| Show r- r F i Looking at HOLLYWOOD LLY r HP THAT HAT man Laughton's here again ogain Having just come through with one of those amazing character de de- delineations delineations de- de delineations of his in The Suspect the brash feller now moves into his swashbuckling armor once more Were We're going to see sec what Im I'm sure most of us have long yearned to see and that's the character of Captain Bligh of the famous Bounty operating operating operating ing on the shady side of the law For that in a nutshell is the es es- essence essence sence of Charles Laughton's role as Captain Kidd He plays a hard tough rough rugged ob ob- obscene obscene obscene scene man an in individual in- in individual of low birth who lives up to the very worst possible ex ex- He is is' coarse vulgar i and common yet 54 I aspires to enter the lle highest ranks Charles Laughton of the th e British B n t IS h no- no noI He is obsequious obsequious' to the point I of utter disgust in the presence of his betters while plotting to stab them in the back which back which he accomplishes accomplishes with the utmost glee and the foulest treachery This story could have lave the modern setting of today but this is Charlies Charlie's story so lets let's get on with it Its rf's It a Trade Secret What I want to know is how does Cuddles Laughton do it No use asking him How does a fish swim a bird fly No star in pictures is tougher to interview than my friend Cuddles He has a genius for throw throw- throwing throwing throwing ing an interviewer off oft balance with one shrewd crack brusquely tossed out I know Hes He's tried it on me It just happens that I swing a mean bludgeon myself We get along but beautifully You know Hedda he said to tome tome tome me when I asked him about his Cap Gap captain Captain tain Kidd role nothing so titivates the vanity of an actor as giving his versatility a workout And his voice trailed off in one of those droll deep throated chuckles that can chill the spines of audiences Ive always had the feeling he went on that Captain Bligh was a apiece apiece apiece piece of unfinished business We left him in midair so to speak Its It's in in- interesting interesting interesting to speculate on what would have come off of had Bligh been the theone theone theone one to desert the law instead of Christian I have often said to my my- myself self What a pirate Bligh would have been A man of such tenacity pow- pow power er r self-discipline self a a. a real master of men could have become king of all buccaneers You Y u may imagine my pleasure then ihen at having a role of exactly that flavor dropped into my lap A Dream Come True When Ben Bogeaus proposed that I play Captain Kidd for him I said Have you got a script Where Where- Whereupon Whereupon Whereupon upon he placed in my hands a lit lib literary wary creation by Norman Reilly Raine which in my opinion is as fine a contribution to screen litera litera- literature literature literature ture as you'll uncover in a months month's search And of course Id I'd wanted w t d dall all along to play Kidd I suspect most of us if we told the truth would own to a suppressed s eQ libido where pirates are concerned Captain Kidd promises to be something more than just another Laughton film Its It's an outward manifestation of something that keeps stirring beneath the surface of things in Hollywood I mean the constant and ceaseless of new personalities the struggle of talent to rise to the surface and above it Even I was impressed by a re re- remark remark remark mark Bogeaus made about Laugh Laugh- ton Captain Kidd was vas handed me Bogeaus said by Rowland V. V Lee who has always yearned to direct it Instantly I thought of pf Mutiny on the Bounty And what did I remember about it Why Laughton as Bligh It wasn't Clark Gable you remembered remembered remembered or the others It was Laugh- Laugh Laughton ton He dominated even the scenes scenes where he didn't appear I the Laughton's other films Henry films Henry Eight Ruggles of Red Gap The Beachcomber etc You couldn't get away from it I simply had to have Laughton Chuck Laughton who has feelers like a cat is happy about Captain Kidd Incidentally if it clicks licks its it's going to make Laughton a wad of oi money cause c use hes he's got an interest in the profits Just about everybody on the Kidd picture has a percent percent- percentage age deal Other producers talk about such a plan Arthur Lyons and David Loew have one up their sleeve But Bogeaus is really doing it I shall watch the future of this young man with much interest I dont don't know where hes he's going but buthe's buthe's buthe's hes he's headed somewhere e e e Living Lilting and Learning One of our boys now in Germany sent me a clipping about Mickey Rooney from Belgium The fog came down Where the fields were there was a great blankness and a soldier in a jeep said I want w nt to get out of the army and go home to tomy tomy tomy my wife as soon as this is But ButI I pity the guy who doesn't see this for himself Seeing the way these guys suffer makes me appreciate ev ev- everything everything everything I I have havel The private was Mickey Rooney who's touring the combat zone in a a three soldier jeep |
