Read My Life with Cleopatra Online
Authors: Walter Wanger
My Life with Cleopatra (15 page)
“You’re always complaining that the cost is going to ruin the company, so why not let Reisini bail us out for everything the studio has invested in it?” I asked Skouras.
“You just keep on making the picture,” said Skouras. “It’s not for sale.”
Rogell now made “president and head of the studio,” a title Skouras bestows on anyone and everyone.
Later, Skouras saw JLM and said “You’re in charge. You can do anything you want to do.” Then he told me I am in charge.
N
OVEMBER
19, 1961
Meeting in Skouras’ big suite at the Grand Hotel.
He called 27 people involved in the production into his room—from the man in charge of costumes, who gets about $250 a week, to JLM and me. He harangued us all on the high cost of the movie for about an hour.
When I asked why all the hysteria, he turned on me and shellacked me for about fifteen minutes, proving my point.
Afterwards, everyone there who was a union member sent in a bill for double time for attending the meeting!
N
OVEMBER
20, 1961
To Liz and Eddie’s for a dinner party with Skouras, Levathes, and JLM.
What I liked most about the evening was the way Liz handled Skouras. She was able to say things to him that no one else dared; she could make points that we wanted to make, but where he would shut us up, he always listened to Liz. Tonight she shocked him by saying, “What do you care how much
Cleopatra
costs? Fox pictures have been lousy. At least this one will be great—though expensive.”
Although he was frequently annoyed, he took Elizabeth’s barbs and jests in what passed for good humor, probably because he was aware that she had nothing to lose or gain by telling him the truth.
Elizabeth can always be relied on to be blunt and honest.
N
OVEMBER
23, 1961—T
HANKSGIVING
D
AY
My daughter Steff came to Rome to spend Thanksgiving with me. The plan was to have dinner with JLM, Rosemary Mathews, his production assistant, his sons Chris and Tom, and his sister Erna. The Hume Cronyns were also to be there.
I met Steff at Simonetta’s Salon, and asked her to try on some dresses which I planned to buy her for a present. She said she didn’t feel well enough to try them on, which really convinced me that something was wrong with her. Simonetta suggested a children’s doctor, who examined Steffi and in minutes gave his diagnosis—acute appendicitis. His recommendation: See a surgeon. Simonetta called Dr. Valdoni for me, who sent his resident. He also diagnosed acute appendicitis and prescribed immediate surgery. We rushed Steffi to Sanitrix Clinic where Dr. Valdoni, a friend of Simonetta and one of the foremost surgeons in Europe, operated.
I spent Thanksgiving night pacing in a hospital corridor and praying. My daughters are more precious to me than anything else in the world.
I called my wife, Joan, to report Steff’s recent operation. I will never cease to wonder how news travels. Here in Rome it’s impossible to have a dream without everyone knowing about it. And in New York Joan had heard about Steffi before I even had a chance to telephone from the hospital.
N
OVEMBER
24, 1961
Visited Steff at the clinic. Simonetta came in with flowers and books at 8
A
.
M
. She’s a remarkably sweet and thoughtful woman.
N
OVEMBER
25, 1961
Letter to Spyros Skouras:
When you were here last week you complained about a certain unfavorable type of publicity
Cleopatra
was getting. I wish to reiterate that most of its publicity comes from the
Hollywood columnists that we finance to come over and write destructively about the film.
I have repeatedly asked that we stop sending these people over and the only answer that I get is that another such writer is arriving November 29th at our expense.
In view of our attempting to curtail expenses, it seems to me that when we are getting so much good publicity we should cease spending money to get bad publicity.
With best wishes, as always,
Walter
D
ECEMBER
4, 1961
Another letter to Spyros:
I am amazed that you feel that the columnists are very important to our industry. Unless you mean that they are important as subversive agents undermining a great industry.
For years I have claimed that this was the only industry in America that financed its own blackmail. And I cannot agree that a first-class organization should cater to these scandal-mongers who are interested only in increasing their own power by printing scandal and destructive items.
Surely Walt Disney built a good business without catering to them. Even DeMille survived without them. They haven’t helped J. L. Mankiewicz, George Stevens, or Wm. Wyler achieve their position. This catering to columnists, dear Spyros, is a myth; and one that is costing you a great deal of money. Each time you send one over he digs up some item that causes us a great delay in work dealing with stars and weakens the efficiency of our operation. There is no way of treating them properly except to ignore them.
Incidentally, nearly the entire group of columnists tried to prevent me from making
I Want To Live!
I ignored them
completely and ended up with a hit film and an Oscar for Susan Hayward.
I beseech you as President of 20th Century-Fox to save the company’s money and keep them away from our operation.
Very sincerely yours,
Walter
D
ECEMBER
6, 1961
Am much concerned over the plan to have Liz work for one straight month with no time off.
It’s a practically impossible schedule for her, but it’s necessary for us to get on with the picture. There will be just too much tension and strain on her, I fear. She is as aware as we are that she carries the picture. She takes her responsibility seriously and, being a perfectionist, she will be under tremendous strain. In addition, she is not in the best physical condition; the bad back is liable to act up at any moment again. I know she has been in pain some of the days we have worked, but she has said nothing about it and refused to have the doctor.
D
ECEMBER
7, 1961
Rex crisis.
Rex Harrison had been in England for a few days, and when he returned he found that Sid Rogell, who was active in cutting costs, had changed his trailer and refused to pay for his Cadillac on the grounds that the car company jacked up the mileage. Rex’s chauffeur refused to work because he hadn’t been paid. Rex called me and said he didn’t intend to report for work himself until he got his trailer and car back and his driver was paid. Rex then called Rogell and insisted we all have a meeting in his dressing room on top of one of the sound stages.
Rex, who should have been in costume, was in his street
clothes. He started the interview off by establishing that he was a star, and Sid a production man.
He said, “I treat my servants very well, and you’re my servant.” After that promising start he went on to give Sid the worst lacing I have ever heard, finally stating that he wouldn’t get dressed at all in his costume, nor would he report for work until his car and trailer were back and his chauffeur paid. Rex ended by pointing his finger imperiously at Sid and saying, “You are now dismissed.”
As we left the dressing room together, Sid, who was a big man, said he had never before taken so much from anyone, but he admitted Rex had a point. So he arranged to return the car and trailer and pay the chauffeur.
Later in the afternoon when Rex showed up on set, there was tremendous applause at his entrance. Obviously someone had heard the entire tirade and it went out on the studio grapevine.
Everyone knew
Cleopatra
business by the grapevine. It was the main gossip in Rome, and the lowliest extra could dine out for days on his reports of our artists.
I learned more about the “racket” involved in our transportation problem from my driver than I ever learned from studio investigators.
Irene Sharaff’s seamstresses and wardrobe girls gave her a fund of information; Liz had her own sources of intelligence and frequently when I would tell her when to report the following day she would say, “OK, Walter—but you won’t be ready for me until an hour after I arrive.” Invariably she was right.
JLM’s contacts were Pamela Danova and Rosemary Mathews whom I called “The Dolly Sisters.” Rosemary was assistant to the production manager. Really sisters, they had both been brought up in Europe and they spoke fluent Italian, German, and French. They always brought the news to JLM, who first would say, “Don’t tell me anything bad,” then in the next moment would ask, “What happened?”
D
ECEMBER
8, 1961
Andrew Marton arrived to help out with the second unit.
Marton was the second-unit director on
Ben-Hur
. Most big pictures have second, third, and fourth units shooting backgrounds, action sequences, and other film of secondary importance while the director is concerned with the important scenes involving the principals.
JLM had been shooting material usually done by second unit because there was nothing else to shoot.
D
ECEMBER
13, 1961
Liz does the nude scene.
Eddie, who has been attending conferences because he is going to produce Liz’s next picture, is aware of a scene coming up calling for Cleopatra to be massaged by handmaidens. He surprised us by suggesting that we shoot the scene with Liz nude. “Do it properly and artistically,” he said.
JLM arranged for the tightest security precautions on Stage 5 where the scene was to be filmed in Cleopatra’s bath—an elaborate square of marble with statuary spouting water. The set was fenced in and heaters placed all around so Liz would not be cold.
Only the minimum crew necessary for the actual shooting was used. No visitors were allowed on set other than Eddie and Roddy McDowall, a close friend of Elizabeth’s, who had been given special permission to take still photographs of the scene.
The only members of the cast on stage were the handmaidens who were to do the massaging.
When JLM commenced preparations to shoot, I left the set but arranged with our own still photographer who was covering the scene to turn his negatives directly over to me. That way I would have control of the pictures so there would be no leaks to the press.
D
ECEMBER
15, 1961
Saw the stills of Liz in the nude and they were as artistic as we hoped they would be. JLM felt the scene came off beautifully. I gave our negatives to Eddie so we could never be blamed for exploiting them.
D
ECEMBER
18, 1961
It was too cold to shoot today—Stage 5 is not properly heated.
D
ECEMBER
19, 1961
Larry Rice, one of our chief accountants in Hollywood, arrived today to co-ordinate figures and estimate our budget. At least he is realistic: he figures $24 million with overhead, with no second unit and without certain locations.
D
ECEMBER
21, 1961
Liz is having trouble with her leg, which frightens me very much.
We discovered that Liz had phlebitis—an inflammation of the veins—and she had to rest her leg. The doctor told me that it would be dangerous if a blood clot formed.
I had been planning to go to New York for Christmas but am considering changing my mind. If Elizabeth is unable to work and is ill, I certainly will not go.
D
ECEMBER
22, 1961
Went to the airport to catch my scheduled plane, then called the studio to see if Liz was on set. If she was not, I was going to return immediately. I was told that Liz had been carried on in a chair—but was feeling much better. So I left.
D
ECEMBER
23, 1961
Gave a story to
Variety
and United Press that
Cleopatra
will be great and will gross $100 million.
D
ECEMBER
24, 1961
Talked with Skouras who said there was great skepticism about my figure of $100 million.
D
ECEMBER
26, 1961
Met with Skouras, Joe Moskowitz, and some of the other top executives to discuss Rice’s letter which claimed the budget was now $24 million.
They were frantic. They didn’t know what to do other than blame me. I pointed out to them that they had been in the business a long time and they should have known better than to let us start the picture without a proper fiscal, legal, and production organization. They gave us an impossible task and it is amazing we are doing as well as we are.
Everything that had been boiling in me for months came to the top, and I was so obviously right that for once they didn’t argue.
Then they tried to place the blame on JLM. I told them again, as I had in memos, that it was not his responsibility to run a production as well as write and direct it.
The meeting ended with their worrying about something happening to Liz. They finally decided to attempt to get life insurance on her, since no company would issue any other kind.
Went shopping for cream cheese for Liz and Eddie. Had it packed in dry ice to bring back to Rome.
D
ECEMBER
28, 1961
Went to the studio to see rushes, which were excellent. We are getting superb scenes between Liz and Rex. It is possible to see her great capabilities as an actress as she played opposite Rex.
D
ECEMBER
31, 1961
New Year’s Eve. Went to a party the Burtons gave at Bricktop’s on the Via Veneto.
Liz and Eddie were the guests of honor. Spoke to Liz for the first time since my return to Rome and asked her about Christmas.
“It was the best I’ve ever had,” she said.
J
ANUARY
5, 1962
Caesarion has outgrown us.
The boy we originally cast for the role of Cleopatra’s son by Caesar was the son of the UP correspondent in Rome. By the time we got around to shooting him he looked like Jack Dempsey next to Elizabeth. I called California, but there won’t be time enough to send a boy from there, so we are looking over Roman children.
