MGM under Louis B Mayer was not only *part* of Hollywood's "Golden Age" (from the late 20s to early 50s), it was arguably the very *epitome/definer* of that age. Even just a short/select list from that time period includes these many critical and/or commercial hits, all of them gorgeous to look at and chock full of charm and *entertainment*: Singin’ in the Rain; The Wizard of Oz; Gone with the Wind; An American in Paris; The Philadelphia Story; Ninotchka; A Night at the Opera; The Thin Man; On the Town; Mutiny on the Bounty; Grand Hotel; The Postman Always Rings Twice; and Dinner at Eight.
But as Mr. Mayer (and Hollywood, and America) 'aged' into the 50s, he found himself confronted with a new kind of film and a new kind of filmmaker; *realism" was all the rage (or so some critics thought/wanted). Mayer was indeed going to finance John Huston's new picture, the gritty "Ashphalt Jungle", but he still had his misgivings about its *realistic* style. It is reported that he said (something like) the following to Mr Huston:
Is your wife an attractive woman, John? I bet she is, I bet she's very attractive. And let me ask you this: does she go to the *bathroom*? I mean, she *does* go to the bathroom, right -- to *pee* and other such things? Of course she does, John -- so does *everyone*, we *all* go to the bathroom to pee and take a crap. We'd be *dead* if we didn't go to the bathroom. We do it every day. It's a very *natural* thing to do, we all do it, going to the bathroom to pee and take a crap. It's very *realistic*. Now tell me, John: when your wife goes to the bathroom, does she *close the door*? Usually, when she goes in there to do this very natural thing, to *pee*, does she close the door? Yes, sure she does. Like all of us, she not only closes the door but she also *locks* it, doesn't she John? And why's that -- I mean, why doesn't she leave the door wide open, when she's, say, *peeing,* for everyone to see? I'll tell you why, John: *because none of us wants to see it* We *all* close and lock the bathroom door, and we want others to close the bathroom door, because what is happening there is *not beautiful*, John, and it's not *lovely* or *fun to watch*. Sure, of course, it's *realism* , but none of us -- we as the *audience*, John -- we don't *want to watch* realism. We want *magic*.
So sayeth the king, the maker, the *inventor* even of one "Golden Age". It's not the one that we usually talk about around here, but I read it last night and found it interesting, with possible parallels to gca.
Peter