Online versions of the Handouts have color images & hot urls September 6, 2016 (XXXIII:2) http://csac.buffalo.edu/goldenrodhandouts.html Sam Wood, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (1935, 96 min) DIRECTED BY Sam Wood and Edmund Goulding (uncredited) WRITING BY George S. Kaufman (screenplay), Morrie Ryskind (screenplay), James Kevin McGuinness (from a story by), Buster Keaton (uncredited), Al Boasberg (additional dialogue), Bert Kalmar (draft, uncredited), George Oppenheimer (uncredited), Robert Pirosh (draft, uncredited), Harry Ruby (draft uncredited), George Seaton (draft uncredited) and Carey Wilson (uncredited) PRODUCED BY Irving Thalberg MUSIC Herbert Stothart CINEMATOGRAPHY Merritt B. Gerstad FILM EDITING William LeVanway ART DIRECTION Cedric Gibbons STUNTS Chuck Hamilton WHISTLE DOUBLE Enrico Ricardi CAST Groucho Marx…Otis B. Driftwood Chico Marx…Fiorello Marx Brothers, A Night at the Opera (1935) and A Day at the Harpo Marx…Tomasso Races (1937) that his career picked up again. Looking at the Kitty Carlisle…Rosa finished product, it is hard to reconcile the statement from Allan Jones…Ricardo Groucho Marx who found the director "rigid and humorless". Walter Woolf King…Lassparri Wood was vociferously right-wing in his personal views and this Sig Ruman… Gottlieb would not have sat well with the famous comedian. Wood Margaret Dumont…Mrs. Claypool directed 11 actors in Oscar-nominated performances: Robert Edward Keane…Captain Donat, Greer Garson, Martha Scott, Ginger Rogers, Charles Robert Emmett O'Connor…Henderson Coburn, Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Katina Paxinou, Akim Tamiroff, Ingrid Bergman and Flora Robson. Donat, Paxinou and SAM WOOD (b. July 10, 1883 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—d. Rogers all won Oscars. Late in his life, he served as the President September 22, 1949, age 66, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American California), after a two-year apprenticeship under Cecil B. Ideals, a right-wing political organization whose aim was to DeMille as assistant director, had the good fortune to have ferret out "subversives" in Hollywood. In this capacity, he assigned to him two of the biggest stars at Paramount during provided key testimony before the House Un-American their heyday: Wallace Reid, between 1919 and 1920; and Gloria Activities Committee in 1947, helping to fan fears of Communist Swanson, from 1921 to 1923. By the time his seven-year contract influence in the U.S. film industry. He was also portrayed by with Paramount expired, the former real estate dealer had John Getz in Trumbo (2015), a film about the blacklisting in established himself as one of Hollywood's most reliable (if not Hollywood. Including the aforementioned, Wood directed 80 individualistic) feature directors. In 1927, Wood joined MGM films a smattering of which include: Ambush (1950), The and remained under contract there until 1939, very much in sync Stratton Story (1949), Command Decision (1948), Saratoga with the studio's prevalent style of production. He reliably turned Trunk (1945), Casanova Brown (1944), For Whom the Bell Tolls out between two and three films a year, of which the majority (1943), The Pride of the Yankees (1942), Kings Row (1942), The were routine productions. Most of his films in the 1920's were Devil and Miss Jones (1941), Kitty Foyle (1940), Our Town routine fare, and it was not until he directed two gems of The (1940), Gone with the Wind (1939, uncredited), Raffles (1939), Wood—A NIGHT AT THE OPERA—2 Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), Madame X (1937), Whipsaw (1935), Christopher Bean (1933), The Barbarian (1933)The Man in Possession (1931, uncredited), A Tailor Made Man (1931), Paid (1930), It's a Great Life (1929) , Telling the World (1928), The Latest from Paris (1928), The Re-Creation of Brian Kent (1925), Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1923), Prodigal Daughters (1923), Her Husband's Trademark (1922), Don't Tell Everything (1921), Peck's Bad Boy (1921), Her First Elopement (1920), What's Your Hurry? (1920), Sick Abed (1920), Excuse My Dust (1920) and Double Speed (1920). EDMUND GOULDING (b. March 20, 1891 in Feltham, Middlesex, England—d. December 24, 1959, age 68, in Los Angeles, California) was an actor/playwright/director on the London stage, and entered the British army when WWI broke out. Mustered out of the service because of wounds suffered in battle, he emigrated to the U.S. in 1921. He obtained assignments as a screenwriter in Hollywood, wrote a novel, "Fury," in 1922 and directed the 1923 film. Hired as a screenwriter/director by MGM in 1925, Goulding quickly developed a reputation for turning out tasteful, cultured dramas and drawing-room comedies. His films typified the elegance and refinement with which MGM was identified, the best example of this being Grand Hotel (1932), where he was entrusted with two of MGM's biggest stars, Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford. However, one of his best-known films, and probably the one most atypical of his work, was Nightmare Alley (1947), a dark, brooding drama of greed and corruption among high and low society involving phony mentalists and a conniving psychiatrist. He wrote a screenplay specifically for Joan GEORGE S. KAUFMAN (b. November 16, 1889 in Pittsburgh, Crawford, entitled "Never Goodbye", which she rejected. In Pennsylvania—d. June 2, 1961, age 71, in New York City, New response to his reaction, she said, "What are you bitching for? York) is American playwright of acerbic wit. Twice won the You got your fifty thousand dollars for writing the damn thing". Pulitzer Prize and is best known for his collaborative authorship Directed 9 actors to Oscar nominations: Gloria Swanson, Nancy of "Once in a Lifetime," with Moss Hart (1930); "Of Thee I Carroll, Fay Bainter, Bette Davis, Mary Astor, Joan Fontaine, Sing," with Morrie Ryskind and Ira Gershwin (1931); "Dinner at Anne Baxter, Clifton Webb and Edmund Gwenn. Astor and Eight," with Edna Ferber (1932); "You Can't Take It with You" Baxter won Oscars for their performances in Goulding's films. and "The Man Who Came to Dinner," again with Hart (1936 and His writer credits include Teenage Rebel (1956), Old 1939, respectively) and "The Solid Gold Cadillac," with Howard Acquaintance (1943, contributor to screenplay - uncredited), Teichmann (1953). Kaufman started out as a newspaper reporter That Certain Woman (1937, written by), The Flame Within and a drama critic, eventually becoming the drama editor at "The (1935), Riptide (1934, written by), Night Angel (1931), Reaching New York Times." He began writing for the stage, and made his for the Moon (1930, written by), The Devil's Holiday (1930, Broadway debut with "Some One in the House" in 1918, written screenplay/story), The Grand Parade (1930), Paris (1926), in collaboration with Larry Evans and W. C. Percival. In the Dancing Mothers (1926, play), The Fool (1925), Gerald golden age of the Broadway theater, Kaufman proved himself to Cranston's Lady (1924), Dante's Inferno (1924), Heroes of the be a master craftsman, particularly adept at comedy and satire. Street (1922), Till We Meet Again (1922), Broadway Rose (1922, (Of the later, Kaufman famously observed "Satire is what closes screenplay/ story), Fascination (1922, screenplay/ story), The on Saturday.") He frequently was brought in by Broadway Seventh Day (1922), Tol'able David (1921) and The Quest of Life producers to serve as a script doctor of a promising play, turning (1916, play "Ellen Young"). He directed 41 films, some of it into a hit. Kaufman traveled to Hollywood, which he hated, in which are Mardi Gras (1958), Teenage Rebel (1956), Down 1935 at the request of the Marx Brothers, who inveigled MGM Among the Sheltering Palms (1953), Mister 880 (1950), production supervisor Irving Thalberg to hire him. Thalberg Nightmare Alley (1947), The Razor's Edge (1946), Of Human guaranteed Kaufman $100,000 to leave New York for Culver Bondage (1946), Claudia (1943), Forever and a Day (1943), The City. When Kaufman arrived at the studio, Thalberg demanded Great Lie (1941), 'Til We Meet Again (1940), Dark Victory to know when he could see an outline for the script that would (1939), The Dawn Patrol (1938), A Night at the Opera (1935, become A Night at the Opera (1935). uncredited), Riptide (1934), Blondie of the Follies (1932), Grand Hotel (1932), A Certain Young Man (1928, uncredited), Love "I don't know," replied Kaufman. (1927), Women Love Diamonds (1927), Paris (1926), Sally, "Monday?" Thalberg asked. Irene and Mary (1925) and Sun-Up (1925). "I told you. I don't know," replied Kaufman. "Wednesday?" Thalberg shot back. Wood—A NIGHT AT THE OPERA—3 Kaufman tugged at his earlobe before answering: "Mr. Thalberg, story), So This Is College (1929, dialogue / screen play), The do you want it Wednesday or good?" Cameraman (1928, uncredited), The Gorilla (1927, titles), Clancy's Kosher Wedding (1927, story), California or Bust Some of his other 77 writing credits include Dinner at Eight (1927, titles), Her Father Said No (1927, screenplay / titles), The (1989, TV Movie, play), Once in a Life Time (1988, TV Movie), General (1926, adapted by) and Battling Butler (1926, adapted You Can't Take It with You (1987, TV Series, play - 2 episodes), by: from the stage success of the same name You Can't Take It with You (1979, TV Movie, play), The Man Who Came to Dinner (1972, TV Movie, play), Of Thee I Sing IRVING THALBERG (1972, TV Movie), Silk Stockings (1957, book of original (b. May 30, 1899 in musical play by), The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956, from the play Brooklyn, New by), Three Sailors and a Girl (1953,