"IT WAS a joy every goddamn day to direct her!"
That's Mark Rydell talking up his experience guiding Bette Midler through the star's first movie back in 1979.
This was "The Rose," a riveting take on the Janis Joplin saga/persona. Bette, who was nominated for an Oscar, didn't actually portray Joplin, but captured her engaging, desperate essence. Midler's brilliance was such that there has been no other film since to touch on Joplin's life. Why bother?
"The Rose" celebrates its 30th anniversary with a special American Academy of Arts and Sciences screening at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Hollywood on Friday, Sept. 25. Rydell -- who has also directed such films as "Cinderella Liberty," "The River," "On Golden Pond" and "For the Boys" (his second go-round with Bette) -- is to be feted. Midler was set to appear, but had to cancel for "personal reasons," but has filmed a special tribute.
Now, folks, I've talked to many directors who have praised their actors. But honestly I don't think I have ever heard anybody rave so about a star. Rydell's enthusiasm was such you'd think he just finished the movie last week. It was an almost stream-of-consciousness flow of worship:
"This was her very first movie and she was terrified. But that brought out my better skills as a director. I was amazed to find her so responsive, so delicious. ... I wanted her for the movie from the get-go, but nobody in Hollywood knew who she was and said 'no way,' so I backed out. But then she began to make a name and they came back as said, 'Okay, you can have her." ... This turned into 80 of the most beautiful days of my career, of my life. And the entire cast and crew felt the same way. They would gather every day to see what would happen with her; where would she go with the character ... she had a monster gift, there was nothing she couldn't do, no emotion was beyond her ... it was exhilarating, almost shocking how accomplished she was ... all I ever had to do was whisper in her ear, and she understood and would go where I wanted -- and much further."
I mentioned the famous, grueling phone booth scene, where The Rose calls her parents -- and then gives herself what would be a final killer shot of heroin. Rydell says: I was stunned that she could go that deeply into that scene of family pain. But, I came to think of her as a Stradivarius."
Of her career after "The Rose," Rydell says, "Well, she had many successes, a lot of those Disney comedies. But I believe Hollywood misguided her career, perhaps because of her unconventional looks. She has a special, deep and profound acting talent, which I think has been badly handled in some ways."
Was there any difference directing her years later in "For the Boys," for which she received her second Oscar nod? "It was wonderful to be with her, of course," says Rydell. "But she was 'Bette Midler' by then, and perhaps less open, artistically, though she was great in the movie."
AND WHAT of Miss Katharine Hepburn, whom he put through her paces in "On Golden Pond"? Did one truly direct such a forceful personality or just provide a congenial atmosphere, for the star to do her thing?
"Actually, Kate needed a lot of direction, she needed to be pulled in a lot; she could be all over the place. Now, Henry Fonda was much different. He was the master minimalist. But, of course, Kate was a force of nature, and very responsive once she trusted you."
Rydell told of his critical Kate moment during the shooting: "One morning, one of the crew came to me and said, "I think you better go see what she's wearing today." And I was like, 'Oh, please I'm sure it's fine.' He insisted, 'You have to see this.' So I went to the set and there she was in a black silk blouse and pants and a jaunty black silk fedora. She looked like Coco Chanel.
I said: "Kate, time to get to wardrobe." She said: "This is fine." "No, Kate, I really think you need to get to wardrobe." "I said this is fine!"
"I realized this was my big moment with Kate, the defining moment. So I turned to the company and said, 'Let's take 20 minutes while Miss Hepburn changes and gets into her costume.' Well, she rose up out of her chair in a rage. The tears were all gathered, ready to flow, the famous weepy face. She turned and marched off to her dressing room. Twenty minutes later, she came back, dressed appropriately and we never spoke of it again. She had surrendered to me as the director.
"You find that a lot working with big stars. They always set up their moment to challenge you, it's a test, and you better not fail. Because if you do, you'll never get a handle on this actor again."
WHAT IS Rydell up to now? "I'm doing what all directors do; I'm developing a screenplay. But who the hell knows what will happen. Nobody wants to finance a script with any human depth. It's all explosions and sparse dialog and CGI. It's an unpleasant period, really a little sad. But, we live in hope, here in Hollywood, happy endings are not impossible!"
RICHARD BURTON'S niece, one Sian Owen, tells Britain's Daily Mail that had her uncle not died in 1984, she feels sure he would have reconciled with and married Elizabeth Taylor, for a third time. No kidding.
There is nothing on this earth that would have stopped Elizabeth from wooing Richard back, after her stint at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1983. Richard was then married to the very nice and serene Sally Hay, but a slim, sober Elizabeth would have been hard to resist. And Richard's resistance to his second and third wife was low to begin with. As much as he longed for peace and quiet, he was ever-lured by the seductive chaos of "Life With Liz."
Had Taylor indeed won him back fresh from her own rehab, it is likely they'd have survived a third marriage. By then she realized the toll liquor had taken as a destructive, divisive element in their relationship.
The upside here is that Elizabeth deeply believes she and Richard will be re-united after death. I don't doubt it. La Liz always gets what she wants.
IF YOU are a dog lover -- and everybody who isn't should ignore what follows -- do tune in to "Dog Handel-er" on YouTube. The video shows a small dachshund wandering onstage during the Hampshire Choral Society's performance of "The Messiah." I am partial to dachshunds because I own a small part of the Dachsmith-Love Kennel in Bristol, Vt. This is where Brooke Astor's two doxies, "Boysie" and "Girlie," now reside in retired splendor.
As for the wandering YouTube dachshund, at least he appeared properly attired in sleek black, as befits a formal occasion.
(E-mail Liz Smith at MES3838@aol.com, or write to her c/o Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207.)
That's Mark Rydell talking up his experience guiding Bette Midler through the star's first movie back in 1979.
This was "The Rose," a riveting take on the Janis Joplin saga/persona. Bette, who was nominated for an Oscar, didn't actually portray Joplin, but captured her engaging, desperate essence. Midler's brilliance was such that there has been no other film since to touch on Joplin's life. Why bother?
"The Rose" celebrates its 30th anniversary with a special American Academy of Arts and Sciences screening at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Hollywood on Friday, Sept. 25. Rydell -- who has also directed such films as "Cinderella Liberty," "The River," "On Golden Pond" and "For the Boys" (his second go-round with Bette) -- is to be feted. Midler was set to appear, but had to cancel for "personal reasons," but has filmed a special tribute.
Now, folks, I've talked to many directors who have praised their actors. But honestly I don't think I have ever heard anybody rave so about a star. Rydell's enthusiasm was such you'd think he just finished the movie last week. It was an almost stream-of-consciousness flow of worship:
"This was her very first movie and she was terrified. But that brought out my better skills as a director. I was amazed to find her so responsive, so delicious. ... I wanted her for the movie from the get-go, but nobody in Hollywood knew who she was and said 'no way,' so I backed out. But then she began to make a name and they came back as said, 'Okay, you can have her." ... This turned into 80 of the most beautiful days of my career, of my life. And the entire cast and crew felt the same way. They would gather every day to see what would happen with her; where would she go with the character ... she had a monster gift, there was nothing she couldn't do, no emotion was beyond her ... it was exhilarating, almost shocking how accomplished she was ... all I ever had to do was whisper in her ear, and she understood and would go where I wanted -- and much further."
I mentioned the famous, grueling phone booth scene, where The Rose calls her parents -- and then gives herself what would be a final killer shot of heroin. Rydell says: I was stunned that she could go that deeply into that scene of family pain. But, I came to think of her as a Stradivarius."
Of her career after "The Rose," Rydell says, "Well, she had many successes, a lot of those Disney comedies. But I believe Hollywood misguided her career, perhaps because of her unconventional looks. She has a special, deep and profound acting talent, which I think has been badly handled in some ways."
Was there any difference directing her years later in "For the Boys," for which she received her second Oscar nod? "It was wonderful to be with her, of course," says Rydell. "But she was 'Bette Midler' by then, and perhaps less open, artistically, though she was great in the movie."
AND WHAT of Miss Katharine Hepburn, whom he put through her paces in "On Golden Pond"? Did one truly direct such a forceful personality or just provide a congenial atmosphere, for the star to do her thing?
"Actually, Kate needed a lot of direction, she needed to be pulled in a lot; she could be all over the place. Now, Henry Fonda was much different. He was the master minimalist. But, of course, Kate was a force of nature, and very responsive once she trusted you."
Rydell told of his critical Kate moment during the shooting: "One morning, one of the crew came to me and said, "I think you better go see what she's wearing today." And I was like, 'Oh, please I'm sure it's fine.' He insisted, 'You have to see this.' So I went to the set and there she was in a black silk blouse and pants and a jaunty black silk fedora. She looked like Coco Chanel.
I said: "Kate, time to get to wardrobe." She said: "This is fine." "No, Kate, I really think you need to get to wardrobe." "I said this is fine!"
"I realized this was my big moment with Kate, the defining moment. So I turned to the company and said, 'Let's take 20 minutes while Miss Hepburn changes and gets into her costume.' Well, she rose up out of her chair in a rage. The tears were all gathered, ready to flow, the famous weepy face. She turned and marched off to her dressing room. Twenty minutes later, she came back, dressed appropriately and we never spoke of it again. She had surrendered to me as the director.
"You find that a lot working with big stars. They always set up their moment to challenge you, it's a test, and you better not fail. Because if you do, you'll never get a handle on this actor again."
WHAT IS Rydell up to now? "I'm doing what all directors do; I'm developing a screenplay. But who the hell knows what will happen. Nobody wants to finance a script with any human depth. It's all explosions and sparse dialog and CGI. It's an unpleasant period, really a little sad. But, we live in hope, here in Hollywood, happy endings are not impossible!"
RICHARD BURTON'S niece, one Sian Owen, tells Britain's Daily Mail that had her uncle not died in 1984, she feels sure he would have reconciled with and married Elizabeth Taylor, for a third time. No kidding.
There is nothing on this earth that would have stopped Elizabeth from wooing Richard back, after her stint at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1983. Richard was then married to the very nice and serene Sally Hay, but a slim, sober Elizabeth would have been hard to resist. And Richard's resistance to his second and third wife was low to begin with. As much as he longed for peace and quiet, he was ever-lured by the seductive chaos of "Life With Liz."
Had Taylor indeed won him back fresh from her own rehab, it is likely they'd have survived a third marriage. By then she realized the toll liquor had taken as a destructive, divisive element in their relationship.
The upside here is that Elizabeth deeply believes she and Richard will be re-united after death. I don't doubt it. La Liz always gets what she wants.
IF YOU are a dog lover -- and everybody who isn't should ignore what follows -- do tune in to "Dog Handel-er" on YouTube. The video shows a small dachshund wandering onstage during the Hampshire Choral Society's performance of "The Messiah." I am partial to dachshunds because I own a small part of the Dachsmith-Love Kennel in Bristol, Vt. This is where Brooke Astor's two doxies, "Boysie" and "Girlie," now reside in retired splendor.
As for the wandering YouTube dachshund, at least he appeared properly attired in sleek black, as befits a formal occasion.
(E-mail Liz Smith at MES3838@aol.com, or write to her c/o Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207.)
