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Hollywood Stories # How a star appears to the public often involves careful planning which can sometimes backfire. Pop Star Michael Jackson enjoyed the public image of being a Peter Pan like eccentric. He would personally leak crazy stories to the tabloids. He enjoyed reading that he slept in an oxygen chamber so he would live to 150, how he was planning to buy the remains of the Elephant Man and how his rival Prince was using ESP to destroy the mind of Jackson’s pet chimp Bubbles. Later when his publicists told him that he went too far with his wacko image, the gloved one did a series of interviews where he called the tabloids, ”a bunch of garbage.” When
Stars start believing their press clippings, the people who work with them are In the
golden age of Hollywood many stars came to believe they were actually the
characters that they played. Judy Turner was told by executives at MGM she was
too sexy to be a Judy, so she was renamed Lana Turner. The same studio heads
Another Star who became interchangeable with his big screen alter ego was Johnny Weissmuller. According to Hollywood wags, when the former Olympic Gold Medalist swimmer was offered the role that made him famous he responded,” Me? Tarzan?” Later the more established Weissmuller became a wild womanizer. Married six times, that didn’t stop him from going to the hotels of his latest potential conquests. He would stand on the sidewalk below their windows, beat his chest and make the Tarzan yell. A strong
personality can be useful in settling disputes.
John Wayne starred in The
Barbarian And The Geisha (1958) which was filmed on location in Japan. One
scene called for the burning of a ship near a small seaside village. A sudden
wind blew the flames onto the shore setting several wooden huts on fire. The
locals came out and
Sometimes a star’s reputation can be crippling. Mel Gibson was excited by new writer and director Brian Helgeland’s pitch for Payback (1999). Mel would play a bad guy. No redeeming qualities. A chance to change how the public saw him. But as filming progressed Mel felt a few scenes should be added to explain why his character was so rotten, so that the audience would like him better. Helgeland protested that the character was just mean, there was no explanation. Gibson said that his fans and the film’s investors needed him to be a good guy. Helgeland accused Gibson of going back on his word. With a heavy heart Mel Gibson told Brian Helgeland he was fired.
Ultimately a star’s public image can get them into trouble. In real life movie
tough guy Humphrey Bogart was actually a small man who once lost a wrestling
match to Truman Capote. One time he was dining out with his third wife Mayo
when an idiot walked up to his table. “Humphrey Bogart. Mr. Tough Guy. You
don’t look so tough to me! Why don’t we step outside.” Bogart sighed, ”Sit
down, pal. Have a drink.” “No I don’t want a drink. I told my friends at the
bar I could beat you.” The man kept badgering until the weary star turned to his
wife and said, ”Hey, Mayo. Take care of him.” Mayo took off her shoe and beat
the hell out of him.
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Frances Gumm was a girl next store type and transformed her into a Judy
(Garland). Both young girls began to believe they were their screen personas.
If Judy liked a guy, then Lana, who was like a sexual buccaneer, had to have
him. One time Garland confided to Turner that she had a big crush on that
dreamy band leader Artie Shaw. She was shocked to read a week later in the trade
papers that Artie and Lana were newlyweds.
started
violently thrashing the American film crew when a booming voice said, ”Hold
It!” It was the six foot four Wayne standing on the porch of his residence with
his hands raised. He looked as imposing as George Washington at The Whiskey
Rebellion. “Now calm down. I guarantee you that Twentieth Century Fox will
make restitution for your property damage. And if they don’t, I will!” The
Japanese stopped fighting and began cheering wildly for The Duke.