Chicago - 1927 Style - and an interview with Ben Model

I recently had the good fortune to be able to attend a screening of the 1927 version of "Chicago" with live accompaniment by silent film composer extraordinaire, Ben Model. Yes - this is the same story that most of us know because of the musical. But "Chicago" has been around for quite some time.

"Chicago" - the story of one Roxie Hart, a 1920s gal who shoots her lover, gains notoriety and gets away with murder, was originally a play  by Maurine Dallas Watkins that ran on Broadway from 1926-1927. First filmed in 1927, it was remade in 1944 as "Roxie Hart" (starring Ginger Rogers). It was then reworked as the musical we are all familiar with (the original Broadway show premiered in 1975 and ran for 936 performances. The current revival has been running for 15 years), culminating in the Academy Award winning film starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere.

The original 1927 film has been recently been made available by the UCLA Film Archive and it is as pristine and vivid as though it were made yesterday. The film is purportedly directed by Frank Urson, but the buzz is that it was really directed by C.B. DeMille (who had his name removed from this sin-soaked trifle because his "King of Kings," a story of Christ, was playing at the same time). DeMille retained producer credits and whether he directed it or not, it sure looks like he had a big influence on the production.

The Cast

Phyllis Haver stars as Roxie. I am not very familiar with Phyllis Haver's work, so it was great fun to see her. As Roxie, she was bleached, brassy, sassy and crude (but cute). Roxie was not a classy gal by any means, and Phyllis portrays her as a hard-boiled dame who uses her feminine bag of tricks to get what she wants (lots of silk teddies and underwear, it seems).

Phyllis Haver, who early on earned a living as a silent film accompanist, is primarily known as a Mack Sennett Bathing Beauty, as well as a Buster Keaton's co-star in his short film, "The Ballonatic." She had a robust career in the silents before her marriage and retirement.

Victor Varconi stars as her betrayed (and stupid) husband, Amos. Victor was a revelation to me, as I had only seen him in "Roberta"  and didn't know how popular he had been in silents. Isn't he quite the heart throb?

Before coming to Hollywood, Varconi was successful film actor in his native Hungary.

Robert Edeson plays lawyer Billy Flynn. Hmmm.... no Richard Gere here, but very believable as a shifty and slimy mouthpiece.

Richard Edeson appeared in many of Cecil B. DeMille's films, lending further credence that this film was actually directed by CB himself.

In a smaller role, Eugene Pallette appears as the lover who is shot by Roxie.

You can't hear his famous froggy voice, but he is still fun to watch!

The part of Velma Kelly, very prominent in the musical, is almost a throw-away in the film and was played by Julia Faye. While the part was small, she did get to have a fun jail house cat-fight and hair-pulling contest with Roxie.

The Film

"Chicago" was a fun film. While the story deals with a lot of unsavory characters, it makes sport the notion of the public's thirst for notorious scandals. Roxie's fame is brief, and while she does lose her dumbbell husband and ends up seemingly homeless and friendless, she does get away with murder (and you know she'll land on her feet - or back). The pace zipped along, all of the acting was top-notch and it was a well-made entertaining film. Not a classic, but an example of what kind of fare a viewer could expect on a typical Saturday night at the movies in 1927. 

A Night at the Theater and the Silent Film "Experience"

The pure joy of watching a beautifully restored film on a big screen with others is a rare treat. Viewing a silent film is a deeply personal experience. Every viewer interprets the action and emotion as the story unfolds in a unique, individualized manner. Even rarer is watching the action and listening to live accompaniment by a superb musician. As anyone who loves silents knows, without music the film is incomplete. Like a dance, the movement lacks real meaning without the music.

An Interview with Ben Model

Any music is good, but the right music is best. Ben Model is one the foremost composers of music for silent films. He has been the silent film pianist for the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is the co-founder of the Silent Clown series. Ben travels the country and the world sharing his talent and his passion for the art of the silent film. I was most fortunate to be able to chat with Ben about his work and his love for silents, which are one in the same.

FC: As a movie goer, it is such a magical experience to view a silent film with live accompaniment and a live audience.  As the accompanist, what  do you get from the audience?

Ben: What I get is satisfaction and excitement. I feel that I am representing the filmmaker in wanting to entertain the audience. If I can help bring the film to life that is very exciting. It is me, the film and the audience in those 3 overlapping circles. That's where silent film "happens." It is a personal yet shared experience that involves the audience in a much greater way than (current) films.

FC: While the silents represented a stylized version of reality, the emotions they evoke seem more honest than films that are supposedly realistic. Can you share some memorable audience  experiences that touched you or tickled you?

Ben: I've played DeMille's "King of Kings" in churches during Lent and you can hear the audience sniffling. And I don't know why this is, but Harold Lloyd's films don't work if you view them by yourself if you've never seen them before. We recently did a screening of "Safety Last" for a group of 'tweens and the reaction was tremendous. There is something about his films that is designed to work with an audience.  Watching silent films is not a passive experience, like watching current films.  Every year I see more and more silent film shows and events taking place. Interest in silent films is growing.

FC: I was very interested in the instrument you play. What is it?

Ben: Glad you asked! The instrument I played for "Chicago" is called a Miditzer Virtual Theatre Organ. The most prevalent sound in silent movies was either a live orchestra or a theatre organ. Pianos were only used in small town theaters. 

Ben noted that there are very few theatre organs available and that the Miditzer emulates the sound of a Mighty Wurlitzer while being portable. I can attest that the sound from what looks like a keyboard and a laptop is amazing and, if I didn't see Ben paying it, I would have sworn he was playing a theatre organ.

FC: You've played all around the country and all over the world. Are there any universal "truths" about silents that you've seen?

Ben: Kids love silents. It's fun to see their reaction and what's more fun is the parents expect them not to like the silents. Kids respond to the humor because it is something they've never seen before.

Ben said that it is especially gratifying for him to see how "first-timers" enjoy the silent films.

FC: How many times do you watch a film in order to complete a score?
Ben: Usually once, and sometimes it is improvised, but it is something that is constantly evolving based on audience reaction and the things I learn about the film. I am going on a journey with that film.

Finally, I asked Ben if he has any personal favorite silent films

Ben: "Modern Times," although that's a film I'll never get to play to and don't need to. There are new things I'm discovering, especially rare comedy shorts by comedians such artists as Lloyd Hamilton, Hank Mann and Marcel Perez. It's rare to see these films, so it's fun to discover them.

Audiences, he said, are longing for silents to be a part of the movie landscape. Amen to that!

"Chicago" was shown at the Huntington Cinema Arts Centre, an oasis of film culture and variety located in the suburbs of Long Island. Next month, as part of their "Anything But Silent" series, The Huntington Cinema Arts Centre will be showing "Her Night of Romance," starring Constance Talmadge and Ronald Colman. Ben will again be on the keyboard. I can't wait to see it! I will be talking more with Ben and about the wonderful place that is the Huntington Cinema Arts Centre. They are a blessing for all of us wonderful people out there in the dark!

$1,564,000 - $2,829,000 dollars and a Dream: The Debbie Reynolds Treasure Trove Auction

In case you hadn't heard, Debbie Reynolds is giving up her dream of creating a movie  memorabilia museum with the warehouses full of movie treasures she has acquired over the years. Debbie, a true child of Hollywood, is a gal who never bit the hand that fed her. Her love of Hollywood and its history inspired her to amass an impressive collection over the decades. How ironic that film, which lasts forever, is supported by an industry that treats its tangible history as temporary and disposable.

Debbie, who started her collection while in her 30s (she's a fantastic-looking 79), had hoped that her efforts to preserve all of this wonderful history would result in a museum that could showcase her collection. Originally, the museum was to be located in Las Vegas. When that plan fell through, it was hoped that a museum could be opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. However, the planned museum filed for bankruptcy and the collection remained without a permanent home.

Garbo, Valentino, Pickford (in addition to her costumes, a lock of her hair and many personal items), Fairbanks, Grant, Taylor, Kelly (both Grace and Gene), Flynn, Gable... almost every major star is somehow represented in this collection. Elizabeth Taylor's "Cleopatra" impossible ornate headpiece, Joan Crawford's "Mildred Pierce" waitress uniform, Clark Gable's personal robe worn between takes on "Gone With the Wind"....a movie lover's dream.

I went through the voluminous catalog and confined myself to a dozen "must haves":

Charlie Chaplin's Bowler Hat

suggested bid: $20,000  - $30,000

 Rudolph Valentino's "Suit of Lights' costume, designed by Travis Banton, from "Blood and Sand"

suggested bid: $60,000 - $80,000

Garbo's green velvet dress, designed by Adrian, from "Anna Karenina"

suggested bid: $12,000 - $15,000

Judy Garland's Ruby Slippers from "The Wizard of Oz." Every girl needs at least one pair.

suggested bid: $12,000 - $15,000

Vivien Leigh's 2-piece suit from "Waterloo Bridge" (just to see if we're the same size)

suggested bid: $3,000 - $4,000

Ingrid Bergman's dress from "Gaslight"

suggested bid: $8,000 - $12,000

Claudette Colbert's gold lame gown from "Cleopatra." I need this.

suggested bid: $20,000  - $30,000

Mary Astor's lace dress from "Meet Me in St. Louis"

$6,000 - $8,000

 Leslie Caron's blue fountain top dress from "An American in Paris" (for casual Fridays)

suggested bid: $3,000 - $5,000

Audrey Hepburn's exquisite Cecil Beaton gown from "My Fair Lady"

suggested bid: $200,000 - $300,000

Merle Oberon's Empress Josephine gown from "Desiree"

suggested bid: $20,000 - $30,000

Marilyn Monroe's red dress from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" 

suggested bid: $200,000 - $300,000

Marilyn Monroe's famous white dress from "The Seven Year Itch"

suggested bid: $1 million - $2 million
Debbie paid $200 for this

Okay, okay - there are 13. I had to include those Ruby Slippers. They'd look so nice with the Marilyn Monroe red dress, don't you think? Now, if I could just scrape up the $1,564,000 - $2,829,000.

There are hundreds of unbelievable items too numerous to mention: Laurel and Hardy's suits (one large, one small), cars, cameras, lobby cards of incredible value, props, furniture and even Ingrid Bergman's suit of armor from "St. Joan." What is so evident is the quality of every detail of these items (secondary players often had wildly sumptous and ornate costumes that rivaled and even surpassed those of the stars) and what is so tragic is the utter disregard MGM and other studios had for them. 

Debbie Reynolds did her very best to honor and preserve the history of the industry she loves. We can only hope that most of these items don't end up hidden away in private collections, but somehow find their way to an appropriate venue for movie-lovers to enjoy and to discover. However, if somehow some benefactor thinks of me and I get the Valentino Suit of Lights, I'm keeping it close by at all times.

To learn more about the auction (and download a free copy of the catalog) that takes place on June 18, 2011 click here.

HAPPY BIDDING!

Susan Hayward: Diminish at Your Own Risk

Seventh in a series about strong women in film. Strong women are independent, beautiful, sexy, feminine and just want everything in life that a man wants and believe that they have every right to have it!

They don't come much stronger, tougher or lovelier (and yes, sweeter) than Susan Hayward. That face, that form, that hair! She was a force to be reckoned with the day she decided to take a little trip from Brooklyn to Hollywood. Maybe it was those Brooklyn roots that caused her to have to continually fight for both good roles and respect, but it also taught her a thing or two about holding her own and winning a fight like a tiger.

Early Days

Susan (born Edythe Marrener in 1917) grew up in poor circumstances in Brooklyn, NY. With her pugnacious nature and flaming hair, I see her as a kind of kid sister to Clara Bow. Susan was a tomboy as a girl, but boy did she grow up. Before deciding to be a movie star she made a tidy living as a print model. Hollywood always likes a pretty face, so as part of the worldwide search for Scarlett O'Hara, Susan  was brought to Hollywood to test for the role.

Susan during her modelling days

Somewhere between the time she left home and arrived in Hollywood and secured a screen test for the role of Scarlett, Edythe Marrener became Susan Hayward. Although she didn't get the part of Scarlett, she decided to stay in Hollywood and give the movies a whirl. Aren't you glad she did? After the failed test, Susan signed a contract at Warner Brothers Studio and eventually received some small, sometimes showy, roles. For almost 10 years Susan constantly lobbied for better and bigger roles. Everyone acknowledged she was pretty, but no one took her seriously as a dramatic actress. This was a battle Susan fought for almost her entire professional life.

"I am an ACTRESS!"

"Smash Up" and More

Finally, in 1947, Susan got the kind of role she longed for. As a lonely, alcoholic wife (who gives up her career for hubby and child) in "Smash Up - The Story of a Woman," she tears up the screen and gives her first perfect performance as a woman whose life is wrecked by liquor. The film also features a great powder room cat fight between Susan, as the wife, and Marsha Hunt as the much too efficient and ever- present secretary. For her work in this film, Susan received her first Oscar nomination.

The world finally takes notice in "Smash Up"

Now the meatier roles that she had fought so long for finally started rolling in. "They Won't Believe Me," "My Foolish Heart", for which she received her second Oscar nomination, and "I Can Get it For You Wholesale" all confirmed that Susan Hayward was a real dramatic actress. Still, she was often unfavorably, and unfairly, compared to actresses like Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford and especially Bette Davis, all who were still active while Susan was coming into her own. Imagine having to climb over that trio for a good part? But Susan had not spent over 10 years laboring in Hollywood to take a back seat to anyone. No matter how good she was, she always had to prove herself to non-believers. And for every "Smash Up," there was a "David and Bathsheba" as well as endless cheesecake photos. Would Bette Davis ever have been made to play a role like Bathsheba? Probably not, but being beautiful was a blessing and a curse for Susan.

Bathsheba: Can you imagine Bette Davis doing this role?

"With a Song in My Heart" and "I'll Cry Tomorrow" and 2 More Oscar Nominations

In the 1950's, a pair of dramatic singing stars gave Susan two of her best roles: As Jane Froman, who was crippled as the result of an airplane crash in "With a Song in My Heart," and as troubled and alcoholic singer Lillian Roth in "I'll Cry Tomorrow." For each role she was again nominated for an Academy Award.

As Jane Froman in "With a Song in My Heart"

Her performance in "I'll Cry Tomorrow" is especially harrowing, making her performance in "Smash Up" look like a dress rehearsal for the role of a woman who was a genuine down and dirty alcoholic mess. The script pulled no punches and Susan made you feel every inch of Lillian Roth's degradation, pain and triumph. Not only that, she did her own singing in this one and she was fantastic. This is my favorite Susan Hayward performance.

There was no white-washing the despair and degradation
 of an alcoholic in "I'll Cry Tomorrow"

"I Want to Live"

This is the film Susan Hayward is best known for and is the role for which she finally won the Oscar in 1958. As party girl and death row inmate, Barbara Graham, Susan got the meatiest dramatic role of her career. Her fight for life and her eventual death in the gas chamber gave her a chance to show what she was capable of. Graham was a drug addict, prostitute and small time criminal, but she was probably innocent of murder. Anyone who has watched Susan's final scenes will never forget them. Unfortunately, this was her last good role. After this film, Susan was respected, but quality roles in the 1960s for women were hard to come by. Thankfully, she did not go the horror route like Davis and Crawford.

After 4 nominations for Best Actress, the 5th time proved the charm

The Rest

Susan continued to work through the 1960s and even did some television, but it remained a hard time for actresses, especially ones of a certain age. A few of Susan's notable later films are:

The Conqueror

A completely idiotic film that has John Wayne cast as Genghis Khan, it was panned by the press and avoided by the public.The only notable thing about this film is that it was shot in the Utah desert not far from a government nuclear test site in Nevada. Director Dick Powell and stars John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Agnes Moorehead, Pedro Armandariz and cast member John Hoyt all died of cancer. 90 cast and crew members out of 220 who worked on that film eventually died of cancer.

Where Love has Gone

Another sub-par sudser, but notable because it put Susan and Bette Davis together in the same movie. They reportedly could not stand one another (Susan was not the type to kiss anyone's ring). Some say it was because Bette,who was only 9 years older than Susan, played her mother and looked the part. Who wouldn't be just a tiny bit  jealous of Susan looking so good at 47?

Valley of the Dolls

Yet another stinker, but one that has become a cult favorite. Stepping in for an ailing Judy Garland at the last minute, Susan looked beautiful as an aging star. She wiped the floor with the cast of young performers, and even got to have another powder room cat fight (only Patty Duke walked off with the wig).

Thankfully, Susan had a happy second marriage. Her first marriage to actor Jess Barker produced twin boys, but it was tempestuous and troubled. The second time around Susan hit the jackpot and was happily married to a Georgia native (a state she later made her home) at the time of her death from brain cancer in 1975. Her last public appearance was at the 1973 Academy Awards, where she presented the Best Actress Award. Although she was ill and frail, her fighting spirit and inner beauty, as well as her outer beauty, were still evident.

Never underestimate Susan Hayward. She fought all of her professional life like the tiger she was to prove her artistry. Thankfully, she believed in herself from the very beginning.

Here's a very nice YouTube Tribute to Susan Hayward that showcases her beauty and charisma!

The Exotics: Orchids of the Silver Screen

Movies have always defined "types." For example, we all know stars who fit into the types of the all-American, the sexpot, the sweetheart, the hero or the rogue. One of my favorite "types" is the Exotic; women - and sometimes men -  who usually come from a foreign land (but a few were home grown), are frighteningly beautiful and have an air of mystery about them. These creatures were mostly, but not always, dark, had heavy eyelids and smoked. They all seem only to be able to thrive in a hot-house environment, like a beautiful orchid. While the Exotic was definitely a type that was more popular in the past, there are a few out there today who might be able to carry the mantle of mysterious heart breaker from parts unknown.

Enter the Hot-House and View the Orchids 

(but don't touch)

Theda Bara

Theda was certainly a totally manufactured Exotic. It is well known that she was, in reality, the modest and demure Theodosia Goodman from Cincinnati, Ohio. However, it's not where a vamp begins, but where she does her damage! Theda exploded upon the screen in 1915's "A Fool There Was" and vamped her way into the movie-goer's consciousness. She was the stiff drink antidote to Mary Pickford's Sasparilla.

Rudolph Valentino

Still the gold standard for the male foreign heart throb. Valentino's image was sealed as the exotic sheik of the desert. His most popular films showcased him in those larger than life romantic roles that still have the ability to hit the female audience in their weak spot. Oh Rudy, if only we could have more!

Pola Negri

The first female foreign film Exotic and one who showed all the other gals how to behave like a star. Not only did her early Hollywood films show off this Polish diva's femme fatale qualities, but she was also a fashion trend setter who showed American ladies how to dress (red painted toenails and turbans, anyone?). Her chief rival at Paramount Studios was the very American Gloria Swanson and the press had a field day with their supposed "feud." But even the great Swanson could not top Pola's antics at former lover Valentino's funeral (an over-the-top outpouring of grief that stole the show from poor Rudy). A real diva if there ever was one.

Greta Garbo

While Swedes are not normally thought of as hot-house flowers, there was something of the tropical passion about her. The icy landscape of Sweden may have been her home, but, at least on screen, she was equally at home in a tropical environment. In fact, she did her best silent seductions in a warm climate ("The Torrent," "The Temptress," "Wild Orchids"). Sound robbed her of a tiny bit of the exotic factor. Without even trying, she was probably the sexiest of them all.

Dolores Del Rio

A genuine Exotic, this actress was described as orchidaceous, as she was rumored to eat orchid petals and sleep 16 hours per day. Long considered one of the most beautiful women in films, Del Rio was a wealthy woman whose beauty makes her dramatic ability almost impossible to assess. She was exotic to the max and (shades of "Sunset Boulevard") even brought her pet monkey on the set with her

Rita Hayworth

An interesting blend of all American good health and foreign glamor, Hayworth could project the allure of the Exotic. "Gilda" is appropriately set in Argentina, as all of that steam could only be handled in the tropics!

Charles Boyer

The French don't usually transplant too well in Hollywood, but Boyer became the romantic Frenchman and Exotic male for American moviegoers. Under his lazy gaze, he smoldered, he pouted, and even if he didn't actually say it, women who fell under his continental spell would have gladly come wiz him to ze Casbah.

Hedy Lamarr

A beautiful and exotic actress who may have been too intelligent in real life for the roles she was offered in Hollywood. Her talent is a little static, and because many of her films were made during a time when Exotics were a bit out of favor (WWII), her true potential never came through. She was, however, stunningly beautiful and somewhat other-worldly. Maybe, at the peak of her career, she was just a little too exotic for Hollywood. She did get to lure Boyer from that Casbah in "Algiers," and, after seeing her in that film, the rest of the world was ready to follow.

Ramon Novarro

The Latin Lover rival to Valentino, Ramon Novarro was a very sexy Exotic. He was a great success (and greatly under-dressed) in "Ben-Hur" and later silents and early talking films. Certainly not your all American boy-next-door, he was more heroic than Valentino, but he could smolder with the best of them.

Gene Tierney

This American lady always seemed to me to have the touch of the Exotic about her. In fact, in several films she was called upon to play just that ("The Shanghai Gesture," "China Girl," "Sundown"). Gene had some of that seething passion just below the surface that is the mark of the Exotic and her lush beauty made her seem at home in that hot-house environment.

Marlene Dietrich

She says she's German, but really - she must be from some exotic galaxy where all women sip champagne in furs and diamonds by day and drive men wild by night. There can be no other explanation. Although not at all like Garbo, she has that same Continental/Exotic glamor and effortless sophistication that can't be equaled.

Maria Montez

The Technicolor Queen of such exotic adventures as "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," "Arabian Nights," and "Cobra Woman," Maria Montez was a tongue-in-cheek Exotic. She was as beautiful and vivid as any of them, and those wonderfully fun adventures showcased an impossibly beautiful woman who starred in the dreams of many viewers during her reign.

Bela Lugosi

Ouch - but we know Vampires are exotic and sexy. Notice how the recent ones all hang around in hot climates?

Vivien Leigh

An English Rose with an exotic cast. Although she tried to be prim and proper on the outside, she was hot and luscious on the inside (and it always showed just enough to make her mysterious). Hollywood knew how to best bring this side of her to light. And after all, didn't this lady do her best work in Georgia and New Orleans? London was just not hot enough for her brand of exoticism.

Dorothy Lamour

This American Exotic hailed from New Orleans, so the tropical seductions came naturally. She seemed at home in a sarong with a flower in her hair in films like "The Hurricane," "Her Jungle Love," and "The Jungle Princess," until she joined Crosby and Hope on a few road trips and changed her image. But she was a fun Exotic while it lasted.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina certainly qualifies as a modern Exotic. She has all of the qualities (she looks like Gene Tierney to me in some photos) and she certainly is a mystery!

I'm sure I missed a few, but I always welcome the screen presence of an Exotic - they're just so - well - exotic!