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Going My Way (1944)
The Way of the Lord
In the middle of the 1940s, director Leo McCarey had a bright idea. He planned to make a buddy film about two priests and wanted Spencer Tracy to play one of them. Unfortunately, Tracy's studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, wouldn't lend out their star for such a role. Spencer Tracy had already portrayed a catholic priest in "Boys Town" and its sequel "Men of Boys Town", and MGM was nervous that the actor would be typecast if he would put on the robe again.
With Spencer Tracy out of the picture, Leo McCarey instead suggested his good friend, Bing Crosby, for the role. A choice most punters in Hollywood frowned upon. Bing Crosby was widely considered a great singer and comedian, but not someone who could carry a drama. And certainly not a production that was already considered to be a hard sell at the box office. McCarey was adamant, though. He had always believed in Crosby's charisma in front of the camera. Besides, McCarey had already promised his buddy a role in one of his films.
Eventually, Leo McCarey's studio, Paramount Pictures, agreed to make the film. But, and this was important, only if the director waived his salary instead of a share in any (unlikely) profits. Luckily, McCarey had no problem with that. He threw out most of the screenplay and then urged his cast to improvise their scenes directly on the set. Leo McCarey was more interested in the genuine responses of the actors than in some flashy editing or glamorous photography.
Despite the controversy of showing drinking and swearing priests, "Going My Way" managed to charm the public and critics alike. The film became the year's top-grossing production and laid the foundation for Bing Crosby to become respected as an actor (he won an Oscar for his role). Leo McCarey must also have been quite pleased. As the director had been given a share of the film's profit, he earned more than anyone else in the United States that year. A truly remarkable feat.
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
Elegy to a Lost America
Orson Welles was only 26 when he made "Citizen Kane". A story about newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane that many consider one of the greatest movies ever made. But following up on such a masterpiece wasn't easy. The model for the film's media mogul was William Randolph Hearst, and he didn't like the way he was portrayed. As Hearst had plenty of influential friends among Hollywood's powerful studio heads, he was not a person you wanted to offend. Especially not if you want your career in Tinseltown to continue.
Unfortunately, RKO Studios didn't make a dime on "Citizen Kane." So, the company's president began to regret the contract he had offered the young director (according to which, Orson Welles could make three films with total artistic freedom). But at this point, Welles knew nothing about what was going on at RKO. Instead, he began to shoot "The Magnificent Ambersons" along with his usual cast and crew. A film based on a once-celebrated, but now largely forgotten novel.
Now, however, the executives at RKO really had had enough. Alarmed by the adverse reactions the film received at a secret sneak preview, they fired Orson Welles. Then, a young editor was tasked with drastically cutting down "The Magnificent Ambersons". And not only that. After chopping away more than 60 minutes of film, a new, more "optimistic" ending was tacked on. According to Welles himself, the changes basically destroyed the heart of the picture.
And things would get worse. A few months later, Orson Welles' original cut was destroyed. Incinerated by executive order to free up space in RKO's vault (it was standard practice to burn unused nitrate negatives to salvage the silver in the emulsion). The studio didn't even have faith in their 88-minute version of "The Magnificent Ambersons" with its feeble happy ending. The film was released in just two Los Angeles venues, on the bottom half of a double bill.
How Green Was My Valley (1941)
The Green, Green Grass of Home
When Darryl Zanuck, head of production at 20th Century-Fox, read the novel "How Green Was My Valley", he thought he had found his own "Gone with the Wind". Zanuck immediately began preparing the studio for a four-hour Technicolor epic starring Katharine Hepburn and Tyrone Power. The masterpiece would be directed by William Wyler, and it should be shot on location in Wales. The two men then spent months preparing the film, only to be told that the Fox executives in New York had pulled the plug on the production. It looked like "How Green Was My Valley" was dead before it even started living.
Zanuck was not going to give up that easily, though. The producer realized that he had to cut down on expenses. The costly Hepburn and Power had to go, as well as the idea of shooting in Wales on the other side of the globe. Wyler's signature extravagance was also a problem, so Zanuck hired Henry Ford to direct instead. A keen professional, known for being able to keep his films within the decided budget.
Working with art director Richard Day turned out to be a good idea. The guy constructed "Wales" as a gigantic set spanning 80 acres of the Los Angeles coastline (it took 150 builders six months to build the whole thing). John Ford then wanted genuine coal residue to be spread over the Santa Monica hillsides for authenticity. But at that time, the Fox officials had had enough of Ford's "great" ideas. After a meeting at the headquarter in New York it was decided that the hills should be painted black with twenty thousand gallons of paint instead.
After all the problems during the shooting, "How Green Was My Valley" became a great success at the box office. And things also went well at the Academy Awards. The movie was nominated for ten Oscars, of which it won five. Among them, the price for Best Picture and Best Director stood out. After all, the competitors included "Citizen Kane", often considered to be the world's best film.
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
The Comeback Kid
After a series of fiascos at the end of the 1930s, Katharine Hepburn was branded "box office poison" in Hollywood. The actress fled to Broadway, where she had success in the stage play "The Philadelphia Story". So, Hepburn bought the film rights and returned to Tinseltown. And this time her position at the negotiating table was much stronger. The actress sold the property to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on the condition that she herself could do the lead. Hepburn's deal also granted her the right to pick her own director, as well as her co-stars.
Katharine Hepburn originally wanted Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy in the lead roles. But, as both were busy with productions elsewhere, she had to "make do" with Carry Grant and James Stewart instead. (Grant was given a choice of which of the two men he wanted to play). Then, when it came to the question of director, the pick was easier. Katharine Hepburn had already made four movies with veteran film-maker George Cukor, so he was a given for the movie.
Katharine Hepburn chose Donald Ogden Stewart to write the script - mainly because he had extensive experience adapting plays to the silver screen. And this time, the job was quite easy. Stewart simply wrote the screenplay while listening to a tape recording of "The Philadelphia Story" from Broadway. He was then careful to include all the lines that received the most laughter from the audience. As the finished film demonstrated, the method worked out just fine.
The movie had its sneak preview in New York City in December 1940. However, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had promised to hold back its general release until early the following year to avoid competition with the stage play still touring the country. When "The Philadelphia Story" then opened at the Radio City Music Hall it broke all previous box office records. Katharine Hepburn had certainly made a comeback worthy of a true Hollywood superstar.
Boom Town (1940)
Booms and Busts
In the early 1940s, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's powerful studio head, Louis B. Mayer, wanted to make a picture celebrating the period in American history when oil was discovered in Texas. The studio's biggest star, Clark Gable, was given the lead role - not least because he knew the subject so well. While still a teenager, Gable had worked as a rigger in the Oklahoma oil fields with his wildcatter father (whom Clark Gable would use as a model for his character in the movie).
MGM decided to put Claudette Colbert in the female lead role. A casting that created a veritable avalanche of publicity as it was the first time Gable and Colbert had worked together since their Oscar-winning performances in "It Happened One Night" a few years earlier. The supporting roles in "Boom Town" were then completed with Spencer Tracy and the promising newcomer Hedy Lamarr. A young actress Louis B. Mayer had discovered in Vienna, Austria.
Unfortunately, the shooting turned out to be more difficult than expected. Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy had worked together before, but by this point Tracy had grown tired of always having to play the best friend - the guy who stood on the sidelines and watched Gable win the girl (and the top billing). Spencer Trace wanted to be a star in his own right. So, he was irritable and prickly throughout the production. Of course, this also rubbed off on the other cast members.
Thankfully, none of these troubles were noticeable in the finished movie. On the contrary. "Boom Town" became the biggest moneymaker of the year and one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top productions of the decade. The studio even considered running the film on a single bill and increase the admission price. MGM's justification for this was that with so many stars, you actually got "four movies in one" (the policy was never carried out). But, sadly, "Boom Town" turned out to be the last film Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy did together.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
A Local Hero
Frank Capra was just five years old when he and his parents emigrated from Sicily to America. There, Capra contributed to the family's livelihood by selling newspapers on the streets of Los Angeles. After a chance meeting with Harry Cohn, the powerful head of Columbia Pictures, Capra began writing for the studio instead. When he started directing his own scripts, it turned out that the youngster had found his proper element. Frank Capra won three Academy Awards in the following years, something no director had done before him.
In 1939 Frank Capra came across a short story titled "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". He knew that several Hollywood studios had shied away from the piece because of its political content, but Capra himself loved the tale. His boss, Harry Cohn, suggested that he give the lead to Gary Cooper. Instead, Capra picked James Stewart and Jean Arthur for the main roles. Probably because he had directed them in the successful "You Can't Take It with You" the year before.
But it was never an easy shoot. Frank Capra was forced to borrow MGM's large street set for some of his "outdoor" views (up to 1,000 extras were employed). And in the scene with the filibuster, James Stewart didn't sound hoarse enough. Instead, the actor had to have his throat swabbed with mercury chloride, irritating his vocal cords. Something Jimmy Stewart endured with gritted teeth. He must have known that "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" would make him a star.
As expected, many politicians and press members in Washington were offended by the film. Frank Capra was even threatened after a screening at the National Press Club in the capital. The director needed the help of some friends to be spirited away from an angry crowd. But the audience at large loved the movie. And so did a unanimous body of critics. Later, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" was named one of the best films of the year by the "Film Daily" magazine.
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)
Thank You for the Music
Irving Berlin was born in a small shtetl in the Russian Empire. Like millions of others, his family emigrated to the United States at the end of the 19th century. There, at the age of five, Irving Berlin began supporting his family by singing at cheap saloons around New York. In 1911, he then composed "Alexander's Ragtime Band", his first big hit. It was followed by other tunes that won him Oscars, Grammys and Tony Awards. Irving Berlin's music, being a major part of the Great American Songbook, has left an indelible mark on popular culture.
In 1938 the head of 20th Century Fox, Darryl Zanuck, wanted to make a biopic based on Irving Berlin's life. The composer was extremely sensitive to criticism, however, and firmly opposed the idea. But Zanuck didn't give up. Instead, he suggested that Berlin wrote a "fictional" story in which he incorporated important events from his life. And this time Irving Berlin reluctantly came aboard. Together with a team of in-house writers he worked out a first treatment for the film.
Fox Studio invested strongly in the production, named "Alexander's Ragtime Band" after Irving Berlin's smash hit. The movie's director, Henry King, had plenty of lavish sets built and a multitude of costumes created. Although the story spans more than 24 years, none of the characters ages in the film. Being something of a perfectionist, Irving Berlin then oversaw the music. He used 30 of his original songs (out of more than 600 he had composed).
Unfortunately, the film's opening was marred by some unforeseen events. First, a lawsuit was filed against Berlin for song theft. Then his English publisher tried to stop the movie's foreign release because Fox refused to pay him (the publisher owned the rights outside America). However, the situation was resolved, and "Alexander's Ragtime Band" became a box office success. Irving Berlin's name was well and truly established in Hollywood.
Saratoga (1937)
Blondes Have More Fun
Jean Harlow was an American actress. In the early 1930s, she became known for her portraits of "bad girl" characters. Often nicknamed the "Blonde Bombshell", Harlow became a prominent sex symbol and one of the defining figures of the pre-Code era of American cinema. At the height of her popularity, she even surpassed MGM's leading ladies, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer, at the box office. The American Film Institute recognized Jean Harlow as one of the biggest icons on their "Greatest Screen Legends" list in 1999.
In 1937, Jean Harlow was cast as the female lead in "Saratoga". Her co-star was to be Clark Gable, which suited Harlow just fine. The couple had already made five movies together and got along great, both at work and privately. Unfortunately, though, the problems started even before the cameras began to roll. Jean Harlow developed sepsis after a multiple tooth extraction and had to be hospitalized. It would be over two months before principal shooting could be resumed.
But it quickly became apparent that Jean Harlow still was not well. Her colleagues initially thought that her symptoms - fatigue, nausea and abdominal pain - were due to the flu, but they soon understood that it was something much more severe. In the evening, Harlow was therefore driven to the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, where she slipped into a coma. Early the following day, Jean Harlow died of complications from kidney failure. She was only 26.
With 90% of "Saratoga" already in the can, MGM decided to shoot the rest of the movie with an anonymous actress (filmed only from behind or with costumes obscuring her face). Harlow's lines were then dubbed by a woman who specialized in imitating voices. And the sneaky plan worked. "Saratoga" was released two months after Jean Harlow's tragic death and was an instant success. Ironically, it also became the highest-grossing movie of her entire career.
The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
Mister Show Business
Florenz Ziegfeld was an American impresario, active at the beginning of the last century. Inspired by the theatrical revues he saw during a visit to Paris, he created the "Ziegfeld Follies" on Broadway in 1907. These extravaganzas featured scores of beautiful ladies in production numbers choreographed to the works of great composers. Ziegfeld even had a 1600-seat theater built on Sixth Avenue in New York to contain his luxurious productions. The Ziegfeld Follies played to full houses until the Great Depression put an end to operations in 1931.
Florenz Ziegfeld passed away in 1932. The great showman's death left his widow with significant debts, forcing her to sell the film rights to her husband's life story. At the time, Metro-Golden-Mayer was the only Hollywood studio with the ability to take on such a gigantic production. And Louise B. Mayer, MGM's powerful boss, was certainly not going to skimp on the money. "The Great Ziegfeld" would be the most expensive film the company had ever made.
Even though all the details in the film were lavish, the "Wedding Cake" scene still stood out. The set reportedly cost over $5,000,000 and consisted of a 70 ft (21 m) high column with 175 spiral steps, weighing over 100 tons. As many as 180 performers were involved in the scene, including singers, dancers and musicians. But then the film came at a time when producers had begun to realize the economic potential of the cinematic medium compared to the theater.
"The Great Ziegfeld" opened at the Carthay Circle in Los Angeles in the spring of 1936. The audience loved it, and for once the critics agreed. The movie was nominated for a total of seven Academy Awards, winning three (one for Best Picture). Many people have since argued that even the legendary impresario himself would have struggled to match the grandeur of the movie. No wonder "The Great Ziegfeld" is still considered a model for how a musical film should be made.
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Adventures on the High Sea
As a child, Irving Thalberg suffered from a congenital heart disease. According to his doctor, the ailment would kill him before he was even thirty. Despite that, Thalberg managed to work his way up in the Hollywood film industry. He created Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with Louis B. Mayer, where Thalberg then worked as head of production for years. In 1935, though, his ill health forced him to step back from running the studio to just producing. His first showcase creation was to be a new version of the nautical drama "Mutiny on the Bounty".
Sadly, Louis B. Mayer was against the project from the start. MGM's powerful boss believed that the film simply would be too expensive. In addition, Mayer worried that the plot was almost entirely devoid of interesting female characters. But Thalberg had made up his mind. He immersed himself in all the aspects of the work - doing extensive research to ensure everything was realistic. The producer even examined old British naval records to get the smallest details right.
Irving Thalberg then had a full-size ship built, a vessel that sailed all the way from California to Tahiti. Unfortunately, the craft ran into bad weather, becoming so badly damaged that it required expensive repairs. And the problems didn't end there. The movie's two main actors, Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, couldn't stand each other. In addition, Gable was annoyed throughout the shooting because Thalberg had forced him to shave off his "lucky moustache".
The management at Metro-Goldwyn-Myers was extremely jittery before the premiere of "Mutiny on the Bounty". However, their fears turned out to be completely unwarranted. The rousing sea adventure was an instant hit and grossed more money than any other production that year (further bolstering Irving Thalberg's reputation). Tragically, though, things didn't end as well for Thalberg himself. MGM's so-called "Boy Wonder" died the following year. He was only 37 years old.
Cleopatra (1934)
Jewel of the Nile
Cecil B. DeMille is generally considered on of the founding fathers of American cinema. He is also the most commercially successful director in movie history. In December 1913, he and his camera crew boarded a train for the West Coast. DeMille had heard that filmmakers could work in California, even in the winter. Once there, he rented a barn outside Los Angeles. In and around that primitive, makeshift studio he shot "The Squaw Man". A production that turned out to be the first feature-length picture made in Hollywood.
When DeMille decided to film "Cleopatra" in 1934, he started working meticulously (as usual). First, he ordered a sixteen-volume French military survey of Egypt to use as a blueprint for the movie's style. He then spent months of intensive study. The director's emphasis was on realism and authentic props, down to the smallest detail. DeMille simply wanted to depict the golden age of Rome with all its extravagant lifestyles, its pomp, depravity and wickedness.
Many of Hollywood's leading ladies were interested in the lead role, but DeMille had already made up his mind. He wanted Claudette Colbert at all costs. And this even though the star was in fragile health. Colbert had recently had appendicitis, leaving her unable to stand only for a few minutes at a time. The fact that the role also forced her to wear several heavy suits didn't make matters any easier. Consequently, Claudette Colbert's understudy had to work hard and long.
Following a highly publicized premiere at the Paramount Theater in New York "Cleopatra" became an immediate box office success in America. It was also the first time that one of Cecil B. DeMille's films was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Picture category. But in Italy the movie wasn't as well received. "Variety" magazine reported that it was met with loud catcalls, boos and scornful laughter when it premiered in Rome the following year. Obviously, you can't win them all.
State Fair (1933)
A Farming Family
Will Rogers was an American cabaret performer, actor and influential social commentator. In the early 1930s, he was also Hollywood's highest-paid movie star, with some fifty silent films to his résumé. And Rogers had more than one string to his bow. After befriending Charles Lindbergh, the most famous pilot of the time, Will Rogers became an ardent advocate for the fledgling aviation industry in the United States. Unfortunately, this would have tragic consequences.
At the beginning of 1933, Fox Film Corporation decided to turn the popular novel "State Fair" into a movie. The book deals with an annual harvest festival in Des Moines, Iowa, and the studio wanted its big star, Will Rogers, for the lead role. Henry King was to direct, so he travelled to Iowa with Rogers and a large camera crew to shoot background material. Particular emphasis was placed on the hog contest as Will Rogers would play a local farmer who participates with his giant Hampshire Pig in the main competition.
Fox Studios acquired three hogs to be used in the film. The largest one was an impressive animal named "Blue Boy". Will Rogers was asked to be careful as the huge swine could be quite aggressive. But everything went smoothly. When principal photography was completed, one supervisor asked Rogers if he wanted to bring Blue Boy home. After all, the giant porker would make a perfect diner. Rogers replied that eating one of his fellow actors wouldn't feel right.
The movie was a huge financial success. The production also helped Fox Studios make it through the Depression in the 1930s. But tragically, "State Fair" turned out to be one of Will Rogers' last films. In 1935, he had become interested in surveying a mail-and-passenger route from the West Coast to Russia. During the following expedition the actor died when his plane crashed in bad weather, 20 miles southwest of Point Barrow in Alaska. Will Rogers was 55 years old.
Shanghai Express (1932)
Mystery Train
Marlene Dietrich was born in 1901 in Berlin. Directly after school, she started working in the theater in her hometown and in neighboring Austria. Dietrich took on roles of varying importance, but it was in musicals that she reaped her greatest success. Her silver screen debut came in 1922. After a few silent movies, Dietrich met director Josef von Sternberg in 1930. He cast her in "The Blue Angel" and the film's international success brought her a contract with Paramount Pictures in the United States. Marlene Dietrich was on her way.
Right from the start, Paramount tried to market Marlene Dietrich as the German answer to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's new Swedish megastar Greta Garbo. In 1932, she was therefore reunited with Josef von Sternberg in "Shanghai Express". The director purposefully worked with Dietrich to create an image of a glamorous and mysterious femme fatale. And at first, she willingly followed his authoritative instructions in a way that many other performers resisted.
Although the action took place on a train journey between Beijing and Shanghai, the entire film was shot on a big soundstage at Paramount Studios. But it was a stressful experience. Von Sternberg was known to bellow his instructions to the actors, but this time he shouted so much that he lost his voice. And that was a problem because Sternberg's way of directing consisted of acting out each role himself and then insisting that the actors do it precisely the way he had.
The Great Depression was in full swing in the United States, so only a few of Paramount's productions turned a profit in 1932. But "Shanghai Express" was an exception. The film also became Marlene Dietrich's biggest hit in America. However, things were different in China, where the government banned the film and all of Paramount's other releases. To lift the embargo, the Chinese leaders forced Paramount to promise never to make another film with a similar content.
Cimarron (1931)
New Kids on the Block
In the summer of 1927, when the first talking picture, "The Jazz Singer" became a big hit, many companies wanted to enter the lucrative movie business. One such enterprise was RKO, which released its initial production in early 1929. The following years the studio opened over thirty new films, but no-one with any significant success. However, the management at RKO was determined to overcome these challenges and prove their worth in the fledgling movie industry.
Despite the country being in the depths of the Great Depression, the guys at RKO were determined to elevate the studio into a leading position in Hollywood. Their strategy was to adapt a popular novel about the so-called "Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889". A story of European settlers gaining access to previously "uninhabited" territory. Just why the management believed that this subject would attract large audiences to the cinemas was not entirely clear.
But it certainly was filmmaking on a grand scale. A production as vast as only MGM, Paramount or Warner Brothers used to manage. The famous land rush scenes took over a week to shoot and employed more than 5,000 extras. The director used twenty-eight cameramen, twenty-seven assistants and livestock spread over more than 40 acres. The head cinematographer planned every shot in advance, and great attention was paid to authenticity. As a result, "Cimarron" was way over budget even before principal photography ended.
The critics loved the film, but that didn't help much. The box office was not nearly as big as it needed to be. Because of the high production costs, the movie lost money hand over fist. So, despite being the first Western to win an Oscar for Best Picture, "Cimarron" was considered something of a disappointment. Interestingly, it would be nearly 60 years before "Dances with Wolves" became only the second Western to win that award. That was in 1990.
The Big House (1930)
Doing Hard Time
When movies began to be made in Hollywood it was a predominantly male envirement. Practically all directors were men, and the same applied to producers, photographers and other film workers. However, there was one area where there was equality between the sexes, and that was among scriptwriters. One of the best was a bright young woman called Frances Marion. She had a $50,000-a-year contract as Mary Pickford's official dramatist, and that was even before Marion transitioned into making "talkies" instead.
In the summer of 1930, MGM's production manager Irving Thalberg contacted Frances Marion. He had long wanted to make a realistic prison drama and had concluded that Marion was the right woman for the job. So, to learn all about the subject, she embarked on an extended tour of San Quentin. She kept a constant diary of her conversations with prison officials and inmates, as well as making notes about the atmosphere, the personalities and the prison jargon.
Frances Marion's husband, George William Hill, was then hired as director. He painted a stark, realistic depiction of prison life. He also saw to it that MGM spent lavishly on the scenery. Courtyards, mess halls, a spiral staircase and tiers upon tiers of cells were re-created to capture the oppressive atmosphere of the place. In the end, the set almost looked like a medieval fortress. Not surprisingly, "The Big House" came to re-define the prison genre in cinema.
And the couple's hard work paid off. "The Big House" was chosen as one of the year's best movies in the influential "Film Daily" magazine. Frances Marion won the first of her two Oscars and would later become one of Hollywood's highest-paid scriptwriters. But sadly, the story ended tragically for George William Hill. A few years later, after he and Marion had divorced, the director shot himself in his beach house in Malibu. George Hill was thirty-nine years old.
The Mark of Zorro (1920)
The First Avenger
At the beginning of the 20th century, pulp magazines were a popular venue for new authors in America. Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner and Raymond Chandler all began their careers writing for the pulps. However, few readers of the "All-Story Weekly" magazine in 1919 expected that the tale of a young Californian nobleman, Don Diego Vega, would have such an impact. In the day-time, Don Diego appeared to be just an effeminate, indolent fop, but at night he became a masked vigilante fighting injustice under the name "Zorro".
One of the magazine's many readers was Douglas Fairbanks, the highest-paid actor in Hollywood at the time. He immediately understood what possibilities the story contained. Fairbanks was primarily famous for his many comedies, but he dreamed of a future in action movies. And he realized that an opportunity to do both genres opened up here. As Don Diego Vega he could use his talents as a great wit, while Zorro gave him the chance to play a dashing, swashbuckling hero.
The year before, Douglas Fairbanks had founded United Artists with his wife Mary Pickford, his friend Charlie Chaplin and the director David W. Griffith. Now, "The Mark of Zorro" became the first film the newly formed company released. In this way, Fairbanks controlled all aspects of the work: he wrote the screenplay, produced the movie, and did the lead role. It was only the direction that Fairbanks left to another old buddy, grizzled veteran Fred Niblo.
Fortunately, "The Mark of Zorro" was a great success among critics and at the box office. As one of the first examples of a masked avenger with a secret identity, Zorro inspired a whole line of similar characters. In pulp magazines, at the movies and on television. The young swordsman is also the precursor of the superheroes of American comic books. Guys like Batman and the Lone Ranger certainly draw close parallels to Don Diego Vega, better known as Zorro.
Orphans of the Storm (1921)
Great Expectations
After making such classics as "The Birth of a Nation" and "Intolerance", David Wark Griffith was considered to be one of Hollywood's leading filmmakers. But Griffith didn't have much respect for Tinseltown and its studio system. In an attempt to break free from the industry's control, he therefore moved his production company to a new, modern studio in Mamaroneck, New York. His idea was to turn the little village into a veritable "Movie Capital of the World".
And Griffith's new venture got off to a flying start. The first production was "Orphans of the Storm" - a spectacular recreation of the French Revolution with 18th century Paris virtually replicated at his studio. Sets depicting the Notre Dame cathedral, the Grand Salon of Versailles and the capital's cobblestone streets were built on nearly fourteen acres of land. To pay for it all, Griffith took out large loans against the future receipts from the movie. Something that, unfortunately, would have fatal consequences later.
It was no cheap production Griffith had initiated. Making a period piece taxed the budget to the limit, but the director was creative as usual. He shot the big mob scene at the guillotine on a Sunday so that hundreds of local residents could participate as extras. Griffith gave them a box lunch and $1.25 for the day, and everyone seemed satisfied. And the director was happy, too, because this meant that he could complete the outdoor scenes before winter arrived.
Many people appreciated "Orphans of the Storm", and most critics gave it excellent reviews. But that didn't help. The film was not as successful at the box office as it needed to be. To put it bluntly, the movie just didn't generate enough money to keep Griffith's studio in Mamaroneck afloat. So, in the end, the director was forced to admit defeat and move back to Hollywood. After all, it was in California that the "Movie Capital of the World" belonged.
Blood and Sand (1922)
Blood Sports
Rudolph Valentino was born in 1895 in Castellaneta, Italy. After a poor upbringing, he emigrated to New York in 1913. There, Valentino made a living as a dishwasher in various cheap restaurants before moving to California. And now things started to happen. Because of his exceptional good looks, Valentino got a job in the fledgling film industry. The parts were small at first, but after famous screenwriter June Mathis chose him for the lead in "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" Rudolph Valentino's career took off with a vengeance.
A year later, it was time for Valentino and Mathis to collaborate again. The film was "Blood and Sand" and Valentino was to portray a young, foolhardy bullfighter. The actor thought the movie would be made in Spain, which meant he could visit his family back home. Unfortunately, the studio intended to shoot the entire film on their back lot in Hollywood. Had it not been for Mathis, a disappointed Valentino would probably have terminated his contract then and there.
It was not only as a good friend that June Mathis proved herself valuable. She also participated actively during the production of "Blood and Sand". It was June Mathis who suggested that stock footage of real bullfights (filmed in Madrid) could be used for the crucial scenes in the arena. The material was then mixed with newly shot close-ups of Rudolph Valentino, creating the illusion that the actor himself was inside the bullring with the large, terrifying beasts.
It would have been interesting to know how Rudolph Valentino had handled the transition from silent movies to "talkies". But, tragically, that wasn't to happen. Instead, the great "Latin Lover" passed away unexpectedly in August 1926, only 31 years old. The following year, June Mathis collapsed during a visit to Broadway. She died before the ambulance arrived. The two cinematic legends now rest, side by side, in a shared crypt at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
A Classic Tale
In the early days of Hollywood, no one in the movies used makeup. The only exception was the villains, who sometimes sported a black beard or a bushy mustache to show the audience that they were, in fact, the bad guys. Some studios tried to use theater makeup, but that kind of grease paint rarely worked on the silver screen. Consequently, there were no makeup departments before the mid-20s. Instead, the actors were supposed to handle their cosmetics themselves. And there was one particular guy who was a master of the art.
That gentleman, of course, was Lon Chaney. An actor who used to employ makeup to transform himself totally. A talent that had earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces". So, in early 1922, when Universal Studios decided to film "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", no one was surprised when Lon Chaney was offered the lead role. In fact, the story's one-eyed, hunchbacked "hero" seemed almost written specifically for Chaney and his unique skills.
It wasn't an easy task Chaney had undertaken, though. The makeup needed to transform him into Quasimodo, the hunchbacked ringer of Notre Dame, was the most extreme he had ever used. The actor was forced to wear a twenty-pound plaster hump on his back, a broad leather harness that prevented him from standing upright and braces that held his legs firmly together. In addition, Chaney wore an ugly knotted wig, false teeth and a fake eye.
Luckily, the movie was a big hit at the box office. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" also elevated Lon Chaney from a mere bit player into full-star status in Hollywood. But unfortunately, the film's success came at a terrible price. The braces that held Chaney's legs together all through the filming now caused him severe pain. A discomfort that the actor had to carry with him for the rest of his life. Tinseltown could obviously be a challenging place, even in the "good" old days.
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
Flying Carpets Galore
In the early 1920s, Douglas Fairbanks had truly reached the top of his game. The so-called "King of Hollywood" was the world's highest-paid actor, with successes like "The Mark of Zorro" and "Robin Hood" on his merit list. Fairbanks was married to superstar Mary Pickford and together they owned "Pickfair", a twenty-five-room mansion in Beverly Hills. And Fairbanks had more than one string to his bow. Together with Pickford, film director David Griffith and best friend Charlie Chaplin he founded the movie studio United Artists in 1919.
But now it was 1924, and Fairbanks wanted to create something to be remembered by. So, inspired by the fifteenth-century tales of "Arabian Nights", he went to work. First, the actor had a version of Bagdad built on a six-and-a-half-acre site (the biggest in Hollywood history). The result was a shimmering, magical world of minarets, flying carpets and winged horses. Granted, the construction of the massive sets risked destroying the studio's finances, but, everything has its risks.
Experienced filmmaker Raoul Walsh was supposed to direct the picture, but that soon turned out to be a mere technicality. Instead, Douglas Fairbanks took over the movie more and more himself. As its writer, producer and star, he was the undisputed center of "The Thief of Bagdad". Besides, the actor performed his own stunts with incredible energy for a man, no longer a youth (Fairbanks was 41 when the picture was made). No wonder the audience loved him.
"The Thief of Bagdad" had its world premiere in New York City in March 1924. The film marked the culmination of Douglas Fairbanks' career as the quintessential hero of swashbuckling costume spectacles. Sadly, though, his popularity plummeted with the arrival of the "talkies" at the end of the 1920s. Douglas Fairbanks made a few talking pictures before completely retiring from acting in 1934. But "The Thief of Bagdad" is still well worth watching today.
The Gold Rush (1925)
North to Alaska
It all began in 1923 when Charlie Chaplin was reading "The National Geographic". The magazine contained photographs of prospectors in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896, trekking through a heavy blizzard. It also carried an article about the Donner Party Disaster, when a group of snowbound immigrants in the Sierra Nevada were forced to eat their own shoes in order to survive. Chaplin, who believed tragedies and comedies were never far apart, realized he could use these images in a new movie. The foundation for "The Gold Rush" was laid.
Chaplin had an artificial mountain constructed in his Hollywood studio to mimic the harsh conditions in Alaska. 250 tons of plaster, 285 tons of salt, 100 barrels of white flour and four carts of confetti were used for the elaborate set. At the end of the year, however, work had to be halted because the movie's leading lady, Lita Grey, turned out to be pregnant. Charlie Chaplin was, therefore, forced to find an actress who could take over her role while he and Miss Gray travelled to Sonora, Mexico, to carry out a hastily arranged marriage.
Back at work, Chaplin brought his camera crew to shoot on location in Sierra Nevada. Here, he recreated the famous images of the gold-diggers struggling up the windswept Chilkoot Pass. More than 600 extras, mainly vagrants from downtown Sacramento, were hired on a day-to-day basis. In front of Chaplin and his cameramen, they then got to clamber the 2,000-foot pass dug through the thick snow.
The film had its big gala premiere at Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. And it was a spectacular affair, to say the least. The live presentation before the cinema featured a school of "dancing" seals performing on an icy crag, followed by a group of singing Eskimo girls. The film then continued its victory parade around the world. Ultimately, "The Gold Rush" turned out to be the highest-grossing comedy of the entire silent movie era.
Tell It to the Marines (1926)
What Price Glory
Lon Chaney is regarded as one of the most powerful actors during the silent movie era. Chaney was also famous for his groundbreaking artistry with make-up. His ability to transform himself with the help of cosmetics earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces". This allowed Lon Chaney to play tortured, grotesque characters that he still managed to portray with both compassion and warmth. The actor is probably best known for "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "The Phantom of the Opera". Two major classics in the horror genre.
In 1926, however, it was time for a change. Lon Chaney had accepted the leading role in "Tell It to the Marines", even though he had to put away his make-up kit to get the part. But, as usual, Chaney worked extremely hard to create a believable character. Since he was going to depict a sergeant in the Marine Corps, he sought advice on naval life from a high-ranking navy officer, General Smedley Butler in San Diego. A man who was to become a lifelong friend.
General Butler became important to the film in several ways. Thanks to him, the studio got the right to shoot at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. This meant that "Tell It to the Marines" became the first motion picture made with the full cooperation of the US Marine Corps. Butler also recommended that the battleship "USS California" be used in the scenes filmed out at sea. Tragically, the ship was later sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
"Tell It to the Marines" became one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's highest-grossing productions during the 1920s. And the change-of-pace role also turned out to be a success for Lon Chaney. A collective body of movie critics praised him for his empathetic, believable portrayal. In addition, celebrations came from an unexpected direction: The US Marine Corps presented Lon Chaney with an honorary life membership. It was the first time an actor had received such a gift.
Wings (1927)
Thunder in the Sky
In the winter of 1925 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had a huge success with the war film "The Big Parade". Something that made the management at Paramount start looking for a similar World War I story. Air travel was still a novelty for the general public, but the Great War demonstrated the power of aerial combat. So, Paramount decided to invest in an aviation-themed tale. William Wellman was hired as director, not for his impressive track record behind the camera, but more because he had first-hand experience as a former fighter pilot.
The executives at Paramount soon realized that this would be a costly production, so they hurried to seek financial support from the US government. However, no one had expected the enthusiastic reception the moviemakers received. The War Department contributed over $10 million worth of equipment to begin with. In addition, the government provided locations in San Antonio, Texas. They also supplied the film with airplanes, experienced pilots and thousands of soldiers who served as extras in the many graphic battle scenes.
William Wellman decided early on that "Wings" had to be realistic down to the smallest detail. The director therefore had special cameras installed under the fuselage of the aircrafts. These were wired with handheld control buttons so the pilots could capture the action as the planes swirled around in fierce aerial dogfights. Tragically, though, this resulted in a pilot's violent death in a stunt crash.
At the premiere in 1927, "Wings" received much praise for its compelling air-combat sequences. Unfortunately, "The Jazz Singer" had opened earlier in the same year, completely changing the cinematic landscape. Now, everyone wanted to see talking pictures instead. It didn't help that "Wings" became the first film to win an Oscar when the newly created "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences" handed out its awards. The era of the silent movie was over.
In Old Arizona (1928)
Just a Lonesome Cowboy
In early October 1927, Warner Brothers released the first picture with synchronized sound. When "The Jazz Singer" became a huge success, all the major companies in Hollywood wanted to make "talkies" too. But there was a problem. To be able to record sound, you needed equipment that was heavy and unwieldy to deal with. For years, the moviemakers were therefore forced to shoot their films in the studio. That's when director Raoul Walsh came up with his brilliant idea.
Walsh knew that 20th Century-Fox had started to use a so-called Movietone News Wagon, which allowed the newsreel-makers to get decent sound recordings outdoors. So, the director asked the studio's permission to use the vehicle to shoot a two-reeler called "In Old Arizona". If everything worked out, the movie would be the first Western to use sound technology. It would also be the first talkie to be filmed outdoors. Much was, therefore, at stake when Raoul Walch and his crew arrived in Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.
But, having never done a talking picture before, Walsh soon discovered that such a product offered a whole host of new challenges. Typically, he used a megaphone to give instructions to his actors, and that wasn't possible any longer. But, just as Raoul Walsh began to despair about the entire venture, the studio called. His producer had seen the first day's shootings and was now so excited that he wanted a feature-length film instead. Even if that meant that the whole script had to be rewritten to satisfy the new requirements.
"In Old Arizona" turned out to be a big success at the box office. The movie was nominated for a total of five Academy Awards, and Warner Baxter, who played the lead, won a well-deserved Oscar as Best Actor. After crooning the film's theme song, Baxter is also considered to have laid the foundation for the so-called "singing cowboy" genre that continued to entertain cinema audiences for many years.
The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929)
All Singing, All Dancing
Ever since "The Jazz Singer" stunned the world in 1927, Hollywood's major studios were eager to make movies with synchronized sound. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was late to the trend, but after the company scored a big hit with its first all-talking musical, "The Broadway Melody", even their conservative boss Louis B. Mayer understood where things were headed. Mayer therefore ordered his head of production, Irving Thalberg, to start planning for a film that would show off the MGM players' abilities to sing, dance and - well, talk...
In those days, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's slogan was "more stars than there are in heaven". And the studio intended to take full advantage of its great ensemble. "The Hollywood Revue of 1929" featured Joan Crawford, Buster Keaton, Norma Shearer, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore and almost every other celebrity the company had under contract. (Greta Garbo was an exception, as she had an agreement that stipulated that she could only appear as the lead in her films).
The production was envisioned as a glamorous, feature-length variety show. Jack Benny (in his film debut) acted as emcee, and the jokes mainly revolved around the difference between old-time stage performers and film actors. There were also gags about Prohibition, local politics and a host of other topics. But it was challenging to gather so many talents simultaneously. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, for example, were working on other projects and were therefore forced to shoot their entire segment in the middle of the night.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer didn't skimp on the effects for the movie's grand opening. The smell of orange blossoms wafted through the air at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, and live billboards with scantily dressed women were arranged outside the premiere cinema in New York. And the hype worked. "The Hollywood Revue of 1929" became one of the year's biggest successes.