We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
from PART IV - INTERVIEWS
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2013
This interview took place in Miss Gish's Manhattan apartment on August 1, 1978. She was 84 years old. The interview was arranged by Lillian Vallish Foote, who was named after Miss Gish, and suggested by her husband, Horton; I had met the Footes at that summer's Faulkner conference in Mississippi, and we remained friends. I told Miss Gish that I would be playing this tape for my film history students and that they were her audience. It is significant that Miss Gish did not receive credit as producer or co-producer on La Bohème, The Scarlet Letter, or The Wind, but she never brought that up in the interview, and Iforgot to ask about it.
LILLIAN GISH: Is it on now?
BRUCE KAWIN: It's on. Could you start with the films you produced at MGM?
GISH: Well, Irving [Thalberg]… When I was signed by MGM, I didn't want the contract they gave me. It was for a lot of money, a million dollars for six pictures, and I wanted $500 a week and a percentage of my film, just enough to live on out there—Mother…—and they wouldn't give it to me. Because I had made films for inspiration and I had a percentage, a gross percentage, not a net; you never see a net percentage.[...]
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
