Trudy Gold
Icons and Iconic Moments from the Silver Screen, Part 3

Trudy Gold | Even More Icons and Iconic Moments of the Silver Screen, Part 3

- I hope everyone’s feeling okay wherever you are. It’s such a discombobulating time that we’re living through at the moment, isn’t it? It’s one of the reasons we’ve lightened it. ‘Cause Tinseltown was the dream factory and it was to create escapism. And I think… We, obviously, can’t take our eye off the ball but, having said that, I think we need a little bit of escapism. So I’m going to start, and of course, last session, I introduced “Casablanca” as though… I really believe that every one of you will have seen this film. Although, I was talking to Georgia beforehand and she hasn’t seen any of them. Maybe everybody over 50 has seen this film. I’ve taught it to my grandchildren, they can quote it off by heart. And the point about these films, the selection I’m showing you today, and to a large extent they contain most of my favorite films, they were the brain children of immigrant Jews, or the children of immigrant Jews. It’s absolutely extraordinary what Hollywood was like at this time. And also, if you think of… If you think of “Casablanca,” I looked at the dictionary of quotations from the movies. Of the top five, the most quoted is, of course, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” from Selznick’s “Gone With the Wind.” But after that, it’s “Casablanca.” That “Here’s looking at you kid,” “This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” “We’ll always have Paris,” “Round up the usual suspects,” “The problems of three little people don’t amount "to a hill of beans in this crazy world,” “I’m shocked to find out "that gambling is going on,” and then, “Of all the gin joints "in all the towns in all the world, "she walks into mine.” And frankly, most men of the period wanted to be Rick Blaine, and most women wanted to be Ingrid Bergman.

And of course, the wonderful quote of Claude Rains when Humphrey Bogart points the gun at his heart and he says, “This is my least vulnerable spot.” And of course, the ending, “Get on that plane.” So we all know why we love “Casablanca.” And please don’t forget that it’s the quintessential immigrant film. Of the 14 people credited, only three were born in America. Humphrey Bogart, Dooley Wilson, and Page. So everyone else who was credited was actually born in Europe. Now… And of course, the opening passage, what is flashed on the screen? And remember, it’s a war movie. But what is also interesting is the word “Jew” is not mentioned. The film has a disproportionate number of Jews in it, but the word “Jew” is not mentioned. And this is how it opens. “With the coming of the Second World War, "many eyes in imprisoned Europe turned "hopefully and desperately towards "the freedom of America. "Lisbon became the great embarkation point "but not everyone could get to Lisbon directly, "and so a tortuous roundabout refugee trail sprung up. "Paris to Marseille, "across the Mediterranean to Oran, "then by train, automobile, or foot "across the rim of Africa "to Casablanca in French Morocco.” And of course, in French Morocco, they are under Vichy. And who plays the Nazi villain? Conrad Veidt. And as you all know, because we’ve already discussed him, Conrad Veidt was in fact a German Jew… A German, he wasn’t Jewish. He was married to a Jewish woman.

And when Hitler came to power and Goebbels “De-Judeized,” in inverted commas, the arts, everyone at Ufa, Ufa, the great German film industry, because he was one of the great stars of Weimar. He, of course, had starred in the “The Cabinet of Caligabri” He was one of the great stars. They had to sign a paper saying that they were Aryan and he wrote, “I am a Jew.” He got to Britain and later on, he managed to get his wife’s family to Switzerland. He had a huge career in Britain, working with Alexander Korda. All the money he earned in Britain, he gave to evacuees. And then, of course, he went to Hollywood, where he spent his time playing Nazis. So many of these great Jewish actors, or actors who had to flee Nazism, finished up playing the stereotype Nazi. And remember, “Casablanca” really is the Tinseltown fantasy. And I think one of the reasons the film is so potent is none of those refugee accents are faked. In 1942 in Los Angeles, there was a huge cadre of immigrants from Europe, mainly Jewish. They would gather together and practice their English. And don’t forget that Casablanca made its debut two-and-a-half years after the Nazis invaded France. So you have this massive exodus, Hungarians, Poles, Russians, who had fled to France and were again on the move, and thousands did actually end up in Casablanca, which was the largest African port on the Atlantic coast. So how did the film actually come into being? Irene Diamond, an interesting woman. She was a reader for a man called Hal B. Wallis at Warner Brothers.

She started the story division of MGM later on. She married a tycoon called Aaron Diamond, became a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and she became a huge philanthropist. Now, she was brilliant at spotting winners. It was she who produced, who brought to the attention of the producers, “The Maltese Falcon,” “Dark Victory,” “Ev…” And the play that she read that became “Casablanca” was actually called “Everyone Comes to Rick’s.” It was written by a man called Murray Burnett. And in the summer of… Who was Jewish. And in the summer of 1938, he and his wife went to Vienna to try and help relatives they had there with money to get them out of the country. And whilst they were in Vienna, they stayed at a hotel called the Hotel de France. Later they visited a small town in the south of France, and they went to this incredible club overlooking the Mediterranean. There was a black pianist, and the bar was crowded with French and also with refugees. In the summer of 1940, he’s back in New York, he completes the play in six weeks, and he calls it, “Everyone Comes To Rick’s.” It’s very anti-Nazi. It’s very anti-Vichy. He failed to find a Broadway producer so he sold it. Irene Diamond recommended it. She said, “It’s sophisticated hokum.” And she persuaded Hal Wallis to pay $20,000 for it. Now, Hal Wallis, one of the great producers, he in fact was born Aaron Blum Wolowicz. He produced “Casablanca,” “Dark Victory,” “Robin Hood,” “Now, Voyager.” And all these films I’m mentioning to you, and I’m sure you’ve seen them all, and I’ll be showing extracts from some of them today, were made, in the main, by Jewish filmmakers. And the music, of course… We’ve already talked about Max Steiner. The beautiful music for “Casablanca” is by Max Steiner, as it is for “Dark Victory.” He wins the award for Best Picture for “Casablanca.” And there’s a wonderful story attached because when the award was announced, he got up but he was blocked by Sam Warner. Jack Warner, beg your pardon.

Jack was by far the most bumptious of the brothers. And the whole Warner clan stopped Hal B. Wallis going up and accepting it. And of course, Sam Warner, who had absolutely nothing to do with the picture, except it was his studio, took it. And Wallis actually… This is what Wallis wrote. “When the award was called out, "Jack Warner ran to the stage "and the entire Warner family blocked me. "Couldn’t believe it. ”“Casablanca” was my creation. “Almost 40 years later, "I haven’t recovered from the shock.” He left Warner’s the following month. He became an independent producer did Hal Wallis. He hired Ayn Rand, do you remember my son-in-Law, Phil, gave a lecture on her? And Lillian Hellman to write for him. He received 16 nominations, won a couple, and later on he moves to Universal. He had a very long career. He produced “Anne Of A Thousand Days” with Genevieve Bujold and Richard Burton, and of course “Mary, Queen of Scots.” So now, it was written for the screen. So they’ve got the book, they’ve got the screenplay. And it was written… It was interpreted by two brothers called Julius and Philip J. Epstein. They were twins. They were born on the Lower East Side. They were pretty poor. The father actually had a livery stable. Think about horses. If you think… You know, it’s fascinating. There is a wonderful survey in 1896 on London, “What was to be considered the worst problem "that London traffic would face in 1996?”

And it was reckoned it would be London would be up to its knees in horse manure. Please don’t forget its horse and cart at this stage… Horse and carriage. So in New York, the Epstein father, who’s got these twin boys, he runs a livery stable. Horses are widely used on the Lower East Side. The boys are very bright, they go to Penn State. Philip becomes an actor, Julius becomes a boxer. They are… There’s this restlessness about so many of these characters who up in Hollywood. They have all sorts of different jobs. They finish up in Hollywood and they move into the movie business, and they are really, really good writers. They won the Academy Award for “Casablanca.” They had another award for “Mr. Skeffington.” That’s a fascinating film, again, with Bette Davis and with Claude Rains, about a unwise marriage between a society beauty and a Jewish multimillionaire, Mr. Skeffington, who of course has changed his name. And he goes to Germany, is in a concentration camp. It’s a very… It’s an interesting film. Warner Brothers was the studio that was most likely to touch Jewish subjects in the 30s and early 40s. Julius was devastated because his brother died young, remember, they’re twins, but he continues a glittering career. “Last Time I Saw Paris” was the last film, which, of course, was the story of Hemingway, and that was with… He and his brother wrote that. Now, they were always fighting with Jack Warner. And in 1952, when their names were given to HUAC, the House of Un-American Activities, they were asked if they were ever members of a subversive organization, and Julius said, “Yes, I was. "I belonged to Warner Brothers.”

Now, the co-writer, again, it’s important that you realize just how Jewish Hollywood was. Jews created the perception that America had of itself. But as I said, everyone after this film wants to be Rick. The co-writer, Howard Koch, he studied law. Brilliant… He went to New York University, he wrote plays while he still… He was a student. He started writing radio scripts, including “The War of the Worlds”, which is going to cause such a hoohaa when… Or he writes it with Orson Welles, based on the HG Wells story. And when Wells reads it on the radio, there is a total panic about the landing of the Martians. A couple of people commit suicide. Absolute panic. He… In the 1940s, he co-writes films like “Seahawk” with Michael Curtis, who directed, I’ll talk about him later, “The Letter” with William Wilder, he got the Academy Award for “Casablanca,” “Letter From An Unknown Woman,” if you haven’t seen it you absolutely must. It’s based on a short story of Stefan Zweig’s. I am actually going to Salzburg next week, and I’m going to go to the Stefan Zweig Museum. And at the same time, I’m going to spend a lot of time in Max Reinhardt’s library because, of course, so many of the great directors trained under this amazing theater director. He is blacklisted by HUAC, is Howard Koch.

So what happened was he comes to Britain with his wife, Anne, who was also a talented writer, and he writes for British television under a pseudonym for five years, “The Adventures of Robin Hood” with Richard Greene and Patricia Medina. Now, those of you who love the stories of Hollywood, Patricia Medina later went to America and married Joseph Cotten, who is so important with Orson Welles in many great films. He wrote his memoir, by the way, as time goes by. So there was a huge furore, “Who would play Rick?” It was already… It was offered to George Raft. He’d already turned down “High Sierra,” and later on turned down “The Maltese Falcon.” Epstein wanted Bergman. She didn’t want it. But the Epstein brothers had a lot of sway with Selznick, who had her under contract, and he was prepared to loan her to Warner Brothers for it, so that happened. Ronald Reagan was offered the part, but in the end, he… It went to Bogey. Now, Paul Henreid didn’t want it. He didn’t want third billing, and I’m going to talk about him in more detail later on. He wanted to establish himself as a romantic lead. And it’s fascinating why it worked, because Ingrid Bergman always has that vacant look, and she looks mystically into the unknown. And it’s because the Epstein br… It was going to be a B picture. The Epstein brothers didn’t really know who was going to go off with who.

The New York Post called it “an accidental classic.” And I think I’m going to say “Casablanca” is the classic movie. And we’re going to see, after we’ve looked at a couple of clips from “Casablanca,” I’m going to show you a sequence from Woody Allen’s “Play It Again, Sam” in 1978, when he’s looking for a hero to inspire Woody Allen playing the nebuch, “How is he going to get on with women?” And when Nora Ephron wanted to illustrate the practicality of women in “When Harry Met Sally,” which is a film I’ll be showing you later on in this series, she chose Berg… She mentions Bergman and she said, “I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life "with a man who owns a bar.” So there’s so many references. And of course, one of the other big references is to that brilliant Oscar winning film, “The Usual Suspects.” So let’s just wallow now in my favorite scenes from “Casablanca.”

• Why, my name Richard?

• Because you’re getting on that plane.

• I don’t understand, what about you?

• I’m staying here with him till the plane gets safely away.

• No, Richard, no. What has happened to you? Last night, we said–

• 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 and it all adds up to one thing. You are getting on that plane with Victor where you belong,

• Richard, no, I–

• 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 Major Strasser would insist.

• You’re saying this only to make me go.

• I’m 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 and for the rest of your life.

• But what about us?

• We’ll always have Paris. We didn’t have it, we’d 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. Ilsa, 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. Now, now… Here’s looking at you, kid.

• Okay, I think we would just leave that there. No more clips because I want to talk quickly about Michael Curtiz because he was such an important director. I will show you the final scene but let me talk a little bit more about Michael Curtiz. He was born in Budapest. His father was a carpenter. His mother was an opera singer. He Magyarized his name. He was actually born Manó Kaminer. Of course, Jewish. He actually Magyarized his name to Mihály Kertész. They were very… He was quite poor, but incredibly ambitious. And he was mad about the theater. When he was eight years old, in the cellar, he set up a little… He set up a little theater where he entertained his friends. He obviously had that incredible brain and restlessness because he won himself a place at the university, then the Royal Academy of Theater and Art in Budapest. He… After he graduated, he went along with a group of traveling actors. They performed Ibsen, Shakespeare. He became fl… They traveled in France, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Germany. He became fluent in five languages. And then became a director at the Hungarian National Theater. He was also a member of the Hungarian fencing team. It’s bizarre. The majority of the Hungarian fencing team were Jewish. Some of you may have seen a very poignant film by Szabo about this particular story of Hungarian Jews in fencing.

He, himself, directed and starred in Hungary’s first feature film. World War I, of course, he fights for the Habsburgs, wounded on the Russian front. After the war, he becomes director of production at Hungary’s leading studio. And then what happens to him? He is enticed by Ufa. Ufa, the great German cinema in Weimar, which, before Hitler, was probably the greatest in the world. And it was there that he became very impressed by German expressionism. Warner Brothers lured him to the United States. Don’t forget that all the big studios had agents in Europe. Hollywood was huge business. This is before television. This is really people’s entertainment. And by 1930… The 30s, his career has taken off. I’m just going to give you some of his most famous films. I bet you’ve seen most of them. “Captain Blood,” of course, he worked a lot with Errol Flynn; “The Charge of the Light Brigade;” “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” where he was teased terribly by David Niven, who wasn’t in the film but was always visiting his friend, Errol Flynn, on the set. And you should read David Niven’s autobiography on the story. And of course the music was by the Austrian Jew, Korngold. “Robin Hood,” an incredible film. The villain, of course, was played by the brilliant British actor, Basil Rathbone. He also… Curtiz also made “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex.” He was very close to John Garfield, the Jewish actor. He was also very close to Claude Rains. They made 10 films together, including “Angels With Dirty Faces,” and a film that I’ve never managed to see.

It’s called “Sons of Liberty,” and it’s about the Jewish contribution to the American independence. It’s the story of Haym Solomon, who financed Washington’s army. It starred Claude Rains. It came out in 1939. I know about it, I’ve never seen it. If anyone knows how I can manage it, I’d be very grateful. Also, “Seahawk,” Seawolf,“ "Casablanca,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy” with Cagney in 1942, when James Cagney does that incredible song and dance routine. Cagney, and I’m… I will be featuring him hopefully today, if not next time, in “White Heat” 'cause there’s some wonderful lines in that. “Mildred Pierce,” 1945, a huge weepy with Joan Crawford. “This is the Army,” and of course that was '43, an American propaganda film for the war. And in it, you’ve got Irving Berlin, the Russian Jew, who, of course, his most famous film… Song, I suppose, is “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” and his song, “God Bless America.” He was awarded the Congressional… The Congressional Medal of Honor was Irving Berlin. So let’s have a look at that final scene from “Casablanca.”

• Here it is.

• Thanks. I appreciate it.

• And welcome back to the fight. This time, I know our side will win. Are you ready, Ilsa?

• Yes, I’m ready. Goodbye, Rick. God bless you.

• You better hurry or you’ll miss that plane.

• Well, I was right. You are a sentimentalist.

• Stay where you are. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

• What you just did for Laszlo. That fairytale 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, Louis.

• 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 Monsieur 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 radio tower.

• Put it down.

• Major Strasser has been shot. Round up the usual suspects.

• Oui, mon Capitaine.

• Well, Rick, you’re not only a sentimentalist, but you’ve become a patriot.

• Maybe, but 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. It doesn’t make any difference about our bet, you’d 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, thank you. It’s perfect, isn’t it? The music. Now, of the top five quotes, four from “Casablanca.” And remember, I’m also interested in the entrances and exits. And of course the exit scene from “Casablanca” is also great. Now, the next film that I want to show, extracts from… Oh, let’s “Play It Again.” Let’s have a look at Woody Allen, the nebuch, turning to the male idol, the actor dressed as Humphrey Bogart in “Casablanca.” Of course, he’s trying to seduce Diane Keaton. He made a career out of being a nebuch. Let’s go with it.

• You’re handling yourself very well. Now, kiss her.

• Please.

• You built up to it beautifully.

• I don’t have the nerve.

• Well, tell her how beautiful she is again.

• I just told her.

• Again!

• You really are an unusually beautiful person.

• Oh, I don’t know what to say.

• No, really, you are exceptionally beautiful. You’re a very beautiful girl. You are very uncommonly beautiful. You’re an unusually beautiful–

• All right already!

• It’s been so long since anybody said that to me.

• Now, move closer to her.

• How close?

• The length of your lips.

• That’s very close.

• Come on, move.

• Now, what?

• Now, tell her that she moves something in you that you can’t control.

• You’re kidding.

• Go ahead.

• From me, it’s corny.

• She’ll love it.

• It’s like Fred Astaire looks great in tails, I look lousy. Exact same situation–

• Will you leave Fred Astaire out of this and say something?

• I love the time we’ve spent together.

• So have I.

• Was that all right? I don’t want to use your other line about moving something–

• You’re doing fine, kid. Now, tell her she has the most irresistible eyes you’ve ever seen.

• You have the most eyes I’ve ever seen on any person. You are–

• Allan, your hand is trembling.

• It is?

• That’s because you’re near.

• Pardon me?

• Tell her that!

• That’s because you’re near.

• You really know what to say, don’t you?

• Now, tell her that you’ve met a lot of dames but she is really something special.

• Oh, that she won’t believe.

• Oh no?

• I have met a lot of dames but you are really something special.

• Really?

• She bought it.

• Okay, now put your right hand around her shoulders and pull her close.

• That I can’t do. No–

• Go ahead! Go on!

• Okay, let me try.

• Now, get ready for the big move and do exactly as I tell you.

• I warned you to leave my ex-husband alone.

• Well, I guess I better fix the steaks.

• Linda.

• Hm?

• Your eyes are like two thick steaks.

• Okay, and can we see the next poster please? There you are. The incredible Kevin Spacey in “The Usual Suspects” with Gabriel Byrne, an absolute brilliant film. So do you see how the legend of “Casablanca” is incorporated into later films? Many of the directors and actors of today are very impressed and go back to this time of the greatness of Hollywood. So let’s move on to the next film, please. “The Maltese Falcon.” Now, I chose this film, again, because of the quotes. Remember, I said to you, I’m going to choose films either because they have these great entrances and exits, or because they are incredibly quotable. And “The Maltese Falcon,” it’s of course based on a Dashiell Hammett thriller. It’s… He was one of the top American writers of detective story, and he, of course, created Sam Spade. He was the dean of boiled detective fiction. That was actually a quote from The New York Times. It was John Huston’s first film as a director, and it was another success that was really an accident. Humphrey Bogart only took over, again, after George Raft didn’t want it, 'cause he didn’t want to work with a new director. This is John Huston’s first film, and it’s the story… And I’m going to read you the publicity line. “In 1939…” Beg your pardon. “In 1539, the Knights Templars "of Malta played tribute "to Charles V of Spain.” You all know… If you’ve been listening to history classes, you will know who Charles V was. He was called . He was the Habsburg prince who had… Who’s… They said of him, “The sun never slept… "Never set on its empire.” So it’s the story, “the Knights Templars of Malta paying tribute "to Charles V by sending him a golden cor… "A golden falcon encrusted "from beak to claw with rare jewels. "But pirates seized the galley "and the fate of the Maltese Falcon remained "a mystery until this day.”

And of course, Bogey is perfect, as the hard-boiled private eye. Mary Astor plays the femme fatale, the rather dark character. And some of her quotes, I’m going to give you a couple. The famous one, of course, is “The stuff that dreams are made of” at the end, which I’m going to show you an extract. But this is another quotable piece from the film. “Oh, I’m so tired, so tired of it all. "Of myself, of lying and thinking up lies, "and knowing what is… "Knowing what is a lie "and what is the truth.” That’s Mary Astor as Brigid O'Shaughnessy. I think a lot of our politicians could do with that line being sent to them. I’m going to read it again. See if you can remember it. “Oh, I’m so tired, so tired of it all. "Of myself, of lying and thinking up lies, "and not knowing what is a lie "and what is the truth.” Now, Sam Spade goes against the femme fatale, Mary Astor, and the two villains who are working with her. And of course, the villains are the extraordinary… Can we see the next slide, please? There you see, Humphrey Bogart, and of course I’m going to talk about him more when I talk about “To Have and Have Not,” because he becomes the husband of Betty Perske, better known as Lauren Bacall. Mary Astor, this is her most important role. Her career actually was nearly destroyed because she’d had an affair with George Kaufman, who, of course, wrote many, many different films for the Marx Brothers. And he also won the Pulitzer Prize twice. But she had an affair with him while she was still married, and her husband tried to get custody of the daughter, so she was a bit of a scandal.

She was branded at adulterous because don’t forget, against the backdrop of the movies, you have the Hays Code, you still have the studio system where the actors and actresses have to be purer than pure. And she won Best Supporting Actress in another Bette Davis movie called “The Great Lie.” I really… I watched it the other day, it’s a wonderful wallow of a film. But can we see the other two characters? Peter Lorre. Peter Lorre was a superb actor. He was born László Löwenstein. His father was a bookkeeper, and they came first… He was born just outside Vienna. The family moved to Berlin, he becomes an actor. And he becomes one of the great stars of Ufa. And Fritz Lang, the great director Fritz Lang, his first talkie, “M,” it’s a very controversial film, there was no censorship in Ufa, and it’s the story of a pedophile who is given a voice, and Peter Lorre played that part. And of course it’s full of the lighting techniques of German expressionism, and that is what is brought to Hollywood by these characters. And the other actors, of course, the British… Wonderful British actor, Sydney Greenstreet, who’s also in “Casablanca.” He didn’t actually begin his film career until he was 61 years old. He was born in Kent. His father was a tanner. He was one of seven children.

And he left home to make a fortune. So think British Empire, he was born in 1879. He went to Ceylon as a tea planter. Unfortunately, there was a drought. He was forced out of business. So he managed a brewery. And he took acting lessons when he was in Ceylon just to escape boredom. He comes back to Britain, he goes into rep. And in 1902, those of you who know Britain, he played in the Ramsgate Marine Theater. Ramsgate, from a Jewish point of view, is famous because it was the country home of Sir Moses Montefiore, next to the country home of the Duchess of Kent, the mother of Queen Victoria. Why am I telling you all this? Because it all should fit, those of you who studied Jewish history. He plays a murderer at the Ramsgate Theater. He’s doing more and more. And in 1905, remember America is looking for talent, he goes to New York, he’s on the stage, and he doesn’t want to get involved in films until 1941. And of course, then he goes to Warner Brothers, and he becomes one of their best character actors and made a lot of money. “The Maltese Falcon.” Of course, he is in “Casablanca.” He is the owner of the Blue Parrot in “Casablanca.” And he made “The Mask of Dimitrios” with Orson Welles. So let’s have an ex… Let’s have a look at the extract where I’m going to show… Oh, before I do that, it’s got one of my favorite lines in it. Mary Astor, of course, Sam Spade, Humphrey Bogart, is in love with her, but she’s the villainess and she’s committed a murder, and he’s got to send her to jail. And she says to him, “But you love me, "you’ll never get over it.” And he says, “I’ll have a few bad nights, but I will.” But I want to show you the end of the film when Sam Spade is talking about the Maltese Falcon. Can we just see a lovely ending? A lovely quote of ends. This is the… This is the detective,

• The stuff that dreams are made of.

• Huh?

• Another great cinema extract, is it not? Can we move on to the next one, please? Lauren Bacall, “To Have and Have Not.” Now, this film centers on a romance between a freelancing fisherman in Martinique and a beautiful American drifter. And the only film story, by the way, those of you who love trivia, on which two Nobel Prize winners worked. Hemingway, who wrote the original, and William Faulkner. It’s set in the summer of 1940. It was… The book was actually set in Brazil, but they had to switch it because you can’t be nasty about a neighboring… Mexico, beg your pardon. You can’t be nasty about a neighboring state. And so, it’s set in the summer of 1940, when the world weary Harry Morgan, played by Bogey, operates a sports fishing boat in Fort De France in the French colony of Martinique, which is under the control of Vichy France. And he comes, of course, he… The American adventuress is played by the 18-year-old Lauren Bacall, better known as Betty Perske. It’s directed by Howard Hawks, and it is Lauren Bacall’s introduction to the screen. And she was born in the Bronx. Her mother had come from Jassy in Romania. Father was born in New Jersey, but his family came from Belarus. And evidently, her father was related to Shimon Peres. And she made a… In 1941, the parents divorced. She was a very beautiful girl. She had lessons at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. And while she was there, she dated Kirk Douglas, Issur Danielovitch.

She becomes a fashion model, working in department stores. And then she managed to get herself a walk on part on Broadway. And she went into a beauty competition, she became Miss Greenwich Village. She appeared on the front cover of Vogue. She is very, very ambitious. She was also on the front cover of Harper’s Bazaar. And she was described, “Cat-like grace, tawny blonde hair, "and blue-green eyes.” She was introduced by a aristocrat, a Jewish aristocrat, called Nicolas de Gunzburg, from the famous Russian Gunzburg family. He had been born in France and he was the editor at Vogue. He was an editor and he was very much a socialite. He was introduced… He in… He introduces Lauren Bacall to Diane Vreeland, who is the editor-in-chief of Vogue Magazine. So through friendship and contacts, she becomes quite an important character. In fact, Diana Vreeland herself had a Jewish mother who was born in Paris. It’s fascinating just how the Jews were so prominent in, what I still call, the service industry. Now, the Harper’s Bazaar column about Betty Perske caught the attention of Slim Keith, who was the wife of Howard Hawks, and she urged her husband to test her for a film. She liked her. She took her under her wing. And she is 18. When she meets Bogey, she’s 19 years old. His third marriage was going kaput. And they fall in love on set. There’s the most incredible chemistry between the two. And they are going to stay together until he dies of lung cancer in '56. In fact, together they made “The Big Sleep,” “Dark Passage,” “Key Largo,” all with Bogey. Probably her greatest films. She also starred in the 1953 film, the first Cinemascope Comedy, “How To Marry a Millionaire” with Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe. And if you haven’t seen it, that, again, is a treat. Can we see the very famous scene from “Casa…” From “To Have and Have Not?” I’m convinced you’ll know it.

• It’s even better when you help. Sure you won’t change–

• Feel the chemistry. Louis B. Mayer always said it was essential.

• This belongs to me and so do my lips. I don’t see any difference.

• Oh, I do.

• Okay. You know, you don’t have to act with me, Steve. You don’t have to say anything and you don’t have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.

• They don’t make them like that anymore, do they? I’m always having arguments with younger people about this. I know the special effects are better, but somehow it’s the dialogue that interests me. The acting and the dialogue. I had to include “Citizen Kane” because it’s in everybody’s top five films. Having said that, it’s the “Rosebud” line. And of course, it is directed, and produced, and stars the extraordinary enfante terrible, Orson Welles. And we’ve already had a whole session on him in lockdown. He was one of… He was a genius. He was one of the most interesting characters of Hollywood, really. And he made his greatest movie when he was 26 years old. He made it… The writer was Her… Was of course Herman Mankiewicz, another very, very interesting character. Herman Mankiewicz, of course, he is… He has a very, very famous brother who I’ll be talking about, Joe Mankiewicz. Now, he was born in New York. The father had been born in Berlin, the mother from Kurland in Latvia. And he not only co-wrote the screenplay for “Citizen Kane,” he co-won the Oscar for it.

He had an interesting life. There was a film, “Mank,” with Oldman, which I didn’t like, frankly. They didn’t get him. He’d previously been the Berlin correspondent of Women’s Wear Daily, he was a regular drama critic of the New Yorker, called “the Funniest Man in New York,” often fixed other writer’s scripts completely uncredited. He worked on “The Wizard of Oz,” “Dinner at Eight,” “Pride of the Yankees,” “Pride of St. Louis.” And the problem with Herman Mankiewicz, he was an alcoholic and he was a self-destroyer. He died of liver failure. It was actually his brother who had the more glorious career. But three children, a sister, and two brilliant brothers born to Jewish immigrants. Again, it’s this restlessness, the outsider-ness that that… That’s the thread that runs through it all. And a smell for what people want. And also, a lot of these characters had careers in journalism. They knew how to write. So let’s have a scene from “Citizen Kane.” And if you haven’t seen it, again, it’s a wallow. It’s a wonderful film. And it’s based, of course, and I’m sure you all know, it’s very, very loosely based on the story of Randolph Hearst, the great newspaper magnate. And in it, his last words are “Rosebud.” What is the significance of Rosebud? And I’ve put it in because Rosebud is in the top 10 quotes of all time. So let’s see the last scene, the exit scene, of “Citizen Kane.”

• You could have found of what that “Rosebud” meant, I bet that would’ve explained everything.

• No, I don’t think so. No. Mr. Kane was a man who got everything he wanted and then lost it. Maybe Rosebud was something he couldn’t get or something he lost. Anyway, it wouldn’t have explained anything. I don’t think any word can explain a man’s life. No, I guess Rosebud is just a piece in a jigsaw puzzle. A missing piece. Well, come on, everybody. We’ll miss the train.

• It’s so beautifully filmed. Gregg Toland was superb. He was an… The character is a complete collector. And of course, Hearst tried to have the film stopped.

• Throw that junk in.

• Rosebud was the name of his sled that he had when he was a child, perhaps the only happy time in his life. Okay, and can we see the next… The last one I’m going to have time to show you today? Which means that when I come back, it’s either next week or the week after, you are going to… We’re going to start with “Gilda.” Her entrance in “Gilda” is wonderful. Now, “Now, Voyager,” wonderful… Another wonderful weepy. And, of course, it stars Bette Davis and Paul Henreid, who only had the second male lead in “Casablanca,” which upset him. And again, the wonderful Claude Rains. And the title is borrowed from a Walt Whitman poem, “Untold Want.” “The untold want by… "The untold want by life "and land never granted. "Now, voyager sail thou forth "to seek and find.” Let me say it again. “Untold want. "The untold want by life "and land never granted. "Now voyager sail thou forth "and seek and find.” And it’s the story of Charlotte Vale. She is the spinster of a family, very much dominated by her mother. She is plain, and ugly, and unwanted, and very, very, very insecure. She is made to feel better about herself by a psychiatrist, played brilliantly by Claude Rains. She goes on a voyage and she meets the married Paul… Paul Henreid. And of course, a love affair begins with them but it can’t continue. And it’s the weepy, sad, “Will they, won’t they?”

And it’s directed by Irving Rapper. He… Of course, Warner Brothers, again. Warner Brothers were churning these films out. He also came from an immigrant Jewish family from Russia to London. He immigrated to America, became a director on Broadway whilst he was studying at New York University. Again, a man in a hurry. 1936, he goes to Hollywood. He’s hired as an assistant director, also a dialogue coach. It was important by the mid-30s because a lot of the directors and set designers were not English-speaking. They’d all come over from Germany. They were escaping the Nazis. So you needed someone who could translate and deal with them. His directorial debut was in “Shining Victory” with Bette Davis. They became friends. He directed her in four more films, even though she said… He said she’s incredibly difficult to work with, and would hold up production because of her moods, but she really was an incredible… An incredible actress. And of course, in my next session, I will be looking with you at Billy… At “All About Eve.” That brilliant, brilliant film, “All About Eve.”

And “All About Eve,” one of the great quotes in Hollywood, “Hold onto your seat belts. "You’re going to have a bumpy night.” Now, Rapper was nominated for “One Foot In Heaven” in '41. “Marjorie Morningstar.” He made “Marjorie Morningstar” in 1940… '58, based on Herman Wouk’s film. And, of course, that is a Jewish coming-of-age story. He made “The Miracle” in 1959. An interesting film, if you can get hold of it. “Rhapsody In Blue” in 1945. So the music, the wonderful music, is, of course, by Max Steiner, who I’ve already talked about. Remember, it’s Korngold, Steiner, Alfred Newman, Miklós Rózsa, they’re all Jews. And they are the characters who are pulling the heartstrings of Hollywood audiences. And of course, Hal Wallis is the producer, we’ve already talked about him. And let’s now have a look at one of the most famous scenes in movie history. Charlotte Vale.

• Please help me.

• He loves her, she loves him, but they can’t be together.

• Shall we just have a cigarette on it?

• Yes.

• May I sometimes come here?

• Whenever you like. It’s your home too. There are people here who love you.

• Look at you and Tina, share with you peace and contentment.

• Of course. And just think it won’t be for this time only. At least, if you’ll help me keep what we have. We both try hard to protect that little strip of territory that’s ours. We can talk about your child.

• Our child.

• Thank you.

• And will you be happy, Charlotte?

• Oh, Jerry, don’t lets ask for the moon. We have the stars.

• Okay, now the trailer for next w… Next time then. I’m going to give a bit biography of Claude Rains and Paul von Henreid. Claude Rains was not Jewish but he was one of Hollywood’s greatest actors. And, of course, Paul Henreid was born Jewish, but his father, who was a financial advisor, believe it or not, to Franz Joseph, he converted but it didn’t save Paul von Henreid. He had to get out of Hollywood… He had to get out of Ufa to America. And of course has a great career as a romantic actor. So next time, we will continue with that. And then, I’m going to show you “Gilda,” “The Third Man,” “White Heat,” “All About Eve,” “Sunset Boulevard,” maybe “Some Like It Hot,” and we haven’t even begun to touch the Fred Astaire musicals, the great entrances and exits of that. I’m enjoying this. I hope you are as well. I just thought we need to lighten. Let’s have a look at the questions.

Q&A and Comments:

“Michael Curtiz.” Yes, thank… Curtiz. I’m no good at foreign languages. I… All right.

Yes, Lauren Bacall was Shimon… Hillel tells us Lauren Bacall was Shimon Peres’ first cousin, yes.

Oh, Myrna says, “I just saw on Turner’s classics, "The Raven,” “with among others, Peter Lorre, "and a bit part for a very young Jack Nicholson.” Yes, poor old Peter Lorre. He was often in horror films, quite often with Vincent Price. He was a great actor, very interesting that. “

Q: Was it Diane Vreeland who said ”“you can’t be too rich or too thin?”“

A: I actually think it was Wallis Simpson but somebody could check that for me.

Oh yeah. Barbara says, "I agree, "they don’t make films like this. "I spent my younger years in the 50s sneaking "into the back of movie houses "in the north of England. "Pure escapism. "Films were playing in a continuous reel "from 12 till 10, "always included a B film.” “I can see Davis getting off that ship "and my mother said, "Look at that hat.”“ Yes, this is absolutely fascinating.

Q: If you… When did women… Where did they look to for fashion?

A: It wasn’t Paris. I told you that extraordinary story of men’s fashion, when Clark Gable took off his shirt and he wasn’t wearing a vest, sales of vests went down by 40%. But if you think about it, men wore hats, everyone wore gloves, women’s hats. This is where people turn to. And, of course, ready-to-wear clothes. They’re being churned up. This is life now. It’s changing. And Hollywood has a lot to do with dictating taste.

Q: Stewart says, "Did any non-Jewish actors refuse "to act with Jewish actors?”

A: As far as I know, not in Hollywood. There were one or two of them who made a few nasty comments. But the mogul… Look, a lot of people didn’t like the moguls. A lot of the moguls were totally horrible. You know, you can’t say it was antisemitism necessarily. I mean, I would’ve imagined it was very, very difficult to like Jack Warner. They were lot… Or any,… There’s a wonderful story about Louis B. Mayer. When he died, there were so many people at the funeral that they had to transfer it from the synagogue to the church next door, which had more capacity. And the story goes that a young studio executive came up to Sam Goldwyn and said, “He must have been so loved.” And Sam Goldwyn said, “No, give the people what they want "and they come.” And another executive goes up to Jack Warner and he says, “There are so many people, "he must have been so loved.” And Warner said, “No, they came to make sure he was dead.”

Thank you. You all seem to be enjoying this. It’s probably because we’re all the same age, isn’t it? That’s what my kids say to me.

Leonard Hirsch, “"Fasten your seatbelts,” “it’s the most famous misquote from the movies.” Yes, except… Except, of course, the other great misquote is “Play It Again, Sam.” She doesn’t actually say that, does she?

This is from Ron. “The romantic music in "Now, Voyager” scene “you played has a very close resemblance "to Jerome Kern’s "Long and go and far away.”“ And I’m pleased to say that Ron’s going to come in next month and do another session on the music. Thank you.

Yes, Lorna says, "Fags were part of romance in those days. "This has really changed.” Yes. Think how many actors actually smoked in the movies. And, of course, that scene in “Now, Voyager” where he lights the two cigarettes, it’s absolutely extraordinary. I’m surprised that the thought police haven’t banned it. That seems to be all. Anyway, thank you very much. I will see you next week. Take care of yourselves and enjoy the movies. A lot of these are on Prime, so have fun with them. Thank you and good evening.