Vincent Sherman is No Gentleman

[Eve]

A friend at work and I are bemused at recent documentaries on Rita Hayworth, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, all featuring director “In Like” Vincent Sherman (now closing in on his 100th b’day). In all three specials, he told the exact same story about how he schtupped the subject of said show: “Yeah, [Rita/Joan/Bette] was nervous and unhappy when we started shooting, so I did what I could to make her more comfortable. After the first day, [Rita/Joan/Bette] asked me to drive her home, and I waited while she went upstairs and put on her nightgown. I went into the bedroom to turn off the light, and [Rita/Joan/Bette] said, ‘You’re not going home, are you?’ And then we went to bed.”

Now, leaving aside the fact that a gentleman would never tell such things and why should we believe anyone who’s not a gentleman, haven’t the filmmakers noticed that he tells the same story every time he’s interviewed? A look at his resume reveals that he also directed Billie Burke, Mary Boland, Thelma Ritter . . . not to mention The Waltons! “Goodnight, Mary-Ellen . . .” “You’re not going home, are you?” “And then we went to bed.”

I also note that his film titles are a bit giggle-inducing: *All Through the Night, The Hard Way, Pillow to Post, The Unfaithful, Adventures of Don Juan, A Fever in the Blood, Accidents Will Happen, Hell Bent for Love, Girl in Danger * . . .

[cbawlmer]

Well if he’s nearly 100, maybe he remembers that incident happening with one of those women, but not which one, but wants to make sure everyone knows he supposedly boned someone famous and dead.

[pinkfreud]

Did he ever direct Lassie?

[Rocketeer]

He wrote a book, too–just a second, I’ll find the title on Amazon–

[Well, Amazon lists Studio Affairs, but that’s not how I remember it]

–which was a fairly interesting look at the work of a B-unit director: Big on efficiency, short on artsy-fartsy stuff.

[LiveOnAPlane]

@pinkfreud

Did he ever direct Lassie?

IIRC, Lassie was a male dog. Thanks, pinkfreud, you have just put a baaaaaaaaaaaad image in my mind! :eek: :eek:

[Eve]

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[DocCathode]

What about Vincent Price? He always struck me as the consummate gentleman.

[cbawlmer]

@LiveOnAPlane

IIRC, Lassie was a male dog. Thanks, pinkfreud, you have just put a baaaaaaaaaaaad image in my mind! :eek: :eek:

Because if Lassie had been female, that wouldn’t be gross at all?

[LiveOnAPlane]

@cbawlmer

Because if Lassie had been female, that wouldn’t be gross at all?

Um, well, she’d still be a bitch.

[pinkfreud]

“Yeah, Lassie was nervous and unhappy when we started shooting, so I did what I could to make him more comfortable. After the first day, Lassie asked me to walk him home, and I waited while he went off to get his leash and take off his fur G-string. I went into the doghouse to turn off the light, and Lassie said, ‘Woof. Wo-wo-wo arf murmble woof.’ And then we went to bed.”

[Miller]

@DocCathode

What about Vincent Price? He always struck me as the consummate gentleman.

I don’t think Vincent Sherman ever went to bed with him.

[lissener]

@Eve

A friend at work and I are bemused at recent documentaries on Rita Hayworth, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis, all featuring director “In Like” Vincent Sherman (now closing in on his 100th b’day). In all three specials, he told the exact same story about how he schtupped the subject of said show: “Yeah, [Rita/Joan/Bette] was nervous and unhappy when we started shooting, so I did what I could to make her more comfortable. After the first day, [Rita/Joan/Bette] asked me to drive her home, and I waited while she went upstairs and put on her nightgown. I went into the bedroom to turn off the light, and [Rita/Joan/Bette] said, ‘You’re not going home, are you?’ And then we went to bed.”

Bwah! I haven’t seen the Crawford doc, but I did notice this upon seeing the Davis doc shortly after the Hayworth doc. Set me to wondering if the old dude doesn’t just have a rich and exciting inner life in his dotage.

[BrainGlutton]

@Eve

. . . and why should we believe anyone who’s not a gentleman . . .

Ermm . . . Because cads don’t always lie?

[Eve]

And now he’s having sex with the angels . . .

LOS ANGELES – Vincent Sherman, who directed – and romanced – Bette Davis, Rita Hayworth and Joan Crawford during his heyday as a leading Hollywood filmmaker in the 1940s and '50s, has died. He would have been 100 on July 16 . . . He had begun as an actor, appearing on Broadway and in a handful of movies, among them 1933’s “Counselor at Law,” in which he had a small but memorable unit, role as a young anarchist opposite John Barrymore. He also wrote several screenplays, including “Crime School,” which starred Bogart and the Dead End Kids

. . . Sherman also gained a reputation for romancing many of his famous actresses, and he wrote about them in his 1996 autobiography, “Studio Affairs.” Though both were married at the time, he and Davis had an affair that began during the filming of 1943’s “Old Acquaintance” and continued through “Mr. Skeffington,” which was released the following year. His dalliance with Crawford lasted through three movies, and another with Hayworth happened during “Affair in Trinidad,” after she had divorced Aly Khan.

He broke out as a director in 1942 with a gripping melodrama “The Hard Way.” Although he would go on to direct many important projects, he never rose to the level that would afford him consideration for an Academy Award. “Of the 30 pictures that I made, I really liked only 10 or 12 of them,” he said in 1997. “The rest were what we called bread-and-butter pictures.”

[Little_Nemo]

Lassie said, ‘Woof. Wo-wo-wo arf murmble woof.’ And then we went to bed."

A traumatized Lassie later stated, “I was just trying to tell him that Timmy had fallen down the old well and that monster was all over me.”