erich von stroheim was born in vienna in 1885. during the course of his life he not only fooled but shocked the world. there is no need here to trumpet his accomplishments as a film director, screenwriter and actor. enough words have been poured out and poured over. to get von stroheim's take check in with thomas quinn curtiss who wrote the fabricated version. for something more akin to the truth prof. koszawski's biography might work like a tonic. what comes to mind whenever i see a "tribute" page here is how the people/things/places are connected to the tribute subject. i'll try to provide some insight here off the top of my head.
stroheim cast FAY WRAY in "the wedding march." the film put her on the a-list. of course VIENNA was the master's birthplace and hometown. JAMES DUNN starred in "walking down broadway." stroheim did bit parts and was an assistant with the DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS unit at triangle films from 1915 thru 1917. ZASU PITTS starred in "greed," "the wedding march" and "walking down broadway." CHARLIE CHAPLIN was a film director admired by von stroheim. He cited "the kid" as an example of "naturalism on film." EDNA PURVIANCE starred in that film and many others created by the little tramp. CLARK GABLE saw his first action in hollywood during the filming of "the merry widow." GARBO insisted that von stroheim play opposite her while stroheim knew the GISH SISTERS from his days as an extra at d.w. griffith's fine arts studio. MARY ASTOR like von stroheim was featured in kenneth anger's book
"hollywood babylon." screen heavy PETER LORRE was a friend and associate. actor HAROLD LLOYD(with producer hal roach) created the situation comedy genre. von stroheim enjoyed their collaboration. WALLACE BEERY was cast in stroheim's "merry-go-round." berry walked out after a few days of stroheim's relentless directing style. stroheim liked the films of JOHN FORD especially "the informer." VICTOR MCLAGLEN gave the performance of his career in that picture. stroheim wanted to lense mirbeau's "diary of a chambermaid" with MYRNA LOY as the lead. S.M. EISENSTEIN was another friend who stroheim contacted for the express purpose of directing films in the soviet union.
JOSEPH VON STERNBERG patterned his dictatorial on set presence on the stroheim model. he also cut a version of "the wedding march." BILLY WILDER once told von stroheim that as a filmmaker he was "ten years ahead of his time." never known for false humility stroheim's reply was "no, twenty years." the characters in the films of ROBERT BRESSON were victims of circumstance and environment much like stroheim's. in VINCENTE MINNELLI'S "the bad and the beautiful" the film director character von ellstein is patterned on von stroheim while his son, erich, jr., was assistant director and played a part in minnelli's "two weeks in another town." JEAN RENOIR'S ambition was to become a painter like his father pierre auguste RENOIR. instead he became an admitted von stroheim disciple. JEAN GABIN played opposite stroheim in renoir's great anti-war film "la grande illusion." like peter lorre and billy wilder, CONRAD VEIDT came to hollywood to escape the nazis. like von stroheim he was typecast as the brutish german officer. unlike beery and mclaglen, the career of two time oscar nominee RICHARD BARTHELMESS faded with the talkie revolution - much like von stroheim's. von replaced KARLOFF as the lead villain in the road show of "arsenic and old lace." FRANK NORRIS's naturalistic novel "mcteague" served as the source material for "greed" stroheim's nine hour masterwork(release version two hours.) not only did he film the entire book, but he added to it! HUNGARY with austria formed the empire of stroheim's youth. BUDAPEST is the capital of the magyars. von stroheim played BEETHOVEN in a film. von was assistant director on actor/producer MARY PICKFORD's "less than the dust" in 1916. the goldwyn backlot was not real enough for mr. von stroheim. he took the entire crew to both SAN FRANCISCO and DEATH VALLEY to get the desired ambience for "greed." YAHWEH or GOD would have been one hell of a motion picture man had he not wasted his youth with creation and smiting the philistines, egyptians and canaanites. though his parents were jewish stroheim was a practicing catholic. BUSTER KEATON was one of stroheim's drinking buddies according to one of his biographers. GLORIA SWANSON literally lost her panties for von stroheim. of course von, buster and gloria were in wilder's "sunset blvd." JOE KENNEDY, yes the president's pappy, produced "queen kelly" during his hollywood phase.
