A Star Is Born: The Making of the 1954 Movie and Its 1983 Restoration (39 page)

Kalmenson, after attending both sneak previews of A Star Is Born, had
insisted that the picture be shortened; but Warner, backed by Luft and
Cukor, refused, reminding Kalmenson of the fact that Gone With the
Wind, at three hours and forty minutes, had just been reissued by MGM
and had been one of the summer's top-grossing films. He also pointed out
that Warners' The High and the Mighty, which clocked in at two hours and
forty-five minutes, was doing spectacular business throughout the country.

Word of the internal dissension about the cutting of the film had
reached the trade press, and Warner felt obliged to issue a statement to
Variety to the effect that the picture was going to be released at its full
three-hour-and-two-minute length, assuring worried exhibitors that they
were in fact getting two films for the price of one and that all they had to
do was drop their second feature to show A Star Is Born without difficulty.
With that problem apparently put to rest, Warner, Garland, and Luft went off on their European jaunt, as Kalmenson began planning the picture's
release schedule while simultaneously complaining to everyone within earshot about the length of the picture.

Across town in his Madison Avenue headquarters, David 0. Selznick,
frustrated with Warner's lack of cooperation or response, finally started
legal action, but not before sending another pleading and threatening letter
to Warner, saying:

... Jack, I think you are in grave jeopardy. You must think otherwise, or you
would not be running these risks. My previous letters to you have elicited
curious replies that seem to imply your recognition of our position, while the
behavior of your lawyers continues to be nothing but aggravating ... I am
sincerely sorry that they have forced me into a position which I hope you will
not regret ... from this point on it will ... be in the hands of my lawyers, and
the lawyers for our distributors ... as I have authorized [them] to proceed in
such manner as they deem appropriate, to protect and enforce our rights.
Counsel have already been engaged for this purpose here in New York and
abroad.

With kindest regards,
David.

The subsequent lawsuit was given front-page prominence in both daily and
weekly Variety and the Hollywood Reporter, with Variety commenting on
the fact that Selznick's suit was unusual in that "this is the first case of this
kind ... wherein Selznick is trying to restrain Warners from distributing
[their remake] in any country where Selznick has rights to release his
original version.... [Selznick] also charges that WB's threat to exhibit the
new Star ... in direct competition with [his] 1937 film has caused him
`irreparable damage.' Warner, in making a denial, maintains Selznick's
rights aren't as broad as he maintains."

Several weeks later, after Warner and the Lufts had returned from their
European trip, columnist Leonard Lyons reported on a dinner party at
which both Warner and Selznick were guests:

... After the ladies had gone upstairs, the men moved up nearer the host.
I sat between David Selznick and Jack Warner. "I still can't get Jack to listen," said Selznick. Warner wasn't listening. He was busy with his
vaudeville comic patter, reaching for the only thing he covets, besides good
movies-laughs.... And Selznick told me: "Warner cleared everything,
but overlooked [the fact] that I still own the foreign rights." Warner still
wasn't listening. "Print this," he said to me. "I know a man whose factory
is on the blink." And I told him, "Where there's smoke, there'll be you,
ha-ha."

While the attorneys prepared their briefs, preparations were going full
speed ahead for the September 29 opening at the Pantages in Hollywood.
Warner had instructed his studio publicity chief, Bill Hendricks, to give
A Star Is Born the biggest, most elaborate, most glamorous opening that
the city had ever seen. He wanted to return to the legendary premieres of
years past, with the largest possible turnout of stars. Not only would it be
great publicity, but he also wanted to eclipse Fox's opening for The Robe,
just over one year before. To this end, Warner involved himself more than
usual in the preparations for the premiere, sending personal telegrams to
every major star and ex-major star in Hollywood. Those who received his
invitations needed little urging; the picture and its problems, the lengthy
shooting schedule, and its final astronomical cost had been the talk of the
town for months. And Garland, whatever her foibles, was still an object of
intense curiosity to everyone in the business. This much-touted, monumental "comeback" film of hers was awaited as nothing had been since The
Robe, and Warner had very little trouble in getting acceptances from
almost every major personality he invited-almost, but not quite. James
Mason, who abhorred what he referred to as "that premiere nonsense,"
declined to attend, prompting Warner to wire the actor and his wife
Pamela:

Just learned you have not accepted invitation to be my guest at theatre as
well as party at Cocoanut Crove following the premiere. Have held tickets
for you, and will personally appreciate hearing from you. Please telephone
me at the studio. There's an old adage: One must put something back if they
want to continue taking something out. Assure you only good can come from
your attending. Affair will be covered by hundreds of radio and television
stations throughout the USA and world, so why not get on the team and have
a good time with us all?

Best,
Jack

Mason, however, held firm: "Many thanks for good wishes and invitations,
but you have nothing to worry about. I am sure the picture will be a great
success. Best wishes, James and Pamela Mason." Another disappointment
was Darryl Zanuck's inability to make the festivities; Warner wanted him
to see just how good an opening the studio could stage, outclassing The
Robe festivities, and with a much better picture. But Zanuck, in his letter
of apology to Warner, offered some interesting advice:

Many thanks for your personal invitation to opening. . . . Virginia [Mrs.
Zanuck] is already going as the guest of Clifton Webb, and I am sure they
are going to your party afterwards. I am in a very difficult position-Spyros
[Skouras] is returning from Europe ... and is bringing some financial people
with him and confidentially, these are people I cannot brush off, and they
will only be able to meet with me that night and then they are returning
immediately.... I do not have to wish you good luck on your premiere as
I know it is already in the bag. May I suggest that in your advertising
campaign you emphasize CinemaScope, and I say this because we really do
not have one important box office name in The Egyptian . . . and yet
... you know ... we are doing much bigger business than any picture since
The Robe ... even running ahead of How to Marry a Millionaire, which
was the second CinemaScope release . . . and therefore I must attach
enormous importance ... to the trademark CinemaScope.

Affectionate regards,
Darryl

Warner had much better luck with his entreaties to Groucho Marx,
although not at first, for the comedian wrote to Warner on September i6:

Dear Jack:

I rarely go to premieres, but I am deeply disappointed that I cannot go to
the one for Judy Garland. Unfortunately, I give a show every Wednesday
night and when I say unfortunately I am referring to the sponsor, not to me.

Regards,
Groucho

Warner kept after him, however, and on the zoth Marx replied:

I received your wire and contents barely noted. Seriously, folks, if you are
as eager for me to go to A Star Is Born's opening-I almost said Judy Garland's-as you profess to be, I will make a deal with you: You either pick
me up with your car and chauffeur or send a car for me, and I will cancel
my Wednesday night performance. . . . In recent years I have avoided
opening nights of this kind because at the conclusion of the picture I always
find myself walking in the rain looking for my parking lot while out front
the uniformed doorman is bellowing, "Dore Schary's car." This goes on
endlessly. Either Dore Schary [head of production at MGM] has fifteen or
twenty cars or he has slipped the doorman a sizeable sum to keep howling
into the night, "Dore Schary's car! Dore Schary's car! Dore Schary's car!"

Yours until you buy a DeSoto,
Groucho

Meanwhile, as preparations for the premiere intensified, relations between Warner and Luft and Garland had been steadily worsening as the
strain of the previous year took its toll. Now that the picture was completed, Warner felt he did not have to put up with what he considered
unprofessional and unreliable behavior on the part of Garland, nor any of
her temper tantrums. While he recognized her as a major talent, she was
also, in his own words, "a major pain in the ass." Garland could still
charm him when she tried, but her tolerance was low for what she considered unreasonable and intrusive demands. Chief among them were the
plans for publicity surrounding the first four premieres of the film, which
made heavy demands on Garland. Initially she balked at the thought of
a whirlwind tour of four major cities in one week; but when she was
reminded that it was her own company that had made the film and that
she stood to gain from making herself available for the tour, she softened
her stance and agreed to attend the New York opening. Warner and
Kalmenson persisted in their demand that she also go to Chicago and
Detroit, two of the major movie markets; when Warner suggested that
she and Luft vacation with him in Europe, she finally relented and agreed
to cooperate. But this well-intentioned gesture on Warner's part backfired. Garland had wanted to take a quiet three weeks off with her family;
Luft, however, talked her into taking Warner's offer. In Europe she
found herself surrounded by Continental and American cafe society,
whose company and pursuits began to pall on her. The month had
strained her nerves to almost the breaking point, and by the end of August she was bored, irritable, and hostile. Sid Luft related to Gerold
Frank that at one point, after he left Garland in Monte Carlo to go off to Deauville to see Aly Khan's stud farm, the actress had mixed pills and
liquor in too strong a fashion, which brought on a minor nervous breakdown, and she had been confined in a psychiatric clinic for several days.
Warner had returned to the United States by that time and knew nothing of this. After Garland's return to normalcy, she and Luft had gone
to Paris, then London. According to Luft, Jack Warner advanced them
money for the European trip out of anticipated profits from the film.
(Samuel Goldwyn is reputed to have sent Warner a telegram after seeing the picture, predicting that it would gross $26 million.) At some
point the couple contacted Warner, for a cable to him from the Lufts in
London elicited this reply on September 5: "... explained emphatically
to Sid at studio I personally or for company can't do more than have
done . . . have been very square in all our dealings . . . company has
refused to go further financially ... all this beyond my control." Evidently, Harry Warner had stepped in and told Jack to spend no more on
the film, other than what had already been budgeted for prints and advertising.

Harry Warner had finally seen his brother's $5 million gamble on the
star power of Judy Garland, and he was concerned about the ability of the
film and the actress to pay for themselves. His concern was shared by others
in the company, including, surprisingly enough, Jack Warner himself. In
a memo to head of national publicity Mort Blumenstock, the week before
the picture's opening, he commented:

Analyzing and thinking about ASIB (as who of us isn't?) it is quite apparent
that being off the screen for five years . . . Judy Garland is not a favorite
... nor is she even known to many teenagers.... at a party recently at which
[she] sang, there was a group of 16-17-year-olds. The kids got a kick out of
her but evidently did not know her. One of the youngsters was overheard
remarking "She's good ... I don't remember seeing her before.... What's
she been in?" . . . It might be worthwhile to think of some way of penetrating
to this 12-18-year-old group ... these youngsters influence their parents
when selecting the movies they go to ... and if there was only some way
of Garland ingratiating herself with them . . . becoming "fans," it could
snowball for Garland and for us.

To achieve this, it was imperative that Garland be kept happy and
cooperative. Jack Warner convinced Harry to allow him to give Garland and Luft additional monies for their own personal use during the four-city
premiere jaunt-but with strict supervision, as he explained in a memo to
one of the company's vice-presidents, Samuel Schneider:

I have agreed to advance $1200 for out of pocket expenses for Judy Garland
and for the people going to New York with her on the train. This is in
addition to their railroad fares. I have also agreed to advance them additional
money when they need it for meals away from the hotels, trips, car hire and
miscellaneous expenses.... It is up to you fellows to hold these down. This
out of pocket money should be at a minimum, but we do not want this entire
operation to blow up in our faces in New York, or any of the other cities.
So we will have to suffer a little.

With peace between the Warner and the Luft/Garland camps reestablished, the studio now put all its energy and effort into launching the
film amid a blaze of ballyhoo and excitement that was unprecedented, even
by the colossal standards of Hollywood. Sixteen klieg lights made the night
sky above the Pantages Theatre glow; Warner's arm-twisting resulted in a
galaxy of close to two hundred and fifty major personalities alighting from
their limousines to the shrieking delight of the twenty thousand fans lining
the streets around the theater. The festivities were carried live coast-tocoast by NBC-TV. ABC supplied simultaneous radio coverage over two
hundred stations, while kinescopes and radio tape recordings the next day
started beaming the program around the world and even across the Iron
Curtain into the Soviet Union.