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In the Entertainment CircleBy BOB THOMAS AP Movie-T*l«virf»n WriterHOLLYWOOD (AP) - Her UCLA students have bid a fond goodby to Dorothy Arzner, who has closed out another phase of her amazing career. But she is far from retiring.Miss Arzner is the woman who fought the tradition that directing movies was a man’s profession. She won her battle and directed a score of films from 1926 tto 1942, including “Merrily We Go To Hell” and ‘Craig’s Wife.”For the last five years she has been teaching hopeful young movie makers in UCLA’s motion picture division of theater arts. This semester was her last, since she has reached the university’s retirement age of 65.“It has been an interesting experience,” said Miss Arzner, whose smooth face and vigorous manner give no hint that she is eligible to retire. “Each semester the students have produced eight or nine short films of their own, and usually one of them is very good.“Some of the students have gone into the industry and have been successful; some you never hear from again.. But the good students are the ones who will be the coming picture makers,, and they’ve got a lot of fire.“My function was to guide them on scripts and camera angles and see that they didn’t get too far out. They are influenced by the Europeans and want to do abstract things. I told them their job was to communicate, not to leave it up to the audience what the film wasaWilliam DeMille after the first world war, she became one of the silent screen’s best cutter* (“Blood and Sand,” “The Covered Wagon”) and writers (“Old Ironsides”). After a long campaign she persuaded Paramountto let her direct. Her first assignment: “Fashions For Women” starring Esther Balston.Her top achievement was in Craig’s Wife,” which made Rosalind Russell a star. The film^ was shot for $280,000.Miss Arzrier sensed the pressure as the screen's only woman director: “I knew every picture had to be a good one or I would be through. Nobody really wanted a woman director. I had to prove myself with each picture.”She continued working into the war years with “The Bride Wore Red” (Joan Crawford) and “Dance, Girl, Dance” (Lucille Ball.) But after a battle film, “First Comes Courage” with Brian Aherne and Merle Ober-on, her directional career ended.“After 25 years, I felt I wanted to be myself again,” she said. “But also, the industry left me.”Miss Arzner took a long rest, taught at Pasadena Playhouse, directed 110 commercials at the request of Joan Crawford, then signed on to counsel UCLA’s budding film makers. Now she plans to activate her own film company; she’ll direct “Only If I Have To.”She has a succesor in Ida Lu-pino, wo has directed TV shows and feature films.
Newspaper Details
Findlay Republican Courier
Findlay, Ohio, US
Sat, Jun 26, 1965
Page 17
Full Page
Clipped by
Boston P.
NA, USA 12 Apr 2021
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