The Washington times., 1935-11-02
Took a Month
To Select
Actors

cast for a single picture has been
so carefully selected as was that
which appears in Warner Bros.
"a Midsummer Nights Dream"
When Max Reinhardt, noted
German impresario, was persuaded
to postpone his plans for new
stage productions long enough to
take active charge Of the filming
of the great Shakespearean fan
tasy, he asked for q free hand in
selecting his cast.
Within the necessary legal limi-
tations, this was granted him and
he proceeded to pick the players
for the more than 20 roles in the
picture with extraordinary care.
More than a month elapsed before
Reinhardt was ready to announce
his cast. During that month, the
master craftsman spent most Of
his time in studio projection
rooms, viewing pictures, new and
old, in which the players who in
terested him had previously ap-
peared.
Cagney Wins Role
The role of Bottom he con.
Sidered Of special Importance. It
has been q stage tradition, gen.
orally If not always followed, that
Bottom was a fat man and that
the plight of the poor weaver
wearing the ass head was more
amusing to an audience because
Of the mans size.
Reinhardt discarded this idea
at once If he had ever enter
tanned it. He wanted, he declared,
The best actor in Hollywood for
that role. No limitations as to
size or shape were named. He
wanted an actor and he spent
three days looking at old pictures,
trying to find just the man for
the job.
Just what pictures and how
many Of them Reinhardt saw dur
ing the two days he shut himself
up in the dark on his still hunt
for a screen Bottom, only Rein.
hardt himself and the projec-
zionist know. Then an unexpected
request came out Of the little
room.
Send us prints Of all the Gag
i1ey pictures"
A half a dozen Of these were i'm
mediately available. Reinhardt
picked one at random, a picture
called Lady Killer" which had
been a moderately successful Gag
ney production but which IS not
generally rated as the greatest Of
that actors screen efforts.
Reinhardt saw the picture
through and buzzed the projec-
zionist. That's enough" he said.
"Cagney's the actor to play
Bottom" Probably no one was
more surprised at the news than
Cagney. Certainly no one could
have been more pleased. After
months of work in the picture
Reinhardt knew his judgment had
been vindicated. He told inter
viewers that he believed James
Cagney to be the finest actor in
pictures.
Picked Anita Louise
Out of the picture Madame
Du Barry" Reinhardt chose two
players. Anita Louise was one he
picked. Impressed by her fragile
beauty he named her at once
as the perfect Titania, Queen Of
the Fairies. Veree Teasdale he
chose as the proper regal type,
peculiarly suited to the role Of
Hippolyta.
A comedy role in Here Comes
the Navy" won Frank McHugh
the right to appear as Ounce,
and Reinhardt never tired of
singing the praises Of that young
man as a fine actor. Joe E.
Browns picture, Local Boy
Makes Good" now almost for
gotten. was shown to Reinhardt
on another day and caused Rein
hardt to overcome almost impos-
sible barriers to get the star
comedian in his picture in the
role Of Flute.
Dick Powell's work as the I'M
happy lover in Twenty Million
Sweethearts," won him Rein
hardt'S support for the role of
Lysander, Shakespeare'S unhappy
romantic in "a Midsummer
Nights Dream" Hugh Herbert's
funny pantomime in Convention
City" was the deciding factor
that gave him the role Of Snout
in Reinhardt's big venture. Jean
Muir'S pleasing work as a young
girl in love with an ideal in
Desirable" helped her in winning
the chance to be Helena in the
Dream" even though Reinhardt
knew her and Of her work from
their association in the Holly
wood Bowl presentation Of the
play a few months earlier.
Victor Jory was named as Obe.
ron, after Reinhardt had studied
his screen work. Ross Alexander
was picked after the picture. Gen
tlemen Are Born," was shown to
Reinhardt.
Two other roles, among the
most important Of the entire pro-
duction, were cast by Reinhardt
without any preliminary study of
former pictures. Olivia de Havil-
land had been Hernia in the
Hollywood Bowl production and
Reinhardt himself was introduc-
ing her to pictures, and incident
ally to a long.term contract with
Warner Bros.
Mickey Rooney, considered by