I have been reluctant to post this, but given the disconcerting tendency of a number of posters here to bash an artist based on what they think he or she was like or rumored to have been like in private and then apply that to their work (lately, this has included Bing Crosby, Loretta Young, and now apparently Laurence Olivier), Im afraid Im going to have to be the one to point out that the one star who seems to be universally worshipped here--Jean Arthur--was not exactly the same person as what she played on screen. It wasnt just a case of her being shy. She could be really, really nasty to other people, rather like Wallace Beery is alleged to have been. I speak from both personal experience and those who had even more upsetting encounters with her. As for her undoubted talent, it was carefully developed by her forgotten Svengali, Frank Capra, whom I interviewed years ago. It was his idealism, his wit, his concern for the underdog that he instilled into her when he was directing her that colored all her subsequent films, including those made by other directors. Im sorry to have to be the one to write this, but as no one else here seems to be untouchable, I believe the same rule should apply to Jean Arthur.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 21:10:51 +0000
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