Billy Wilder on Assignment: Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna
224
Billy Wilder on Assignment: Dispatches from Weimar Berlin and Interwar Vienna
224Hardcover
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Overview
"A revelation."—Marc Weingarten, Washington Post
Acclaimed film director Billy Wilder’s early writings—brilliantly translated into English for the first time
Before Billy Wilder became the screenwriter and director of iconic films like Sunset Boulevard and Some Like It Hot, he worked as a freelance reporter, first in Vienna and then in Weimar Berlin. Billy Wilder on Assignment brings together more than fifty articles, translated into English for the first time, that Wilder (then known as "Billie") published in magazines and newspapers between September 1925 and November 1930. From a humorous account of Wilder's stint as a hired dancing companion in a posh Berlin hotel and his dispatches from the international film scene, to his astute profiles of writers, performers, and political figures, the collection offers fresh insights into the creative mind of one of Hollywood’s most revered writer-directors.
Wilder’s early writings—a heady mix of cultural essays, interviews, and reviews—contain the same sparkling wit and intelligence as his later Hollywood screenplays, while also casting light into the dark corners of Vienna and Berlin between the wars. Wilder covered everything: big-city sensations, jazz performances, film and theater openings, dance, photography, and all manner of mass entertainment. And he wrote about the most colorful figures of the day, including Charlie Chaplin, Cornelius Vanderbilt, the Prince of Wales, actor Adolphe Menjou, director Erich von Stroheim, and the Tiller Girls dance troupe. Film historian Noah Isenberg's introduction and commentary place Wilder’s pieces—brilliantly translated by Shelley Frisch—in historical and biographical context, and rare photos capture Wilder and his circle during these formative years.
Filled with rich reportage and personal musings, Billy Wilder on Assignment showcases the burgeoning voice of a young journalist who would go on to become a great auteur.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780691194943 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Princeton University Press |
| Publication date: | 04/27/2021 |
| Pages: | 224 |
| Sales rank: | 1,131,542 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.80(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.10(d) |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Editor's Introduction: A Roving Reporter, a Tale of Two Cities, and the Making of Billy Wilder 1
I Extra! Extra! Reportage, Opinion Pieces, and Features from Real Life 19
"Waiter, A Dancer, Please!" 23
Promenaden-Café 42
That's Some Cold Weather-in Venice! 43
This Is Where Christopher Columbus Came into the Old World 47
The Art of Little Ruses 50
Naphthalene 52
Anything but Objectivity! 54
When It's Eighty-four Degrees 56
Day of Destiny 58
Wanted: Perfect Optimist 60
Renovation: An Ode to the Coffeehouse 63
Why Don't Matches Smell That Way Anymore? 65
The Rose of Jericho 68
Little Economics Lesson 69
Film Terror: On the Threat of Being Photographed 72
Berlin Rendezvous 74
Night Ride over Berlin 76
The Business of Thirst: What People Are Drinking Nowadays 78
Here We Are at Film Studio 1929 80
How We Shot Our Studio Film 83
Getting Books to Readers 87
How I Pumped Zaharoff for Money 90
II Portraits of Extraordinary and Ordinary People 95
Asta Nielsen's Theatrical Mission 97
My "Prince of Wales" 100
Lubitsch Discovers: A Casting by America's Great Director 103
The Tiller Girls Are Here! 105
The Tiller Girls' Boarding School at the Prater 107
Girardi's Son Plays Jazz at the Mary Bar 110
Paul Whiteman, His Mustache, the Cobenzl, and the Taverns 111
Whiteman Triumphs in Berlin 115
I Interview Mr. Vanderbilt 118
The Prince of Wales Goes on Holiday 121
Chaplin II and the Others at the Scala 124
The Lookalike Man: Tale of a Chameleon Named Erwin 126
A Minister on Foot 129
Interview with a Witch: Women's Newest Profession 131
Grock, the Man Who Makes the World Laugh 134
Ten Minutes with Chaliapin 137
Claude Anet in Berlin 139
At the Home of the Oldest Woman in Berlin 140
Felix Hollander 141
The Elder Statesman of Berlin Theater Critics 143
The B. Z. Lady and the German Crown Prince 145
Stroheim, the Man We Love to Hate 148
A Poker Artist: The Magic of Fritz Herrmann 152
"Hello, Mr. Menjou?" 157
Klabund Died a Year Ago 161
III Film and Theater Reviews 165
Broken Barriers (1924) 167
Marital Conflicts (1927) 168
Eichberg Shoots a Film 169
The Beggar from Cologne Cathedral (1927) 170
Ole and Axel at the North Sea Shore (1927) 171
Radio Magic (1927) 172
Frost in the Studio: A Bath at Twenty Degrees Fahrenheit 173
Ole and Axel at Beba Palace 173
His Wife's Lover (1928) 174
From the Studios 175
Greed (1924) 176
A Blonde for a Night (1928) 176
The Valley of the Giants (1927) 177
The Last Night (1928) 177
In the Name of the Law (1922) 178
Sounds Are Recorded: The Studio Shots 179
The Threepenny Opera, for the Fiftieth Time 181
Springtime in Palestine (1928) 181
First Silhouette Sound Film 182
What a Woman Dreams in Spring (1929) 183
"Youth Stage"? 184
Stroll through the Studios-They're Shooting Silent Films 185
The Missing Will (1929) 188
The Winged Horseman (1929) 188
Men without Work (1929) 189
The Merry Musicians (1930) 190
Susie Cleans Up (1930) 190
Translator's Note 193
Index 197
What People are Saying About This
"Among the gems of Billy Wilder on Assignment is the famous backstory about young Billie working as a dancer for hire, chronicled with sheepishness and brio by the man himself. In this enticing collection of Wilder’s journalism, we find him on the make, insatiably curious, unhampered by snob values, and finding plenty of nourishment in prewar Berlin for his famous sardonic streak. The reviews and interviews show the future director learning the trade, always with an eye to what works."—Molly Haskell, author of Frankly, My Dear: “Gone with the Wind” Revisited"While it’s a given that Billy Wilder’s Weimar film reportage would be of great historical interest, his appreciations of such figures as Asta Nielsen and Erich von Stroheim are gems among many. Wilder’s youthful journalism proves to be as brash and cynical as—and even more entertaining than—one would expect."—J. Hoberman, author Film After Film: Or, What Became of 21st Century Cinema?"Who was Billy Wilder before he became the director of brilliant, lasting films like Some Like It Hot, Sunset Boulevard, and The Apartment? He was a journalist, essayist, and critic for newspapers in Vienna and Weimar Berlin, serving up spry profiles and elegant, witty essays. These newly translated works are a delight, and editor Noah Isenberg is an equally charming guide, bringing to life the early career of a man who would turn into one of Hollywood’s funniest and most observant filmmakers."—Stephanie Zacharek, film critic for Time"Billy Wilder’s background as a journalist had a direct relationship with his subsequent career as a celebrated director and screenwriter. This timely book—an eclectic mix of Wilder’s reviews, interviews, and glosses on metropolitan life—will interest his many fans and those fascinated with the Weimar Republic."—Gerd Gemünden, author of A Foreign Affair: Billy Wilder’s American Films"Billy Wilder on Assignment offers a selection of charming prose pieces from the early years of the legendary movie director and screenwriter. These brilliant vignettes present a unique window into the fascinating and turbulent culture of Weimar-era Berlin, written by one of its wittiest observers. A pleasure to read."—Christian Rogowski, Amherst College