History Repeats Itself, Again

Ok. So let's get real. Neither The Dickstein Bill nor Mr. Murray W. Garsson was actually gunning for the Marlene Dietrichs or the Maurice Chevaliers or the Leslie Howards. Those people always have teams of lawyers on the case. It was aimed at "a lot of 'extras' over here who are foreigners...Those people will not be allowed here." And no more renewing of six-month visas by making a weekend trip to Agua Caliente and calling the return to Hollywood Monday morning a re-entry.

So, you might be wondering why I am even talking about Mr. Murray W. Garsson or The Dickstein Bill. Well, what those experts say, you remember the ones I talked about yesterday, is that The Dickstein Bill, even though it never passed into law, led the country right into The Hollywood Blacklist. It seems that an ambitious Congressman from east Texas, Martin Dies, resuscitated the bill and out of his efforts the House Committee of Un-American Activities was formed. And we all should know what happened next. If you don't, look it up. In the words of President Harry S. Truman it was the "most un-American thing in the country today."

So next time you hear someone saying they have a solution that will solve all our problems, and it involves the elimination of one group or another, you might want to think about Mr. Murray W. Garsson and The Dickstein Bill. Remember, no matter how well intentioned Mr. Garsson was, his efforts to rid America of undocumented and over-staying immigrants eventually ended up hurting and even destroying the lives of a lot of good people, very American people. If I may borrow a quote by David G. McAfee and rephrase it a bit: If for every well-intended idea uttered in hopes of making one's world a better place, there was instead a good deed accomplished, the world might look as though those ideas had come to fruition.

Have a great weekend everybody!

[Leslie Howard Aboard Europa, UK to NYC,
November 27, 1934]

Subscribe to Leslie Howard by Email

Let's Legislate Them Away

Continuing my theme for the week of making Mr. Murray W. Garsson famous again...

Well, it seems Mr. Garsson had a solution to America's problem of "them furr-in-ers." What solution you ask. The Dickstein Bill.

Ok. I am no expert on The Dickstein Bill and I don't plan to be, although some are. But there are books written about The Dickstein Bill. The Dickstein Bill would have greatly affected the "foreign colony" in Hollywood. The bill would prohibit the bringing of foreign players, directors, writers or technicians, unless they are of proven worth and have genius in their line. Does anyone see the problem here? It would be the government's business to decide who is a genius in a business they know absolutely nothing about. Can you imagine some schmuck sitting in a gray government building in a gray government cubbyhole scratching his gray government hair trying to decide if Marlene Dietrich is a "genius" or not? Well, even the government knew that would not work.

So, The Dickstein Bill would require the studios to present a signed and sworn affidavit to the Immigration Department stating that Marlene Dietrich is the only person on earth who can be Marlene Dietrich and that no actress in America could be Marlene Dietrich.

Oy vey. The conclusion tomorrow.

[Leslie Howard with Marlene Dietrich,
Palm Springs, 1939]

Subscribe to Leslie Howard by Email

A Word In the Right Ear

Yesterday, I began to tell you about a movement by one government employee, a Mr. Murray W. Garsson, to rid from American soil all those pesky foreigners like Marlene Dietrich, Charles Chaplin and Greta Garbo.

Well, according to Mr. Garsson the whole thing started when the Actors' Equity Association and the Lambs Club of New York got hold of Mr. Garsson and bent his ear about the "influx of foreign players who, they declared, were taking the jobs that belong to Americans...for less money than the Americans have been accustomed to."

And it seems that once Mr. Garsson knocked on the doors of the big studio executives asking for the records of their employees, said studio executives were only too happy to comply. Now you know when big business is only too happy to comply with the government's request for information it usually means they are hoping something else stays hidden. Or maybe it had to do with Mr. Garsson's arrest of John Farrow, the future father of Mia Farrow, a lowly writer at the time and Mia only a twinkle in daddy's eye. The arrest came the first week Mr. Garsson started throwing his weight around in Hollywood.

More tomorrow...

[Leslie Howard leaving America for
the last time, August 22, 1939]

Subscribe to Leslie Howard by Email

Remembering Leslie Howard

Today is the anniversary of Leslie Howard's death. He died while serving his country in a civilian capacity on a mission to secure the support of England's Allies during WWII. Howard was returning to England from Portugal on June 1, 1943, when his civilian plane was shot down by Nazis over the Bay of Biscay and was never recovered.

I am showing a video from Ginevra Di Verduno's YouTube site, Leslie Howard Forever. Ms. Di Verduno is my inspiration. She has kept Leslie Howard's memory alive through her YouTube site and through her pictorial blog, Leslie Howard Forever, and her word blog, Inafferrabile (Elusive) Leslie Howard. I encourage everyone to visit her sites.

The video is actually a Happy Birthday video, not an In Memoriam video. But it is my favorite of all Ms. Di Verduno's beautiful and thoughtful videos and it is somewhat apropos considering that I started my Facebook page because the classic movie channel forgot Mr. Howard's birthday this year.

[My series on Hollywood's influx of foreigners will resume tomorrow.]

In Memory:

Happy Birthday, Leslie Howard, 2015

Subscribe to Leslie Howard by Email

History Repeating Itself?

Back in the early 1930's there was a movement abroad in the land started by a few in Washington, in particular Murray W. Garsson, Special Assistant Secretary of Labor, to kick out all of "Hollywood's aliens." According to Mr. Garsson:

"I would not even venture a guess as to the number of foreign players illegally in Hollywood--there are so many of them. These people will have to get out and go back where they belong. We are doing this to protect American actors and actresses. We do not object to the bringing of a player like Chevalier here to do a part no one else can do. But we do object to hordes of players coming here and settling, many of them illegally and, while claiming allegiance to another flag, taking the work that is so badly needed by our own players."

The people who Mr. Garsson was targeting were not only actors, but also writers, directors and technicians. Among the "hordes" who were asked to make a hasty retreat back to "where they belong" were: George Arliss, Charles Chaplin, Elissa Landi, Marlene Dietrich, Lupe Velez, Maurice Chevalier, Greta Garbo, Gregory Ratoff, Maureen O'Sullivan, George Brent, Ronald Colman, Benita Hume, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and, of course, Leslie Howard, along with many others. And then there were those Americans who were married to "one of those" people who had to get out or be arrested and deported, such as Constance Bennett. And don't forget about those dangerous Canadians like Norma Shearer. Oh, right, she doesn't count. She had become naturalized. Sorry.

If Rudolph Valentino had still been alive at that time, I think it is safe to say that the women of America would have run Mr. Murray W. Garsson out of town on a rail.

More tomorrow...

[Leslie Howard on one of his many crossings]

Subscribe to Leslie Howard by Email