The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

Past chats with our guests.
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Monika Henreid
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

Post by Monika Henreid »

Hi again Christy...
My father enjoyed his friendship with Ida Lupino very much. Her personality was just what my father admired most in women...that perfect balance between vulnerability and strength. He wasn't so happy with women who were 'out of balance ' one way or the other : ). He saw her soft feminine side as lovely, poetic and romantic. He appreciated her strength as an actress and later as one of the first successful female directors in Hollywood. They were a good match both on and off the screen. My mother laughed when some gossip columnist suggested that they were spending too much time alone together in the dressing room. There was no truth to the implied affair. A great, solid friendship and mutual respect was the truth.
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Monika Henreid
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

Post by Monika Henreid »

Reticent and resigned are not words that fit my father well ... in any context.
He was openly outspoken when it came to social or political issues.
In films, he played freedom fighters who were always rewarded but his own personal journey as one was very different. He was blacklisted 3 times in 3 countries!
That is why I call my upcoming book and documentary - PAUL HENREID, BEYOND VICTOR LASZLO. His own life was just as dangerous, just as heroic and just as romantic as his screen life. If not more so ... as it was real.
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Hibi
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

Post by Hibi »

Thanks for the link to the estate. I've read a lot about it over the years. I've read a little about the murder too. It's lucky it's been preserved and open to the public. (had it not, I'm sure some developer would've torn it down!)
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Sue Sue Applegate
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

Post by Sue Sue Applegate »

Thanks for your great responses, Monika.

And I appreciate your wonderful question, Hibi.

Your father's athleticism in The Spanish Main is definitely one of the energetic forces in this film, and well as Maureen O'Hara's riveting glances. How often did your father play tennis when he was at home?

Can you also share with us your recollection of his favorite meal or his favorite wine?

And the Now Playing July has a wonderful video of Robert Osborne and Monika Henreid discussing her father's film legacy:
http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/6386 ... -2013.html
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Monika Henreid
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

Post by Monika Henreid »

Tennis was the sport of choice for our family at home. Swimming and riding were close seconds. A tennis pro lived in our guest house for many years, giving lessons to a regular group of about ten children every Tuesday and Saturday afternoon. Every Sunday belonged to my father's 'tennis gang' that included Jesse Lasky Jr., Charles Schneer, Frank Rosenberg, Ed Hinton and many more. Pancho Gonzales lived nearby. It was a group you had to be invited into, you couldn't just show-up. It was men only and no one dared schedule a match on our court at that time. : )

Dinners at our home were simply elegant...that is to say, simple and elegant. The cuisine itself was mostly European...primarily Austrian and French. We had a wonderful Nanny from Hungary who was an extraordinary master of the kitchen. She taught our amazing Arkansas-born cook everything she knew so we were spoiled everyday of the week.
Last night, I attended a party given by the Consul General of Austria and was told - actually retold - this story by my father's lawyer of long ago.

"We were always intimidated to invite your father for dinner. Meals at your home were always delicious, magnificently prepared and served. We knew we couldn't live up to his standard so we said so. 'My dear friends', Paul said,' I am happy with a boiled potato...as long as it is cooked at exactly the right temperature, served on fine porcelain plates by a well educated staff and we sit on Biedermeier chairs at a beautifully dressed table. You see, I am not difficult to please. My food choices are as simple as the next man.' And we all howled with laughter, your father included. "

We all laughed again last night, my father's spirit alive and well ... as five of his films played on TCM.

And as far as wine goes, well, he was an even bigger snob. : ) An expert to say the least in the different regions of France, what to drink with what and when during which season of which year. One could say, difficult to please but a pleasure to drink with.
As I mentioned before, ANY time spent with my father was an education.
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Monika Henreid
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

Post by Monika Henreid »

Thank you for the interesting questions, Masha.

Even before my father was 'officially' a director, he noticed many things in a scene or dialog or scenic design which were inaccurate or just plain awful. He was not shy about his opinions which didn't always sit comfortably with the actual director. In his book LADIES MAN, he mentions a few examples...including the improper logos on the train in NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH, and the beautiful, simple performance given by the iconic Michael Chekhov which was slain by the director Vincent Sherman in IN OUR TIME. Even in an example of an incident of which he had control, he ultimately discovered he did not. His director's cut of DEAD RINGER was approved by Jack Warner but certain scenes were re-cut before release and he could do nothing about it. He was very disappointed.
Last edited by Monika Henreid on July 3rd, 2013, 11:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

Post by Monika Henreid »

A little more for Masha...

He WAS a voracious reader... in German, French and English. There were a few books he occasionally would mention as something he would like to tackle. I believe one was an Arthur Schnitzler play that was quite daring for its time. He had optioned a story called HORSES IN MIDSTREAM and another one, the title I forget, for his pal Anthony Quinn to star in but the deals ultimately fell through. That was disappointing but he did direct Tony a few times in his TV show, THE MAN AND THE CITY. I was lucky enough to work in one of them myself : )

Once my father's directing career was well under way and I was often working with him -officially or unofficially- I became more aware in his multi-level participation in all his films, even when his only credited job was as an actor. HOLLOW TRIUMPH was a novel he had optioned, in which he starred, co-produced and ultimately directed - without screen credit. THE SPANISH MAIN was based on his idea because he wanted more challenging, physical roles to play. Jack Warner wasn't interested ("When I want a lover, I'll take you. When I want a pirate, I'll take Errol Flynn." ). So my father took it to RKO to Herman Mankiewicz whom he considered to be 'brilliant and witty'. After a l-o-n-g conversation and a good bottle of scotch, Mankiewicz agreed to write it and soon delivered a wonderful script. These are just a few examples.

My father enjoyed creating and writing and conceptualizing. I think blank reels of film and visions of empty stages waiting to be filled always ran through his head. : )
Last edited by Monika Henreid on July 3rd, 2013, 11:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

Post by Sue Sue Applegate »

Monika, thank you so much for sharing these wonderful stories with us! The administrators and moderators of The Silver Screen Oasis appreciate your contribution to our members.

And I am pleased to announce that Monika Henreid has consented to join us every Wednesday in July as TCM celebrates her father, Paul Henreid, in their Star of the Month celebration!

Thank you again, Monika, from our members and administrators!

See you next Wednesday! :lol:
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

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Monika Henreid wanted me to share this photo and comment with our SSO Community today...Image

"This photo was taken as my father took the oath to fulfill his dream and become an American citizen. As fate would have it, shortly thereafter he was caught up in the McCarthy/HUAC blacklisting. As outspoken in life as he was on the screen, this was not new to him. It had already happened twice before in two other countries. However, he returned to Hollywood and made the USA his home until he died in 1992 at the age of 84. Long live freedom and the home of the Brave!"
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

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TCM's Star of the Month Celebration for Paul Henreid this Tuesday, July 9:

7:00 PM (CST)

Now, Voyager (1942)
A repressed spinster is transformed by psychiatry and her love for a married man.
(THE ICONIC DOUBLE CIGARETTE LIGHTING...)
Dir: Irving Rapper Cast: Bette Davis , Paul Henreid , Claude Rains .

9:00 PM(CST)

Deception (1946)
A woman tries to protect her refugee husband from her rich and powerful ex-lover.
Dir: Irving Rapper Cast: Bette Davis , Paul Henreid , Claude Rains .


11:00 PM(CST)

Dead Ringer (1964)

A woman murders her rich twin and tries to take her place.
(Look for our Guest Star, Monika Henreid, as a member of Mrs. De Lorca's staff!)
Dir: Paul Henreid Cast: Bette Davis , Karl Malden , Peter Lawford .

1:00 AM(CST)

The Madwoman Of Chaillot (1969)

An eccentric Parisian woman's optimistic perception of life begins to sound more rational than the rather traditional beliefs of others.
Dir: Bryan Forbes Cast: Katharine Hepburn , Charles Boyer , Claude Dauphin .

3:15 AM (CST)

The Spanish Main (1945)

Dutch rebels in the Caribbean turn pirate and kidnap the corrupt Spanish governor's bride-to-be.
Dir: Frank Borzage Cast: Maureen O'Hara , Paul Henreid , Walter Slezak .
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

Post by Professional Tourist »

Since Monika would be returning here tomorrow (Wednesday) I'd like to cheat a little and post a follow-up note on DJIH (rather than on tonight's TCM screenings).

Mr. Henreid's autobiography arrived today and immediately I read the section on DJIH. It does provide more detail on the situation, over the course of four or five pages. That it was "not a good experience" for him is putting it mildly. I had no idea! But try as I might, I have difficulty imagining that there were rumors in the early 1970s, or at any time, that Charles Laughton and Agnes Moorehead had been lovers. I mean, I believe him, but, my goodness! :shock: :shock: :shock: On the other hand, it might account for why Elsa Lanchester seemed to dislike AM. . . . :P :lol: :lol: :lol: Anyway, I believe Mary Astor would have agreed with one of the exceptions Mr. Henreid took with that production.

I can't wait to read the whole book -- thanks again, Monika, for the suggestion. :)

Sneaking back on topic, over the course of the past week I did watch a few of the films TCM is screening tonight, such as The Spanish Main and Dead Ringer, and have seen some others in the past, such as Now, Voyager. I'd love to see all of Deception -- from the clips I was able to find on YouTube it seems like quite a doozy! I enjoyed seeing Mr. Henreid in a swash-buckling role in Spanish Main; he had good chemistry with Maureen O'Hara, and was certainly an accomplished fencer. Walter Slezak's character reminded me of one he would play a couple of years later in the MGM musical The Pirate. :)
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Re: The Silver Screen Oasis Welcomes Monika Henreid!

Post by Rita Hayworth »

Monika,

In Thief of Damascus back in 1952 ... he worked with John Sutton, Jeff Donnell, and Lon Chaney Jr. ... and a surprisely Robert Clary as Aladdin ... this is one of my sentimental favorite films of which he went out to stop Khalid played by John Sutton and to me it is one of the rousing Arabian Adventures ever ... and another surprise to see Philip Van Zandt to played Ali Baba and the 40 thieves ...

Can you share anything about this film back in 1952?
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