Citations

I'd always wanted to be an actress, and suddenly I knew that learning to control my facial muscles was one of the best assets I could have as a performer. Emotions often must be portrayed from an inner feeling, of course, but I had a double advantage because I was learning to direct my as-yet expressionless feelings, as well as gaining an ability to express emotion by a very conscious manipulation of my muscles.

Howard Hughes was obsessed with me. But at first it seemed as if he were offering me a superb career opportunity.

I love making movies, but I was ready to rationalize being only a mother if my career never got back on track.

[asked about her memories of making Station West (1948)] Dick Powell was very nice, but the director, who shall remain nameless [Sidney Lanfield], was a real son-of-a-bitch. He was terrible to me--in fact, terrible to any woman. Can you imagine, this guy says to Agnes Moorehead, "Do you think when you say a line, hatchet-face?". She came back with, "I've taken enough. The boat just sailed and you're on it". She refused to work with him, so another director had to do her remaining scenes. As for me, I was a basket case--in tears! He'd say something ugly to me just before I started a scene. I was glaring and had tears, and he'd ask what was the matter with me! Finally, when we were back from location in Arizona, he was told, "It's either you or her, and we have her under contract". After that, I wasn't touched by him . . . I got to know [Raymond Burr] quite well at RKO. Because of everything that happened, he had to coach me for "Station West". I certainly received no help from that director.

[on The Prisoner of Zenda (1952)] We all sat around watching a movieola of the 1937 classic with Ronald Colman. I had the Mary Astor part and I played it as seriously as Mary had. But Stewart Granger, James Mason, and Deborah Kerr mocked the material and it seemed as if I'd wandered in from another movie set.