Tom Barnes's Blog: Tom's 'RocktheTower' Blog - Posts Tagged "king-kong"

This Week
David Selznick at RKO
Tungee, Davy and Mama Sue
Writers Notebook: Steinbeck on dialogue

David O. Selznick Part 3
Hollywood Stonewall in New York
David Selznick's departure from Paramount was not so much a dead-end as was the case when was fired from MGM.
During the years at Paramount Selznick had put aside funds and built personal and business relationships with a large number of talented people in the Hollywood community.
David and Lewis Milestone, producer of All's Quiet on the Western Front and Front Page, had a hand shake agreement to organize a small production company. Ernst Lubitsch and King Vidor were to direct the first two films.
David went east to raise money for the project and also to arrange for a release for their films. He was unsuccessful in both instances. As it turned out he was blocked by his father-in-law Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM. Mayer and some of the other studio heads determined that if these small units were allowed to make pictures at will, they would would cut into the profits of the major studios.
So without a release for their films the fund raising went no where.
David understood why the big studios wanted to protect their turf, but his thinking was that he had to find a way to produce films without having to go through the studio system.
After weeks at a stalemate it became obvious that he needed someone with clout that was outside the Hollywood group. That someone turned out to be David Sarnoff the president of RCA, which at that time owned RKO Radio. David made his pitch and as it turned out General Sarnoff was sympathetic to his situation and after several days of negotiation David Selznick signed an agreement in October of 1931 to take over RKO Radio and RKO Pathe, and to merge the two companies into a production unit.
RKO was formed in 1928 when the Keith Albee Orpheum theater chains and Joseph Kennedy's Booking Offices of America studio were brought together under the control of the Radio Corporation of America. RCA chief David Sarnoff engineered the merger in order to create a market for the company's sound on film technology, RCA Photophone.

RKO was located just around the corner from Paramount Pictures. It's ironic but that was the case. The physical distance was two city blocks, to work out the the corporate details was a lot farther away. That took a trip to New York and almost a miracle to put Selznick and Sarnoff in a position to negotiate a deal.
Once they signed the agreement there was only one thing on David Selznick's agenda and that was the production of motion pictures.
'Bill of Divorcement' had been on David's mind as a possible film for a long time but he could never get anyone else interested. Now that he was head of a studio 'Bill of Divorcement' was one of his first acquisitions.
David wanted a fresh face for the leading lady and George Cukor talked him into testing Katherine Hepburn. Selznick wasn't sure her looks would pass public scrutiny and he took all kinds of abuse from people at the studio as they referred to Ms. Hepburn as Old Horse Face. David Selznick had a great instinct when it came to talent and something told him that Hepburn would be accepted. As it turned out the camera loved her face and there was something in her personality that transcended physical appearance, not to mention her quick wit and personality.
In spite of all the outside carping about Katharine Hepburn's looks the film was produced by David O. Selznick and George Cukor. And once the public saw the film Hepburn was not only accepted but declared 'a new star on the cinema horizon' by The Hollywood Reporter.
'Bill of Divorcement' cast included John Barrymore, Katharine Hepburn, Billie Burke and David Manners.

When Selznick took over RKO he immediately realized that the company had a large investment in an animation process conceived by Willis O'Brien. Selznick hired Merian Cooper, an executive he had worked with at Paramount, and one of his jobs was to study O'Brien's animation process with the idea of how best to utilize it in films. Cooper went a step farther and not only figured a way to put O'Brien's system to work, he came up with some ideas that would utilize the process and a jungle story as well.
Cooper pitched his idea to his boss and with great enthusiasm David Selznick gave him the go ahead.
King Kong was the film and it was co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernst Schoedsack, adapted for the screen by Ruth Rose and James Ashmore Creelman from a story by Merian Cooper and Edgar Wallace and produced by David O. Selznick. The film tells of an island dwelling gorilla like creature called Kong who dies in an attempt to possess a beautiful young woman. The film stars Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot and it opened in New York City on March 2, 1933 to good reviews.
Fred and Adele Astaire: Born in Omaha, Nebraska Adele and younger brother Fred were ushered onto the Vaudeville stage in the early teens by their stage mother.
During the 20s,the sister and brother act appeared on Broadway and on the London stage in Lady be Good, Funny Face and The Band Wagon. They won over theater audiences on both sides of the Atlantic and Fred's tap dancing got rave reviews by the critics. Robert Benchley wrote in 1930, 'I don't think that I will plunge the nation into war by stating that Fred Astaire is the greatest tap-dancer in the world.'
On January 13, 1933 Selznick wrote an internal memo to Associate Producer Louis Brock and director Mark Sandrich lamenting the fact that RKO didn't have the budget to buy a bankable star. However, in the next paragraph he was enthused by New York's suggestion that Fred Astaire be considered. 'If he photographs he may prove to be a really sensational bet...' '...Astaire is one of the great artist's of the day a magnificent performer. A man conceded to be perhaps, next to Leslie Howard the most charming in American theater...' ...'He would be in my opinion, good enough to use in a lead in a million-dollar Lubitsch picture – provided only he photographs.'
Selznick signed Fred Astaire to an RKO contract, but the test made back in New York was clearly a disappointment to him and he said so. 'I am uncertain about the man, but I feel, in spite of his enormous ears and bad chin line, that his charm is so tremendous that it comes through even on this wretched test.'
According to Hollywood folklore, the early screen test report from New York read: 'Can't sing, can't act, balding, can dance a little.'
(To be continued.)

Tungee's Gold: The Legend of Ebo Landing
Background...Central Georgia 1836
Tungee, Davy and Mama Sue.
Tungee sat on the end of the boat dock and thought about his mother's story regarding the whereabouts of Papa Cahill.
'He's gone to Scotland, to take care of Grandfather Cahill's will and the family estate.' That was the lie she told and it was only after the Indian braves talked about the war party and how Papa Cahill died that Tungee's twelve year old mind began to comprehend the gravity of their situation. Of course he already knew the truce between white's and Indians was over. Washington had made that clear as they pressured the Creeks and their neighbors, the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Cherokee land owners to give up their homes and relocate to some promised land West of the Mississippi.
Mama Sue walked down the hill, crossed the dock and knelt down beside her son.
He looked out past the river and said quietly, "That sure was a whopper you told, Mama."
"You mean about Grandfather Cahill?"
"Uh huh."
"It was your father's idea and since he left in the middle of the night, he said it was best that you boys didn't know. None of the whites knew your father was fighting on the side of my people and taking part in those raids. He knew if they found out it would put all of us in jeopardy. Why, the land speculators would swoop in like vultures and take our home and our land."
Tungee thought for a moment and said, "I understand, Mama."
"Your father was committed to the Indian struggle long before we were married. He was involved in Creek politics for years, but that had to be kept secret."
Tungee's eyes brightened, "I never guessed that."
"It wasn't always easy keeping that secret from you and Davy." Then she sat upright and said with pride and affection, "Your father was a hero and he did make a difference. Robert just kept on looking for some sign of fairness from the government. But all we ever got from Washington was worthless treaties and broken promises."
Tears ran down Tungee's face. "I never got a chance to tell Papa I loved him. The last thing I ever said to him was, I hate you."
"What was that all about, son?"
"Same as usual, his drinking and whoring around. I hated him for that."
"Your father wasn't perfect, he drank and he may have strayed from time to time." Then she took her son's hand. "But you must forgive your father, Tungee."
He wasn't quite ready for that, but he didn't want to disappoint his mother either. So he nodded and said, "Yes, Mama." Then he sat upright. "What do we do now?"
"Tomorrow morning, you and Davy make the rounds, collect the pelts and furs. We must carry on the business and if anyone asks about your father, talk freely about your Grandfather Cahill and Papa's trip to Scotland. A little gossip will help to keep the lie."
Their white neighbors believed Papa Cahill had gone to Scotland. And it stayed that way for the better part of the next year. Eventually, though, there was implied doubt in the questions concerning his whereabouts. Mama Sue listened to the gossip and when the truth became part of the rumor, she knew it was only a matter of time. There was no doubt about their fate. They would be rounded up like the others and forced to march West in shackles and chains. The trail that had already become an American tragedy. A trail littered with graves of the dead and marked by blood and tears of the survivors.
(To be Continued)
Writers Notebook:
Another thought or two from Steinbeck: If a scene or section gets the better of you and you still think you want it – bypass it and go on. When you’ve finished the whole you can come back to it and then you may find that the reason it gave you trouble is because it didn’t belong there.
If you’re using dialogue say it aloud as you write it. Only then will it have the sound of speech.
Here’s another wrinkle on Steinbeck’s dialogue line. Use his method, but when you’re finished take a little cassette tape recorder and record those pieces of dialogue you’re working on and play them back. Take it from me; you’ll know if they sound real or not.

Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels Tungee's Gold, The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
Facebook and Twitter
http://thehurricanehunter.blogspot.com
www.tombarnes39.com

This Week
Selznick Bows Out in Style
John Henry and HC Talk Family
Writers Notebook: Somerset Maugham

David Selznick Part 8
The film Rebecca would ring down the curtain on Selznick International Pictures, ending the run of the most successful independent motion picture company of its time.
There were many reasons for ending production and liquidating the company and here are a few. One was financial – they had accumulated too much income from Gone With the Wind and Rebecca to take ordinary tax write offs that would give them a profit. Another was Selznick's need to take out money in order to finance other films that he had an interest in. The war in Europe and the looming possibility of American becoming involved.
The end of Selznick International didn't take him out of the business. He formed his own company without outside partners as David O. Selznick Productions, Inc. In a sense though he did have partners, they were executives he had worked with for years.
In late 1941 Selznick Productions bought into United Artist with a twenty five percent share.During that period he was also working on two projects Since You Went Away and Spellbound.
Since You Went Away
Directed by John Cromwell produced by David Selznick and screenplay by David Selznick. Cast Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotton, Shirley Temple, Monte Woolly and Robert Walker.
Variety gives the film a good review. 'Since You Went Away' is a heart warming panorama of human emotions, reflecting the usual wartime frailties...'
The film got a Best Picture nomination from the Academy.
Spellbound
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, produced by David Selznick with a screenplay by Ben Hecht and Angus MacPhail and starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck.
Spellbound caused major contention, not the first, between Alfred Hitchcock and David Selznick. Selznick wanted Hitchcock to make a movie based upon Selznick's own positive experience with Psychoanalysis. He even brought in May Romm M.D., who was credited in the film as a technical adviser. Dr. Romm and Hitchcock clashed frequently. There is no doubt that there was conflict and contention on the set of Spellbound, but in the end it was worth it.
The film got good reviews and Daily Variety said, 'The story, employing as it does psychiatry and psychoanalysis in a murder mystery... Gregory Peck, suffering from amnesia, believes that he committed a murder, but has no memory of the locale or circumstances surrounding the crime. Ingrid Bergman as a psychiatrist in love with Peck tries desperately to save him from punishment for the crime she is certain he could not have committed, and doing so risks her career and almost her life....
Salvador Dali designed the dream sequence with all the aids of futurism and surrealism in his sets...
Spellbound won a nomination for Best Picture by the Academy.
Duel in the Sun
Directed by King Vidor, produced by David Selznick, screenplay by David Selznick.
Cast included Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, Joseph Cotton, Lionel Barrymore, Lillian Gish and Walter Houston.
The film got favorable reviews and while it didn't win any prestigious awards it scored big at the box office and was one of the highest grossing films ever up to that time.
The Paradine Case
Director Alfred Hitchcock, produced by David Selznick, screenplay by David Selznick.
Cast included Gregory Peck, Ann Todd, Charles Laughton, Charles Coburn and Louis Jourdan. It tells of an English barrister who falls in love with a woman who is accused of murder, and how it affects his relationship with his wife.
This dramatic courtroom drama plot concerns a murder of a blind man by his wife so she can marry her lover. The story, cast and film are applauded by Daily Variety in their review.
Portrait of Jennie
Directed by William Dieterle, screenplay by Paul Osborne and Peter Berneis. Cast included Joseph Cotton, Jennifer Jones, Ethel Barrymore, David Wayne and Lillian Gish. Daily Variety says , 'The story of ethereal romance between two generations is told with style, taste and dignity. William Dieterle has given the story sensitive direction and his guidance contributes considerably toward the top performers from the meticulously cast players. '….Joseph Cotton endows the artist with a top performance, matching the compelling portrait by Jennifer Jones.
Selznick said he stopped making films in 1948 because he was tired. He was a hard driving producer that had been producing for twenty years. Something else, at that time the motion-picture industry was taking a terrible beating from television. Overall it seemed to be a good time to take stock and to study objectively the obviously changing public tastes. Selznick was born into and wedded to the business so he had no intention of staying away from production for too long. He spent most of the 1950s nurturing the career of his second wife, Jennifer Jones. His last film, the big budget production of A Farewell to Arms (1957) starring his wife and Rock Hudson.

In 1954, Selznick ventured into television, producing a two hour extravaganza called Light's Diamond Jubilee, which in true Selznick fashion made TV history by being telecast simultaneously on all four TV networks: CBS, NBC, ABC, and DuMont.
David Selznick was always a great promoter and here is a brief description of the event and what it was all about.
THE legend "Produced by David O. Selznick" will appear for the first time tonight on television, preceded by the title "Diamond Jubilee of Light." A foreword to the show describes it as "a potpourri of dramatics, whimsicality and oratorical flight (with bits of music too) celebrating the birth of the electric bulb; paying tribute to the American individual and his offspring, and including some commentary on a few of the lights that guide them.
Some of the stars that will appear are Judith Anderson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Benchley, Walter Brennan, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Dandridge, Dwight D. Eisenhower, George Gobel, Helen Hayes, David Niven and Debbie Reynolds.
And that was the man behind King Kong and Gone With the Wind – a motion picture producer with a touch of genius and a large portion of P.T. Barnham.

Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone
After the celebration. John Henry and his pal H.C. Talk about the past.

“And that puts your father right in the middle.”
“He put himself into that spot, got married much too soon after Mama died. And in my book that’s when he dishonored her name.”
“I guess you have every right to feel that way, John Henry. But just to let you know where I stand I’ll tell you that Major Holliday is a good man. Mama told me how you felt. She said you wouldn’t go to the wedding.”
“Aunt Susie got that right,” John Henry snapped.
“Listen, my friend. I might not have ever said this before, but outside of Mama, your mother and father were the most important people in my life.”
“I appreciate that, HC.”
“I think I can explain my feelings better by telling you about something that happened while we were still in Griffin. Remember my accident on the lime-spreader where I messed up my hand?”
“Yeah and I still blame myself for that.”
“No such thing, the fault was my own, but that’s not what I’m getting at. It has to do with my recollection of what happened when you all came in the carriage and your father picked me up and got back into the seat. I guess I had lost a lot of blood and everything seemed a little foggy to me. But after a long ride in the carriage, I was still cradled in his arms. And I remember we were going up some steps and I thought, where are we going, Papa?”
“You called him Papa?”
“Not out loud, but that’s what I thought at the time and I say that just to let you know how I feel about your father. Major Holliday was a good man that afternoon and I bet he’s still a good man.”
John Henry nodded.
They arrived early at the station and stood on the platform for a while before John Henry began to cough.
“Maybe we ought go inside, seems a little chilly, now the bourbon is wearing off,” HC said.
“No, let’s walk, I’m OK.”
“Now that you’re a dentist, what comes next? Go back to Valdosta and open an office.”
“No. That’d be the last place I’d go. My fi rst choice is Griffin, and if that doesn’t work I might fi nd something in Atlanta.”
“What are you and Mattie are gonna do?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Just what I said, are you going to marry the girl or what?”
“I wish I knew. First I have to establish some kind of practice then there’s that nagging reality that we are cousins.”
“Plenty of cousins get married.”
“I know that, HC and Mattie doesn’t seem to mind—not about us and our being cousins, but we both worry about family reactions.”
“I expect you’re right about that, but I’ll bet you two can work it out.” Then HC abruptly changed the subject. “Tell me something, how’s that horse of yours doing?”
“The Gent?” John Henry said as he broke into an open smile.
“That character is a joy, HC. He’s always been healthy and can he run.”
“Do you think he could compete?”
“We’ve had him in some match races, down home. He won every event he started.”
“That sounds good to me. You know when I get tired of sitting at the keyboard, I let go, take the train out to Long Island and spend a day at the races.”
John Henry shook his head at the remark and laughed. “What with all the stalls you mucked out back home, I’d think horses would be the last thing you wanted to see.”
“You may not believe this, but some of the best days of my life were spent down home working around the barns.”
The train chugged in and boarded passengers. John Henry said good-bye to HC and stood on the platform and watched the train ease out of the station and head north.
Get away day.
It happens every year, pack you belongings say good-bye and go out into the real world. The down stairs hall and parlor area at Mrs. Greens boarding house looked like a baggage terminal, bags packed and strewn all over the place. Hacks and drivers parked on the street were waiting for fares.
John Henry and Robert McReynolds had gathered up their luggage and headed for the front door when Arnold Primrose, with a bag in each hand, walked down the wide staircase. John Henry glanced up and they made eye contact.
McReynolds nudged John Henry and suggested he forget what happened last night. Arnie wore an affable smile on his chubby face as he descended the stairs and crossed the room. Then when he got close he suddenly dropped the bags and extended a hand toward John Henry. “Guess I owe you an apology.”
“You guessed right for one time in your life, Primrose.” McReynolds quipped.
A wry grin crossed John Henry face. “I’m listening, Arnie.”
Primrose cleared his throat and with his bad Southern accent said, “Ah should be most honored, Doctor Holliday. I Arnold Primrose, in the most humble manner I can command, wish to apologize for the scene I caused last evening. I apologize to you and I apologize to your friend, Mr. Glover. And now, descending from my soapbox, may I add that I feel somewhat like an ass.”
John Henry widened his grin. “I accept your apology, Mr. Primrose and I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the part about the soapbox and the ass.”

Writers Notebook:
The idea for my writing notebook came from Somerset Maugham. Maugham's notebook was a kind of journal while mine is a collection of conversations and tips that have been passed along by some of our famous writers.
This one is guaranteed to get your attention and might even make you think. Ray Bradbury says, ‘Write from the heart, not from the mind. Go ahead and jump over the cliff – build your parachute on the way down.’

Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels Tungee's Gold, The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
Www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://thehurricanehunter.blogspot.com