{"id":164851,"date":"2026-01-03T08:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=164851"},"modified":"2026-01-02T08:30:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T13:30:30","slug":"happy-birthday-dorothy-arzner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=164851","title":{"rendered":"“I had not directed anything before. In fact I hadn\u2019t told anyone to do anything before.” — Dorothy Arzner"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n“I\u2019d rather do a picture for a small company and have my own way than a B picture for Paramount.” — Dorothy Arzner<\/big><\/p>\n

It’s her birthday today. Here’s an excellent interview with her from 1974<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I have written quite a bit about her films here, mainly one of my favorites, Merrily We Go to Hell<\/i><\/a>, a superb drama about a marriage gone terribly wrong, starring Sylvia Sidney and Fredric March in phenomenal performances. And Cary Grant shows up in a small role! It was pre-superstardom! Merrily We Go to Hell<\/i> is a straight-talking pre-Code film about alcoholism, infidelity, and shattered dreams. <\/p>\n

Dorothy Arzner was the only female director under contract during Hollywood’s so-called Golden Age. (Not so golden if women are barred from the director’s chair, amirite.)<\/p>\n

She got her start in silents as an editor, and then a director. She directed her final film in 1943. When she was offered a directing gig at Paramount, legend has it she said she’d like to do it, but only if she was given A-pictures. None of this B-picture malarkey. She was the first female member of the Directors’ Guild. A lot of firsts. I highly recommend seeing as many of her films as you can (sadly, some are lost to time and lack of film preservation.) <\/p>\n

Short list of titles I recommend: <\/p>\n

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\nGet Your Man<\/i> (1927) – starring Clara Bow
\nChristopher Strong<\/i> (1933) – starring Katharine Hepburn. It is her second film.
\nCraig’s Wife<\/i> (1936) – starring Rosalind Russell
\nThe Bride Wore Red<\/i> (1937) – starring Joan Crawford
\nDance, Girl, Dance<\/i> (1940) – starring Maureen O’Hara, Lucille Ball<\/p>\n

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\nRosalind Russell in “Craig’s Wife”<\/i><\/p>\n

Arzner was a star-maker, a director who saw the potential of soon-to-be-important stars like Clara Bow, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Lucille Ball, Maureen O’Hara. These people already had careers, yes. But they were all so unique, and sometimes hard to place. Directors sometimes didn’t know quite what to do with them. Arzner saw what was unique about them, and highlighted it. She underlined<\/i> their strangeness, their difference from other actors. <\/p>\n

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\nArzner and Clara Bow<\/i><\/p>\n

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\nArzner and Joan Crawford<\/i><\/p>\n

I wrote about all of this and more in my booklet essay for the first Criterion release of an Arzner film, the excellent Dance, Girl, Dance<\/i><\/a>, starring Lucille Ball and Maureen O’Hara. <\/p>\n

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A pioneering career. She was very good at what she did. She lived a long life. She taught at USC. Francis Ford Coppola remembers fondly the class he took with her, and her encouragement of him. <\/p>\n

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“My philosophy is that to be a director you cannot be subject to anyone, even the head of the studio. I threatened to quit each time I didn’t get my way, but no one ever let me walk out.” — Dorothy Arzner<\/big><\/p>\n

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\nThank you so much for stopping by. If you like what I do, and if you feel inclined to support my work, here’s a link to my Venmo account<\/a>. And I’ve launched a Substack, Sheila Variations 2.0<\/a>, if you’d like to subscribe.<\/em> <\/small><\/p>\n