Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-10-18
Director
Wont Feed
Film Stars
is Sumpfuous Repast
TO Audience Only
BY DAMON RUNYON

~ HIS latest opus, Unfinished
Il Business. Mr.. Gregory La
Caya. the famous director.
again displays that singular
aversion to permitting actors TO
eat In his pictures that we have
commented on before. He has
scene indicating that a Sumptu-
Gus repaSt Is about 20 be spread
10 the throng of theSplanS TAX
ING part IN the picture, then by
a sudden switch IN the action he
makes them all depart without
eating.
Now II this had occurred In
lust one picture, or even two or
three, we might not have no =
uCed IL, but when il comes 10
be a marked characteristic of
the La Cava pictures, we begin
looking for the motive
We begin wondering II at
some time IN Mr.. La Cava'S life
an actor male or female Swiped
a ham sandwich on him. thus es-
tablShing a fiXation IN the mind
of the great director that finds
expression in these don t-let-
'em-eat scenes.
We have heard that Mr. la
Cava always uses real food in
such scenes and calls the actors
10 work in them at hours when
he knows they are bound TO be
hungry Thus by showing them
the real good and then snatch
ing il from their very lips he
increases their agony.
He also adds thereby 10 the
reality of the action, because the
expressions of anguish on the
faces Of his actors as they are
deprived Of the food could not
possibly be feigned at the sight
OF those phoney vittles that are
employed by less crafty direc-
tors.
ME WANI you 10 lake par
w ticular note of the express
SionS in Unfinished Business"
rs the actors are compelled 10
depart premises that held forth
promises Of Succulent fodder.
There is one dame i'm that
scene whose expression suggests
that she would like TO kill some
body. We call that the height
of realism in picture making,
though if we were Mr. La Cava
we would avoid that particular
dame until we were assured that
she had been well-fed by some
one else.
That Mr.. La Cava'S fXation
is confined exclusively TO actors
seems established by the reports
we hear of the hospitality dis
penSed by him 10 newspaper
fellows and others at Malibu
Beach where he holds forth in
Rajahian splendor in a palace
SAID TO compare very favorably
with the TAI MaJal.
We read in the public prints
of repeated visits 10 his estate
by persons known TO us as men
of great discrimination in the
matter Of food. who would under
no circumstances go a second
time 10 a spot that lacked Gull
B nary personality
IT MUST be that Mr. La Cava'S
L festive board fairly groanS
meath It's burden of viandS else
he would not have such fine
trade Yet here again it could
be that he is but adding to his
torture OF the actors. He knows
that his chow IS bound TO be
brulted about IN Hollywood.
where such things are common
gossip, and hearing of it the
actors who work in his pictures
viii suffer all the more Just
thinking of what they missed
IN those scenes in which Mr..
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