He wrote a marvelous book about his early days in Hollywood called, A Tree is a Tree, and while Marion was his friend, and at times Hearst was his boss, he tells some insightful anecdotes about the man:
On my first trip to San Simeon, I entered the huge dining hall following Mr. Hearst and the woman architect in charge of this gigantic establishment. She was anxious to observe the “Chief’s” reaction to the newly installed paneling. A fireplace, so high that three or four persons could walk into without bending, stood at one end of the room. Placed around the walls were what appeared to be rows of magnificent church pews. The panels near the high ceilings were made up of almost life-sized carved wooden figures holding staffs and banners.
The Chief was quick to voice his disappointment. “No—no—no! This isn’t the one at all,” he stated.
Many such rooms were purchased by Mr. Hearst and his representatives in Europe, photographed in their original state and then crated and shipped to warehouses in London, New York, San Francisco, and San Simeon. The photographs were kept on file and whenever W.R. wanted to select a room he had only to tap a picture in the presence of the architect, and the project would begin moving. However, in this instance there had been a slight mistake. Perhaps someone had written down B-348, when it should have been B-349.
W.R. now turned to the architect and said, “Get the book, and I’ll show you.” When the large volume of photographs was brought, W.R. said, “Here it is,” pointing to and even more elaborately conceived dining hall. “This one,” he said, “not this one,” pointing to the picture of the baronial hall that had been so painstakingly installed. The little architect took the blow in her stride. Not to embarrass her further, Mr. Hearst and the group moved on into the great hall for an exciting game of ping-pong or jigsaw puzzles, before luncheon cocktails were served.
King Vidor, A Tree is a Tree
