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[When I'm told to direct a scene, I direct it my way.]
[Your way? Your way went out of fashion 10 years ago,]
[Has-been? If it hadn't been for me, you'd still]
[be a hostess in a crummy den where I found you on]
[You realize one word from me and you are straight back in the gutter?]
[Just whom do you think you are?]
[Your grammar, like your acting, is as crude as ever.]
[I'm Matty Moran, and I've fired a dozen actresses better than you'll ever be.]
[You'll starve to death, you--[slap]. ]
[[Narrator] My town, Hollywood, U.S.A.]
[I"m Red Myers, just an assistant director.]
[[♪ music ♪][Ernest Borgnine in]]
[[Budd Schulberg's The Legend That Walks Like a Man][♪ upbeat music ♪]]
[[Narrator] Rudolph Valentino,]
[the gods and goddesses of our modern mythology.]
[And it's sort of typical of my town.]
[Sometimes we start out looking up to them and wind up walking]
[Funny thing, though, as often as I've walked this gaudy midway, ]
[my feet just won't bring themselves to walk on Matty Moran.]
[He was the greatest, up there with the gods.]
[When you said director, you meant D.W. Griffith or ]
[C.B. DeMille, and after that, it was Matty Moran.]
[Well, this is a crazy business.]
[How many of the stars he discovered even know he's in town.]
[Take Miss Sari Sanine, for instance.]
[The hottest foreign importation since Marlene.]
[It was Matty who found Sari in Shanghai,]
[brought her to Hollywood, married her, and made her a star.]
[And then she had him banned from the lot. ]
[On the screen, a hundred million men adore her.]
[Forever is for poets and fools. ]
[Well, at least until tomorrow?]
[Then tonight, this single bubble out of the glass, ]
[[laughs] You realize that I can deny you everything or nothing?]
[I can make you my consort or have you hanged in the morning.]
[I decided I'm not going to have you hanged,]
[at least not for the moment.]
[Thank you, my queen, my beloved.]
[Sari, it's his first picture, and he has got talent. ]
[Talent? Just because he sings for some silly screaming school girls you]
[You can shoot around me if you want to or call off this lousy picture as much as I care.]
[All right, boys. That's a wrap for the day.]
[She may be Miss Box Office Champion, but she's Madame Murder on our schedule. ]
[How many days are we behind now, Red?]
[And with the big battle scene still to be shot, not to mention]
[I've been thinking, Vic, why not get ]
[another director and set up a second unit.]
[Matty Moran? That temperamental, old has-been?]
[Oh, you'd be surprised, Vic.]
[He's still got all the old energy and drive.]
[Besides, you'd be doing a great thing, not just for him, but for the whole industry.]
[Let's save the speeches for the Academy Awards.]
[Even if buy, what about the Empress?]
[They don't have to see each other.]
[He'd be handling stunt men, extras.]
[You could start him out, say, on that chase stuff.]
[If he does all right, well, let him handle the battle scenes.]
[What makes you think the great Moran would settle for second unit?]
[Even though he has been between pictures]
[If I can talk him into it, does he get the job?]
[Don't pressure me, Red. I'll think it over. ]
[Hi, Larry. Where's Mr. Moran?]
[He's been a no-show all afternoon.]
[Gee, I finally got something cooking for him. Thanks.]
[It's funny, but I can't help feeling nothing will ever happen to him.]
[Even when he's standing right here in front of me, I don't quite believe he's real. ]
[He's kind of more like a legend.]
[Yeah, well inside that legend there's a man who's]
[got to pay his rent and has got to eat.]
[[recording in background] This is a recording. You have reached a disconnected number.]
[And, incidentally, who's got to pay his phone bill. ]
[[Operator] This is a recording. You have reached a disconnected number.]
[Please be sure you are calling--[phone slams down]]
[Are you acquainted with an M.F. Moran?]
[What's the pitch, officer? Is there anything wrong?]
[A couple of checks with a little rubber in them.]
[What's the tab on those checks?]
[$17.50 on one and $25.00 on another.]
[Well, I wonder, is there any way I can make them good for him?]
[Gentlemen, I came into see smiling faces. ]
[I thought this was a happy ship. ]
[Larry, this pub needs cheering up. ]
[I say drinks on the house for everybody.]
[Well, my old friends the law.]
[I made some pretty good pictures about you.]
[You used me as a technical director in one of your]
[Sergeant Jack Waters, and it was Night Patrol.]
[Just about one of the best pictures I ever made.]
[You were a great help, Jack.]
[That's nice of you to say, Mr. Moran.]
[Call me Matty, Jack, everybody else does,]
[except this big bum who insists on calling me Mr. Moran. [laughs]]
[Well, I did, but think it can be taken care of.]
[Well, good. Drop in any time, ]
[and if ever you or anyone of your family would like to visit the studios,]
[Thanks a million. Goodbye, now. >>Right.]
[Larry, old sport, another spot of the old amber for my]
[dear friend, Mr. Red Myers. [laughs]]
[Still the best assistant I ever had. [laughs]]
[I owe all that to you, Mr. Moran.]
[I've been trying to reach you.]
[Oh, I've been out at Warner's all day, Red.]
[J.L. has a big one coming up for me, but you know me,]
[nothing doing until I approve the script, J.L.]
[You're phone has been disconnected.]
[Temporarily, that bad electrical storm the other night.]
[These new shirts, you wear them twice and they]
[Look, Mr. Moran, there's something I've got to talk to you about, and, well, this just isn't]
[How about letting me drop you off?]
[Then I'd like to come up for a minute, if I may?]
[Why, sure, sure, Red. [laughs]]
[Say, I just remembered, they're painting my apartment today.]
[Now look, Mr. Moran, you don't have to keep snowing me.]
[Is your apartment really being painted, or did your landlady just--]
[Now, Red, let's not jump to conclusions.]
[Look, Mr. Moran, you can kid your florist into giving you a fresh]
[carnation every morning, but you can't kid a kidder.]
[Now will you let me take you home, please, and ]
[And then I'd like to fill you in on a story idea of mine]
[entitled the comeback of Matty Moran.]
[Well, I might accept the loan,]
[That I sign over to you 2½ percent]
[of my next independent production.]
[You know, Red, your couple of hundred dollars invested in the future of]
[a neglected genius could turn into a ]
[Not at all. Glad to let you in on it. [laughs]]
[Just put that on my tab, will you, Larry?]
[[The General Electric Theater]]
[[♪ soft music ♪] [door opening]]
[Be with you in a minute, Mr. Moran.]
[[someone coming up the stairs]]
[Oh, boy. You're still drinking that good 20-year-old stuff.]
[Go on, make yourself at home.]
[Say, I remember the night you won that. ]
[Yeah, we had a great time on that picture, didn't we, Red?]
[I don't think I've seen that before.]
[Well, that's my first paycheck from Mammoth Films for $10,000 a week.]
[Instead of cashing it I had it framed.]
[By the time I got around to needing it, Mammoth was out of business. [laughs]]
[But, still, it makes a nice bit of decoration.]
[Well, tell me, Red. What's on your mind?]
[Well, Mr. Moran, I think I've got you a job.]
[On your picture? The First Empress?]
[I knew it they'd catch that big flap.]
[So they want me to come back, huh? Hallelujah! ]
[I'm going to call Kerner and congratulate him on the ]
[smartest decision he's made as a producer in years. [laughs]]
[I forgot, the darn thing's dead.]
[Now look, Mr. Moran, will you listen to me for a second?]
[Vic Flanner is still directing The First Empress. ]
[But I'm talking to him about using you as a second unit director.]
[Well, I know it's humble pie, but at least it's vitamins.]
[Me working second unit under Vic Flanner?]
[Why, I won this award when he was just a bit player, and a ham at that.]
[I know it's not what you should be doing.]
[If he thinks I'm going to play second fiddle to his Nero, he's crazy.]
[But at least it's a start. >>A start?]
[You go back to Vic Flanner and tell him he can--]
[Now look, Mr. M, I saw your landlady,]
[I can take care of your light bill for you, but you've got to ]
[We used them in The Last Supper. ]
[Mr. Moran, pride is a virtue up to a point,]
[but you've got such a galloping case of it, it's become a disease.]
[Those cops you laughed it up with in Larry's,]
[they weren't looking for a tour through the studio.]
[I've never been in that particular trouble before.]
[Even in the dark, read the handwriting on the wall. ]
[The time has come to be a second unit director.]
[Maybe it's worth playing second ]
[fiddle to get a second start, huh?]
[Oh, but, baby, just let me get that one picture under my belt and I'll--]
[Now slow down, Mr. Moran. Take it easy.]
[This town has changed a lot in the past few years, and you've got]
[a reputation for being stubborn, independent, impulsive.]
[All right, Red. I'll be a good boy.]
[Well, Sari's the star of this picture. ]
[That means you've got to be an extra good boy.]
[So long as you know it's Last Chanceville. ]
[Red, as D.W. Griffith as my judge, exit madcap Matty Moran, ]
[enter methodical Matthew Moran.]
[All right, well, I'll go see Vic Flanner and put in the old convincer.]
[You mean that two-bit DeMille ]
[needs to be sold on Matty Moran?]
[One of these days he'll be glad to direct my second unit.]
[Now, the guards have discovered about your secret rendevous with the empress. ]
[They're pounding on the door, you make your escape through the window,]
[look around, then hold it for a beat so I can come in for a close shot of the leading man.]
[Now, suddenly you hear a noise, the line drops.]
[You pop back in the window again, Ronnie takes a look from there. All right?]
[Red, look, I want this shot in can by at least 8:30, huh?]
[All right, everybody settle down.]
[All right. Number one, take me up.]
[And, Red, for heaven sakes, get somebody on that drawbridge, will ya?]
[I need it for the next shot.]
[Hold it for a beat. You see the line?]
[All right, Ronnie. Come on down, boy.]
[That's right. Okay, Ronnie, take your fall.]
[You okay? That was a great fall.]
[Okay, take me down. Nice work, fellas.]
[Make it look tough, boys. Take me up, easy.]
[Oh, hello, Mr. Kerner. Fine, fine.]
[This will make 10, and big ones too, Mr. Kerner. ]
[Start your action up high. Keep taking me up. [swords clanking]]
[Step up the pace, boys. That's it. ]
[That's terrific. I wasn't sure that he still had it.]
[Oh, well, Mr. Moran always was a fast worker when]
[he was in the mood, and, of course, the crew's crazy about him, which doesn't hurt.]
[All right, Mr. Moran. Excuse me, Mr. Kerner.]
[All right, boys, settle down. This is a take.]
[Those shots were really great, Matty,]
[especially the fall from the window. ]
[Oofa, that's real Moran, Mr. Kerner.]
[And the sword fights were terrific.]
[Best time I've had in a projection room in months.]
[Maybe we should have had you on this picture a lot sooner. ]
[We'll see you later. >>You bet.]
[Gosh, if you keep pitching like this, Mr. Moran, you're going to write your own ticket--]
[the biggest stars, the biggest pictures on the lot.]
[When I'm back up on top again, I won't forget my friends.]
[Oh, incidentally, what'd you say your name was again?]
[Matty Moran, just the man I wanted to see.]
[Vic Flanner, well, how's my co-director?]
[Lance King, the newest teenage delight, Matty Moran.]
[Well, the word is all around the lot that you're making]
[a real contribution to my picture.]
[Well, I want to thank you for giving me the chance, Vic.]
[If you can still deliver, I'd be the first to spur you on.]
[After all, it's the picture and not the individual that counts.]
[If things were ever reversed, why I want]
[you to know I'd do the same thing for you.]
[Well, as a matter of fact, Matty, tomorrow I've got]
[a rather rough day working with Lance.]
[I told Sari she could have the day off, but if you would take over]
[her next little sequence for me--it's the one where she]
[puts on the servant's clothes to escape the palace.]
[Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah, I read it.]
[You think you can handle it?]
[What'll you bet I got it in the can before lunch break?]
[That'll save us a day, at least. I'm counting on you.]
[Aren't you being unduly generous, Dad?]
[Throwing him to his old nemesis, Sari?]
[It's like tossing a juicy Christian to a hungry lion.]
[But even I've heard the word on them.]
[Well, I'm counting on the old Sari Sanine to]
[bring out the old Matty Moran.]
[[background chatter] Good morning, gentlemen.]
[Good morning. [Everyone talking]]
[Your captain expects every man aboard to give his last]
[drop of life's blood for the grand old flag]
[of Transglobe Pictures.[laughter]]
[Well, it's the big one, boss. Good luck.]
[And just relax like old times, huh? >>Right.]
[Miss Sanine here? >>In her dressing room.]
[Belay that. I'll go see her.]
[The mountain will go to her majesty.]
[Atta boy! [background chatter]]
[You actually look more beautiful than when I found you in Shanghai.]
[And you, Matty, you look wonderful.]
[You know, darling, I'm so excited about this day.]
[When my astrologer told me that something old]
[is going to come back into my life in a new way, I never dreamt]
[And not just for this one day of shooting, Sari, darling.]
[Tonight after we finish work, I have a story to tell you.]
[[laughs] And only you can direct it?]
[Well, we'll come to that when we come to that.]
[You know, Matty, sometimes I really wonder]
[You used to call me your little white Persian kitten.]
[Mmm, my white Persian kitten.]
[No wonder you're the world's image of desire.]
[Sari, darling, we're going to have a rehearsal. ]
[Okay, sir. I will wait for your orders.]
[And, Matty darling, please don't believe all those terrible things]
[they say about me, that I'm temperamental.]
[I'm going to be putty in your hands.]
[Thank you, darling. [laughs]]
[All right, boys, settle down for rehearsal.]
[Jim, I need Deborah. >>Sweetheart--]
[Hurry and get undressed so I can put on your clothes, then hide in that closet until I escape.]
[Well, hurry. What's the matter you silly goose?]
[Red, from now on her name is one-take Sari.]
[Sweetheart, the next set up is at the entrance to the secret stairway.]
[You'll be wearing the kitchen maid's dress, and we'll be ready for you]
[Thank you, maestro, I'll hurry.]
[Maestro, you've really got her eating out of your hands.]
[And with Sari in your corner, Mr. Moran, ]
[why you'll be right back on top again.]
[I can see it, Red. I can feel it.]
[But first thing's first. Let's get this set up.]
[Red, I've got an idea for this secret stairway.]
[Well, sir? How do you like it?]
[Magnificent, like an empress.]
[Only in this scene you're not playing the empress, you're impersonating her]
[After all, I've been on this picture for two months, and you're only on it for two weeks.]
[I seem to understand a little bit better than you do.]
[Not if you play the scene in that costume you don't.]
[The whole point is that you pass for a kitchen maid.]
[But, Matt darling, even as a kitchen maid I have to look glamorous.]
[This is what my public expects me to be.]
[Darling, that's what makes a hash of every story.]
[You glamour dolls are afraid to look real.]
[I want you to wear exactly the same dress the kitchen maid was wearing.]
[Sweetheart, I am the star of this picture, ]
[and this is the gown I am going to wear.]
[Well, sweetheart, I'm the director of this picture, and that's not the ]
[You're going to change it right now, and that's an order.]
[And are you really the director of this picture?]
[Isn't it funny, all this time I was under the impression]
[that Vic Flanner was the director.]
[When I'm told to direct a scene, I direct it my way.]
[Your way? Your way went out of fashion 10 ]
[Has-been? If it hadn't been for me, you'd still be a hostess]
[in a crummy den where I found you on the wrong side of Shanghai.]
[You barbarian, you realize one word from ]
[me and you are straight back in the gutter?]
[Just whom do you think you are?]
[Your grammar, like your acting, is as crude as ever.]
[I'm Matty Moran, and I've fired a dozen]
[actresses better than you'll ever be.]
[You fire me? I'll have you fired.]
[You'll never work again. You'll starve to death, you--[slap].]
[[♪ dramatic music ♪][♪ trumpets ♪]]
[We've been in worse trouble than this before, haven't we?]
[Well, I think I'll go over to Larry's place and sit it out.]
[All right, boys. That's a wrap for the day.]
[Well, Mr. Moran! Hey, from the look of that grin]
[on your face, we might have come out on top, huh?]
[L.P. says I can go back to second unit.]
[Shalom! >>All I have to do is to apologize to Sari.]
[Well, we're back in business then, huh?]
[I told him if there was any apologizing to be done]
[it's she who ought to be apologizing to me.]
[Either I'm a director or I'm an office boy.]
[I guess I should have known.]
[There's no room in a director's lunchbox for humble pie, is there?]
[Now come on, Red. Stop looking so worried.]
[[laughs] I've got a lot things on the fire.]
[Matter of fact, we've got to call Goldwyn.]
[Don't be too surprised if I step into a big assignment.]
[[laughs] And you'll be right there with me, baby.]
[Matty Moran looks after his own.]
[Oh, incidentally, you got a dime handy?]
[Oh, sure. >>Thank you, partner.]
[You know, I just learned something, Larry.]
[The Matty Morans of this world don't come back.]
[Comebacks are for ordinary people.]
[I don't know, maybe there never was a Matty Moran.]
[Maybe he's just the eternal fresh carnation,]
[the eternal grin, the eternal hope.]
[Yeah, a legend that walks like a man.]
[Well, here's to both of them, ]
[[glasses clink] [♪ upbeat music ♪] Is he in?]
[[Directed by Herschel Daugherty]]
[[Teleplay by Budd Schulberg From his own Short Story]]
[[Director of Photography, John L. Russell, A.S.C.]]
[[Art Director, George Patrick, Editorial Supervisor, David J. O'Connell]]
[[Film Editor, Edward Haire, A.C.E., Musical Supervision, Stanley Wilson]]
[[Assistant Director, James H. Brown, Set Decorators John McCarthy and James S. Redd]]
[[Costume Supervisor, Vincent Dee, Makeup, Jack Barron, Hair Stylist, Florence Bush]]
