Happy Birthday Olivia DeHavilland!

Today is Olivia DeHavilland’s birthday. You can look it up if you want to know her age. Ask me and all I’ll say is that she’s timeless; and a real lady. Back in 2010 I wrote a short review of one of my favorite films and then sent a copy to her in Paris; where she has resided for longer than many people have been alive. I never in my wildest dreams expected to hear back from her; especially by e-mail!

So, here it is, 5 years later and this message is still one of the most treasured things I have from doing this blog. I have the Ernie Borgnine note; and the Tommy Chong one; and a bunch of others; but none mean as much to me as this one. She was Maid Marian to me as a kid, and still remains so to this very day. I especially love the fact that she chided me for having confused her with Maureen O’Hara and the “oaters” she made with John Wayne, as opposed to the ones she made with Errol Flynn.  And of course it touched me greatly that she signed it from Maid Marian.

Happy Birthday Ms. DeHavilland! You are forever young…..

Here is the original review of the film. 

I was watching an old movie last night, not an unusual thing for me to be doing. The film was "Robin Hood", the 1938 version with Errol Flynn and Olivia DeHavilland. Of all the versions of this film, this is my favorite. The seeming spontaneity of the acting, along with the lively banter and the plethora of fine character actors, has always made this film a joy to watch. The tale is familiar and the plot fairly simple. And there is also the simplified version of history that has its own attraction for me.

I was pleasantly surprised this morning to learn that Ms. DeHavilland is still with us, alive and well, living in Paris. She has lived there since the 1950's when she was married to Paris Match editor Pierre Galante in 1955. Though the couple divorced in 1979, she remained in Paris and on close terms with Mr. Galante, even nursing him through his final days of illness in 1998.

Her career is a storied one. Eight films with Errol Flynn, including; "Robin Hood", "Captain Blood", "The Charge of the Light Brigade" and "They Died with Their Boots On." Of course, many will remember her for her role as Melanie in "Gone with the Wind." And along the way she never made any films with John Wayne. (This is a personal joke between Maid Marion and me.)

Her high mark in the movies, at least for me, is her stark portrayal of a woman dealing with mental illness in the 1948 classic "The Snake Pit." If you have never seen that film, well, you should.

So this is just a shout out to Ms. DeHavilland on the occasion of her 94th birthday. Thanks for the films, which will be with us always, providing entertainment to yet another generation of film enthusiasts.  

A Very Happy Birthday to you, Maid Marian.

Olivia DeHavilland - Free Agent

A very Happy Birthday to Olivia DeHavilland! Most people think of her as Melanie in "Gone With the Wind", or as Maid Marian in "Robin Hood"; or as a score of other characters she portrayed in her long and storied career. And that would be enough of a legacy in and of itself. But there is more to Ms. De Havilland's story than all that.

When you pick up the sports pages, and see the articles about athletes negotiating as "free agents", we never think of the role Ms. De Havilland played in the drama of labor negotiations. Actually, when you come right down to it, she is the star of that show.

Ms. De Havilland was under contract to Warner Brothers for seven years in 1943 when she filed suit. Her initial one year contract had been extended each year since 1936 for a total of 7 years. The studio was trying to take the position that the extensions were separate contracts of 1 year apiece. The court ruled that 1 times 7 equals 7 and so she was free to pursue her interests with other studios.

It’s a good thing, too. Otherwise we might not have her in such groundbreaking films as “The Snake Pit.” Her victory in the case became known as the De Havilland Law and affects entertainers in film, television and even the music industry. 

The De Havilland Law is the informal name of California Labor Code Section 2855, the California law disallowing personal services contracts between an entity and one party beyond 7 years from the original date of contract. These are contracts apply to individuals who's services cannot be duplicated by anyone else. Athletes are a good example, as well as actors and some musicians.

This was quite a blow to the old “studio” system of making movies. Although that system did reward the actors/actresses with security; and a good bit of money; it had a chilling effect on the creative side of things. Actors were not free to make movies with actors from other studios. That would come later on; after Ms. De Havilland became a “free agent.”

So, this year I’m wishing a very Happy Birthday to a woman who was ahead of her time and made a difference in the lives of so many creative people. Without her successful fight for her own artistic freedom, which is what this case was all about, think of all the wonderful artists and performers who may have never reached their apex. That loss would have been ours.

Ms. De Havilland as Maid Marian in "Robin Hood".

"Confederate Honey" with Bugs Bunny (1940)

This little cartoon was released a year after "Gone With the Wind" hit the silver screen. It is very much simplified and plays lose with the characters and the events, but it's easy to see that this is a satire of the film. I've been getting into looking at these type of cartoons, ones which are takeoffs of films and books. Some of them are very clever. This is one of the not so clever ones.

And of course, here is the trailer for the movie "Gone With the Wind", from which the plot of the cartoon was taken;

"The Petrified Forest" with Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart

Before Humphrey Bogart became typecast as, well, Humphrey Bogart, he worked as an actor on Broadway. And he was good. In 1935 he was in a play, "The Petrified Forest", acting opposite Leslie Howard, who would go on to be forever immortalized as Ashley Wilkes in "Gone With the Wind." The play concerned a ruthless gangster named Duke Mantee, played by Bogart. After escaping from prison with 3 other fugitives they head for the Mexican border. When a sandstorm strands them, they wait and hijack the first car that comes along. They then seek shelter in an out of the way cafe owned by an old man, played by Charlie Grapewin, and his son,played by Porter Hall, along with the old man's grandaughter, Gabrielle, played with perfect innocence by Bette Davis. When an idle dreamer wanders into the cafe, Leslie Howard's role, the dynamics of all three parties are changed as each of the characters attempt to assert themselves, and the things in which they believe. When the former occupants of the stolen car arrive, the circle is closed and the tension mounts.

This movie might not have been made were it not for the generosity and fellowship of Leslie Howard for his friend, and acting partner, Humphrey Bogart. In late 1934 Robert Sherwood was casting for the play of a book called "The Petrified Forest." He had seen Bogart earlier that year in "Invitation to a Murder" and decided that he would be perfect in the role of Duke Mantee. Bogart got the part and the show opened on January 7th, 1935 to rave reviews for Leslie Howard. Bogart was not even named along with the cast in the Herald Tribune.

The show was a hit and Warner Brother's studios bought the book, intending to make it into a movie. Leslie Howard had already promised Bogart that if a movie were made from the play, Bogart would have his original part. But this was not his promise to make.

When Bogart got word that warner's had bought the book, and that he was only to be "optioned" for the role of Duke Mantee, he sent a cable to Scotland, where Leslie Howard was on vacation. Leslie Howard shot a telegram to Warner's that stated either Bogart was in, or Howard was out. Bogart got a $400 per week contract and the role as Duke Mantee. The rest, is of course, history.

The movie itself is a real gem. Over-emoted in places, this is a real old fashioned melodrama, where each character has a deeper meaning. Duke is Evil, but with his own sense of honor. Gabrielle is Innocence, and she falls for Leslie Howard's Dreamer with his ever questioning cyniscm, walking across the country, on his way to the Pacific "to drown, perhaps." The old man represents Memory, and he clearly rejoices in Duke's living outside the law. His son represents the old ways, the way things have always been and should be, with no room for change. The banker, his wife and chauffer are the Establishment, thinking only of money and looking to buy their way out of any situation they are in.

But the real star in this finely written and directed movie, is love. Leslie Howard loves Gabrielle so much that he strikes a deal with Duke. He wants to be shot as Duke leaves, after all Duke is already on death row, so what can they do to him? In turn, he has signed his life insurance over to Gabrielle, so that she can leave the desert and pursue her dream of living in France to become a writer. I told you this was a melodrama...

The interaction between the black chauffer,Joseph, played by John Alexander and his counterpart in Duke's right hand man, Slim, played by Slim Thompson, is a visual lesson in "lean freedom versus fat slavery."

This is one of my all time favorite films. I used to watch it on PBS on Saturday nights when they ran classic films. Classic films have now become the province of AMC and TCM, where there are always classic films playing. And I enjoy them all. But somehow I find myself missing those late Saturday night viewings. They seemed so special when you had to wait.