Tom Barnes's Blog: Tom's 'RocktheTower' Blog - Posts Tagged "neil-simon"
David Selznick, Charles Dickens and Tungee's Gold
This Week
David Selznick Back to MGM
Tungee Cahill Tragedy in Georgia
Writers Notebook: A Tip From Neil Simon
David O. Selznick Part 4
David left RKO when his original contract expired. There were many reasons for his decision to leave, but I consider one line from an unsent memo dated February 3, 1933 to be the most obvious....'I consider that it would be completely impossible for any production head to operate if he had to submit himself to what Mr. Aylesworth demanded – the approval by himself of every script and budget...'
Of course David was married to MGM in more ways than one. His wife Irene might have been on father L.B. Mayer's side in urging a reluctant son-in-law to return to MGM.
The fact that he had, earlier in his career, been fired from the company had to be troubling to him. Of course the result is that he put all that behind him and accepted their offer to become a vice president at MGM with the agreement that he would be in charge of his own production unit.
The fact that he was now part of the family probably made the transition easier and also faster. It took only about two weeks for him to settle into his new office at MGM and firing off memos regarding his first production.
Dinner at Eight was David Selznick's first production on his return to MGM. George Cukor directed a screenplay that was adapted from George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber's Broadway play by Frances Marion, Herman J. Mankiewicz and Donald Ogden Stewart.
The Movie starred Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore and Lee Tracy.
Dinner at Eight received good reviews, however it must be added that the first half was superior to the last according to most reviewers.
One of the outstanding films produced during Selznick's time at MGM was Viva Villa, which was also one of his favorites. Jack Conway directed the film from a screenplay by Ben Hecht. The stars were Wallace Beery, Leo Carrillo and Fay Wray. (Lady in the arms of King Kong.)
Selznick was not alone in his enthusiasm for the film for Variety said Viva Villa was a Corking western. The public and the Academy agreed and gave it a best picture nomination.
Charles Dickens classic story of David Copperfield was another Selznick favorite for different reasons from Viva Villa. David had fallen love with the Dickens stories as a boy and he had a passion to bring Copperfield to the screen, which turned out to be quite a challenge.
George Cukor directed the film from a screenplay written by Howard Estabrook and Hugh Walpole. Cast included W.C. Fields, Lionel Barrymore, Freddie Bartholomew, Frank Lawton, Edna May Oliver and Roland Young.
Variety's review brings up the point of how difficult it was to bring the Dickens story to the screen, but agreed that Selznick's production had pulled all the parts together and the actors gave performances worthy of the material they were working with. W.C. Fields was perfect in the role of Micawber. The Academy of Motion Pictures gave the classic a best picture nomination.
David Selznick said in some of his correspondence that from early March of 1933 and the first day he set foot on the MGM lot following his stint at RKO he was having second thoughts. By June he was openly trying to get out of his contract. He wrote a very long memo explaining why he didn't want to be a part of MGM. There was no doubt in his mind that he had made a mistake, however, MGM management including his father-in-law stood fast to the present contract and would not give him a release.
Of course he was making $4,000.00 dollars a week, a very good salary for the time. David was aware that nepotism played a part and he hated the constant carping and son-in-law jokes that were all at his expense. The classic was 'the son-in-law also rises.'
He honored the contract and kept his commitment even as he bridled in his own displeasure. David did receive comfort from his wife Irene, the one person that was really caught between two strong willed men, her husband David Selznick and father L.B. Mayer.
However, personal problems notwithstanding, David Selznick continued to produce good films at MGM.
Anna Karenina directed by Clarence Brown from a screenplay by Clemence Dane, Salka Viertel and S.N. Behrman. The stars were Greta Garbo, Fredric March, Freddie Bartholomew, Basil Rathbone, Maurine O'Sullivan and May Robson.
Another Selznick boyhood classic A Tale of Two Cities directed by Jack Conway and written by W.B. Lipscomb and S.N. Behrman. The cast was Ronald Coleman, Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone and Blanche Yurka. The story line of A Tale of Tow Cities follows the turmoil and aftermath of the French Revolution.
The film got excellent reviews and was nominated for best picture of 1936.
(To Be continued)
Tungee's Gold: The Legend of Ebo Landing
Excerpt background 1836 Central Georgia.
It was almost a year after they buried Papa Cahill. Tungee and Davy were riding home from the mill with burlap bags filled with cornmeal strapped to the back of their
saddles. Gunshots rang out in the distance and that was not unusual except that it sounded awfully close to their house.
Tungee urged his bay gelding to pick up the pace and Davy followed along on his pinto.
"Bet somebody just bagged a turkey or maybe a deer," Davy shouted.
Tungee hoped his brother was right, but something deep inside told him otherwise.
They pulled their mounts up near the kitchen and quickly poured the meal into a clean bin.
Davy, in almost a whisper, said, "Tungee?"
"What."
"Something ain't right."
"I know."
They called, "Mama," a dozen times, but all they got in return was a piece of an echo. The place was still and it seemed the only thing in the world that moved was the river at the bottom of the hill as it's muddy waters flowed past the boat dock.
The boys ran through the house and kept calling and opening doors and the doors didn't even make their proper sound. A muffled quiet was all they heard.
Davy said excitedly, "She must be down at the bee-hives."
They ran out the front door, jumped the porch rail, just missing Mama's flowers, and landed on the run. Tungee and Davy both called out as they crossed the sandy yard and raced for the brush covered trail that led to the hives.
They stopped short of the wood. Horrified at what they saw. Their mother's lifeless body was sprawled near the trees. She must have died instantly from a single gun shot wound to the head. Her protective bee clothing was still in tact. Her left hand clutched the smoker and her right lay lifeless beside a two-gallon pail of honey.
Davy grabbed one hand and Tungee took the other s they knelt down and called to her -- unsure about what to do.
A horseman could be heard thrashing through the brush. The youngsters froze in place, too scared to move. When the rider came into the clear they relaxed. It was their cousin, Ray, one of Mama's kin.
As soon a he saw the boys he put his finger to his lips, signaling them to be quiet. Riding his sorrel bareback, Ray leaned over the mane, nudged his mount closer and whispered, "Tungee, you and Davy clear out. Run away. Hide yourself, don't stay here and don't take a boat. They're watchin' the river."
"What'll you do?" Tungee asked.
"I'm goin' West to join Menawa. He's gonna try and make a stand."
"Why can't we go with you?"
"Because I say you can't."
Ray wheeled his horse and kicked him into a trot. Then he called over his shoulder, "Now bury your ma and git."
As the hoofbeats faded in the distance the boys realized why the place was so quiet. The animals were gone. Stolen by the same people who killed Mama.
Tungee and Davy set about digging a grave and burying Mama Sue Cahill next to their father.
When the burial was done they went into the house and gathered a few belongings into two separate saddlebags, and walked back out to the front porch. They dropped the bags on the steps, ran down to the dock, scuttled and sank their two boats.
As they walked back up the hill Tungee's mind raced. Where do we go? Maybe we should go to Augusta and contact Uncle Mitchell Cahill. They had only seen their father's brother two or three times and he wasn't like Papa, he was a businessman who had always lived in a city. Tungee worried about the reception they might get. Then he remembered the most exciting place he had ever seen. Papa Cahill had taken him along on a business trip to Savannah. A quiver went through his body as he recalled the experience and his first look at the Savannah River. The wharf was lined with tall
ships, cargo and people from all over the world. And as they neared the houses he looked up at the sky and said to himself, I'm going to be a part of that world.
When they got back to the porch Davy said, "Should we lock the door?"
What a silly notion, Tungee thought. "No, we're going to burn the house."
"Why would you do a fool thing like that?"
Tungee set his jaw and said bitterly, "They may take the land, Davy, but they'll not have our home. We can't let them steal that."
Davy wasn't quite sure what his brother meant, but he followed him into the house. Tungee lighted a torch from the kitchen stove and instructed Davy to pour turpentine on the carpets and furniture in all the downstairs rooms. Then they set five small fires and ran to the front porch, picked up their saddlebags and strapped them into place.
They stood in the yard until the fire began to burn and produce flames and smoke. Then as they scrambled into their saddles, Davy asked, "Where are we going?"
Tungee took a long breath and announced, "Savannah."
The boys didn't need a map, they had hunted the woods and fished the streams, they knew the way. Follow the trail on the left bank of the Ocmulgee, ford the Ohopee, then take the shell road to the port city.
Writers Notebook:
Pay attention writers to this timely observation and tip made by one of Broadway’s most prolific comedy writers. Neil Simon develops character first, and then plot. But he has said on a number of occasions that the main force that drives his comedy is conflict. Keep that in mind when you're putting your plot together and look for ways to keep the conflict honest.
Tom's Books and Blogs:
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
David Selznick Back to MGM
Tungee Cahill Tragedy in Georgia
Writers Notebook: A Tip From Neil Simon
David O. Selznick Part 4
David left RKO when his original contract expired. There were many reasons for his decision to leave, but I consider one line from an unsent memo dated February 3, 1933 to be the most obvious....'I consider that it would be completely impossible for any production head to operate if he had to submit himself to what Mr. Aylesworth demanded – the approval by himself of every script and budget...'
Of course David was married to MGM in more ways than one. His wife Irene might have been on father L.B. Mayer's side in urging a reluctant son-in-law to return to MGM.
The fact that he had, earlier in his career, been fired from the company had to be troubling to him. Of course the result is that he put all that behind him and accepted their offer to become a vice president at MGM with the agreement that he would be in charge of his own production unit.
The fact that he was now part of the family probably made the transition easier and also faster. It took only about two weeks for him to settle into his new office at MGM and firing off memos regarding his first production.
Dinner at Eight was David Selznick's first production on his return to MGM. George Cukor directed a screenplay that was adapted from George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber's Broadway play by Frances Marion, Herman J. Mankiewicz and Donald Ogden Stewart.
The Movie starred Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore and Lee Tracy.
Dinner at Eight received good reviews, however it must be added that the first half was superior to the last according to most reviewers.
One of the outstanding films produced during Selznick's time at MGM was Viva Villa, which was also one of his favorites. Jack Conway directed the film from a screenplay by Ben Hecht. The stars were Wallace Beery, Leo Carrillo and Fay Wray. (Lady in the arms of King Kong.)
Selznick was not alone in his enthusiasm for the film for Variety said Viva Villa was a Corking western. The public and the Academy agreed and gave it a best picture nomination.
Charles Dickens classic story of David Copperfield was another Selznick favorite for different reasons from Viva Villa. David had fallen love with the Dickens stories as a boy and he had a passion to bring Copperfield to the screen, which turned out to be quite a challenge.
George Cukor directed the film from a screenplay written by Howard Estabrook and Hugh Walpole. Cast included W.C. Fields, Lionel Barrymore, Freddie Bartholomew, Frank Lawton, Edna May Oliver and Roland Young.
Variety's review brings up the point of how difficult it was to bring the Dickens story to the screen, but agreed that Selznick's production had pulled all the parts together and the actors gave performances worthy of the material they were working with. W.C. Fields was perfect in the role of Micawber. The Academy of Motion Pictures gave the classic a best picture nomination.
David Selznick said in some of his correspondence that from early March of 1933 and the first day he set foot on the MGM lot following his stint at RKO he was having second thoughts. By June he was openly trying to get out of his contract. He wrote a very long memo explaining why he didn't want to be a part of MGM. There was no doubt in his mind that he had made a mistake, however, MGM management including his father-in-law stood fast to the present contract and would not give him a release.
Of course he was making $4,000.00 dollars a week, a very good salary for the time. David was aware that nepotism played a part and he hated the constant carping and son-in-law jokes that were all at his expense. The classic was 'the son-in-law also rises.'
He honored the contract and kept his commitment even as he bridled in his own displeasure. David did receive comfort from his wife Irene, the one person that was really caught between two strong willed men, her husband David Selznick and father L.B. Mayer.
However, personal problems notwithstanding, David Selznick continued to produce good films at MGM.
Anna Karenina directed by Clarence Brown from a screenplay by Clemence Dane, Salka Viertel and S.N. Behrman. The stars were Greta Garbo, Fredric March, Freddie Bartholomew, Basil Rathbone, Maurine O'Sullivan and May Robson.
Another Selznick boyhood classic A Tale of Two Cities directed by Jack Conway and written by W.B. Lipscomb and S.N. Behrman. The cast was Ronald Coleman, Elizabeth Allan, Edna May Oliver, Reginald Owen, Basil Rathbone and Blanche Yurka. The story line of A Tale of Tow Cities follows the turmoil and aftermath of the French Revolution.
The film got excellent reviews and was nominated for best picture of 1936.
(To Be continued)
Tungee's Gold: The Legend of Ebo Landing
Excerpt background 1836 Central Georgia.
It was almost a year after they buried Papa Cahill. Tungee and Davy were riding home from the mill with burlap bags filled with cornmeal strapped to the back of their
saddles. Gunshots rang out in the distance and that was not unusual except that it sounded awfully close to their house.
Tungee urged his bay gelding to pick up the pace and Davy followed along on his pinto.
"Bet somebody just bagged a turkey or maybe a deer," Davy shouted.
Tungee hoped his brother was right, but something deep inside told him otherwise.
They pulled their mounts up near the kitchen and quickly poured the meal into a clean bin.
Davy, in almost a whisper, said, "Tungee?"
"What."
"Something ain't right."
"I know."
They called, "Mama," a dozen times, but all they got in return was a piece of an echo. The place was still and it seemed the only thing in the world that moved was the river at the bottom of the hill as it's muddy waters flowed past the boat dock.
The boys ran through the house and kept calling and opening doors and the doors didn't even make their proper sound. A muffled quiet was all they heard.
Davy said excitedly, "She must be down at the bee-hives."
They ran out the front door, jumped the porch rail, just missing Mama's flowers, and landed on the run. Tungee and Davy both called out as they crossed the sandy yard and raced for the brush covered trail that led to the hives.
They stopped short of the wood. Horrified at what they saw. Their mother's lifeless body was sprawled near the trees. She must have died instantly from a single gun shot wound to the head. Her protective bee clothing was still in tact. Her left hand clutched the smoker and her right lay lifeless beside a two-gallon pail of honey.
Davy grabbed one hand and Tungee took the other s they knelt down and called to her -- unsure about what to do.
A horseman could be heard thrashing through the brush. The youngsters froze in place, too scared to move. When the rider came into the clear they relaxed. It was their cousin, Ray, one of Mama's kin.
As soon a he saw the boys he put his finger to his lips, signaling them to be quiet. Riding his sorrel bareback, Ray leaned over the mane, nudged his mount closer and whispered, "Tungee, you and Davy clear out. Run away. Hide yourself, don't stay here and don't take a boat. They're watchin' the river."
"What'll you do?" Tungee asked.
"I'm goin' West to join Menawa. He's gonna try and make a stand."
"Why can't we go with you?"
"Because I say you can't."
Ray wheeled his horse and kicked him into a trot. Then he called over his shoulder, "Now bury your ma and git."
As the hoofbeats faded in the distance the boys realized why the place was so quiet. The animals were gone. Stolen by the same people who killed Mama.
Tungee and Davy set about digging a grave and burying Mama Sue Cahill next to their father.
When the burial was done they went into the house and gathered a few belongings into two separate saddlebags, and walked back out to the front porch. They dropped the bags on the steps, ran down to the dock, scuttled and sank their two boats.
As they walked back up the hill Tungee's mind raced. Where do we go? Maybe we should go to Augusta and contact Uncle Mitchell Cahill. They had only seen their father's brother two or three times and he wasn't like Papa, he was a businessman who had always lived in a city. Tungee worried about the reception they might get. Then he remembered the most exciting place he had ever seen. Papa Cahill had taken him along on a business trip to Savannah. A quiver went through his body as he recalled the experience and his first look at the Savannah River. The wharf was lined with tall
ships, cargo and people from all over the world. And as they neared the houses he looked up at the sky and said to himself, I'm going to be a part of that world.
When they got back to the porch Davy said, "Should we lock the door?"
What a silly notion, Tungee thought. "No, we're going to burn the house."
"Why would you do a fool thing like that?"
Tungee set his jaw and said bitterly, "They may take the land, Davy, but they'll not have our home. We can't let them steal that."
Davy wasn't quite sure what his brother meant, but he followed him into the house. Tungee lighted a torch from the kitchen stove and instructed Davy to pour turpentine on the carpets and furniture in all the downstairs rooms. Then they set five small fires and ran to the front porch, picked up their saddlebags and strapped them into place.
They stood in the yard until the fire began to burn and produce flames and smoke. Then as they scrambled into their saddles, Davy asked, "Where are we going?"
Tungee took a long breath and announced, "Savannah."
The boys didn't need a map, they had hunted the woods and fished the streams, they knew the way. Follow the trail on the left bank of the Ocmulgee, ford the Ohopee, then take the shell road to the port city.
Writers Notebook:
Pay attention writers to this timely observation and tip made by one of Broadway’s most prolific comedy writers. Neil Simon develops character first, and then plot. But he has said on a number of occasions that the main force that drives his comedy is conflict. Keep that in mind when you're putting your plot together and look for ways to keep the conflict honest.
Tom's Books and Blogs:
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
Tom's 'RocktheTower' Blog
I do a variety blog and post every Wednesday. I am an actor, writer and hurricane hunter and my subjects are generally written about those fields. During Hurricane Season I do at least one story every
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