Billy Wilder on Assignment
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People on Sunday (Menschen am Sonntag, 1930), 9, 12, 21, 83–86, 96; film scenes, 12–13, 15, 16; poster for, 86; premiere of, 86; ticket for, 83
Perella, Harry, 117
personal essays. See cultural essays
personal objectivity, concept of, 54–56
Petrovna, Nina, 81
photographing people, 72–73
Picha, Hermann, 190
Piel, Harry, 189
pilots, 21, 76–78
Pinajeff, Elisabeth, 186
Pinschewer, Julius, 182
Pitschau, Werner, 169
plants and flowers, 68–69
Pointner, Anton, 172
“A Poker Artist” (Wilder), 96, 152–156
Polgar, Alfred, 5
police officers, 178–179
Polo, Eddie, 12
Pommer, Erich, 151
Porten, Henny, 165, 186
portraits of people. See interviews
prairie films, 188–189
Prater, Vienna, 107–109, 150, 154
Prevost, Marie, 176–177
Primus Palace Theater, 168, 178, 183, 190
Prince of Wales (Edward VIII), 7, 100–103, 121–124, 159
Der Prinz von Wales geht auf Urlaub (Siebenhaar), 18
“Promenaden-Café” (Wilder), 42
Psilander, Waldemar, 99
publishing and literature, 87–90
Queen Kelly (1929), 14–15, 151
Der Querschnitt magazine, 10, 14, 19, 90, 93, 148, 152, 156
The Racing Reporter (Der rasende Reporter, Wilder), 9, 10
Radio Magic (Funkzauber, 1927), 172
Raff, Friedrich, 186
Raimund Theater, 97
Rainer, Louis, 5
Randolf, Rolf, 170, 188
Rasp, Fritz, 170, 175
Rauch, Franz, 190
real-life experiences, influence of, 3–4
Reicher, Emanuel, 143
Reinhardt, Max, 4, 5, 96, 113, 143
Reiniger, Lotte, 165, 182
“Renovation: An Ode to the Coffeehouse” (Wilder), 63–65
reportage. See cultural essays
“Rhapsody in Blue” (Whiteman), 8, 117
Richter, Auguste, 140–141
Rilla, Walter, 178
rivals, 170, 177
robbers and swindlers, 181, 188–189
Roberts (dancer), 25–29, 32, 34, 36
Robinson, Armin, 112
Rockefeller, John D., III, 152
romance and love stories, 99, 171, 173–175, 190
Romance play (1913), 99
Romanisches Café, 9, 11, 27
“The Rose of Jericho” (Wilder), 68–69
Rosson, Arthur, 165, 188
Roth, Joseph, 5
A Royal Scandal (1945), 172
Rückert, Ernst, 184
ruses, 50–52
Russia: film style in, 150–151; operas from, 137–139
Rustle of Spring—Tears I Shed for You (Frühlingsrauschen-Tränen, die ich dir geweint, 1929), 186
Sacher Hotel, Vienna, 108, 155
sailors, 175
Sandberg, A. W., 178
The Scala entertainment center, 124–126
Schappel, Luise, 96, 145–148
Schauburg theater, 176, 177
Schaufuss, Hans Hermann, 181, 190
Schermann, Rafael, 156
Schlenther, Paul, 144
Schlettow, A. H., 173
Schmidt, Lothar, 143
Schnitzler, Arthur, 7
Scholz, Robert, 170–171
Schüfftan, Eugen, 82, 84
Schulz, Fritz, 183
Schwertführer, Artur von, 185
Seeler, Moriz, 80, 82, 84, 187
Seidl, Claudius, 17
Shearer, Norma, 165, 167, 168
Sheldon, Edward, 99
The Ship of Lost Men (Schiff der verlorenen Menschen, 1929), 185–186
Siebenhaar, Klaus, 18
Sikov, Ed, 1, 17
silent era films, 14–15, 165, 185–187
silhouette sound films, 182–183
Sills, Milton, 177
Siodmak, Robert, 82, 84, 187
smells and fragrances, 65–68
social dancers. See dancing
soldiers, 177–179
Some Like It Hot (1959), 14
sound films, 179–180; first sound films, 179, 180; Menjou as director for, 159–160; silhouette films, 182–183; technical difficulties producing, 180, 183; Tri-Ergon system for, 165, 179–181, 182, 183; Ufa Program vs., 187
Specht, Gustav, 185
Speerger, J. W., 188
Spira, Camilla, 190
Splettstösser, Erwin, 84
Sprengbagger 1010 (1929), 185
Springtime in Palestine (Frühling in Palästina / Aviv be’Erez Israel, 1928), 166, 181–182
St. Pauli, Hamburg, 175
Staaken, Berlin, 173, 185, 186
Stahl-Nachbaur, Ernst, 186
Stanislavski, Konstantin, 98, 99
state power, 178–179
Stein, Paul Ludwig, 173
Stobrava, Ilse, 185
Strauss, Richard, 7, 106
Strindberg, August, 99
Stroheim, Erich von. See von Stroheim, Erich (“Von”)
“Stroheim, the Man We Love to Hate” (Wilder), 148–152
Stuart, Henry, 170–171
Die Stunde: cultural essays in, 42, 46; interviews in, 7, 8, 104, 107, 111, 114, 117; visiting card of Wilder in, 6, 6; Wilder’s early writing for, 7–8, 19
suicide, 87, 142
Summer 29 (1929), 187
Sunset Boulevard (1950), 15, 18
supernatural powers, 131–134
Susie Cleans Up (Susanne macht Ordnung, 1930), 190–191
Swanson, Gloria, 14–15, 151
Szakall, Szöke, 191
talking pictures. See sound films
Tel Aviv, Israel, 181
Tempelhof airfield, 76–78
Tempest in the West (Holländer), 142
Tempo, 11–12, 19, 82, 161, 164
“Ten Minutes with Chaliapin” (Wilder), 137–139
tennis, 139–140
Terra-Glashaus, 178, 185
That’s Exactly How Things Are (film), 81–82
“That’s Some Cold Weather—in Venice!” (Wilder), 43–46
Theater am Schiffbauerdamm, 181
theater critics, 143–145
theater reviews, overview of, 165–166. See also specific plays
Thérèse Raquin (1928), 173
“The Tiller Girls Boarding School at the Prater” (Wilder), 107–109
Thiele, Eugen, 191
thirst vs. hunger, 78–80
“This Is Where Christopher Columbus Came into the Old World” (Wilder), 47–49
The Threepenny Opera, 165–166, 181
Tiller, John and Lawrence, 107
Tiller Girls, 14, 95, 105–107; personality traits of, 108; in Vienna, 7, 104, 105–109; Wilder’s early accounts of, 7, 12–13, 14, 95
“The Tiller Girls Are Here!” (Wilder), 105–107
Travel Adventure in Two Parts of the World, 187
travel essays: Berlin, 21, 74–75; Genoa, 47–49; German commercial air travel, 21, 76–78; Monte Carlo, 90–93; New York City, 60–62; Prince of Wales’ vacation, 121–124; Venice, 43–46. See also cultural essays
The Trial of Donald Westhof (Der Kampf des Donald Westhofs, 1927), 170
Tri-Ergon system, 165, 179–181, 182, 183
Trotsky, Leon, 89
Truck, Thomas, 142
Twain, Mark, 8–9, 137
UFA Palace am Zoo, 150, 189
UFA Pavilion, 188
Ufa Program, 187
Ufa Theater, 83, 86
Ullstein publishing house, 11, 19
Ulmer, Edgar, 82, 84, 187
Universal, 12, 150, 160. See also Laemmle, Carl
Urgiss, Julius, 186
vacations. See travel essays
Valetti, Rosa, 166, 181
The Val
ley of the Giants (1927), 177
Van Aalten, Truus, 191
Vanderbilt, Cornelius, IV, 7, 95, 110–121, 152
van Druten, John, 166, 184
Variety (Varieté, 1925), 99
Vegesack, Siegfried von, 88
Venice, Italy, 43–46
Verlag, Boheme, 112
Vespermann, Kurt, 180, 184
Vienna: coffeehouses in, 4, 42, 63–65; favorite spots in, 42, 108, 114; Girardi in, 110–111; movie houses in, 3; Prater in, 107–109, 150, 154; Sacher Hotel in, 108, 155; Tiller Girls in, 7, 12–13, 14, 95, 104, 105–109; Whiteman’s arrival in, 111–114; Wilder’s childhood and early career in, 2–8
Viennese composers, 114
violin virtuosos, 93
visiting card of Wilder, 6, 6
Vogt, Karl de, 170–171
von Stroheim, Erich (“Von”), 148–152; Blind Husbands (1919), 150; demise of, 151–152; The Devil’s Pass Key (1920), 150; early films of, 150; first major success of, 151; Greed (1924), 150, 165, 176; Hearts of the World (1918), 149; in Hollywood and USA, 149–150; Merry-Go-Round (1923), 150; The Merry Widow (1925), 151; Old Heidelberg (1915), 149; personality and quirks of, 148–149; Queen Kelly (1929), 14–15, 151; The Wedding March (1928), 151
Wagner, Elsa, 52, 186, 191
Wagner, Fritz Arno, 170
“Waiter, A Dancer, Please!” (Wilder), 23–41
Waldemar, Richard, 175
Waltershausen, Wolfgang von, 13, 16, 84
“Wanted: Perfect Optimist” (Wilder), 60–62
Waschnek, Erich, 175
We and Humanity (Klaar), 144–145
weather, 43–46, 56–58, 78–80
The Wedding March (1928), 151
Weill, Kurt, 166, 181
Weimar-era writing. See Berlin
Weisse, Hanni, 170–171
Wendhausen, Fritz, 170
Wettach, Karl, 135–136
What a Woman Dreams in Spring (Was eine Frau im Frühling träumt, 1929), 183–184
“When It’s Eighty-four Degrees” (Wilder), 56–58
Whiteman, Paul: in Berlin, 95, 115–117; mustache of, 111–112, 113, 116; “Rhapsody in Blue,” 8, 117; success of, 111, 115–117; in Vienna, 111–114; Viennese composers played by, 114; Wilder’s interviews and reviews of, 7–8, 8
“Whiteman Triumphs in Berlin” (Wilder), 115–117
“Why Don’t Matches Smell That Way Anymore?” (Wilder), 65–68
Wilder, Billy: Americanophilia of, 9, 10; in Berlin, 7–13, 20, 23–41, 74–75, 96, 161–164; Billie vs. Billy, 1; cameos in film by, 12, 14; caricatures of, 9, 10; crossword puzzles by, 3, 4, 6; as dancer for hire, 10, 20, 23–41, 96, 161–164; early childhood of, 1–3; early film career of, 12–15; early journalism career of, 19–21, 20; as emigrant to Hollywood, 15, 17, 17; emigration to America by, 15, 17; English language skills of, 15, 17; father’s career plans for, 3; favorite Berlin spots of, 12–13, 74–75; Hollywood films of, 12; interviewing skills of, 7; journalism career of, 3–8; life interests and goals, 3; in Max Reinhardt Circle, 4, 5; mentors of, 9–10, 14, 23, 96, 161–164; personality traits of, 3–4, 5–6, 7; as racing reporter, 9, 10; real-life experiences, influence of, 3–4; in Vienna, 2–8; visiting card of, 6, 6; Whiteman’s relationship with, 7–8, 8; wit and intelligence of, 3–4, 7, 17–18; writing style of, 10–11, 17–19, 95–96, 163–164
Wild West, American, 165, 188–189
Wilhelm, Wolfgang, 191
Wilkerson, W. R., 157, 159–160
Willy (dancer), 31–35, 38
The Winged Horseman (1929), 165, 188–189
wishes, power of, 131–133
witchcraft, 131–134
Witzmann, Karl, 5
Wolwode, Lina, 5
Wolzogen, Hans von, 185
The Woman in Flames (Frau im Feuer, 1924), 98
A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate (1923), 159
The Wonderful Lies of Nina Petrovna (Die wunderbare Lüge der Nina Petrovna, 1929), 81
words, power of, 17–18
work and willpower, 166, 181–182
Wreede, Fritz, 112, 113, 114
Young Woodley (play), 166, 184
youth and young actors, 184–185
Yvette (dancer), 25, 34
Zaharoff, Sir Basil, 90–93
Zilzer, Wolfgang, 173, 175
Zinnemann, Fred, 162, 163
Zionism, 166, 181–182
Zoreff, Fritz, 174
Zweig, Stefan, 89