Quote of the Week, Coppertone & Sharon, and "12 + 1" Producer Says that Film was Jinxed from the Start

Here is our quote of the week:

By Warren Beatty:


"I had never seen a woman who could stop traffic with her beauty like Sharon ... and that in a town like Hollywood known for its gorgeous girls."

Kerstien Matondang has made a website for Sharon and her Coppertone ads:

http://www.kerstien.se/Coppertone.htm

I found this article in the Stars and Stripes Military Newspaper for Saturday, November 29, 1969:

Tate Film Producer Tells of Jinx


LONDON (AP) -- Canadian Film Producer Claude Giroux said Friday that, unless the murderers of Sharon Tate are found, he will release her last film next April.


"If the murderers are discovered then the movie is finished," he said in an interview.  "It's a comedy, and, let's face it and no one wants to watch a comedy when the star has been wiped out in a real-life drama."


Miss Tate and four others were found murdered at her Bel Air home in California last August. 


(Recap of the murder and names of the victims here).


Producer Giroux said the movie had been jinxed from the start.


He said the film, originally titled 'Thirteen,'  had been renamed "12 plus 1" for superstitious reasons.


"Miss Tate said that her first movie had been called 'Thirteen' and she hoped this was not going to be her first and last film," he said.


"We laughed and assured her otherwise, but I changed it to '12 Plus One,' " Giroux said.


Then Giroux related a series of mishaps that hit his movie before he changed it's title.


Giroux said the camera crew when an actor's foot slipped off the break to the accelorator and his car plunged into them. 


Then a young actress fell down steps and broke her jaw. 


An assistant director suffered a heart attack and Italian Actor Vittorio Gassman fell ill with hepatitis.


"You could say that the whole business ceased to be a joke when Miss Tate told me she was pregnant," Giroux said. 


Giroux was in London for his film "Sweet Hunters," at the London Film Festival friday.


"I used to not be superstitious.  But I certainly am now," he said.

More on the Warren Beatty Biography and Articles with interviews from the stars of "The Ghost Writer", Ewan McGregor and Kim Cattrall

I looked a little into the Beatty biography on the net ( since I'm still sick and can't really go out and look at a copy ) and one reviewer says that in the book Beatty almost lived at Cielo (?) :

The infamous 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate (wife of Roman Polanski) and others by the Charles Manson gang hit close to home for Warren Beatty. He had been approached to take over the lease from Polanski but decided against moving into the house. Had he not declined Warren Beatty might have been one of those murdered that tragic night.

So now not only Leslie Caron says she almost took residence at the place, but Beatty did also?  I hope this is not the start of one of those "I coulda been there that night" senarios. 


For the rest of the review go here: 

http://actorbiographies.suite101.com/article.cfm/star-by-peter-biskind--book-review

Don't know how Beatty feels about this book but it doesn't appear to put him in the most positive light.


Here is an interview with the writer Peter Biskind:

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/14/entertainment/la-et-bigpicture14-2010jan14

Two stars from "The Ghost Writer" talk about Polanski and more:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/2877246/Ewan-McGregor-on-Roman-Polanski-sex-charges.html

http://www.sfexaminer.com/entertainment/Shes-sexy-Samantha--and-so-much-more-86275907.html

New Book on Sharon and Roman's friend Warren Beatty, Sharon Tate and a fashion show based on "The Fearless Vampire Killers", Top 10 Chick Flicks includes "Valley of the Dolls" and Polanski has art exhibit in Germany.

Apparently there is a new biography on Warren Beatty.  I'll see if I can find it and see if it says anything about Roman and Sharon.  But the blurb on the web said:

With "Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America" (Simon & Schuster; $30), Peter Biskind delivers a fact-filled, gossipy biography of one of Hollywood's most reclusive personalities.

Biskind reportedly had support from Beatty, who was interviewed for the book, but it's hard to believe the subject was aware of how far the author would go into his personal life.

The notoriously seductive Beatty had affairs with stars such as Joan Collins, Natalie Wood, Leslie Caron, Julie Christie, Michelle Phillips, Diane Keaton and Madonna, as well as with many non-famous women over the years, something the book notes in great detail.

Film fans should be fascinated by the background stories on Beatty's films, particularly his critically and commercial breakthrough smash "Bonnie and Clyde," which he also produced.

According to Biskind, "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967) was filmed for just $1.8 million, and initially French filmmaker Francois Truffaut ("Jules and Jim") was approached by Robert Benton and David Newman, who wrote the original screenplay and saw the cinematic project as a European film.

Truffaut considered doing it with Terence Stamp as Clyde.

The foreign filmmaker, however, didn't get along with Beatty and refused to direct the film if the American actor remained as producer. (Eventually, Arthur Penn, who worked with Beatty on "Mickey One," directed.)

Natalie Wood was offered Bonnie, but she declined. The actresses considered for Bonnie before Faye Dunaway won the role included Jane Fonda, Jean Seberg, Carol Lynley, Ann-Margret, Sharon Tate, Tuesday Weld and Sue Lyon.

You can see this article on the bottom of the page here:

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/177/2010/february/28/third-time-another-charm-for-these-two-franchises-2.html

Here is a blog discussing a new Fall/Winter collection that is based on Polanski's "The Fearless Vampire Killers": 

http://sallyjanevintage.blogspot.com/2010/02/two-drifters-off-to-see-world.html

The Top 10 Chick Flicks includes "Valley of the Dolls":

http://horrorhunt.com/horror-story/the-top-10-chick-flicks-that-will-make-you-cry.html

And Polanski's art and photographs from his films are on exhibit at a german gallery:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/03/roman-polanskis-photographs-drawings-and-other-artifacts-go-on-display-in-german-museum.html

I wish we could see his stuff that includes Sharon...

Quote of the Week, A Mention of Bruce Lee and Sharon, An Interview with "The Ghost Writers" Olivia Williams and More

Quote of the Week:

Nan Morris-Robinson, friend of Warren Beatty's, on Sharon: "Gene Shacove and I double dated in 1964 with Sharon and Jay, who were going together. Gene and Jay, were both hairdressers and best friends. Jay was a little guy, sassy and fiery, he could do karate. Sharon had been brought into our circle by Richard Beymer. She was Richard's discovery, he got her an agent and introduced her around. I thought Sharon was the sweetest, most angelic creature, one who radiated gentility."

A mention of Bruce Lee and Sharon:

http://dr-hermes.livejournal.com/438955.html

Here is an interview with "The Ghost Writer" star Olivia Williams that mentions Polanski as well:

http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/85476527.html

Here is some rare Sharon memorabilia:

Coming up this week... More translated articles...

With all the articles on Polanski lately I found this one on how he felt about Sharon

I found more on Polanski today as the story continues.  One was called the Haunting of Polanski, in Three Acts.  The first dealing with his mother dying and living through the Nazi occupation, his wife Sharon being murdered by the Manson family and the now--brought back to the forefront-- the case of raping a underage girl.

Here is the link:  http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/film-cinema/haunting-of-polanski-in-three-acts-1903758.html

Another article by Suzanne Moore recounted how she interviewed him for publicity purposes for "Bitter Moon."  She says she was told not to ask him about Sharon Tate.  However, after they spoke for awhile, he did mention Sharon's murder saying: "The only sense that I can make out of it is that it doesn't make any sense."

Many have said lately that they think Polanski was never the same after Sharon's death.  That the murder had to have had an effect in many ways on him.  Some even go so far as to say that it started interferring with his judgement, pacifically when it came to younger women.  Whatever the reason, it must have been a very difficult time.  But, sometimes in life, it seems that the old saying 'Time heals all wounds' is not always true. I do not think Polanski has ever gotten over Sharon's death and I don't think he will.

I am reminded of a quote by the late Rose Kennedy: "It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone."


A friend recently sent me this article that talks about how Polanski felt after Sharon's death.

Telecran January 25, 1970

"This is the way I remember you, my dear Sharon.

The Sadness of Roman Polanski

The widower of the beautiful Sharon Tate discusses the actress he knew as a great woman. After loosing her to the tragically absurd massacre that happened on August 9, 1969 in his home. The pain still lays in his spirit and his heart.

Sharon Tate has achieved worldwide fame now that the media of the whole world has been repeating her name with a nervous insistance.

But Sharon has payed a high price for this. Higher than the price that Martin Ransohoff "payed for her" years before.

The most paradoxical thing of this case is that fame came to her in a moment when she just wished for calmness and when she was completely uninterested in publicity; the truth is that she never cared too much about it anyway.

But sadly, in life, there are fates like hers.

SADNESS

Its difficult to find out Roman Polanski's current whereabouts. This poor prodigy man, who lost at the same time his wife and his unborn child, slips in among the crowd, and has settled in Mexico for the time being. He's still like a gypsy, but a gypsy with the heart crossed by the grief.

It is not strange that he finds it hard to know happiness for very long periods. What makes him think like this is the tragedy of his youth:

"Its weird," he says. "I always had the premonition that Sharon belonged to me just for a little while.

First I tried to liberate her from Ransohoff, who had her tied down by a contract which contained medieval clauses; later it was a visit to the doctor who alerted me about a heart murmur she had.

"However, when I travelled to Europe, on a business trip, I was full of optimism. Why should I be afraid of anything?

"During the last months of her pregnancy, Sharon had became lazier and more docile. She had promised me that she would visit the doctor every week and that she wouldn't drive. I'd be away only for two weeks.

"That fateful night I was having dinner at Nathalie Delon's apartment; we spent a great time, with friends of the cinema industry.

"When a friend told me what had happened, I couldn't believe it; sixteen hours ago I had phoned Sharon, she was optimistic, she had decided to change the baby's nursery, to change the color...I went mad, I was grief stricken... the question that was hammering in my brain was: Why would anybody want to kill her?

"Sharon was full of life , without any malice...

"When Faye Dunaway took the part of Bonnie in "Bonnie and Clyde"* Sharon was sulking for a few hours and suddenly she burst out laughing:

" 'Imagine how I'd look with Bonnie's long skirts!' she said. (Referring to how she loved wearing only mini skirts.)

"Maybe some people think that Sharon was a simple woman, I mean, she didn' talk about politics, she didnt care about joining committes to defend anything.

"I met her in one of those Ransohoff lunchs. This guy was hateful, tough, insensitive...Because of that stupid contract my wife had to sign, he used her as if she was his slave.

"Once a week Sharon had the questionable pleasure of having dinner in his company... I looked at her, without loving her yet, seduced by the bend of her forehead, and the languor of her eyelids. I think that our contempt for Ransohoff united us.

"I remember that once he took Sharon to Jean Harlow's house, but Sharon, maybe having the feeling that Jean's tragic fate would be like hers, just felt disgust and displeasure."

THE WOMAN SHE WAS

"Sharon used to say that only by being by my side she had noticed what happiness was.

"She wasn't the 'leader kind'; her only resort in case of contradictions was to take refuge in herself, but when she made any decision she made it seriously.

"I wasn't ready to get married at all when she decided to live with me, she settled in my apartment; she came with me in spite of all the spiteful words.

"I remember a funny day, when I saw her in my apartment, cutting onions and pork fat, trying to prepare for me a polish dish.

"She was the least hypocritical woman you could ever meet: once, when an executive told her that we should ask for single cabins in the transatlantic that brought us to the United States, she simply said;

'Why? Everybody knows that we live together.'

"I had been raised in the bosom of a polish family, first in Paris and later in Varsovia, and for me, her company was just so refreshing...

"Sharon never was any trouble with anything, never ever, even with clothes. If she was invited to a party you could be sure that she would look just stunning that night; but at the same time, she looked stunning too wearing jeans or old shirts.

"However, when she noticed she was pregnant she became more conventional and she spent all her free time choosing furniture for the baby's nursery.
 
"I'm forced to mix with people of this industry and I can swear that is really difficult to meet people with her nature and her spirit.
 
"Generally, everybody is oportunistic here. Sharon had grace and charm; she knew how to make anybody's life easier. When somebody was busy, she was there in a discreet manner to serve you a drink or a coffee."

"A lot of people say to me that I must forget. I think that it bothers them to see a man grief stricken by this irreparable loss.

"Without her I feel lost, I can't explain this in words. However there are things that I just can't stand thinking of; the way she and our son died.

"People say those swines are hippies. My wife and I... we were always surrounded by hippies.

"I have tons of questions but no answers; the only thing I have now is my work. I'll devote the rest of my life to my work."

*Note: Warren Beatty originally wanted Sharon to play Bonnie in "Bonnie and Clyde" but the director had other ideas and hired Faye Dunaway instead.  I have heard that Sharon admired Dunaway's performance and that she admired her as an actress as well.