My Life with Cleopatra (7 page)
Read My Life with Cleopatra Online
Authors: Walter Wanger
A
UGUST
31, 1960
Liz and Eddie arrive in London from Naples.
Their arrival at the airport was a scene out of
La Dolce Vita
with newsmen and photographers swarming like honeybees. I got Liz and Eddie away from the crowd via a rear exit without incident. But at the Dorchester the press set up an angry clamor.
Elizabeth refused to see them or pose for pictures because of the harsh way she had been treated in London last year during
Suddenly Last Summer
. Some of the newsmen waiting outside her suite told me they intended to boycott Liz and the picture. When I relayed their comments to Liz she shrugged and said nothing would induce her to make an appearance or allow them to photograph her. I must say she has a lot of courage. There are very few actresses with nerve enough to stand up to the British press.
S
EPTEMBER
6, 1960
I am no longer head of European production.
Sid Rogell came through London on his way to Greece. He asked me about the
Cleopatra
script, and I gave it to him and told him of some of our problems. He was living at the Savoy where he bumped into Darryl Zanuck over from Paris on business, who was also staying there. Rogell apparently showed the script to Darryl, who didn’t like it. Darryl apparently called Skouras to report on what he thought was wrong.
Skouras called me back and said, “Jesus Christ, Walter! At your age, you ought to know better than to talk to a fellow like Rogell.”
I said I had been advised I was to look after Rogell while he was in London.
“Well, you ought to know better,” said Skouras. “Just for that I don’t want you to have anything to do with Europe. You just stick to
Cleopatra
.”
S
EPTEMBER
26, 1960
I hear Skouras is putting Sid Rogell in charge of Europe, as of today.
*
Although this meeting is in its proper sequence, I did not come upon the memorandum reporting it until some months later in London.
FIASCO IN LONDON[1960–1961]
— LONDON —
S
EPTEMBER
29, 1960
A bad beginning.
SIR TOM O BRIEN
17
WATERLOO PLACE
LONDON WI
DEAR TOM SEVERAL DAYS AGO YOU ASSURED ME THAT YOU HAD IN HAND THE PROBLEM CONCERNING SIDNEY GUILAROFFS WORK ON THE PICTURE STOP AS YOU KNOW WE HAD TWO STOPPAGES OF WORK BY THE HAIRDRESSING DEPARTMENT YESTERDAY OUR FIRST DAY OF SHOOTING STOP YOU WERE VERY DEFINITE THAT THE SITUATION MUST BE RESOLVED BECAUSE THE ENTERPRISE WAS MOST IMPORTANT AND FOR ME NOT TO WORRY STOP AS YOU ADVISED APPLICATION FOR WORK PERMIT HAS BEEN LODGED AND A REQUEST FOR A MEETING BETWEEN THE UNION AND THE BFPA HAS BEEN MADE STOP I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED BECAUSE I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REACH YOU NOR HAVE I HAD ANY COMMUNICATION FROM YOU EXCEPT THAT YOUR SECRETARIES ASSURED ME THAT THEY HAD GIVEN YOU MY MESSAGES STOP REPRESENTING FOX WE ARE FACING A VERY SERIOUS ECONOMIC CRISIS IF THIS MATTER IS NOT STRAIGHTENED OUT IMMEDIATELY AS YOU PROMISED STOP IT WILL FORCE THE COMPANY TO SHUT DOWN AND WHAT THE RESULTS WILL BE BEYOND THAT I DREAD TO THINK STOP YOU HAVE BEEN APPRISED OF
THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION BY OUR EXECUTIVES IN LOS ANGELES AS WELL AS HERE AND I HOPE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY REMEDY THE SITUATION AS AGREED STOP I CANNOT OVEREMPHASIZE HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS TO OUR COMPANY AND THE INDUSTRY
REGARDS
WALTER WANGER
Letter to Solly Wurtzel, associate production manager on
Cleopatra
and my assistant.
Dear Solly:
Please advise me whether our insurance covers Elizabeth Taylor not reporting today on account of a sore throat.
S
EPTEMBER
30, 1960
Liz has a cold. We started shooting around her. Two minutes and 20 seconds of sunshine. Temperature: 45 degrees.
Since there are many scenes in the film that do not require Liz, we started on an exterior shot which the art department had been preparing for some time. The scene of Caesar (Peter Finch) and Mark Antony (Stephen Boyd) entering the city of Alexandria, peopled by thousands of extras, was a “glass shot.”
The camera and crew were mounted on a high platform opposite the impressive set—a million dollars’ worth of temples, other buildings, and the bow of a large galley, floating in a tank. In front of the camera lens there was a glass on which had been painted an Egyptian countryside and buildings. These appeared to extend out from the real set, substituting for the drab British countryside. When done skillfully, it is impossible to tell what is real scenery and what is painted on the glass. However, the light
on the real set and that painted on the glass must match exactly during shooting, which makes it tricky.
The hairdressers’ union is still adamant about letting Guilaroff work in England. Officially, it takes the position that by the London office’s failure to get a work permit for Guilaroff we are forcing Guilaroff down their throats. And by using him we are casting aspersions on the art of hairdressing as practiced in England.
Their real antagonism stems from the fact that Guilaroff didn’t get along with some of the female members of the union the last time he worked in England. They vowed then that he would never get another special work permit.
O
CTOBER
2, 1960
Elizabeth still ill. Dr. Carl Heinz Goldman, a leading Harley Street physician, attending her.
Still having problems with the script.
Met this evening with Sir Tom O’Brien, Member of Parliament and head of the British Motion Picture Producers’ Association, about Guilaroff. Sir Tom is a great character; jovial, a stout-drinker and an old friend. He wants to do everything possible to help us but says his hands are tied. This silly situation is getting desperate.
Speaking for myself, I can do without Guilaroff, who considers himself an authority on everything from hair to scripts and production, probably because he is paid like an executive—$1,100 a week plus $600 a week expenses.
O
CTOBER
3, 1960
Two minutes and 15 seconds of sunshine today. It’s bitter cold. Elizabeth has a temperature of 100 degrees and can’t come to the studio for wardrobe tests.
Oliver Messel, the costume designer, is complaining about his position and authority; Sidney Guilaroff is complaining about his
position; Mamoulian is complaining about the writers; Skouras called Rogell to complain about Mamoulian.
O
CTOBER
5, 1960
Skouras cabled, indignantly denying he made any attack against me to Elizabeth. Added he was “worried to death” about our script, urged me to avoid friction and delays, produce a great picture.
To which I can only say, “Let’s get on with it.”
O
CTOBER
8, 1960
Skouras called Rogell and told him he should get close to Liz and Eddie; he should play golf with Eddie and send flowers to Liz. Rogell told me of the conversation and said that he will wait for me to introduce him to them before beginning to try and win them over. Later in the day, however, Eddie called to tell me that Rogell phoned to ask about Elizabeth’s health.
Everybody is trying to play Liz. The Fox people believe I am using her too, but the fact is she and I are not as close as they think. I am not a member of her inner circle. I have always kept what I consider to be a proper professional relationship. I am not a sycophant or a hanger-on, which is why I think Liz respects our relationship, which has been a wonderful one as far as I am concerned.
O
CTOBER
10, 1960
Went to Elizabeth’s suite at the Dorchester to say goodbye to Eddie, who is going to New York for a few days.
Guilaroff was there discussing her hair, and Oliver Messel was attempting a fitting. Each man had assistants and they had their assistants. It was a scene of mass confusion.
But Elizabeth was in tears. She didn’t want Eddie to leave. She kissed and hugged him before he left the room. When he left she ran to the room telephone again to have him paged in the lobby. She told him on the telephone again to be careful and
hurry back. She said she was planning to stay up all night until he called her from California.
O
CTOBER
11, 1960
Meeting tonight with the entire membership of the English Motion Picture Producers’ Association. The subject: Sidney Guilaroff. This is ridiculous. The Cold War continues, and we are all casualties.
TELEGRAM TO SIR TOM O’BRIEN:
DEAR TOM I CANNOT IMPRESS TOO STRONGLY ON YOU THE SERIOUS POSITION WE FIND OURSELVES IN THAT WITH THE RESIGNATION OF THE HAIRDRESSERS AND THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF GETTING REPLACEMENTS FROM YOUR ORGANIZATION THAT OUR CORPORATION IS BEING PUT IN AN UNTENABLE POSITION BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD TO SUSPEND OPERATIONS AND CONTINUE TO CARRY ON OUR PAYROLL AN ENORMOUS OVERHEAD STOP NATKE MUST IMMEDIATELY SUPPLY US WITH SUITABLE HAIRDRESSERS OR WE WILL HAVE TO CLOSE DOWN PERMANENTLY STOP EVERY HOUR COUNTS AS THE COMPANY CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE DAY TO DAY DELAY IN FINDING THESE SUITABLE HAIRDRESSERS FROM NATKE PLEASE CONTACT ME AT THE STUDIO OR AT HOME
REGARDS
WALTER WANGER
O
CTOBER
12, 1960
Met with Elizabeth at the Dorchester about the Guilaroff situation.
Liz still had a low fever, but she hoped to be well within a day or two. I told her the situation—that if Guilaroff continued on the picture we would be faced with another expensive hairdressers’ walkout.
“I don’t want the picture to close down,” she said. “I don’t
want a strike, but I don’t want Oliver Messel to do my hair.” Messel, who was designing Elizabeth’s wardrobe, had said he couldn’t prepare her properly as Cleopatra unless he also designed her jewelry, shoes, hairdress, wigs, etc.
“Whatever you work out is all right with me,” Liz finally conceded. As usual, she couldn’t have been nicer.
O
CTOBER
13, 1960
The London
Daily Mail
has a story out that Liz has not been appearing in public because she is too fat. The Fox press department issued a denial. The
Express
also denied the story—said she is ill and not overweight.
O
CTOBER
14, 1960
Heavy frost. Two-minutes, 15 seconds of sunshine, one thousand extras. Liz still ill.
O
CTOBER
15, 1960
Sir Tom O’Brien called and complained that the union is embarrassed by the deal I made with the hairdressers, but he is happy they are back at work.
I had promised the girls a bonus if they would go back to work—anything to get on with the action, and the hell with protocol.
Mamoulian called Skouras, who was all kindness but can’t understand why we don’t shut down the company and let the insurance carry the burden. Rogell, on the other hand, believes we should make every effort to continue shooting around Elizabeth, who still has a temperature.
O
CTOBER
18, 1960
Trouble brewing with the insurance companies.
F. G. Geddes, the insurance adjuster for Topliss & Harding representing Lloyd’s of London, is on the set every day checking everything we are doing. He knows everything that is going on.
Whenever anyone doesn’t show up, or if a horse breaks a leg, or a piece of equipment is lost or stolen, Geddes is right on it. He is savvy enough about movies to be able to make suggestions to the production department on scenes they can shoot without Liz, so the picture continues.
Received a copy of a memo to Geddes from Lord Evans, the Queen’s physician, who was called in as a consultant by Dr. Goldman.
He traced Elizabeth’s illness back to an abscess she had three weeks ago. Then she developed what seemed to be a common cold, but it was accompanied by a mild fever which persisted despite treatment with a variety of antibiotics. He cautiously diagnosed it as “a case of infection of doubtful origin.”
He said it could be a virus or some sort of a Bacillus abortus or Malta fever infection.
Whatever the cause, he pronounced her clearly unfit for work and ordered her to stay in bed until the fever subsided.
O
CTOBER
20, 1960
Mamoulian getting unhappy.
Rogell is an outspoken man whose first loyalty is to Twentieth. A company man, he didn’t think Rouben was working out for us, and he didn’t hesitate to say so.
Rouben is an Armenian who is very set in his ways but he has great integrity. He cannot tolerate not knowing what is going on, he doesn’t like interference, and he doesn’t like to be “pushed” as Rogell is “pushing” him. He takes great pride in his artistry. Like many directors, he fancies himself an expert on the entire art of cinema. He considers himself a writer, thinks he knows more about the camera than the cameraman—and is not always tactful about speaking out. Even in the tension of this situation which requires 24-hour-a-day attention, he refuses to discuss business at mealtimes. He frequently tried my patience, but I believe in his artistry and am willing to let him find his own level.
