Editorial
Front Page - Friday, October 8, 2010
I Swear ...
Who am I?
Vic Fleming
I am an Oscar-winning film director. I died in 1949 of a heart attack at the age of 59.
A Robert Edwards bio of me says that I occupy “a curious place in cinema history.”
In the 1930s, I was hailed as a great film maker. In 1939, I was the credited director of two of the most popular movies of all time.
Yet, I’m “largely ignored by critics and historians,” and my name “has long been forgotten by the public.”
I was born in Pasadena. After working as an auto mechanic and portrait photographer, I bluffed my way into a job as cameraman at the Flying A studio in 1911, where I worked with director Allan Dwan and star Douglas Fairbanks.
During World War I, I joined the intelligence bureau’s photography section and accompanied President Wilson to Europe as chief cinematographer.
My directing debut was in 1919, when I was under contract at Paramount. I joined MGM in 1932.
Edwards wrote that I “developed into a superior artisan of the classic Hollywood tradition,” that my “best films are elegantly crafted, stylish and entertaining, yet somehow lacking a strong individual stamp.”
He cites “Mantrap” (1926) and “Hula” (1927), both starring Clara Bow; “The Way of All Flesh” (1927), one of the first Best Picture Oscar nominees; “The Virginian” (1929), which made Gary Cooper a star; “Red Dust” (1932), which teamed Clark Gable and Jean Harlow; “Bombshell” (1933), a wicked satire of the film business; “Treasure Island” (1934); “Captains Courageous” (1937); and “Test Pilot” (1938).
He called me “an odd choice” for one of those 1939 films, because I had “never made a musical or fantasy film before.” But I “rose to the challenge with consummate skill and captured a childlike sense of wonder throughout.”
Before I was finished with that film, I was assigned to the other, at the instance of Clark Gable. It was a tough assignment, so much so that at one point that I faked a nervous breakdown.
Sam Wood took over while I “recovered” and then we co-directed. Six directors worked on this production, but I received sole billing because my contract required it. The seeming unfairness of that, plus the Oscar that was given to me alone, “rankled some in the industry” and may have had a backlash on my reputation.
It did not help that some of my later films, “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1941), “Tortilla Flat” (1942), “A Guy Named Joe” (1943), and “Adventure” (1945), were heavy-handed and self-consciously “artsy.” Or that my last film, “Joan of Arc” (1948), was an expensive flop.
I was known as “one of Hollywood’s great tough guys, a rugged sportsman who stood up to studio heads.” I also seduced my leading ladies. In the silent era I was briefly engaged to Clara Bow and romantically linked with Norma Shearer, Lupe Velez and Alice White, among others.
It’s been said that Clark Gable idolized me and modeled his cocky screen persona after me.
In 1934 I got my best friend’s wife pregnant, married her and, surprisingly, became a devoted family man. This lasted until 1948, when I had fling with 29 year-old “Joan of Arc” star Ingrid Bergman.
Soon after that film’s premiere I died while on vacation in Arizona.
WHO AM I?
Vic Fleming is a district court judge in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he also teaches at the William H. Bowen School of Law. Contact him at vicfleming@att.net.
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