MovieChat Forums > Bachelor Mother (1939) Discussion > It's A Dog

It's A Dog

posted 17 years ago by murph24
9 replies | jump to latest

I was watching the documentary HOLLYWOOD, THE GOLDEN YEARS: THE RKO STORY & was surprised to learn Ginger Rogers made BACHELOR MOTHER under protest. It all began when director Garson Kanin & screenwriter Norman Krasna went to Rogers' house one night with the script; Kanin read it to her, she thanked both of them politely and the following day informed the studio she had no intention of making the film. When producer (and RKO exectutive) Pandro S. Berman asked why she wasn't interested, he was told "She just hates it; she thinks it's the worst script she ever read in her life." Berman clearly wasn't happy with Rogers' attitude, so he had her thrown off the payroll. After three stubborn weeks she finally gave in & agreed to do the picture, but - as Berman put it - "reluctantly, and hating every minute of it."

After BACHELOR MOTHER was completed a preview was arranged, attended by everyone involved with the film. Berman said it was one of the most successful and sensational previews he ever attended - "The audience just went crazy, and we were so happy," he said. But Rogers wasn't happy. As she left the theater she saw Berman in the lobby and said ("sneeringly," as he recalled), "It's a dog. I told you it was a dog. It's just as bad as I knew it was going to be."

BACHELOR MOTHER went on to become RKO's most successful film of 1939 and greatly enhanced Rogers' standing as one of Hollywood's biggest stars.

[–] flan99 17 years ago

That's a shocker !

I just watched it, for the first time, on TCM.

Excellent movie !

[–] bonarc 16 years ago

I had not heard the Pandro Berman story. In his autobiography, Fred Astaire quotes his friend, David Niven's comment, about her response to this movie. Niven simply comments: "That's our Ginger!"...and Fred adds a brief off the cuff comment, that she never admitted her mistake regarding this movie. What's funny is that Ginger responds to Fred's comment in her personally written preface, of a later edition of the same autobiography. She writes emphatically, that she WAS capable of admitting a mistake...and reminded Fred of HIS mistake concerning the feather dress incident, in the classic "Cheek to Cheek" dance in "Top Hat".

Take that Fred!

This was a small, but humorous sore point between two of the screen's greatest stars. They, of course, as two very different people, respected, and had great loyalty, and obvious affection, towards each other throughout their long careers....aside for the occasional "snit", as Ginger called them. This little snit evidently had "legs"! Thanks for posting it.

I sense that Bette Davis's comment about her friend, Ginger...(They shared the same type of stage mother.)...as being a "moralist", probably describes part of Ginger's interesting personality. Being required by RKO, to play an unwed mother...even if it wasn't so...likely was part of her discontent.

[–] macguffinlassie 16 years ago

Being required by RKO, to play an unwed mother...even if it wasn't so...likely was part of her discontent.

That's an interesting point. I wonder...
...but what about Kitty Foyle?

[–] megadance03 14 years ago

That's an interesting point and I agree that was why she was unhappy with the role. But the movie became a hit and I think she was happy with that as well!

When it comes to Kitty Foyle however, she initially turned it down because the actual novel/book required the lead to indeed have, what many call a "love child". Her mother told her not to decide too hastily because the Hays code would not allow the movie to be made with such implications. That is why in the movie, they do indeed get married (for roughly 5 min.) and then they divorce quite suddenly. This was to imply that she had gotten pregnant while they had been married. I think this change from the book to the screenplay helped her decide to do the picture.

I still would have loved to see Ginger in "His Girl Friday" from the same year! She would have been great. Don't get me wrong, Rosalind Russell is the best and she is perfect in the part. But Ginger could easily slip in and out of comedy and drama so well that she would have done a magnificent job! Just my, obviously bias, opinion on Ginger's behalf.

[–] gbennett5 14 years ago

I agree with Rogers. Saw this tonight for the first time and thought it
was awful. Outrageously stupid plot and rarely amusing, despite a great
cast. Dog is right.

[–] lizzie-45 14 years ago

Oh my, what inspired casting. Wish I could go back in time and green light a cary grant ginger rogers his girl friday.

or a lady eve movie with a better ending

[–] dpharrington 13 years ago

In her memoirs, Ginger: My Story, she admits to having been wrong. The characters, which seemed flat to her on reading the script, had far more life in the finished movie.

[–] hka-3 10 years ago

Great story, murph24! Thanks for sharing that. I wonder if her apprehension to do the film helped her performance of a character who was apprehensive to suddenly be a mother. I thought it turned out well.

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

Interesting info! I never would have guessed Ginger was reluctant to do this movie. That shows how good she was. A movie she didn't have her heart in turned out to be such a hit.

It also shows one of the many flaws of the studio system. They seemed to treat a lot of the actors like indentured servants often forcing them to do projects and other things against their will. When they refused, they were punished sometimes to the extent of derailing their careers.

Sure, I get it. It was a business, the actors were under contract which they willingly entered, and some did rather well for themselves but it's never right to force people to go against their values.

Personally, I loved this movie and enjoy watching a lot of movies from the past but I feel a little bad about enjoying films that may have been done through coercion. What I'm saying is while it's nice to learn the backstories, they sometimes affect my feelings about certain movies; usually in a negative way.