.
Okay, let go of me.??
Yes, let go.
Whoever you are, I’ve always depended on the kindness of strangers.
One of the great quotes of the movies, a decade after her most famous role. Karl Malden, the man who loved her. Alright, now let’s go on to the most famous film, I suppose, in the history of Hollywood and the most successful film ever made, according to Box Office. If you take, go back to 1939, 1940, so obviously today’s movies, it’s more, but if you compare it, it’s still the great, the most successful film ever made. And there you see the four stars, and of course it is produced by Selznick International and the extraordinary David Selznick, who to me, absolutely epitomizes Hollywood. And there you see the beautiful Vivien Leigh who had come to Hollywood to be with her lover, Laurence Olivier. Don’t forget that in the late twenties, early thirties, Hollywood was scouting the English stage because of the coming of the talkies.?? Vivien Leigh, incredibly ambitious, she was already in fire over England and she was desperate to play Scarlet O'Hara. What happened over the film was the book was written by Margaret Mitchell. It became an absolute bestseller. I don’t believe there’s anyone online who hasn’t seen Gone With the Wind. It’s the story of the deep south. It’s a huge pageant. And David Selznick was the mastermind at PR and marketing. He produced it through Selznick International. He was no longer working for his father-in-Law at MGM. And what he wanted to do was to make it the most hyped-up film ever made. And there were polls who should play Rhett Butler and Clark Gable was the winner. Who should play Ashley Wilkes. Leslie Howard, better known as Leslie Steiner, Hungarian Jewish Englishman who spent his time in Hollywood playing very suave Englishman, and later on is going to die in a plane crash on a mission coming back from Portugal. What was he actually up to? Was it British intelligence? We will never know. Or was the plane brought down because they thought that Churchill was on board? It’s an extraordinary story that Helen’s actually told. He hated, he didn’t want to play the part.
The only way he agreed to do it was Selznick let him direct Intermezzo with Ingrid Bergman. Olivia de Havilland, one of the great AHN-JEH-NOOS of Hollywood. She’d already made it in Robin Hood with Errol Flynn and Vivien Leigh. Now the story of the making of Gone with the Wind, David Selznick had already given up all hope of finding Scarlet. For two years, characters either working for the studio or some were just unscrupulous, went all over the Deep South looking for Scarlet O'Hara. There was a lot of casting couches. There were babies born. It was an absolute scandal. And the story goes that David was burning Atlanta. You know the scene, the burning of Atlanta, it was actually shot on the back lot of MGM, getting rid of some old scenes. And if you watch very, very carefully, you can see the Empire State Building from King Kong going up in flames. And the story goes that Selznick’s mother arrived with his brother Myron. His eldest brother Myron was the most important and the first of the great Hollywood agents. And he had Vivien Leigh on his books. And the story is, whether it’s true or not, it’s a lovely story, he introduces Vivien Leigh to his brother with the backdrop of the flaming of Atlanta, and he said, “David, meet your Scarlet.” Other actresses, they all wanted it. Betty Davis wanted it.
She had to be given Jezebel as a second prize. Paulette Goddard wanted it. Everybody wanted it. And in the end, Vivien Leigh was cast. And of course the Oscar also went to Hattie McDaniel who played the Mammy. And terrible, because when the film was premiered in Atlanta, because it was restricted, there wasn’t a hotel in town that would put her up. But Gone with the Wind, a period piece of its time, and this is really Hollywood’s golden year because 1939, what came out, Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz, which I showed you last time, Wuthering Heights, Hollywood is turning out 400 movies every year. The cinema grossed $700 million per annum. 50 million Americans went to the movies every week. It’s also the era of the great movies. And I’m going to be showing you extracts from them as we go through Citizen Kane, Casablanca, All About Eve, Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon, Sunset Boulevard. We quote their language. Some of the best quotes are the language that we use today. Now of course the script for Gone with the Wind, the man who saved Gone With the Wind was, of course, Ben Hecht. He and David Selznick were very, very close friends. In fact, Ben Hecht got a lot of money out of David Selznick to help with Palestine. And the story, they weren’t happy with the script. They go, Margaret Mitchell refused to write the script for them. They went off to the Bahamas where they wrote for 10 days, 20 hours a day until a blood vessel burst in David’s eye and they just collapsed. But they came up with the film that is certainly one of the greatest and the most memorable films of all time. Shall we see the most famous quote of all time? Can we have a look at… There’s the premier of Gone with the Wind.
Go back to, let’s have a look at that premier picture. Can we go back? Do you mind? Here you see there is Josh Whitney, then Irene Mayer, Olivia de Havilland, David Selznick, Vivien Leigh, and the beautiful Laurence Olivier who was also in Hollywood. And he made Wuthering heights for Sam Goldfish, better known as Sam Goldwyn. And then he stayed on to be the hero of Rebecca, made by David Selznick and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. So let’s have a look at the picture of David Selznick. Fascinating character, Selznick, the epitome of Hollywood. He made so many of the great movies, King Kong, and he loved the classics. He loved David Copperfield 'cause his father had taught himself English. Louis Selznick came from Eastern Europe. He taught himself English by reading the classics. And he read them to David and his two brothers every night. And later on he’s going to bring A Tale of Two Cities to the movies. He had an incredible career until he kind of ruined it because he fell madly, madly in love with Jennifer Jones, and the latter part of his career was devoted to finding her vehicles. His last great movie, though, he co-produced The Third Man, which I’ll also be showing you extracts from at a later date. Tragically, towards the end of his life, when he was ill and sick, who do you think looked after him? Irene Selznick. So let’s have a look at the famous clip from Gone With the Wind. There you see Ben Hecht, very, very controversial character. Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind.
Rhett! Rhett! Don’t go. Where should I go, what shall I do?
Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.
I can’t let him go. I can’t. That must be some way to bring him back. I can’t think about this now. I’ll go crazy if I do. I’ll think about it tomorrow. I must think about it. I must think about it.
You mean to tell me Scarlet O'Hara doesn’t mean anything, and that’s the only thing that matters. It’s the only thing that lasts, something you love better than me. You may not know it, but you can. It’s this from which you get your strength, better than terror. When man’s the only thing that matters, it’s the only thing that lasts, something you love better than me though. You may not know it, O'Hara, this is from which you get your strength, better than terror. When man’s the only thing that matters, I think you love better than me. Better than terror, terror, terror, terror.
Oh. I’ll go home and I’ll think of some way to get him back. After all-
Tomorrow is another day. Okay. And of course you notice the inflection on the Clark Gable final line, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” It was because of censorship. They couldn’t put the, how would you normally say that, Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn. But they couldn’t say that. So that’s why the inflection is a little strange. And it’s interesting, Hattie McDaniel was given a lot of stick actually by black African American activists. And she said, look, I play the part of a Mammy and I earn thousands. If I was a real mammy, do you know how little I’d earn, and herself, a very interesting woman. Now the most quoted movie of all time is, of course, Casablanca. Now I want to spend time talking about it, but if you like, I’m going to give you a trailer for my next performance, which will be in a couple of weeks. So can we just have a look at the trailers of Casablanca? Gone. Let’s have a look at, I’ll be spending a lot of time, Hal Wallis, born Aaron Blum Wolowicz… Okay, go with it.
It’s been a long time.
Yes ma'am. A lot of water under the bridge.
Some of the old songs?
Yes ma'am.
Where is Rick?
I don’t know. I ain’t seen him all night.
When will he be back?
Not tonight no more. He ain’t come. He went home.
Does he always leave so early?
Oh, he never. Well, he’s got a girl up at the Blue Parrot. He goes up there all the time.
You used to be a much better liar, sir.
Leave him alone, Miss Ilsa. You’re bad luck to him.
Play one, Sam, for old times sake.
I don’t know what you mean, Miss Ilsa.
Play it, Sam. Play as time goes by.
Well, I can’t remember it, Miss Ilsa. I’m a little-
Okay, stop that 'cause I want you to see the next scene please. Play it. She never said, “Play it again, Sam.” Go.
You’re getting on that plane.
I don’t understand. What about you?
I’m staying here with him until the plane gets safely away.
No, Richard. No. What has happened to you. Last night-
Last night, we said a great many things. You said I was to do the thinking for both of us. Well, I’ve done a lot of it since then. It all adds up to one thing. You are getting on that plane with Victor where you belong.
But Richard, no one-
Now you’ve got to listen to me. You have any idea what you’d have to look forward to if you stayed here? Nine chances out of 10 we’d both wind up at a concentration camp. Isn’t that true, Louis?
I’m afraid, Miss Ilsa, I would insist.
You’re saying this-
The wonderful Claude Rains
Saying it because it’s true. Inside of us, we both know you belong with Victor. You’re part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If that plane leaves the ground and you are not with him, you’ll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon until the rest of your life.
What about us?
We’ll always have Paris. We didn’t have we. We lost it until you came to Casablanca. We got it back last night.
When I said I would never leave you…
And you never will. I’ve got a job to do too. Where I’m going, you can’t follow. What I’ve got to do, you can’t be any part of. I’m no good at being noble. But it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you’ll understand that. I know. He’s looking at you, kid.
Can we have the other, the last clip from Casablanca?
Here it is.
Thanks. I appreciate it. Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win. Paul Von Henreid, of course an Austrian Jew. It’s the film about immigrants, this one. Directed by Michael Curtis, Hungarian Jew. Are you read, Ilsa?
Yes, I’m ready. Bye, Rick. God bless you.
Got to hurry. You’ll miss that plane.
Well I was right. You are a sentimentalist. Here you are.
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
What you just did for Laszlo, that fairy tale you invented to send Ilsa away with him. I know a little about women, my friend. She went, but she knew you were lying.
Anyway, thanks for helping me out.
I suppose you know this isn’t going to be very pleasant for either of us, especially for you. I’ll have to arrest you, of course.
As soon as the plane goes, Louie.
What was the meaning of that phone call?
Victor Laszlo is on that plane.
Why do you stand here? Why don’t you stop him?
Ask Mr. Rick.
Get away from that phone. I would advise you not to interfere.
I was willing to shoot Captain Renault and I’m willing to shoot you.
Hello.
Put that phone down.
Get me the REE-JEH-TAHR.
Put it down.
Major Strauss has been shot. Round up the usual suspects. Well Rick, you’re not only a sentimentalist, but you’ve become a patriot now.
Well, it seemed like a good time to start.
I think perhaps you’re right. It might be a good idea for you to disappear from Casablanca for a while. There’s a Free French garrison over at Brazzaville. I could be induced to arrange a passage.
My letter of transit. I could use a trip, but it doesn’t make any difference about our bet. You still owe me 10,000 francs.
And that 10,000 francs should pay our expenses.
Our expenses? Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Okay, that is the most quoted movie in history. There’s a lot more to say about it and I’ll be speaking more about it at the beginning of my next session. But can I just have a look at the next two slides because it’s so influential. Can we see the next two? Play it again, Sam. And this is Woody Allen’s pay-on to Casablanca, which we will look at. And the last one-
You’re handling yourself very well.
No, we won’t watch that. We’ll watch that next time. I don’t want to watch it. Can we just see the next clip? The Usual Suspects, that has entered our dialogue. All these quotes, play it again, Sam, the usual suspects, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, we’ll always have Paris, they are part of dialogue. And it’s a very special film, the Casablanca, written by the Epstein Brothers, these incredible twins who wrote some amazing films. Unfortunately one of them died young, but Julius survived to his nineties. And in an interview, why did you write Casablanca, he said, “I did it for the money.” So anyway, I’m going to stop there because I can see there’s questions and we will continue with this next time. Thank you very much for sorting the clips out for me. Let’s have a look at the questions.
Q&A and Comments:
Hillel tells us Sal Mineo’s name is pronounced Sal MIHN-EY. I didn’t know that his first impact was a rock singer. He actually was murdered, wasn’t he? Sandy says, Early writers grew up on books. Writers today grew up on television.
And this is from Jacob, Although he lived until the age of 55, I think Humphrey Bogart can be classified as an icon. Plus he was married to Betty Joan Perske, the Bronx, better known as Lauren Bacall. Yes, of course, and I’m going to look at a couple of their films together because of one of the great iconic lines is, of course, from To Have and Have Not.
Ron. Hi Ron. Alec Guinness told a story about meeting James Dean at a party just after flying to LA. Dean took him outside to show him his new Porsche. Guinness had a premonition and told him not to drive it. Dean didn’t heed Guinness, drove the Porsche and died in a crash after. That’s a horrible story. And Rita says an interview with Mineo, there’s a film school in Jerusalem named after Sam Spiegel. He left his collection of impressionist art to the Israel museum. Yeah, he was a huge Zionist. A lot of them were. Don’t forget, there’s a wonderful story that the collection of money for the Irgun, in particular, not just from Hollywood but also from the mobsters.
Yes, you are right. Boris Kaufman, On the waterfront. You have to mention Eli Kazan. I have, Gita, in another presentation.
Q: What do you have to say about Last Tango in Paris?
A: Not much frankly. Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.
Lorna says that she enjoys the choice. Yeah, I thought today we should have a bit of a wallow. Isn’t Ingrid Bergman beautiful? She was incredibly beautiful, wasn’t she? But you know why she had such a blank expression? Because it was a B picture. Nobody knew, and the Epstein’s were writing it day by day and she didn’t know until the last day who she was actually going off with. I found out something I didn’t know. Evidently her mother was Jewish.
Roy, thanks for the, he enjoyed seeing the clips. The great memorable, yes, of course I’ve mentioned the Julius and Philip. They were wonderful. We do know the dialogue off by heart. Thank you. Anyway, I wish you all a good evening and as I said, I had to make a decision on what to do today, and I just, let’s just hope that, and I’m speaking now, particularly to, I dunno if any of you in Israel are online, but if you are, our thoughts are with you. It is a really tough time. And let’s just all stay together and stay strong together. God bless everyone. Bye.