Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1945-04-27
4effe':
Looking at
HOLLYWOOD

A RTHUR LANDAU Ia little guy
- with big ideas, who once man.
aged Marie Dressler and Jean Har-
low punctures one of our pet no
tons. He says the outworn idea
that movies suffer from a dearth
of story material suited to the
screen is ridiculous and preposter-
GUS.
That's going to bring hail Of
sharp cracks about Arthur's ears,
because he's stepping on tender
toes. II know I'm sticking my neck
out" he insists, "but there it is.
I've proved my contention by too
many personal experiences not to
know what I'm talking about
The pulling and hauling that goes
on behind scenes when there's hot
property going around is something
that the outsider wouldn't believe.
Let's let Arthur take us behind the
scenes for bit of case history. He
is, incidentally, chief production as
sociate for Ben Bogeaus, and had a
finger in three Bogeaus ventures
Dark Waters" Captain "Kidd,"
and "There Goes Iona Henry"
Few, even insiders, know that it
was Landau who channeled Thirty
Seconds Over Tokyo" one of the
great stories of this war, to Metro
Goldwyn-Mayer.
Has the knouu-How
He was put in contact with Cap
tain (now Major) Ted Lawson by
well-known Hollywood insider who,
being former fier himself, has lots
of buddies among airmen.
Landau perceived Immediately
that Lawson had something in the
story of the Shangri-la fliers and
their bombing of Tokyo.
Paramount had first crack at it.
Y. Frank Freeman was busy and
told Arthur to send the idea through
Bill Dozier, story editor. Arthur
said Nothing doing!" and went to
see Eddie Mannix at Metro. That's
how Paramount lostao out.
Lawson offered Landau a con-
tract. you're an army officer"
said Arthur. IF your word isn't any
good, your signature isn't, either"
Lawson said, How much can you
get me?" Landau said he didn't
know-maybe S., maybe $4,000,
maybe nothing.
High Finance
Metro held the script overnight,
sent for Landau, and offered him
100000 for it. Arthur said the au-
thor was holding out for $150,OOO.
They compromised for Sl25,0 00
Landau was Ginning with Eddie
Cantor in Eddie's library one eve
ming and happened to thumb
through volume of stories by Os-
car Wilde. One he liked. He bought
copy of the volume and had a
transcript made of the story. Harry
Rapf met him at Metro and said he
was looking for a yarn. Landau
strung him along with an enthusiast
tic buildup and meanwhile ascer-
tanned that the American rights
we're in the public domain. Rapf
snapped up the property.
lunches Pay of
The story was 1.-THE Canterville
Ghost" which was made into pic
ture for Charles Laughton. Metro
gladly settled with the British heirs
to the Wilde estate. Landau plucked
30 grand out of thin air and bunch.
Here's free tip right out of the
Landau feed box:
He caught newspaper story re-
Gently about w. II. Donald, the mys-
FERROUS Australian who has been
Chang Kai-shek's personal adviser
for many years. Donald was held
captive in Manila by the Japs,
who were looking everywhere for
him at the time, not knowing they
had him right under their thumbs.
There's another Lawrence of
Arabia story in Captain Donald for
anyone who can get him to talk"
says Landau. That's where you
find the germs of good stories-right
on the front pages of your newspa-
pers."
Surface Barely Scratched