Dartmouth's Maury Rapf '35,son of MGM co-founder Harry Rapf, spent his for mative years on the studio lot. He appeared as an extra in his father's pictures, mingled with starlets and prepped for the life of a studio executive, all while palling around with Budd Schulberg '36, son of the production honcho at Paramount.
In the 1930s both boys headed to Dartmouth, where they roomed together. There Rapf witnessed his first Winter Carnival, an event he would immortalize in the screenplay for the 1939 film of the same name. Later in Hollywood, he co-penned Disney classics such as "Dumbo" and "Song of the South."
Rapfalso joined the Communist Party and was blacklisted. Schulberg, meanwhile, cooperated with the House UnAmerican Activities Committee before penning the screenplay for the 1955 Os-car-winner "On the Waterfront."
In the 1960s Rapf started teaching at Dartmouth and served as Life magazine's film critic. It's a life recounted in lucid detail in Rapf's 1999 memoir Back Lot: Growing Up With the Movies. We recently caught up with Rapf at his Hanover home, where he discussed the magic of movies in his inimitable way.
How do you think "Winter Carnival" holds up after 60 years?
It's terrible. Awful. The reason the movie was made was because [producer] Walter Wanger '15 wanted to do something for Dartmouth. He didn't really know he was making the worst movie of the year. They used to run it at every Winter Carnival in Webster Hall. And thank God they stopped doing that—because I used to have to face my students on Monday morning.
There were a number of Dartmouth people in volved with the film, including actor Robert Allen'28 and musician Werner Jannsen '21. Do yourecall much about them?
Wanger wanted to hire as many Dartmouth people as he could. Unfortunately, the Dartmouth people he gave it to must have recognized that it was a piece of crap, and they didn't want to be in it. But Allen did, and Jannsen wrote a song for it. Jannsen was the conductor of the Los Angeles gymphony Orchestra. He went to Hollywood and won an Academy Award for scoring a movie with Gary Cooper called "The General Died at Dawn."
Have there been any movies that capture what lifewas like on the studio lot?
The best movie about Hollywood is "Singin' in the Rain," which chronicles the switch from silents to sound. "A Star Is Born" is pretty good too, because there were a lot of instances like that, where one member of a married family became a great success while the other went down the drain. I personally like the Coen Brothers's "Barton Fink." The producer in that [played by Michael Lerner] was interesting. Producers were terrible people, including my father. They were all hated by writers.
Your father discovered Joan Crawford, didn't he?
Yes. When she first came out to Hollywood her name was Lucille Le Seur, and she looked different. But she was pretty. I don't know whether he slept with her or not. According to Budd Schulberg, he did. But I never thought he made it with any of the girls he discovered.
In your book you talk about young starlets throwing themselves at producers during parties. Did any starlets ever throw themselves at you?
Sure. I loved those parties. They were wonderful.
What's your opinion of Schulberg's movie "On the Waterfront," which some critics call an apology for those who named names during the Red Scare of the 1950s?
It seemed to me an apology for ratting. It is that. I didn't speak to him for 13 years after he testified in 1952. I just didn't run into him. I don't know what I would have done if I had.
How much have film programs changed since you started teaching?
There must be 300 schools that have film majors, whereas 25 years ago there were probably five. So there's a lot more student interest in film than there used to be. But on the other hand, it seems that the students 25 years ago were better informed than they are now. Today they like these modern movies. They're influenced by MTV, rapid cutting and all that stuff. I hate it.
Are there any recent films you've liked?
None. I haven't liked any American movies. There have been some good foreign movies in the last few years: "Tampopo," "Shall We Dance," "Central Station," "The White Balloon." But modern movies drive me crazy. For one thing, they're all too long. I don't think they should be over 90 minutes in length, and most of them are two and three hours. And they're too talky. They should have action. My wife used to reach over to me all the time and say, "What did he say?" And I'd reply, "If you have to ask me that question, there's something wrong with the movie."
There are many lists of great films. Do any of them ignore what you think are the best movies ever made?
I personally think "Dr. Strange love" is the best English-language movie. Stanley Kubrick was the best director in the English language. The best director in any language is Luis Bunuel, even though I don't understand all of his movies. The good American movies were made in the 1930s. The gangster movies were very good: "Public Enemy," "Little Caesar," "Scarface."
Tell us about your recent trip to Cuba.
I went to an international film festival there in December. I've been there before. I like it. But then I'm an old Communist. I believe dictators are sometimes necessary in order to bring about change.
If you were forced to choose between one of your many careers—screenwriter, filmmaker, critic, teacher—which would you choose?
I guess I had better luck teaching than anything else, because I made students think about what movies should be. I wasn't a very good writer. I'm a much better writer today than when I was actually competing with other people. I think I know now how you should write a movie, but it's a little late.
CHRISTOPHER KELLY '96 writes about filmfor Premiere magazine and other publications. He lives on Staten Island, New York.
"Today students like these modern movies. They're in fluenced by MTV, rapid cutting and all that stuff. I hate it."
