My Life with Cleopatra (3 page)

The group being suggested for Antony includes Anthony Franciosa, Kirk Douglas, Marlon Brando, Stephen Boyd, Jason Robards, Jr., Richard Basehart, and Richard Burton.

F
EBRUARY
24, 1959

On my own I had lunch with Carlo Ponti, Sophia Loren’s husband, at Perino’s Restaurant.

Since my Italian is not too good and his English is poor, I took Rosemary Mathews along as interpreter. She was assistant to Johnny Johnston, production manager on
I Want to Live!
when I was making it.

Carlo said he was certain Sophia would be interested in doing the picture. Then he asked me when and where we planned to do it. When I said in July on the Studio’s back lot, he answered, “You’ll never make it this summer and you’ll never make it in America. Italy is the only place to make it.”

M
ARCH
4, 1959

Nigel Balchin signed to prepare a screenplay of
Cleopatra
, with Ludi Claire’s outline for a springboard.

M
AY
12, 1959

Elizabeth married Eddie Fisher today in Las Vegas.

Elizabeth and Eddie are expected to go through New York on their way to the Mediterranean for a cruise honeymoon. Then she’s going to do
Suddenly Last Summer
for Columbia and Sam Spiegel, which makes it unlikely that I’ll get her for
Cleopatra
, which is supposed to start in July.

J
UNE
15, 1959

Skouras took Gina Lollobrigida and her husband to director Rouben Mamoulian’s house for dinner to discuss
Cleopatra
with them both.

J
UNE
19, 1959

Received this morning a preliminary production cost estimate for
Cleopatra
, based on the script by Nigel Balchin.

The operating budget for
Cleopatra
, labeled “Production No. J—01” called for 64 days’ shooting. It showed that the total cost was supposed to come to $2,955,700, without the cast or director.

J
ULY
29, 1959

The studio executives were so enthusiastic about the first-draft script by Nigel Balchin that Adler has called Kurt Frings, Elizabeth’s agent, to get him to take the script abroad to Elizabeth and to Audrey Hepburn, another of his clients. Adler ended the conversation with Kurt, admonishing him not to tell me about it.

I don’t know what’s on Buddy’s mind, trying to keep this information from me. Obviously, as Frings is a great friend of mine, he would tell me, as he knew I always wanted Elizabeth for the part.

Meanwhile, I discovered that they are excavating on the back lot with bulldozers, preparing to build the city of Alexandria. No one has asked me about this because we have never finally determined where the picture is to be filmed.

A
UGUST
1959

Both Elizabeth and Audrey Hepburn have agreed to do
Cleopatra
.

Kurt Frings gave me the good news on the phone today. He just came back from visiting both of his clients in Europe.

A
UGUST
18, 1959

Called Schreiber to see if there was anything definite on casting. He said, “No.”

I told him that Audrey Hepburn had read the script and was interested. He seemed surprised that I knew. An hour or so later he called me back to say we can’t have Hepburn because Paramount has her under contract and won’t release her.

I called Skouras, who told me Elizabeth doesn’t want to play Cleopatra—despite Kurt assuring me that she does.

A
UGUST
27, 1959

The planned Suzy Parker test for
Cleopatra
didn’t come off as scheduled. When the studio called her in New York requesting a test, she became hysterical and burst into tears. It turned out she was pregnant, a secret no one knew until today.

S
EPTEMBER
1, 1959

Called Elizabeth in London where she is doing
Suddenly Last Summer
.

She said she will do
Cleopatra
for a million dollars and a few changes in the script, and as long as the picture is not to be made in Hollywood.

Elizabeth sees Cleopatra as I do—the greatest woman’s role ever written, and she thinks as I do, that this can be a great picture. When I said that a million dollars was an unheard-of price for an actress, she said that I knew as well as she did that this was going to be a long, hard picture. But she doesn’t mind taking the money on a spread payment, so much per year, since she really wants it to put in trust for her children.

I called Skouras to tell him the news. He said he doesn’t like the idea of working with Elizabeth because “she’ll be too much trouble.”

S
EPTEMBER
28, 1959
^*

A meeting was held at the studio yesterday (Sunday), to which I was not invited—and for obvious reasons.

Spyros Skouras was there, as was Buddy Adler, Lew Schreiber, David Brown, Sid Rogell, who is in charge of studio operations, and Robert Goldstein.

It was decided, evidently, that my status on the project was to be subordinated to that of Goldstein, who would be completely in charge of the production. While I could go abroad on the production, Goldstein would be responsible for all decisions and, in the event of dispute, Buddy Adler would be the arbitrator.

It was estimated that the picture will cost between $4,500,000 and $5,000,000, with overhead including $1,300,000 for the stars and $100,000 for the director. The plan is to make the picture in London.

Rouben Mamoulian was proposed as director by Skouras, who is Rouben’s old friend and has now decided he wants someone with an artistic reputation. Up to now, all they wanted was someone who was efficient and fast.

O
CTOBER
8, 1959

Skouras has taken a poll of everyone at the New York office, and they all want Susan Hayward to play Cleopatra. He told me he is going to announce Susan for the role immediately.

Skouras seems determined to have a contract actress—and Susan is under contract—play Cleopatra because he hasn’t much faith in the potential gross of the picture. “It can’t gross really big unless it is produced at a limited cost,” he told me. “Only biblical pictures can do big business today.”

O
CTOBER
9, 1959

I called Elizabeth at the Beverly Hills Hotel, to tell her she doesn’t have the part and thank her for being so nice. She started to cry.

“I want to do it,” she said. “Why don’t they want me?”

“They won’t pay a million dollars,” I said.

“I’ll do it for a guarantee of seven hundred and fifty thousand, against ten per cent of the gross,” she said.

I called Adler, who said, “See if you can get her for six hundred thousand.”

I called Lew Schreiber, Kurt Frings, Liz, and Frings again, and at last got the negotiations back on the track.

O
CTOBER
10, 1959

Kurt Frings is negotiating with MGM to get them to allow her to do
Cleopatra
as an outside picture. According to her contract, she has one more film to make for MGM, and they’re insisting she do
Butterfield 8
.

Ironically, Elizabeth was willing to do
Cleopatra
for $750,000, but I am told Frings has now got her back to the million-dollar figure.

Elizabeth doesn’t want to do
Butterfield 8
.

“The leading lady is almost a prostitute,” she told me. “When I told this to Sol, he said he’d clean up the script. But she’s still a sick nymphomaniac. The whole thing is so unpalatable, I wouldn’t do it for anything, under any condition.”

O
CTOBER
12, 1959

Elizabeth is in
Cleopatra
again, and
Butterfield 8
is being rewritten for her.

Frings and the Fox lawyers are busy working out details of her contract for
Cleopatra
, which will follow
Butterfield 8
. We are going to stage a contract-signing scene in Buddy Adler’s office within a few days, however, to make it look official, although the real contract won’t be ready for months.

Elizabeth has read the script. Her feeling is that the opening scene is forced, and that a girl—nineteen years old, with a lot of background and intelligence—should still be seeking wisdom and having qualms about her decisions. Caesar helps her make a gradual transition from a child to a woman.

She thinks the characterization needs that sense of development from beginning to end. She feels very strongly that the scenes with Caesar are a little flat and should be more lifelike, with a certain amount of charm and warmth and feeling that is lacking at the present time.

Also, she would like any research material and books I think she ought to read on the subject.

She told me she would like to have both penthouses at the Dorchester in London. She had them last time she was there and she’d like them during this picture.

We discussed cameramen, and she said she is mad about Jack Hillyard, who is now with Fred Zinnemann in Australia. I’m to check on his availability. She thinks Bluey Hill would be a great assistant director.

Elizabeth specified that she wants Sidney Guilaroff for hairdos and, as her own hairdresser, she wants a girl called Joan White. I’m to check on their availability.

I consider it most important that we try to satisfy Elizabeth on all such matters, because she is the pivot of our whole operation.

O
CTOBER
15, 1959

Elizabeth “signed” for
Cleopatra
today. We took photos in Adler’s office. I was delighted.

O
CTOBER
1959

Schreiber called me into his office to tell me I’m not going to London when the picture is being made, but he does want me to be responsible for controlling the cost.

When I pointed out it would be impossible to produce a picture
being made thousands of miles away, he said, “Jerry Wald didn’t go over on
Sons and Lovers
, and the picture came out fine. There’s no need for you to be in London. I want you to be preparing your next picture.”

Schreiber did ask me for suggestions on a director. I think Alfred Hitchcock would be great because he would bring the right touch of suspense to the story and give it needed drama. I am a great Hitchcock fan, and I liked the picture he made for me,
Foreign Correspondent
.

O
CTOBER
19, 1959

Hitch doesn’t think it’s his cup of tea. Saw Adler about Mamoulian, who is choice of Skouras and Schreiber.

Rouben is an old and good friend of mine—I took him from the Theater Guild in the Twenties, and he directed
Applause
for me at Paramount. Then we worked together with Garbo on
Queen Christina
.

O
CTOBER
21, 1959

Rouben signed by the studio.

The moment I get in a dispute with him over something, he’s going to turn around and say, “You didn’t hire me. Skouras, Adler, and Schreiber did.”

N
OVEMBER
1959

No sooner has Rouben been hired than he has a few ideas for “little changes.”

N
OVEMBER
1959

Interviewed writers most of the day.

I am most interested in a new writer named James Costigan, who is in demand because of a TV show he wrote called
Little Moon of Alban
. Neither he nor Christopher Fry, whom I also contacted, is available.

N
OVEMBER
25, 1959

Dale Wasserman hired, for Mamoulian feels he can work with him and liked his TV spectacular
Don Quixote
.

N
OVEMBER
1959

Noel Coward’s agent called about the Caesar role, but the studio is now discussing Fredric March.

N
OVEMBER
1959

Adler talking about taking advantage of the Eady Plan for
Cleopatra
, which confirms London as headquarters.

Under the Eady Plan, it is possible for an American company to get financial aid from the British government if a certain percentage of cast and crew are British. The idea is to give more employment to British workers.

Mamoulian and I are to go to London to interview actors and look over facilities at Pinewood, Rank’s studio. Bob Goldstein, in charge of Fox’s operation in London and all of Europe, claims the facilities are excellent. I can’t imagine, however, any location in England looking like Egypt, under any circumstances. And no one seems to have considered the weather.

N
OVEMBER
30, 1959

Saw Larry Olivier, who after much thought has decided against Caesar. He has played Shaw’s
Caesar and Cleopatra
and Shakespeare’s
Antony and Cleopatra
, and said frankly that he didn’t think he could add to his luster by doing this motion picture. But I hope we can change his mind.

D
ECEMBER
2, 1959

Disaster! Nothing is right or as represented. Went to Pinewood with Mamoulian to see the facilities. It was rainy and cold, and Pinewood doesn’t look like Egypt. In addition, the stages are small, and there are not enough of them.

The disappointment was so great that I became physically ill.

Meanwhile, Adler and Skouras had arrived to look over the Pinewood facilities. Despite my protests and Mamoulian’s they are predisposed to accept the studio, because Skouras is trying to strengthen an association with Rank. There is always an angle in this business.

D
ECEMBER
7, 1959

Went to see Elizabeth Taylor, who is convalescing from double pneumonia at Harkness Pavilion.

Her smallish room was crowded with flowers and piles of books. Liz looked well but was weak. She had had a severe bout. She’s excited about the picture, enthusiastic that Oliver Messel will probably do her costumes. Had a painting of his on the wall, which she bought in London last year. She complained bitterly about the climate in New York. It occurred to me that if she is miserable and sick here, how will she be in England?

D
ECEMBER
8, 1959

Adler and Skouras back from Europe. Buddy flew from New York to Hollywood with me and told me of his “Christmas surprise” for me—he’s bought an Italian version of
Cleopatra
, made by a producer named Lionello Santi, to keep it off the market. I pointed out that this adds another half-million dollars to our budget. But he is sure it’s a good investment.