Wonderland Burlesque's Let's All Go To The Movies: Hollywood Trash Edition

Wonderland Burlesque's

Let's All Go To The Movies

Hollywood Trash Edition

Today's Let's All Go To The Movies is all about some of the trashiest fictional films Hollywood ever made about itself. Stuff so ripe, it begs you to take it seriously. 

Out of control actors, ruthless producers, ambitious starlets, unscrupulous agents... these films have got it all and more! When the stakes are so high and some of the actors are even higher, things get dramatic. Wealth, power, fame, and success all have their mirrored opposite, so live such as these turn on a dime. 

Remember... you're only as good as your last motion picture.

So, let's dive in... and unpack the goods on these notorious Hollywood fables.

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The Bad And The Beautiful

(1952)

Told in flashback form, the film traces the rise and fall of a tough, ambitious Hollywood producer as seen through the eyes of various acquaintances, including a writer, a starlet, and a director. This producer is a hard-driving, ambitious man who ruthlessly uses everyone on the way to becoming one of Hollywood's top movie makers.

Based on the 1949 magazine story Of Good And Evil by George Bradshaw, which was expanded into a longer version called Memorial To A Bad Man, this modern melodrama was directed by Vincente Minnelli, written by George Bradshaw and Charles Schnee, and stars Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Walter Pidgeon, Dick Powell, Barry Sullivan, Gloria Grahame and Gilbert Roland. It won five Academy Awards out of six nominations in 1952 - including Gloria Grahame winning Best Supporting Actress.

Kirk Douglas landed the lead role after Clark Gable had turned it down. then Spencer Tracy

In conferences with Kirk Douglas, Vincente Minnelli suggested he downplay his character's explosive side and focus on charm instead. Douglas agreed, but throughout shooting, whenever he finished a scene, he would say, "I was very charming in that scene, wasn't I?" After filming was completed, Douglas sent Minnelli a note complimenting him for getting "out of me a much more quiet quality than I have ever been able to get in any picture".

Kirk Douglas' character is thought to be a mixture of producer David O. Selznick, Orson Welles and producer Val Lewton. Lana Turner's character, the alcoholic daughter of an iconic actor, is very clearly based on Diana Barrymore. The college professor turned best-selling author turned screenwriter, is thought to be based on Paul Green, a UNC professor who followed a similar career track. Gilbert Roland's appearance as 'Gaucho' is seen as a self-parody; the Mexican-born actor, once a star in silent dramas, had just appeared as The Cisco Kid in a string of B-westerns.

Concerned about Lana Turner's insecurities and talk of her limited acting abilities, Vincente Minnelli got her through her first scene by telling her that every retake was the result of somebody else's problem. Through gentle coaching he got a strong performance out of her while also keeping her confidence intact.

The scene in which Lana Turner drives off into the rainy night after discovering that Kirk Douglas has been cheating on her was so complicated it took weeks after she had finished the rest of her scenes before she got to film it. Vincente Minnelli put the car's interior on a turntable, then choreographed the camera's moves in and out as the turntable shifted position. He instructed Lana Turner to build her emotions to hysteria throughout the complicated take. It took a day to get all the angles Minnelli wanted, by which time Turner truly was hysterical. The scene was one of the most memorable in the movie.

Gloria Grahame's character was based on Zelda Fitzgerald, as Dick Powell's character was a combination of Paul Green and F. Scott Fitzgerald. At nine minutes and 32 seconds, Grahame's performance in this movie became the shortest to ever win an Oscar. She held the record until 1976, when Beatrice Straight won for her 5 minute performance in 1976's Network.

Though Gloria Grahame does not appear until the very last flashback, her performance in this film is the ultimate finishing touch for what was a banner year for her, 1952. Not only did she win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for this film but also starred in two other hits the same year: as a sultry adulteress in Sudden Fear, and as a circus performer in the biggest box office smash of the year, Cecil B. DeMille's epic The Greatest Show on Earth, which won the Oscar for Best Picture of the Year.

Vincente Minnelli was so impressed by Ned Glass' performance as the wardrobe man, he kept expanding his role. After two days of shooting, he still needed a close-up of Glass, but the next day the actor did not show up. Having failed to do a thorough background check before shooting started, MGM had hired Glass without realizing he had been blacklisted. The night before his final shot, studio security had called to inform him he would not be allowed on the lot. After a hasty conference with studio executives, MGM decided they would rather ignore the blacklist than pay the $20,000 to $30,000 it would require to re-shoot the key scene. Glass, who plays the wardrobe man in the cat costume scene, was an active member of the Living Newspaper unit of the Federal Theater project on Broadway during the Depression, an organization accused of being leftist and pro-communist by many on the political right. After Glass was blacklisted during the Joseph McCarthy Red Scare era, he became a carpenter.

The elegant, bejeweled older woman seen on the arm of one of the main characters at the cocktail party is Bess Flowers. Known in the industry as 'The Queen of the Extras', she was considered to be something of a good luck charm, and made cameo appearances in more than a thousand movies over her decades long career.

Sex is mentioned six times throughout the film. While this may not be a big deal today, the filmmakers in 1952 had trouble getting the word to make it past the censors.

And speaking of sex... Kirk Douglas was highly interested in Lana Turner during the shooting, but he could not do anything because of the presence of Fernando Lamas, Turner's boyfriend.

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Too Much, Too Soon

(1958)

The movie tells the true story of Diana Barrymore, a theatrical actress who acted on both stage and screen as part of the legendary Barrymore family. Behind the cameras and backstage, she suffered bouts of alcohol and drug abuse which eventually led to her untimely death.

Based on the autobiography by Diana Barrymore and Gerold Frank, this biographical film about Diana Barrymore was directed by Art Napoleon and stars Dorothy Malone and Errol Flynn, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Ray Danton, Neva Patterson, Murray Hamilton, and Martin Milner.

Warner Bros. purchased the book with Carroll Baker (then under contract) in mind, but she declined on the grounds that she did not want to play "a nymphomaniac". After Baker declined, the role, it was was briefly cast with Anne Baxter and then Ann Blyth. Natalie Wood, also under contract to Warner Bros., was mentioned as a possibility for the lead, but that didn't pan out. Finally, in August of 1957, it was announced Dorothy Malone, who had recently won an Oscar for Written on the Wind would play Diana Barrymore.

Fredric March was mentioned as a possible John Barrymore, but by September of 1957, Errol Flynn was signed to play John Barrymore. Flynn was a friend of Barrymore's and the film was the first he had made for Warner Bros in a number of years. Flynn flew back into Hollywood to make the movie and was arrested only a few days later for public drunkenness, stealing an off duty policeman's badge, and trying to kiss a girl. Flynn denied he was drunk and was released from jail on bail after an hour.

Casablanca director, Michael Curtiz was initially in talks to direct the picture until he ultimately decided that the story was too sordid. Additionally, it seems Flynn refused to work on another movie with director Curtiz, after they'd paired together for a dozen films

The film was based on the tumultuous 1957 best-selling autobiography of Diana Barrymore, written with help from Gerold Frank. Frank was a renowned ghostwriter and had previously worked on Lillian Roth's torrid I'll Cry Tomorrow. There was film interest in the book early on – I'll Cry Tomorrow had been a box office hit and Diana Barrymore had been fictionalized in a popular 1952 movie, The Bad and the Beautiful, as played by Lana Turner.

The devastating mental health issues plaguing the Barrymore family are well documented. Diana expands upon her childhood of neglect and the cycle of abuse she suffered throughout her life in her book. The writing process served as an outlet for Barrymore, where she was able to express her frustrations which she "usually only [got] rid of on a psychiatrist’s couch." She went on to say, "There's no message, I didn't set out to point a moral, but writing it has been a cleansing process. It's like psychiatry in a way." Sadly, Diana faced an untimely death in 1960, a meager three years after the book's publication and two years after the movie had debuted. Unfortunately, it appeared as if she had never overcome her demons, and succumbed to a drug and alcohol overdose.

The mansion used in the movie was once owned by silent star Pola Negri.

Dorothy Malone

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The Oscar

(1966)

A ruthless, ambitious actor has clawed his way to the top of the Hollywood heap. Now, as he's preparing to win an Oscar, one of his friends reminisces over their life together, and the actor's uncompromising struggle to the top and the people he stepped on - everyone he ever met - to make it there.

This drama was directed by Russell Rouse and stars Stephen Boyd, Elke Sommer, Milton Berle, Eleanor Parker, Joseph Cotten, Jill St. John, Tony Bennett, Edie Adams and Ernest Borgnine.

This picture marked the screen debut of singer Tony Bennett. It is the only film in which Bennett played a fictional character. Bennett was cast as a half-Jewish, half-Irish character. In his autobiography, The Good Life, he states that it was a terrible experience and he never sought future roles. 

The  character played by Cheryl Barker was rumored to be producer Joseph E. Levine taking a swipe at actress Carroll Baker, with the character supposedly mimicking Baker's real-life behavior.

Stella Stevens was under contract to Columbia Pictures when this film was made and assigned the Jill St. John role, but turned it down.

The film had to overdub Joseph Cotten's voice, as he was having 'denture issues' at this point in his career.

Production files for the movie at the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library show that the budget for celebrity cameos in the movie was large: Hedda Hopper - $200,000, Edith Head- $107,000, Bob Hope - $550,000, Frank Sinatra - $100,000 and Nancy Sinatra - $10,000. The compensation for the cast of the movie included: Stephen Boyd - $125,000, Jill St. John - $9,000, Tony Bennett - $40,000, Elke Sommer- $75,000, Eleanor Parker - $30,000, Milton Berle - $75,000, and Edie Adams - $10,000.

The real Oscar ceremony scenes were filmed in 1965 during the 37th Academy Awards, the year that My Fair Lady (1964) won Best Picture. It is widely believed that this film led the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to trademark the Academy Award in order to exercise tight control over how and when the organization is referenced in creative projects.

Screenwriter Harlan Ellison was never shown the rushes for the film; they would not let him see a single frame of it. He had no idea how the film would turn out until he saw it when the film was released. So horrified with the results of the final film, he practically wept in the cinema when he saw it. He is known to have despised this movie, which adds to the bad image of the movie itself, but then the writer hated almost all of what Hollywood did to his work.

Listed among the Top 10 Best Bad Movies of All Time in The Official Razzie Movie Guide.

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Valley Of The Dolls

(1967)

A bright, brash young New England college grad leaves her small hometown and heads for Broadway, where she hopes to find an exciting job and sophisticated men. During her misadventures in Manhattan and, later, Hollywood, she shares experiences with two other young hopefuls: a beautiful, statuesque, actress who wants to be accepted as more than a pretty face and sexy body by all the men she meets, and a talented young actress who's accused of using devious means by an established older star to reach the top and steal a good role away from her.

Based on Jacqueline Susann's 1966 novel, this drama was directed by Mark Robson and stars Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Sharon Tate, Susan Hayward, Paul Burke, and Lee Grant.

For the three lead roles, the following actors were considered: Petula Clark, Raquel Welch, Ann-Margret, Candice Bergen, and Jill Ireland.

Carol Lynley was considered for the role of Anne Welles and Stella Stevens was considered for the role of Jennifer North. Marlo Thomas was also considered for the role of Anne Welles. Julie Christie turned down the role of Anne as well as Jennifer. Barbara Parkins originally tested for the role of Neely O'Hara before she was cast as Anne Welles. Jane Fonda turned down the role of Neely O'Hara. Helen Mirren auditioned for the role of Neely O'Hara. Oscar nominated actress Elizabeth Hartman had been cast in the role of Neely O'Hara, beating out some more famous Hollywood actresses. Hartman had allegedly made a successful screen test that "floored" director Mark Robson and producer David Weisbar

Mary Tyler Moore was considered for Jennifer North. Raquel Welch screen-tested for the role of Jennifer North. When she was then offered it, she turned it down and was suspended by 20th Century Fox as a result. Ursula Andress turned down the role of Jennifer. Sharon Tate eventually took the part. This film proved to be a big break for then up-and-coming actress Sharon Tate, even though she admitted that she wasn't at all keen on the book or the resulting film. She hated the novel when first reading it and the script, as well, but auditioned for the film anyway, having known that the film would be a success and boost her career.

Judy Garland originally was cast in the role of Helen Lawson. She was fired because of her drinking and behavior and was replaced by Susan Hayward. Other actors considered as replacements were Tammy Grimes and Bette Davis. Lucille Ball originally was considered for the role of Helen Lawson. After Judy Garland was fired, Ginger Rogers was offered the role of Helen Lawson. She turned it down, because she hated the script. Joan Crawford was considered for the role of Helen Lawson. Judy Garland complained about the press writing about her behavior on this film. She said: "The studio hadn't even built the set yet, and the tabloids had me walking off it". Patty Duke later claimed that director Mark Robson deliberately kept Garland waiting in her dressing room all day, knowing that, when he finally allowed her on the set, she would be drunk by then. Hayward reportedly had a difficult relationship with the cast and crew, and her clashes with Duke became part of the dramatic tension between their characters.

Judy Garland was gifted the sequined pantsuit she was to wear in the movie after she was fired from the film, along with her salary. Since Garland was more petite than Susan Hayward, who replaced her, the other costumes were reworked to fit Hayward. Travilla said of Hayward "She made me take everything out - the lining, the pads, everything. That way, she thought she'd look thinner. I argued that the gowns would fall out of shape. In the end, I had no choice but take it all out; only the beads stayed."

The novel and, by extension, this film adaptation are loosely based on novelist Jacqueline Susann's experience as an actress from the late 1930s to the late 1950s. When her acting career never took off, she settled for her second career of choice - writing novels.

The Helen Lawson character was based loosely on Ethel Merman, and the Neely O'Hara character is a mixture of Betty Hutton, Judy Garland, and Frances Farmer. Merman actually ordered a musical number cut during previews of the show "Panama Hattie" before it opened on Broadway. The singer of that number was Hutton, who was creating quite a sensation with her performance of the song. Just like in the movie, the producer of the show took Hutton to Hollywood and made her a star to make up for her treatment in the show. (Hutton starred in the film version of Annie Get Your Gun (1950), adapted from the Broadway show starring Merman.) The character of Jennifer North is based largely on Marilyn Monroe but also on Carole Landis, while Jacqueline Susann later admitted that Tony Polar was inspired by Dean Martin.

Director Mark Robson had a very combative relationship with all his actresses, particularly singling out Sharon Tate for his harsh treatment. Patty Duke hated working with him, and years later, after his death, still called him "a mean son of a bitch". Patty Duke took the role of Neely O'Hara as an opportunity to transition into more adult roles in film, and because she saw the role as the most dynamic in the script, allowing her to act, sing, and dance. When she learned that, despite her preparations, her vocals were dubbed for the film, she was furious. the general consensus was that audiences had difficulty accepting the clean-cut Patty Duke in the role of a pill-popping prima donna. The irony was that Duke in real life had become addicted to drugs because her guardians fed them to her to help her with her acting.

Censorship restrictions at the time prevented some of the book's more colorful instances from making it into the film, such as Jennifer's experimentation with lesbianism, Ted Casablanca's homosexuality, and Tony's predilection for anal sex.

Dionne Warwick's Scepter recording of the movie theme would peak at #2 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in February of 1968, where it remained for a solid month. Warwick was under contract to a different record label than 20th Century, so the theme on the official soundtrack album was sung by Dory Previn, who also wrote the lyrics. Margaret Whiting dubbed Susan Hayward, but she also was under contract to a different label, so veteran voice double Eileen Wilson sings I'll Plant My Own Tree on the soundtrack album. Judy Garland's pre-recording of the song I'll Plant My Own Tree still survives. Patty Duke's vocals in the film were dubbed by Gail Heideman. Also, an original, unused theme song was written by novelist Jacqueline Susann and Bob Gaudio of The Four Seasons.

At the premiere for the film on an Italian cruise ship, after seeing the film with the cast, crew, and passengers, author Jacqueline Susann admitted to hating the film and called it "a piece of shit" especially for altering the ending of the novel. However, out of respect, she kept her opinions to herself to allow the film to succeed and to not spread bad word of mouth.

Susann was hardly alone in her assessment of the film: screenwriter Harlan Ellison was livid when he saw the finished product. He was especially outraged by the tacked on happy ending, so much so, he had his name removed from the film's credits!

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The Sex Symbol

(1974)

This thinly disguised version of the life of Marilyn Monroe, details her ups and downs in life and how her erratic behavior contributes to her deteriorating career.

This made for television drama was directed by David Lowell Rich and stars Connie Stevens, Shelly Winters and Jack Carter.

Stella Stevens - not Connie - was the first choice for the title role, but turned it down as she disliked the comparisons made between herself and Monroe early in her career.

Connie Stevens

Connie Stevens was offered the role of Honey Bruce in Bob Fosse's Lenny (1974) but turned it down because of the nudity. However, she then accepted the lead in this movie for ABC Television released the same year, which included filming her fully nude for a theatrical version shown in Europe. Stevens filmed full nude scenes (her first) for the movie, which were edited out for the airing on ABC, though word got out and the missing footage was well-documented in the press. The footage was added back to a version shown theatrically in Europe.

Shelley Winters lived with, and was very good friends with, Monroe for a time in the 1940's, when the pair were budding young actresses.

ABC television films were infamous for pushing the boundaries of what was allowed to be seen on television. The network was threatened with legal action by several interested parties related to Marilyn Monroe upon announcing plans to telecast this film.

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And that's all for now...

Tune in next week!

Same time, same channel.

I'll Plant My Own Tree - Susan Hayward

Voice: Margaret Whiting

from the 1967 motion picture Valley Of The Dolls

I'll Plant My Own Tree - Judy Garland

The Story Of Judy Garland In Valley Of The Dolls