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APRIL 18, 2006

 Jeanette MacDonald—Hollywood’s True Show Woman

Her Masterful Touch Made San Francisco the Great Movie It Is!

by

Gio

            If ever there was a real master artist and a true movie impresario—Jeanette MacDonald was this great show person.  She proved this to the world with the movie San Francisco.   It is now part of cinema history how MGM’s San Francisco came to be made.  The Queen of the Silver Screen, Jeanette MacDonald, had put her mind and soul into seeing it come to the big screen.  This was her idea, and after having battled all of the extraordinary obstacles confronting her, she accomplished something that others never even fathom—a tremendous, box-office, smash hit.  San Francisco became the number one movie success of 1936.  It was a true classic gem, a cinema masterpiece that would forever thrill audiences for decades to come, and would be added to already a long list of Jeanette’s pictures painted with her masterful touch.

            Oh, yes, to her millions of fans who long accepted that her magic was just part of her natural talent as an artist, however, in reality Jeanette was a master of her craft, understanding the complexities that went into making a huge box office hit.  Most of all—she knew how to put all of her skills together to bring about one great hit after another.  And with San Francisco we see the Master Artist, Jeanette the great show person, do exactly this, and got to see another side of Jeanette MacDonald the world never saw, the consummate professional who rolled up her sleeves and turned out the best that Hollywood could make. 

            It was Jeanette, and Jeanette alone, who made San Francisco the great movie success it was then and still is today.  She understood the powerful impact it would have on the big screen if the multi-diverse characters, running the gamut from pure to evil, were given not just a script—but an actor’s script from which they could throw themselves totally into.  To accomplish this, she had selected the actors who would be perfect for the roles, and with a firm hand she made sure they were in the movie. 

            Always using wise judgment, Jeanette was ready to make great sacrifices upon her part to accomplish what she envisioned; but the business woman/artist in her knew when to compromise and when to stand firm.  This remarkable ability would win her the nickname “The Iron Butterfly” which she wore proudly.  True, Jeanette was a down-to-earth person who had a deep appreciation for the tumultuous outpouring of love from her millions of fans around the world—but she knew show business and how to deal with movie moguls at their own game and win.  Quite contrary to other stars who acquiesced to studios’ demands, Jeanette was ready and able to negotiate those same demands to her satisfaction. 

            This we see when she gave a totally unknown actor (Nelson Eddy, who was ready to quit the movie business after going nowhere for three years) co-billing in Naughty Marietta.  A wise business woman, she knew if a co-star’s name was beneath hers this would imply that she was singing with a second-rate actor, and the overall appeal of the movie at the box office would be lessened.  It was the same with San Francisco.  Never letting ego interfere with good business judgment, she gave Clark Gable (with a very large ego) the lead, and also made sure his lines were beefed up, giving his character a larger role with lots of action. 

            Let’s see what went into the making of San Francisco, Jeanette’s views, and it’s affect on her career.  San Francisco, like The Firefly, is a dramatic movie with a musical theme playing in the background.  However, it is the action of the players that matters.   This is the major difference between the four movies Jeanette and Maurice Chevalier made.  It was the same with seven of the eight MGM musical fluff movies she did with Nelson Eddy, remakes or adaptations of Broadway musicals with fairytale plots strung together to allow the screen’s two greatest singers to do their thing—sing, and the audiences loved it.  Realizing what MGM had in mind for her was different than what she had, to make movies with serious plots—and she seized the opportunity with San Francisco to make the transitional leap from light, musical/comedy to real acting. 

            Co-starring with two of the screen’s leading male actors—1934 Best Actor Oscar winner Clark Gable (nicknamed the “King”), and Spencer Tracy (who would be nominated for Best Actor in San Francisco in 1937—and went on to win Best Actor in 1938 and 1939), she rested her career as a dramatic actress on the success or failure of San Francisco.  It would either help her make the breakthrough for future dramatic roles, or forever be caught up in Hollywood’s typecasting-vice, which so many actors were never able to break out of.  Nelson Eddy was one of these actors.  MGM gave Eddy opportunities to prove he could shoulder a box office hit—even co-starring big name actresses with him, but the same Jeanette magical success was not there.  It was clear his success hinged upon Jeanette, typecast as her Prince Charming.  He would never break free from Jeanette’s shadow and eventually moved to smaller studios, and by 1947/8 gave up the movies business all together. 

            But Jeanette knew she had true, super-star drawing power.  She had been a super screen star for seven years and proven she could carry a movie on her own by every movie she made.  Her movies were successes because she was in them.  Moviegoers came to see her and it made no difference to them who her male co-star was.  Ironically, even though Gable was a good friend with Jeanette’s husband, Gene Raymond, Gable also knew the Jeanette Magic on audiences and fought hard not to be in the movie.  He complained to MGM’s bigwigs on how silly he would look standing around while Jeanette’s personality and singing would steal the movie, and he wanted nothing to do with it—PERIOD! 

            However, when Jeanette first read the unfinished San Francisco script, she immediately saw Gable in the male lead role and was ready to prove to him how much she wanted him.  She cancelled a movie she was scheduled to start shooting so she would be free when Gable returned from his hunting vacation (which impressed Gable).  Not only did this cost her a lot of money, but she now also owed MGM a movie to be made at a future date.  To further counter Gable’s arguments, she not only beefed up his character, but also worked her magical charms on him in their scenes together, which definitely enhanced Gable’s screen appeal more.  As production got underway, Gable was impressed with Jeanette’s professionalism, and soon found working with the Silver Screen’s Prima Donna most enjoyable. 

            Gable was indeed the ideal character for the role of Blackie Norton.  He was tall, dark, and handsome; he was also rugged and had the personality and dramatic strength that Jeanette now needed in her male lead.  His tough guy/nice guy image played well to her sweet and innocent character, whose beauty, sexiness, and purity conquers the Godless, Barbary Coast, waterfront saloon boss.  Tracy, whose part really was a supporting role, had a fun time working with Jeanette.  He soon realized he appeared larger on the screen in scenes with Jeanette than with Gable. 

            For MGM’s part—they made it clear from the beginning that San Francisco fell entirely upon the success of Jeanette.  In the end, after everyone acted their parts superbly, and the earthquake scene was finished, the sight of Jeanette standing atop the hill, singing, sent the audiences into ecstasy.  San Francisco was a huge money maker and went on to be nominated for six Oscars, including: Best Movie, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Assistant Director, Best Original Story and Script, and Best Sound/Recording (which won an Oscar). 

            Jeanette went on to make more dramatic movies.  In 1939 she acted with Lew Ayers, a big screen success in the Dr. Kildare series.  In 1941 MGM had scheduled Jeanette to star in a musical remake of Smilin’ Through, co-starring handsome and rugged Robert Taylor, and Oscar winner for Best Actor in 1941, Jimmy Stewart.  But when Stewart joined the army and Taylor was tied up in another film, she made the movie with Brian Aherne and her husband, Gene Raymond.  Again, it was a big success.  MGM followed Smilin’ Through with Cairo, co-starring another big name, male lead, Robert Young.  The Eddy days were over.  MGM knew he did not have the acting power Jeanette now needed. 

            Jeanette, however, pulled away from movies during World War II and embarked on the most famous concert career of any singer, and even performed in opera to rave revues during the early 1940s.  MGM, wanting her to come back—finally got its wish, and she made two movies which allowed her dramatic acting to shine through.  The first was the movie she owed MGM for making San Francisco—Three Daring Daughters (1947) with the internationally famous pianist Jose Iturbi as her co-star.  The second and her last movie was The Sun Comes Up (1948), co-starring the big screen favorite Lloyd Nolan and the wonder dog Lassie.