DIRECTOR OF GILDA CLASHES WITH HARRY COHN IN COURT

I remember when my dad, who was also rather colorful in his language, was categorized by his cardiologist as a “type A personality.” It used to come with the territory. But, this guy was in a league all his own…

HERALD EXAMINER – Defense witness yesterday in court battle of “blue-words” was Mrs. Harry Cohn, shown with her husband. He is being sued by film director Charles Vidor, who seeks to break contract with Cohn’s Columbia Pictures. Photo dated: February 13, 1946.

In 1948, Vidor fell out with studio boss Harry Cohn, taking him to court for alleged verbal abuse and exploitation. He wanted out of his contract. Having just married Doris Warner, daughter of Warner Brothers president Harry M. Warner, Vidor sensed opportunities in working at a more prestigious studio. Cohn wasn’t going to let him go quietly. It was pretty much all over, when actor Steven Geray testified, that he had himself been on the receiving end of invective at the hands of Vidor on the set of “Gilda”. Glenn Ford, who thought Vidor opportunistic, then went on the stand, relating, that Cohn routinely used foul language on everyone around him, rather than aiming at any individual in particular. The fact that Vidor was not the easiest man to get along with, became evident during filming of the Liszt biopic Song Without End (1960). Both his stars (Dirk Bogarde and Capucine) found him to be ill-tempered and erratic. However, since Vidor died before the film was completed (George Cukor taking over), other factors may have played a part. In the final analysis, for “Gilda” alone, Charles Vidor deserves a niche in Hollywood heaven. IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis