You Must Remember This 35: Star Wars Episode IX: Olivia de Havilland and John Huston, with Special Guest Rian Johnson
Mar 3, 2015
A dive into John Huston’s restless early life, daring wartime filmmaking, and the controversies around staged combat footage. A look at Olivia de Havilland’s screen persona, her clash with studio power, and the landmark lawsuit that reshaped actor contracts. Personal romances, on-set tensions, and the cinema that followed WWII are highlighted in brisk, dramatic turns.
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Affair Disrupts In This Our Life Production
- John Huston and Olivia de Havilland fell into a passionate, turbulent affair while making In This Our Life, distracting production and favoring de Havilland on camera.
- Jack Warner confronted Huston and forced reshoots after Bette Davis exploded over Huston’s obvious partiality.
De Havilland Decision Ended Studio Servitude
- Olivia de Havilland challenged Warner Brothers over studio suspensions and won a landmark case limiting personal-service contracts to seven calendar years.
- The 1945 California Supreme Court ruling became the de Havilland decision, freeing talent from indefinite studio control.
Huston's War Filmmaking in the Aleutians
- John Huston enlisted after Pearl Harbor and was sent to the Aleutians to film Report from the Aleutians, enduring crash landings and constant danger.
- He filmed hazardous moments, then edited the footage at Astoria while starting new affairs in New York.