I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead (61 page)

Bette Davis to Agnes, 10/24/44, The Papers of Agnes Moorehead,
Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 141.
“. . . It was like a circus . . . ,”
This Is Orson Welles
(pg. 177).
“. . . red circus wagons . . . , ”
Citizen Welles
(pg. 363).
“Your flowers were truly beautiful . . . ,” Susan Peters to Agnes, The
Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives,
Box 142.
“I always liked Jack . . . ,” Conrad Binyon to author, 2/5/03.
“We ran the rough cut on
Dark Passage
. . . ,” Jerry Wald to Agnes, 2/5/47,
The Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society
Archives, Box 144.
Telegram from Jane Broder to Agnes, 11/17/45, The Papers of Agnes
Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 142. (Agnes’
response is written on the back of this telegram.)
“. . . after the opening of
Around the World
. . . ,” Orson Welles to Agnes,
3/22/46, The Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical
Society Archives, Box 144.
“. . . are you free and willing to be the greatest Emelia in the history of
Othello
. . . ,” Orson Welles to Agnes, 2/3/49, The Papers of Agnes
Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 146.
Background material including contracts, salaries, casting decisions and
preview audience reaction to
The Lost Moment
come from The Papers of
Walter Wanger, Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Mss 136AN,
materials dealing with
The Lost Moment
are held in Box.
“Do you ever think before you say a line, hatchet face?,”
Dark
City Dames, The Wicked Women of Film Noir
(Eddie Muller, Regan
Books/HarperCollins, 2001, pg. 23).
Miss Jane Wyman spoke to the author by phone regarding Agnes and
their experiences working together on
Johnny Belinda.
“I listened to you on the
Theatre Guild
. . . ,” Helen Hayes to Agnes,
1/19/48, The Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical
Society Archives, Box 145.
“You wuz Wonderful . . . ,” Peter Opp, Jr. to Agnes, 1/5/48, The
Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society
Archives, Box 142.
“. . . otherwise you would have heard from me before this . . . ,” Robert
Whitehead to Agnes, 4/7/48, The Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin
State Historical Society Archives, Box 146.
Agnes unable to attain film rights to Jessamyn West’s novel
Friendly
Persuasion,
letter from Henry Volkening to Agnes, 12/27/48, Wisconsin
State Historical Society Archives, Box 145.
“Well, I am trying again . . . ,” Robert N. Montgomery to Agnes,
12/17/48, The Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical
Society Archives, Box 145.
“Happy New Year and Thanks for your nice letter . . . ,” Ronald Reagan
to Agnes, 1/1/49, The Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State
Historical Society Archives, Box 146.
“All my love, darling . . . ,” Jack Lee to Agnes, 12/6/48, The Papers of
Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 145.
“. . . Your fan mail is indicative of the great popularity you enjoy among
your audiences . . . ,” G.A. Bunting to Agnes, 6/29/48, The Papers of Agnes
Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 145.
Robert Montgomery acting like the “host of a bachelor party . . . ,”
Inside Oscar
(pg. 187).
Instructions to nominees to the 21st Academy Awards, The Papers of
Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 147.
“. . . win, lose or draw . . . ,” Jerry Wald to Agnes, 3/23/49, The Papers of
Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 147.
“Did I or didn’t I put on my girdle tonight? . . . ,”
Inside Oscar
(pg. 189).

Agnes’ comment that Hollywood “was a place to earn enough money to
be able to do . . . ,” came from
The Sunday Pictorial
(
The Bright Lights
by
Dick Richards, 6/10/51).

Agnes’ comments regarding
Caged
are made to author Boze Hadleigh in
his book
Hollywood Lesbians
(Barricade Books, 1994, pg. 189-190).
Letter of recommendation for Agnes from The LA Sheriff ’s office to
Miss Alma Holzchuh, Superintendent, California Instituion of Women,
Tehachapi, California, dated 6/23/49, found in The Papers of Agnes
Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Madison,
Wisconsin, Box 146.
Hedda Hopper’s story about Agnes asking for divorce (
Film Actress
Moorehead Asks Divorce, LA Times,
5/16/50).
Information on Agnes’ 1950 appearances on
Cavalcade of America
and
Suspense
come from Martin Grams, Jr. books,
The History of The Cavalcade
of America
and
Suspense: Twenty Years of Thrills and Chills.
Agnes becoming foster mother to Sean, interview with Debbie Reynolds by
author, 6/20/04, and additional quotes are from
Debbie, My Life
(pg. 279).
Comments by Vincent Price regarding
The Adventures of Captain
Fabian, Vincent Price: A Daughter’s Biography
(Victoria Price, St. Martin’s
Griffin, 1999, pg. 195-196).
Paul Gregory stopping at a bar and watching Charles Laughton on
The
Toast of The Town
appears in Simon Callow’s excellent biography
Charles
Laughton: A Difficult Actor
(First Fromm International Paperback, 1997),
which was corroborated by the author in an interview with Paul Gregory
on 10/22/03.
Charles Laughton telling Elsa Lanchester “. . . don’t be deceived by Paul’s
looks . . . ,” appears in
Elsa Lanchester Herself
(Elsa Lanchester, St Martin’s
Press, 1983, pg. 202).
Simon Cowell’s comments that in Elsa, Laughton had found, “a friend;
a companion . . . ,” (
Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor,
pg. 22).
Elsa Lanchester’s statement that “Paul Gregory came along just when
Charles needed him most,”
Elsa Lanchester Herself
(pg. 201).
Charles Laughton’s assertion about wanting “not necessarily the best
actors, but the best voices . . .” for
Don Juan in Hell
appears in
The Laughton
Story: An Intimate Story of Charles Laughton
(Kurt Singer, The John C.
Winston Company, 1954, pg. 257).
Elsa Lanchester’s assertion that Madeline Carroll was the first choice for
Donna Ana appears in
Elsa Lanchester Herself
(pg. 213).
Paul Gregory explained to the author that Miss Carroll was eliminated
because “she didn’t possess the sense of drama . . . ,” interview on 10/22/03.
Beulah Bondi as a possibility for Donna Ana appears in
Charles Laughton:
An Intimate Biography
(Charles Higham, Doubleday & Co., Inc. 1976).
Paul Gregory’s assertion that Charles originally wanted Elsa Lanchester
for Donna Ana was told to the author in an interview, 10/22/03.
Charles Laughton on Agnes, “She is with us because Donna Ana has to
change . . . ” appears in the Manchester Daily Dispatch, 6/16/51. Paul
Gregory’s comments to Hedda Hopper appear in an article titled “Modest
Miss Moorehead” from the
Chicago Sunday Tribune,
April 13, 1952.
Laughton’s comment that Boyer is “the master of the tirade,”
The
Laughton Story: An Intimate Story of Charles Laughton
(pg. 258). Paul
Gregory’s comments on Boyer, “. . . great facility for the written language,”
interview with author on 10/22/03.
Laughton’s comments regarding Hardwicke’s ability to “speak an author’s
lines as if they were fresh . . . ,”
The Laughton Story: An Intimate Story of
Charles Laughton
(pg. 257). Paul Gregory’s recollection of Hardwicke as a
man of “humor and warmth,” interview with author, 10/22/03.
Agnes’ insistence on Robert Gist as stage manager was told to the author
by Paul Gregory in an interview on 10/22/03.
Agnes’ calling Laughton “a big bear with a big pink plush heart,”
The
Laughton Story: An Intimate Story of Charles Laughton
(pg. 101).

Charles Laughton working for “weeks” to make Agnes “emotionally
involved” rather than relying on “phony tricks” was told to the author by
Paul Gregory in an interview on 10/22/03.

Background on
Show Boat
is from MGM’s
Greatest Musicals: The Arthur
Freed Unit
(Hugh Fordin, Da Capo Press, NY, 1996).
Laughton’s nerves and his belief that he “fucked up” the careers of the
Don Juan
actors prior to the play’s opening in Claremont,
Elsa Lanchester
Herself
(pg. 213). Laughton’s reply to Boyer regarding “why rest?” is told in
The Laughton Story: An Intimate Story of Charles Laughton
(pg. 259).
Elsa Lanchester’s assertion that “it was his (Gregory’s) sheer invention to
book tours . . . ,” appears in
Elsa Lanchester Herself
(pg. 257).
The February travel itinerary for
Don Juan in Hell
was found in The
Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives,
Madison, Wisconsin.
Agnes’ comments about the two farmers from Sacramento appear in
Modest Miss Moorehead
by Hedda Hopper, April 13, 1952.
Hardwicke coining the phrase “The Cranberry Juice circuit” appears in
Elsa Lanchester Herself
(pg. 214). Hardwicke’s comment that “. . . one
woman is vastly more clever than three men” appears in
The Laughton
Story: An Intimate Story of Charles Laughton
(pg. 264).
Paul Gregory’s comment that travel was “a nightmare” was made to
author in an interview on 10/22/03. Boyer’s nervousness when traveling is
found in Charles Higham’s
Charles Laughton: An Intimate Biography.
Charges and countercharges made in the divorce proceedings of Agnes
and Jack Lee were found in several newspaper clippings which Agnes kept
in The Papers of Agnes Moorehead, The Wisconsin State Historical Society
Archives, Box 149.
Paul Gregory’s comments that Agnes was “ . . . a tough, tough, tough
woman . . . ,” made to author in an interview on 10/22/03.
Telegram from Jack Kelk to Agnes, dated 5/19/51. The Papers of Agnes
Moorehead, The Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 149.
Cedric Hardwicke’s tax problems, and the temporary announcement of
Boris Karloff as his replacement in the England tour, found in the
Daily
Graphic,
6/1/51, and
Daily Telegram,
6/2/51, as well as in an interview by
the author with Paul Gregory on 10/22/03.
John Clement not allowing anyone to present “any part” of
Man and
Superman
in London while his play was booked appears in the
Birmingham
Gazette,
4/27/51.
Laurence Olivier’s role as executive officer of the Festival of Britain is
referred to in Simon Callow’s
Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor
(pg. 213)
That, for Laughton, the British tour of
Don Juan in Hell
was “bittersweet” due to he and Elsa not returning to Britain during the war and for
receiving American citizenship is found in
Charles Laughton: A Difficult
Actor
(pg. 213) and
Elsa Lanchester Herself
(pg. 216)
Various quotes by Agnes regarding the tour of
Don Juan in Hell
in
Britain are found in newspaper clippings she kept in a scrapbook devoted
to this tour in The Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical
Society Archives, Box 63.
Moorehead’s Donna Ana, “. . . was perhaps the most inspired portrayal”
(
Manchester Daily Dispatch’s
article,
Triumph of the Don Juan Quartette,
by
Ernest Lewis, 6/19/51). “. . . She is magnificence itself ” (The
Birmingham
Evening Dispatch,
Norman Holbrook, 6/26/51).
Note from Vivien Leigh to Agnes, The Papers of Agnes Moorehead,
Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 148.
“. . . The highlight of my career” (
The Role Agnes Moorehead Loves Most
from The
Cincinnati Post,
11/29/72).
Additional background on
Don Juan in Hell
appears from a lecture
which Agnes presented at the Fresno Convention of the Western Speech
Association titled, “Staging
Don Juan in Hell,
” May 1954, The Papers of
Agnes Moorehead, The Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 60.

James Robert Parish’s comments regarding Agnes being an actress who
“no longer was the striving actress seeking to reach a higher plateau . . . ,”
comes from his book
Good Dames
(A.S. Barnes and Company, 1974).

Letter to Agnes inviting her to participate in the “April in Paris” Ball,
dated 4/2/52, The Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical
Society Archives, Box 150.

Telegram from Hume Cronyn to Agnes, dated May 7, 1952 and delivered
to the Plymouth Theatre where Agnes was appearing in
Don Juan in Hell,
The Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society
Archives, Box 150. Letter from Hume Cronyn to Agnes Moorehead, dated
May 24, 1952, The Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical
Society Archives, Box 150. Letter from Hume Cronyn to Agnes
Moorehead, dated May 30, 1952, The Papers of Agnes Moorehead,
Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 150.

Background on Sylvia Richards,
Naming Names
(Victor Navasky, Viking
Press, 1980). Letter from Robert Richards to Agnes, dated 10/9/51, The
Papers of Agnes Moorehead, Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives,
Box 150. Norman Corwin’s comments that Agnes was “the most apolitical
person I ever knew . . . ,” came from an interview the author had with Mr.
Corwin on 9/30/03.

Comments by Paul Gregory regarding the relationship between Agnes
and Robert Gist, “she could keep him on a short leash . . . ,” and Gist dyeing
his hair to match Agnes’, were made by Mr. Gregory to the author in an
interview dated 10/22/03. Helen Hayes’ note to Agnes, congratulating her
on her marriage to Gist, dated 8/27/54, The Papers of Agnes Moorehead,
Wisconsin State Historical Society Archives, Box 73. Details on Agnes buying
the “old Sigmund Romberg house” in Beverly Hills came from Jill’s
Hollywood,
Transit Riders’ Digest,
dated 8/24/53.