As you may know, I am writing a biography of Kay Kendall. Donen directed her last film (she died of leukemia shortly after shooting it). I have some quotes he’d given to some Rex Harrison biographers, but I wanted to interview him myself—there are some additional questions I wanted answered, especially how the hell she managed to pass her insurance exam for Columbia Pictures.
So I get him on the phone a few minutes ago. I quickly explain what I’m doing, and ask if I might have a moment of his time; either now, or by mail or E-mail or fax, whatever’s most convenient to him.
“I don’t DO this anymore,” he whines.
Me: “Umm, excuse me?”
Him: “I don’t DO this anymore. I don’t talk about these things anymore.”
Me: "Gee, I just have one question for you . . . "
Him: “No.”
Me: " . . . about the insur . . . "
Him: “NO.” Hangs up.
Well, FUCK. This pompous bastard couldn’t give me literally 30 seconds of his precious time to answer ONE question? He wasn’t even a good director, the only decent films he ever did were co-directed by Gene Kelly, anyway . . . Miserable old coot. And I WAS going to be nice about that last film, too, which essentially sucked . . .
Films Donen directed without Kelly: Funny Face, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Pajama Game, Two for the Road, Charade, Damn Yankees!, Bedazzled, Royal Wedding
Films Kelly directed without Donen: Hello Dolly!, Gigot, The Guide to the Married Man, The Cheyenne Social Club
I think it’s pretty clear who the real director of the two was (though Kelly is the better dancer )
As for the interview, I’m sorry you didn’t get it, but how exactly does saying “No” make him a pompous bastard, and not just somebody who simply doesn’t want to talk to interviewers anymore? “30 seconds” may mean something different to him than to you.
From all evidence I’ve seen & heard, the guy is a class act and I’d be willing to give the man who gave the Greatest Oscar Lifetime Achievement Acceptance Speech the benefit of the doubt.
Class act? Hardly. This was not a polite “I’m sorry, I’d rather not” rejection. THAT, I wouldn’t mind. I have interviewed lots of people more famous and busier than he is, and he is by far the rudest person I have ever dealt with. I notice he’s more than happy to tell E! what a big deal he is, but since I’m writing about someone ELSE . . . Nothing but Alzheimer’s can excuse such behavior.
As far as his career, let’s not forget he is also the genius responsible for Blame It On Rio, Lucky Lady, Kiss Them for Me, and Staircase . . .
Miserable old coot. I hope he’s having cocktails with Arlene Francis soon.
Well, under “fair use” laws, I can use some of the comments on the filming he gave to Rex Harrison’s biographers . . . But I really wanted a crack at him myself, to address issues that hadn’t been brought up before.
I wasn’t GOING to mention how lazy he was on this film (to indicate that they were in London, he used a Leroy Nieman-quality “London” backdrop). I sure as hell am now. And I was going to give him the benefit of a doubt when it came to the fact that he MUST have known he was working a terminally ill woman to death (which is WHY I’d wanted to ask him about the medical exam she’d have had to have taken for insurance purposes). The fact that he was so virulent about NOT talking to a Kay Kendall biographer is enough to make one suspicious . . .
. . . Lesson to be learned: never piss off the press.
If those facts weren’t pertinent to the story five hours ago, then they still aren’t pertinent.
It does not speak well for the integrity of this biography if you are including stuff not because you feel it important to the sotry but rather simply to seek vengeance on someone who insulted you.
I am not going to make anything up, I am not that kind of biographer. Hell, if I WERE that kind of biographer, I would be making a lot more money. But no, I am cursed with “journalistic standards.” But it does sound somewhat suspicious to me that Donen—the person who would have had to OK her medical exam, as the producer—refuses to talk and hangs up on me.
Oh, the film sucked before he hung up on me, but I was GOING to politely gloss over that. I no longer have any reason to tread on eggshells and spare his directoral feelings.
And Obfusciatrist, please consider yourself second in line after Mr. Donen has finished biting me. Maybe you think being a celebrity gives him carte blanche to be a rude, cantankerous old sonofabitch, but I don’t.
When I worked for a paper in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I was covering the custody trial of Brian Ritchie of the Violent Femmes versus his ex-wife.
See, their son Silas was born with cystic fibrosis. His ex had been using a combination of doctors and holistic treatments and had gotten his condition under control.
Brian had remarried and decided he wanted the kid. He sued for sole custody and claimed his wife was using witchcraft to heal him. It didn’t help her that the judge was misogynistic and thought that fathers should be bringing up their sons.
So, I call Ritchie to interview him. No one had interviewed him, and while I personally LOATHED him, I was going to push myself as hard as I could to remain impartial and just report the facts.
Ritchie immediately started calling me names, bitched me out for calling him at home, and said I was just another muck raking journalist who wanted to get famous by writing about him. Can we say EGO? I pointed out to him that as he had not had his side of the case covered via his own words and perspective, that I was giving him the chance to tell the public why he was invested in this and that it was journalistic impartiality that I was striving for. He caled down, still said no, and hung up.
So, in the final story, I reported that he refused interviews, and felt his side of the story was being covered via the courts. While the bastard won, he’s not exactly beloved in Milwaukee.
Well, when all is said and done, I will probably wind up falling all over myself to be fair and impartial. But I reeeelly want to get to the bottom of that medical exam, and no one else is alive from that film (I am also trying to reach Givenchy, who did Kay’s gowns).
As I said above, I have interviewed probably 100 celebs or more over the past 15 years, and Donen is on the Top Ten Bastards list.
Now, Eve, I never said a word on what I think of Mr. Donen’s behavior. The exchange you typed does not appear to be all that rude, but I did not get to hear tones of voice or other elements that would make it clear. I’m willing to accept that he really was a bastard.
All I am saying is that prior to the phone call you did not feel that the quality of the London backdrop was pertinent to the story you are telling. After the phone call you did. Did the phone call shed new light on that fact? Doesn’t sound like it, the only thing that changed is that you now have a personal dislike for Mr. Donen and want to include things that reflect poorly on him. My only point was that it appears you are wanting to deviate from the story you are telling by going on a small (and admittedly minor) tangent to get personal revenge.
I’m not saying that his role in working a sick woman is not pertinent, I am not saying that he has a right to be rude to you, I am certainly not questioning your skills as a biographer or writer, and I am most definitely not accusing you of fabrication.
If you still want me to bite you, let me know where the line forms.
“My only point was that it appears you are wanting to deviate from the story you are telling by going on a small (and admittedly minor) tangent to get personal revenge.”
—Yup. That pretty much sums it up. I am not going to deviate from any facts, or suddenly dislike a film I previously liked. But if I can color my descriptions to get in a dig at someone who went out of his way to be a mean, uncooperative sonofabitch, you betcha I’m going to!
On the other hand, Sydney Chaplin was lovely to me. But that won’t change the fact that I will have to report he left Kay for Joan Collins. I may not indulge in the extra dig on his instep with my spike heel, however . . . Biographer’s prerogative, y’know . . .
Okay, I’ll bite (after Donen and obfuscriatist, of course).
Eve, Stanley Donen is very old. There are many, many fewer 30-second periods remaining in his life than in yours. If he doesn’t want to spend any more of them talking to writers, that’s perfectly understandable.
And he’s famous and has had a long career, and so probably gets called by writers often enough that he views them much the same way we’d view telemarketers calling during our dinner hour. If he made an exception for one, the next one would want to know why she didn’t get similar treatment. He told you “no” twice.
No means no. It doesn’t make his actions re: Kay Kendall any more suspicious. It just makes him old and tired.
Nope, that just doesn’t wash. My mother is older than Stanley Donen, and SHE is polite to actual telemarketers. And I have interviewed people a lot older and more famous than he is and those who didn’t want to talk were at least nice about it. I notice he’s happy to sound off to E! about what a great and talented man he is . . .
In a few seconds, he might have cleared up a very important question for me, but he chose to be rude, dismissive and unprofessional. Sorry, but there is just no excuse for that. “You can always tell a gentleman by how he treats the servants,” as my mother says.
Eve-if he had refused politely, “I’m sorry, but I would rather not, thank you,” would you be as upset? Because I’m thinking it was his attitude, not so much his refusal.
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